To be confused about baby milk and weaning?

[Aliveinwanderland]

To make purees or baby rice you need to mix it with babies milk. But to make up a whole bottle of formula just for the few teaspoons needed seems wasteful as you can't then put the rest of the bottle back in the fridge.

I breastfeed but I don't like expressing so wanted to use formula for weaning but I can't seem to get my head round an easy way to do it without wasting loads.

If I express a small amount can I keep that bottle in the fridge for 2/3 days and keep using small amounts to make up the rice?

Im confused... they said no cows milk before 12 months but its ok to mix with food! Ive been using formula for my 8 month old.

Oh gosh 5 months is nearly 6 months of you think they are ready go for it.

PeafaceMcgee- obviously not. But neither can my health visitor.

London there'll be cows milk in the food you give your child anyway, yoghurt, milk etc. I think the issue is when people substitute formula for cows milk as it doesn't have the calories or nutrients.

BM keeps really well in the fridge. Just shake it before you use it.

I remember hand-expressing into a bowl of sweet potato that seemed too dry (we were advised by a paediatrician to wean at 5mths as my boy wasn't gaining weight) and suddenly realising the kitchen blind was wide open

OP just be aware that most tubs of formula suggest you use them up within a few weeks of opening. You might not get through them quickly enough to make it a cheaper option.

My HV said none at all till 12 months. Got to love the consistency of health care professionals......

I'm feeling like an ancient Mum here!

We used cow's milk for cooking/weaning from 6 months, but formula or breastmilk to drink. At 5 months, I would just make up a couple of ounces to mix with baby rice.

We used baby rice with fruit purées to make them less "strong".

(And I weaned one child at 4.5 months, on HV's advice, and he was literally sobbing when he saw us eat. DS2 was weaned at 7 months, as he wasn't remotely bothered.)

Don't bother with baby rice it's just like dust!
I've always used full fat cows milk when making white sauces etc and the swapped for a drink at 12 months when I stopped breastfeeding.
Never added it to fruit or veg purees. It just seems a lot of hassle and waste to buy formula to add to food if your baby isn't drinking it
I was told that babies are reliant on breastmilk/ formula for their main source of nutrition before 12 mths anyway so weaning at this stage is just about tastes and textures

It is annoying isn't it - you only need a few teaspoons! You can just make up an ounce which doesn't waste much powder, but I used to resent adding another bottle to my sterilising pile just for that.

Have a shop around the different products - some (particularly Heinz I found) have powdered formula in with their 4 months+ porridge/ baby rice so you just add boiling water rather than formula milk.

Hipp organic and Ella's also do some of their fruit purees with baby rice included and I think hipp include it in their squash purée too.

You do hear a lot about baby rice bring 'rubbish food' now, personally we found it worked really well. I also weaned slowly and gently from 4-5 months (on the advice of my GP who looked astonished I had any doubts about starting that early, stating that DS was big boy and would need it!). I used two-three plastic baby spoons of rice to one of those pouches of fruit or vegetables purée and no problems with indigestion or dodgy tummy.

Good luck OP, I have really enjoyed weaning so far

Thank you Eastendqueen- that's really helpful.

DS has been exactly on 50th centile since birth so is clearly getting enough but I've found recently he is draining both boobs and then getting frustrated and wanting more.

He is on Ranitidine for reflux and so will be taking weaning slowly as I don't want him bringing up baby rice.

You can go back to the first boob if he's had enough on the second one, FWIW :)

I don't thin kthere's anything wrong with baby rice, it seems a bit fashionable to avoid it more than anything. I didn't use it but that was because I wanted to do BLW, nothing to do with crapness or otherwise! It just didn't really appeal to me, I'd never heard of it before. I remember my mum weaning my sister onto mushed up rusks!

I think the thing with baby rice is that it has poor nutritional value and no real taste. Just steam some plain veg (carrot, potato and courgette is a good place to start) in the microwave, blitz with a hand blender and freeze in ice cube trays. We moved straight to a wide variety of flavours last night was plum, oats and full at Greek yogurt. Cows milk is fine as long as you aren't replacing formula/bf with it. We also do a lot of finger food. I would recommend looking at baby led weaning even if just to open your eyes to what babies can eat (basically anything except honey and whole nuts, keep an eye on salt and sugar)