Weaning help for 1st time Mum

[Squaffle]

DD is 19 weeks, formula fed, gaining weight really well and generally thriving. She will only take 150ml/5oz at a time so feeds 6 times a day (7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10/11pm). Have tried upping the milk but she refuses any more than 150ml.

I think she is almost ready to start weaning: she seems bored of milk and is absolutely fascinated by others eating. She is sitting upright well (with support) and great at putting objects in her mouth.

2 questions:

1. I have read conflicting advice about when to give food: did before, after or in the middle of a milk feed work best for you? She never seems particularly ravenous so I was thinking about food first, bottle after.
   
   
2. with her milk feeds being so frequent, how do I fit in food as well? I plan to start slowly, probably around the 10am bottle time and then build up from there. Would this work?
   7am bottle
   8am breakfast
   10am bottle
   1pm lunch and bottle (aim to drop or reduce this one first)
   4pm bottle
   5:30pm dinner
   7pm bottle
   10/11pm bottle
   
   Thank you for your help o wise ones :)

[Squaffle]

Sorry, just read that back and it doesn't make sense. Should have said I plan to start around the 1pm bottle and build up from there.

[TeaBelle]

19 weeks is very early. I would wait until 6 mo the and go straight for baby led weaning, where you just give them chunks of whatever you are eating more or less (no whole nuts or honey ). It might sound like a ball ache but it is so much easier than pureeing and trying to feed a baby mush and then gradually thicken/add lumps etc

[TeaBelle]

In answer to timings , dd just ate when we did from day 1 of weaning.

[Claraoswald36]

Sit her in the high chair. Give her some bits of banana and see what happens. The food she swallows won't be enough to replace milk for a while though

[LuckySantangelo1]

I never understand why people are so keen to wean early. It's against X medical advice, a faff to do & their poos go all gross. Leave it until 6 months!

[FellOutOfBed2wice]

When I started weaning my DD I missed out mornings to start as I'm not a morning person and couldn't be arsed with the faff. Started at lunchtime and did lunch and dinner. Introduced breakfast when she was a bit better at eating and so therefore it was quicker.

Another one saying wait til 6 months and do BLW though. So much easier.

[RiverTam]

I'd wait till 6 months and use whatever method you like, I hated blw and was so happy when I ditched it after a by stressful month.

[Squaffle]

Haha, I forgot about the poos! Will definitely wait until 6 months if I can; she seems ready so am starting to read/think about it. Plus, the strict Health Visitor will hunt me down and kill me if I start any earlier ;)

[Onthedowns]

Actually a new scientific report suggests weaning from 4 months isn't a bad thing particularly with allergies, on the back of this the dept of health is recommissioning its own report . I think most mums know their babies and take common sense approach.

[SpeakNoWords]

Are you thinking of the EAT study? It's not looking at early weaning generally as far as I'm aware, it's looking at reducing the risk of developing specific allergies by introducing a small amount of those potential allergens regularly from 4 months, I thought. I don't know whether this should be taken to mean that weaning should always start from 4 months and include all foods. Certainly general NHS advice has not been changed, yet, in response to this study.

[TheLegendOfBeans]

Please don't think I'm being the harbinger of doom here but please make sure you're up to date with baby first aid re choking etc.

It'll give you the confidence to not panic when your baby inevitably makes chokey noises when they very first start eating (as they are not used to anything but liquid going down there).

We started DD on pureed veg at 21w - three or four spoonfuls at lunch. Now (25w) she gets through five spoonfuls, plus a half banana (we let her squish it with her hands herself) and we will give her a couple of spoons of stewed fruit/yoghurt in the afternoon too.

I'd recommend the Ella's Kitchen book on weaning; it's the purple one. Very informative and simple to understand.

Good luck. Weaning is ace.

[Onthedowns]

No the report from the institute of child health, it's also to do with child iron deficiencies. Hence the dept of health have recommissioned a new study

[SpeakNoWords]

Ah, thanks, onthedowns, I'd missed that report making the news. It seems to have been around since 2011, if I'm looking at the right thing? I wonder when the DoH will get round to reaching its conclusion? 5 years seems a long time to be looking into it still.

[Onthedowns]

I didn't realise it was that old, health visitor told me it's likely to be changing to 4/6 months