To ask for help with weaning my baby.

[JJSS123]

Baby is nearly 7 months. Been having rusks to chew on and suck and loves them. Have tried a few pouches likes carrots and parsnips. I know people have weaned a lot earlier and I feel like I’ve let baby down by being so late but I’m not sure with baby led weaning it just seems abit scary! Does anyone have any idea where I start from here with regards to any weaning!? Any kind of routine? Just any help really would be so appreciated. Posted in AIBU for traffic so apologies.

I'd lay off the rusks as they are full of sugar. What have you given so far? They can have most things at that age except whole nuts, honey, high salt/sugar foods, etc. Pasta, cheese, meat, yoghurt, fruits, veg , toast, rice, etc are all ok. What do you eat?

7 months is perfectly fine and well within the realms of normal .

Start by having him in the highchair next to you for each meal. Put a couple of bits of food on his tray. Anything goes but to start with things like
Broccoli florets,
Well cooked carrot batons,

Toast soldiers with butter, marmite etc
Mashed potato
Roast chicken strips
Peppers

Anything he can hold in his fist is good. It's just playing right now. Carry on with the pouches too. Also plain yoghurt on a spoon with cut up grapes, blueberries etc is nice.

Remember that milk is still his main source of nutrition for now so give him that a bit before mealtimes and then he won't be starving and can play happily.

BLW suggests you offer the child everything you eat on a regular basis as long as you cook without salt and avoid one or two items, e.g. honey.

The puree approach offer mushed things so mushed fruit and vegetables to start with then add soft types of meat and fish.

At 7mo I'd just offer food of all kinds, avoiding too much salt and sugar. You seem a bit stressed by the whole thing, why? Has your baby choked before? Does he seem to have problems swallowing?

Firstly dont panic. Yes it is a little late so you baby may be a bit surprised and less likely to be thrilled. There is a huge amount of rubbish about weaning and when labels start to be put on it like baby led weaning it lends credibility to what is in fact a perfectly natural process. Because you have started later some of the restrictions are not there so you are fast approaching normal familt foods. Simply presenting finger foods is important so that he can push food around his mouth, gum it, spit it out or swallow. However if he has not yet learned what a lump of food feels like in his throat, he will need to develop a gag , which parents hate, naturally. If he will take a spoon of soft food, gradually thicken it (home cooked is easier to do this eg mash potato) Slippy finger foods like banana go down easily. Try to imagine there are no books, no internet, no commercial baby products. Look at your dinner tonght and give him little tastes (he is old enough to be encourage by seeing you eat. Just keep it salt and sugar free and all will be well. Use your common sense and ignore 90% of the advice given. Every baby is different

Yes milk is currently his main food but it is better to feed the milk after the solids as a top up. He will be hungier and more interested, you will not over feed him, and he will naturally start to reduce the quantity of milk he needs. When a good lunch is taken he will drop that feed first

I disagree about giving food first at that age. I gave milk first and then solids about an hour later.

Thanks so much for the responses! Yes we’ve had a couple of bad choking episodes on rusk like really bad I did the tap on the back and it wasn’t working and be really couldn’t breathe I had to shove my fingers down his throat it was the most scariest thing I’ve ever seen. I didn’t realise how late I was. Do I just offer tea or like every meal now? I gave some toast the other day do I butter it? It’s mad. I can’t imagine him with broccoli!!!! This is so scary haha

How is 7 months late when they actually start eating food at 6 Months ?

And I wouldn't be giving rusks of all things .

I started ds at 8 months. I really dont rhink you have started too late. There is alot of information online about weaning and starter foods.
I would puree eg. apples and then steam some. So feed him the puree and then let him hold apple sticks which were soft yet less of a smooth texture than the puree. So he got to know the taste as well the texture.

I'd offer at every mealtime. In reality he probably won't actually eat all that much, far more will end up on the floor and that's OK too. He's learning to coordinate his mouth and hands and eyes all together.

Broccoli his great because he can hold the stalk easily in his fist and the top disintegrates nicely in the mouth.

Just put of interest, there is a difference between gagging, which is perfectly normal and something all babies learn to do to manipulate the food to the front of the mouth to avoid actual choking. Choking is where the food has got stuck in the throat and is obstructing the airway. Gagging is scary looking but quite normal and choking is an emergency.

You could do worse than to have a look locally for a baby first aid class to put your mind at rest. It's a useful thing to have knowledge of.

It isn’t late! I started at 6 months with my third and he wasn’t interested, by 7 months he was.

I echo the baby first aid course, of course you can use purées it’s not mandatory to do BLW.

I would also offer everything if you can, expect him to eat next to nothing but it’s good to get the flavours in.

I’d also start with vegetables and not parsnips or carrots, just because they’re sweeter. Get him used to the non-sweet stuff as much as possible. Broccoli is great; avocado is also good (my third was a fiend for it, little posh boy lol!).

Look up S R Nutrition - she has a blog and Instagram. Really good resource.

If your child chokes again please don't do a 'tap on the back' followed by fingers down the throat, could be dangerous.

My fiancé works as a paramedic and he advises looking online about how to position baby to give hard, firm back slaps and then chest thrusts if that doesn't work / calling 999.

Re. the weaning if you're a member of the boots parenting club you're entitled to a free ellas kitchen book - some advice / recipes in there. I'd personally never give my child a risk due to sugar content but your child so of course up to you.

Hope this has helped.

www.redcross.org.uk/first-aid/learn-first-aid-for-babies-and-children/choking-baby Please don't put your fingers in unless you can see a bit of food right at the front that you can just hook out. As PP said, taking a first aid course might give you more confidence.

I'm a few days in to weaning my 6mo and we've just given her soft sticks of veg (broccoli, carrot, potato etc) and some home made veg puree/mash. I don't think she's eaten much of it so far and has done plenty of gagging and dribbling the food out, but it's just getting them used to different textures and flavours to start with. Broccoli has been the biggest hit so far, both in whole and pureed form. Good luck!

Also learn the difference between choking & gagging. A baby & child first aid class is an excellent idea.
Rusks (even the sugar free kind) have more sugar than a digestive biscuit.
Also, as others have said, 7 months isn’t “late” as 6 months or older is the recommended age, so don’t worry about that.

I have a ds6.5mths i feed him anything that can be mashed with a fork banana, carrots, cauliflower ect as well as rice scrambled egg potato. Usually whatever were having alongside the meat although if were having quorn he has this too. Hes quite a big baby so blw isnt too good for him as they dont tend to actually eat much so i just give him something to have a chew on alongside the spoon fed food toast veg ect just to get him used to feeding himself and to practice his hand to mouth coordination. I'll probably start letting him start using the spoon himself soon. This is my second so im past the fear factor which is very real with the first one so I understand your concern. As pp's have mentioned babies have a strong gag reflex and gag and push food back to the front of the mouth but this isnt them choking so try not to panic and try them again with another spoonful.

Mine is 8 months old and I just plan our meals to avoid things she can have & put her some on a suction plate / high chair table and she helps herself. Sometimes she eats lots, sometimes very little. I have included a couple of pre-prepared pouches but only ones that include things I’m allergic too as it easier than preparing something I can’t eat!
I always include a portion of veg extra - I buy frozen mixed veg then just microwave her a couple of bits.
My life is easier because the dogs are happily to clean up the floor after her.
Her favourite food is full fat Greek yogurt which we do a combination of giving it to her on a spoon & her using her hands / the spoon.
I think the best thing is to do what fits in best with your eating habits!

Forgot to attach this to my last post.

I love blw but if you’re not comfortable, why not just stick to traditional weaning (although you’d still use some finger foods too)? There are no prizes for method and if you’re anxious, that’s not going to be great for making meal times a happy experience.