To take no delight in

[Mishy1234]

AIBU to take no delight in weaning DS onto solids. I find it SO stressful. Taking the BLW approach as with DS1, so I should know what to expect, but that doesn't make it any better. The prep, the mess, the wondering if he's eaten anything. I would rather change 1000 nappies than do one mealtime.

Lots of my friends seem to delight in the weaning stage (BLW and purees). They get excited about trying new foods and their DC's reaction to them. I love preparing and eating food, but can't stand the uncertainty and MESS.

I actually dislike it so much it puts me off thinking of having another child. Am I alone? AIBU?

No!
I was excited the first time round. The second time round I was still exclusively BFing at nearly 7 months. I pretended I'd gotten the dates wrong for a couple of weeks...

with DC2 on the way I've already thought of the horror that is weaning!!! With DD I initially looked forward to it, but the mess, the slop, the preparation only to have everything rejected etc etc

I'll admit it got so much easier when I went back to work & switched to jar food

You're definitely not alone. My DD is almost 9 months and doing reasonably well but I still dread every meal. I can't remember how you move onto the next stage or what I should be doing next and it tends to feel like groundhog day.

Does anyone really enjoy it??!

Oh no, wasn't one of my favourite bits either.

DS1 was OK but he took to it easily (despite being only 4 mths as this was 10 yrs ago) and it was purees and some finger foods. But with DS2 I put it off for ages, longer than I should really but we moved house when he was 6.5mths old so I didn't want to hassle of weaning and moving. He was well over 7mths before he regularly got real food. It is a mess and it is a worry too and neither of mine were that picky.

I do remember spending a whole evening making some chicken concoction for DS1 - it was a work of art - and he just wouldn't touch it. He bit my hand off for a jar but wouldn't touch the homemade. He still won't eat chicken casserole 9 years on so maybe he just doesn't like it?!

But. that is what is so stressful with a baby - you just don't know why they aren't eating and if they do eat, whether they will ever eat the same thing again!

Ds is 12 months and I might as well throw the food I've prepared straight into the compost bin and save myself having to scrape it off the highchair/floor/table/baby

I have a mat under his chair to save the floor (I fold it up with the food inside and pour into the compost bin). I use a Tommee tippee bib with catcher bit. And I crave a Antilop chair that I could put in the dishwasher

YANBU

I felt the same way. I exclusively BF until 6.5 mths and even then I didn't give DS solids every day until he was 7 mths. I just remember the whole weaning stage as being time-consuming, slightly stressful and annoying.