Weaning advice, 5.5 months old

[Becky199327]

Hi All,

My DS is now 5 and a half months. I feel like he's ready to begin weaning as he already sits with us at mealtimes in his high chair, is draining his bottles and grabbing things and putting them in his mouth. He also watches us intently as we put food in our mouths. He's a big boy, almost 22 pounds and I know people will say just offer more milk, but hes draining 10oz bottles so I feel like hes ready.

So there's two weeks until he is 6 months old, would it be okay to start him weaning now? I'm a FTM so feel a bit overwhelmed
I want to just try a few baby jars to get us going, can he have the 6 month old ones even though he's just shy of that age?

Could i still try him with finger food as he loves holding things? And then move on to some steamed veg, mashed avocado etc. Could he go straight onto that or is he still too young ?

Xx

Absolutely fine to start weaning now! Nothing magical happens the day and hour they turn 6 months. The guidance is "around 6 months" anyway.

Finger foods are fine, just make sure they're soft initially. We did a mixture of traditional weaning and finger food and it worked brilliantly from 5 months!

We started ds on puréed fruit / veg at 5 months 1 week and he took to it really well. He's 3.5 years old now and loving life!

6 months is a good guideline but it hasn't always been that. People in their 40s generally had their weaning started around months and hen I was a child my mother was advised to start giving my sister baby rice mixed in with her bottles from birth as she was a big baby, which mum did.

She is now in her 60 and is not and has never been overweight or had any health problems related to it. That doesn't mean I think it was good advice, just that it happened.

Main point being that 6 months is a good guideline but babies are all different and may be ready at different times.

Maybe forget the jars and, as you suggest, go straight onto finger food and pureed veg.

NHS guidelines are around 6 months old, nowhere does it say you need to wait until exactly 6 months. Physical signs of readiness are sitting, hand/eye coordination and loss of tongue thrust reflux. If it were me I’d start but probably with puréed veg and some finger foods to try and see what baby takes to.