TOO much food in week 1 of weaning?

[loomer]

We started weaning my 25 wk old just over a week ago, using mostly single fruit/veg purees. She has taken to it with gusto, but I'm concerned that we might be feeding her too much...

The last couple of days she's been eating twice a day (breakfast and tea) and I've offered her a couple of tablespoons of banana porridge or sweet potato puree. Not only has she been frantic to get the food into her mouth (yelling between each mouthful, we sometimes can't get the spoon loaded up quickly enough!), but she's been polishing the whole lot off within a matter of two minutes, and crying for more.

So my question is, is it possible for us to feed DD too much at a sitting, or is she capable of regulating her intake herself?

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Hi Loomer - according to the health professionals at an intro to weaning session that I went on recently, you can just keep offering as much as they seem to want, and they will stop when they've had enough.

Also just started weaning DD (a little bit younger than yours) and if in the mood she will eat about 3-4 tablespoons (one of those tommee tippee little pots full) of sweet potato. Last night she ate half an avocado pear.

We are offering her food 2-3 times a day, but leaving it up to her whether she wants it or not. Some days her appetite will be hearty, others she'll just have a couple of teaspoons.

hth

[loomer]

Thanks CSWS - that's reassuring. So many of the articles I have read about weaning talk about the baby only wanting a couple of
teaspoons of food at a sitting - it made me think that DD is some kind of glutton!

Also I forgot to mention, I am offering her the solids about an hour after she's had a breastfeed, so that she isn't (in theory anyhow) desperately hungry, and her main source of nutrition is still the calories in the milk.

Still she seems to be tucking it away incredibly quickly - it's the speed of consumption that concerns me also! Will this give her indigestion?

[CantSleepWontSleep]

I guess she'll soon stop eating so quickly if it does! Might be worth having a bottle of gripe water in just in case though - I recommend the Boots one because it tastes of apple, rather than the Woodwards dill flavour one which is much harder to get her to take (feel like an expert in gripe water as DD is milk protein intolerant, but we didn't realise for 15 weeks!).

It sounds like we have read some of the same books - my NCT weaning one also suggests just a few teaspoons, but if DD had such a small appetite then I probably wouldn't be weaning her just yet!

Spinach and sweet potato went down very well at lunchtime today. I just wish she wouldn't always put her hands in her mouth half way through and then smear the food all over her clothes!!!

[NotQuiteCockney]

I'd be a bit worried about constipation as a side-effect of starting solids quickly. But then, I was lazy and did baby-led weaning with DS2, and it takes them quite a while to get anything down that way. But it does absolve you from nearly any responsibility about quantities etc.

[Mojomummy]

I think you'd be better giving her milk & immdiately afterwards her purees. By giving her solids an hour after her milk, she's pretty much digested that breast milk.

Give it a try & see what happens - also, i would offer some cooled boiled water between the mouthfuls of solids. The tommy tippee beakers are quite good to use, my DD used to love the 'independence' of sipping from those.
HTH

[loomer]

Thanks all, I have been offering her food about half an hour after her milk feed (as long as it takes to change her nappy and have a little chat), and she's still tucking it all away. Also offering water, although she seems mostly miffed that it's not another spoon of food !

She has also been pooing every two days, and DH was quite appalled/impressed yesterday at the sheer quantity and smelliness of her nappy! So no worries about constipation, and indigestion doesn't seem to be a problem.

As you say CSWS, her appetite seems to vary from day to day, and most of the time the pace has slowed to something a little more civilised. Phew!