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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Help - need some reassurance/kick up the arse

4 replies

hawthers · 21/08/2012 14:50

God its long - sorry bear with me...

My DS2 is nearly 8 months old and we started weaning just before 6 months and he seemed to love it. He lapped up the veg and fruit purees and was really keen. Then we went on holiday and whilst i had intended to continue with the purees, I took jars and packets with us as it was just not feasible to do homemade veg purees as i had been doing. We also started just giving him some of what we were having as finger food which he also seemed very keen on.

My problem is that since then (around the last month) he basically is totally off spoon feeding for anything other than breakfast and yoghurt/fruit puree. He will happily pick up anything and shove it in to see what it tastes like and somethings go down better than others (toad in the hole = yes, broccoli = no etc). He is definitely teething as his first tooth appeared this week and there could well be more on the way which would make sense with him not being keen on the spoon anymore.

Should i just continue offering him finger foods and try the spoon every mealtime to see if he wants any of it or just give up the spoon completely and go blw (which i could but oh dear god the mess and waste!)

I worry that the finger food that I offer is too salty for him as i tend to give him whatever DS1 (3) is having which is basically a good diet but does include sausages, fish fingers and other preprepared food (not every day i hasten to add).

I've got some massive baggage with this as DS1 was very small when he was born and spent 4 months in the NICU and we struggled with his weight when he was home and he spent far too long on the 0.4th percentile. He is now between the 2nd and 9th so not massive. Then DS2 got meningitis when he was 8 days old and also spent some time in the ICU and his weight also dipped to the 0.4th percentile although he is now back up to the 25th percentile. I'm stressing that I'm not doing the right thing to keep his weight where it should be.

Help!

OP posts:
JiltedJohnsJulie · 22/08/2012 09:24

hawthers really not surprised you are over thinking this at all, wow, that is a rocky start.

Try and chill about it a bit though. At this age the milk should be his main form of nutrition anyway and solids are just supplemental.

My DD just didn't like spoon feeding either so we went along with BLW and I found it so much easier after the purees I made for DS. If you are stuck for ideas there are some great ones on the BLW website.

Just keep giving him his milk, and then offer the solids an hour later and he will be fine. Once he is 12 months you can start giving the milk after the solids.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 22/08/2012 09:40

Just remembered, when DD was about that age I got this book out of our library and it had some good ideas Smile.

DreamingOfPeace · 22/08/2012 20:31

I think I'd try little bits of spoon stuff as he may really like some of the things you offer and change his mind about the spoon. I suppose he's still too little for you to load a spoon and give it to him to put in?? Or give him a breadstick and dunk it in some puree to get some veg/other stuff down him?

I'm hopeless though, I consider fish fingers one of the healthiest things DD eats... Super fussy little madam. I spent hours making her weaning meals, every annabel bloody karmel meal imaginable and felt vaguely smug with how well she ate, and how the worm has turned. This time I'm going to try not to get so worried about it. After all, 'food before one is just for fun' can't be based on nothing though I'm not sure I believe it . Fwiw I think giving finger foods is really important for hand/eye and hand/mouth coordination and fully intend to do just what you have done- and hope the spoon isn't totally refused!

Also, I have two friends who did exclusively blw, and it may be a pure coincidence but at nearly 2 both their dc eat far better than my DD!

Basically, I don't think you've done anything 'wrong' and he should maintain his weight just fine with milk and some solids. My friends little girl who was blw weaned is 9th centile, or between that and the 25th and has stayed the same but god the mess, I saw pictures of her at mealtimes and i know she was just the same as your ds2 about no spoon

^^ hmm, hope someone more knowledgeable than me is along soon Hmm

DreamingOfPeace · 22/08/2012 20:33

How funny- just checked the link to the book and its the same one my friend had for blw :)

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