Starting weaning - overwhelmed

[Bubbles021]

Hello everyone,
We will be starting weaning our little one in a few weeks time when she reaches 6 months. I have been trying to get my head around all of the information that is out there, and to be honest I'm starting to feel quite overwhelmed!
We will probably end up doing a mixture of baby led weaning and purées, as this is just what will work best for us. I have been reading the Annabel Karmel book and joined Facebook groups etc, but it's just overloading my brain. I just wanted a little breakdown so I can ease myself into understanding it all.
So where do we start? What were your 'must haves' when you started weaning? What is essential to buy? Should we buy a steamer?
We were gifted some bowls and spoons for Christmas from my in-laws, but recommendations for these would be appreciated too! We have brought the highchair.
Basically anything that might help my overwhelmed mind start to make sense of everything 😅
Thank you

You don't need a steamer. To start with you will only need eg a floret of broccoli or a couple of beans or carrot sticks. Lightly boiled is fine, or just a metal sieve over a pan if boiling water with a lid over works too. These work as finger foods too.

Lightly boiled fruit or veg pureed with a stick blender. Freeze in an ice cube tray so you can defrost a cube at a time.

Bowls, spoons etc don't really matter. You will find what works best for you. Suction bowls are good for when they get a bit more independent -stick to the high chair tray rather than being thrown. In the early days though just a couple of things on the high chair tray work fine - prices of cooked pasta, prices of banana, bits of cheese, toast fingers etc.

Usually the thing they want most is whatever is on your plate. Sit them on your lap and let them help themself 😁

I would t buy any special equipment either apart from a high chair and some bibs and a cup for water. You might get one like my DC2 who refused all spoons and purées and wanted what we'd got.

There are some fabulous suggestions for first foods to try in this guide from the Caroline Walker Trust.

I followed the SR Nutrition plan which has a 30 day plan.

It focuses on veg, particularly bitter tastes, first & then common allergens.

It also talks about signs that they are ready to wean, how to balance with milk feeds, when you are ready to increase number of meals etc. It is really foolproof.

We just bought the IKEA high chair, a waterproof mat for the floor, a couple of wipeable bibs & some bowls/plastic spoons.

As he got older, he had Doddl cutlery and the suction plates (not the separate compartment ones though).

We had a handheld blender anyway but DS never liked being spoon fed, so we ended up doing finger foods.

Agree you don't need too much stuff, just see how you go.
Some small spoons
A stick blender
Ice cube trays
Lots of pottles for feezing
Bibs/haz suit

I have a couple of weaning cook books which I found great, especially SR Nutrition and a DK one.
I started off with single veg purees and also offered a soft finger food version alongside. My baby tended to like the puree spoon fed. I started with broccoli and my boy still loves it.

I just boiled the veg in water in a pot, drained, blended then put in ice trays to freeze.

Then after the first few weeks I'd blend two veg and maybe a bit of roast chicken or fish and baby rice or star pasta. Then as they get more competent I'd make it a bit lumpier or serve with normal rice instead of baby rice.

Just see how you baby gets on and follow what they enjoy.

To manage expectations on how much they eat, I think to start with I was just giving 2 or 3 spoon fulls of puree and letting him have a play then building it up over the weeks.

I think I started with lunch at 6mo then added breakfast 4 or 5 weeks later then dinner another month down the track.

Enjoy xx

We bought high chair, big bibs and pouches and jars. Didn’t want to do blw.

How are you feeling about it now @Bubbles021?

Thank you all so much! Some fantastic advice, definitely helps hearing others experiences!
I have a habit of putting a lot of pressure on myself, so I'm trying to take my foot off the pedal a bit and just go with the flow.
Thank you all again, it's really appreciated advice 😊

I have a habit of putting a lot of pressure on myself, so I'm trying to take my foot off the pedal a bit and just go with the flow.

Definitely try to do that as they can very quickly pick up on any anxiety around food.

Have a look at the first tastes section in the guide I linked to earlier and remember, it's your job to provide good, it really is up to her if she eats it or not, and if she doesn't, you can just assume she's not hungry at that time

Keep it simple. Don’t aim for a style of weaning just see what works at the time, she will let you know which one she prefers.

We started with baby rice for a couple of weeks (a couple of teaspoons twice a day) then cooked and puréed (well mashed with a fork) vegetables and banana. Then things like yoghurt and mashed potato.

Once you get into the swing of it it’s not as daunting!

I got really stressed about weaning. I was determined to do blw, but in the end DD just wasn't up for it. Other mum friends had their babies of the same age munching on carrot sticks, and mine was still on purées and a lot of breast milk. Made me feel a bit useless. But now she's 20m and eats like a champion (nursery has helped with that). There is loads of conflicting advice online, not to mention what your MIL will tell you, but in the end your baby will impose their will on you.

I didn't buy anything special, apart from a high chair. I did already have on of those folding steamers that goes in an ordinary pan, but didn't use it till much later. My DD decided she wanted bought babyfood, my homemade purees weren't up to scratch. It didn't feel great, but as I said, she eats great now.

I would definitely advise buying more bibs than you think though!

And also buy in some jars of ready produced food so that you have something ready to take the pressure off you!

Buy How to Wean Your Baby - literally has a day-by-day guide. Charlotte’s books are so good.

Also, my one tip is don’t rush into it. I couldn’t wait to get started soon as DS was 6 months but once you start - it’s every day and takes some planning. The books helped but the excitement soon wore off!

What do you want to feed your baby? I wanted mine to try a banana so Day 1, I gave her a banana. Then my husband wanted her to try steak so Day 2, she had a bit of steak. Day 3, I think we made strawberry puree. Day 4, some buttery toast. And a little bit of something that makes you laugh to watch them eat slowly becomes a whole eating human.

I appreciate you'll probably take a more structured approach than this, but really just to say it will be fine, you're not going to do it wrong and permanently damage your child. Puree, solids, bit of both. You don't have to buy into one style and become a Facebook enthusiast. Maybe one day you do a few solid bits, maybe the next you do puree. Maybe you buy some fruit pouches because life is short and parenting is tiring. It's all going to be perfect.

My only actual advice is cloth wipes are easier for mopping them down, otherwise you need 1000 baby wipes per meal.

I would like to direct you to this old thread on weaning www.mumsnet.com/talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/4292911-Weaning-5-months?reply=108975443 . I shared how we do it the French way, which has nothing to do with the way the food reaches the mouth (finger or spoon) but everything to do with the quality and variety of food. This BLW vs Puree thing is only Anglo-Saxon and very strange to read about when you are from continental Europe. Even the spoon side seems to forget about soups, risottos, stews and so on.
Weaning is an exciting and fun period. You only need a High chair. Not even a steamer. You can cook your veggies in 2 cm of water in a small pot and then blend everything together, water and veggies. And I would recommend a few baby forks.

Best advice I got was to start with breakfast as you're always at home.

Then do dinner as you're also mostly at home. Leave lunch until last.