Weaning

[Mumofsonny]

Hello. My health visitor has that I prepare myself for weaning my son. He's still only 16 weeks but I'd like to be as informed as possible. I'd love recommendations for books/kit at the cheaper end of the scale and the best foods to start him on? Thanks

Not sure why your HV is suggesting that you get yourself ready for Weaning OP as all the guidelines say to wait until LO is 6 months

That aside, there’s still some stuff you can read up on. The leaflet above is a good start and try the MN info on Weaning and the Caroline Walker Trust’s Eating Well in the First Year of Life.

As for equipment, we used a high chair but you can use a booster seat. You can give tap water with food from 6 months so you’ll probably need a couple of sippy cups and I found long sleeved bibs saved their clothes, things can get messy!

If you’re doing purees, you’ll need a couple of small bowls and spoons. It’s usual to offer finger foods alongside purees.

If you are going down the Baby Led Weaning route, you probably don’t need much more.

If you’re after a book, I’d recommend this one, your library will probably have a copy.

The only other thing you’ll need is something to take lots of photographs on.

Good luck OP. Relax and enjoy it when the time comes and let us know how you get on

Thank you, that is really helpful. She just told me to prepare but to wait until 24 weeks. 😀

No idea why you’d have to start preparing now or why she’s saying to start at 24 weeks. Much better to wait until 6 months or when baby is showing the signs of readiness, which are in the first link I posted.

You really, really don’t need to be worrying about Weaning yet

The PHE leaflet is helpful and suggests offering a cup of water at 6 months - does it have to be cooled boiled water still at this point until a year?

Oh god, don't do baby led weaning. I did and I thought it was brilliant (and actually helped us eat better as a family because I bought a BLW cookbook and now make all meals from scratch) but the downside is that I've got a nearly 2 year old that won't use cutlery at all. I think it's because they use their hands for BLW so he sees no need to do anything different. I've been trying to get him to use cutlery for almost a year and he rarely, if ever, does. Even for things like yogurt, he'll use his hands. It makes me wish I hadn't gone down the BLW route.

No it doesn't have to be boiled. I started giving my son bottled water with meals at 6 months.

I wouldn't give bottled water either due to mineral content. Plain tap water is fine as a drink from 6 months

We did blw but 'helped' with spoons for yogurt, etc, loading them and letting DD have a go. At just gone 2 she'll use a spoon or fork if at all possible, she tries to eat toast fingers with a fork. She's still a messy little creature though.

Thank you x

Oh, baby led weaning scares me!!

A good thing to do if you are thinking about weaning is a first aid course, or watching some of the videos on the St. John ambulance website so you are instantly familiar with what to do if your baby chokes. This can happen with BLW and traditional weaning.
When I wean babies at work I use a finger foods/family foods approach (not what the purists call blw), I help with a spoon occasionally. I've never had a problem with children not using cutlery when they are able to.

Yes tap water is absolutely fine from 6 months. The reason you have to use the hot water for formula is to kill to potentially lethal bacteria in the powder, not the water.

As NannyR says, babies can choke however you feed them so it’s probably best to go on a Paediatric 1st Aid Course or watch a few videos on YouTube. Your local St Johns Ambulance, British Red Cross, Children’s Centre or NCT might be running courses.

Even if you feed baby purees (which they can choke on), it’s normal to offer finger foods alongside at 6 months. I weaned my first at 4 months in the bad old days and didn’t know a 6 months old baby who was having sone finger foods.

My suggestion is to read up on all methods so yiu are coming at this with an informed view and do sone first aid training. You’ll probably never need the training but if you are nervous, it might help to relax you.

Incidentally my second was a complete spoon refuser so we had no choice but to do BLW. We’ve never had a problem with getting her to use cutlery

Sorry for the typos. “I didn’t know a 6 month old who wasn’t having some finger goods.”