Baby will be 6 months in 3 days- I offered some baby rice today, was this the wrong thing to do?

[MrsPercyPig]

Since baby is not exactly 6 months? Sorry if this is a ridiculous question!

Ds just ate it, screwed face up a bit at first but it was fine.

My question is, what next- do I just keep going with rice for a week or so and then introduce a new food?

Have I early weaned but not waiting longer?

[ExBrightonBell]

Fair enough KingRollo, just wanted to put an alternative viewpoint that eating with your hands is not universally regarded as disrespectful and wasteful.

[ExBrightonBell]

Eating with your hands is perfectly acceptable in many cultures across the world (eg in India), so I don't think that it is that weird or unacceptable.

My ds (12 months) eats very tidily with his hands and certainly doesn't throw any food around the room (as I would take it away from him if he did). At some point you are going to have to let a baby feed themselves and some mess will be inevitable. It isn't the end of the world.

[YoniBottsBumgina]

I think that's an adult interpretation though. I wouldn't want to eat cottage pie with my fingers at all. But babies love things like that - it's not just food, it's a sensory experience for them. Plus the pieces of mince are bigger in relation to a baby's hand than an adult's.

[mrscog]

YY King Rollo, I think some aspects of BLW are a bit over hyped. I based my approach on - good idea to just introduce normal flavours and combinations straight away as chunky as you can get away with (I mean how many adults eat potato and apple puree?), good idea to offer 'normal' finger foods, good idea even to occasionally have a messy play session with some yoghurt. But to offer every single meal as a hands in free for all? Nope.

[FreeButtonBee]

My DTs are 5.5 months and since they are sitting up well and wrestling food out of my hands, I've started weaning em. Toast and butter is a favourite. Banana, sliced lengthways is good. Slices of avocado and peach were also met with wild enthuasism. Personally I am really enjoying BLW (giving them unmashed food and letting them feed themselves) and with two, it's a lot less stressful than purreeing mountains of stuff only for DTS to stick his hands in it Nd rub it in his hair!

[MrsPercyPig]

Right am very proud of him as he just ate a bit of toast!

A tiny bit, but he ate it!

[SoftSheen]

The easiest way (IMHO) is to just let him share a bit of whatever you are eating (providing it doesn't contain salt, honey, whole nuts or lots of sugar).

To start with it is also better to avoid hard vegetables such as raw carrot, since they can be a choking hazard. A six month old is also unlikely to be able to pick up tiny things like peas and berries.

Good things to start with are fingers of toast (with butter or mashed avocado or banana), large pasta shapes, chunks of steamed vegetables, soft fruits such as mango, pear or banana, finger shaped chunks of meat (eg steak or chicken) and breakfast cereals such as mini shredded wheat, which can be picked up easily. You can also give cottage pie, spag bol etc but there will be a lot of mess!

Just put the food on his tray and let hime get on with it. To start with it will probably just be played with but after a week or two he will realise that it's quite nice to eat too.

Good luck!

[mrscog]

I did a half way house approach with DS who I started on solids at 25 weeks. My advice is if you're starting at this age go straight to mashed lumpy food and whatever you're having. The puree, one new flavour at a time style is more appropriate if you're starting at 4 months.

DS had ready brek with stewed fruit stirred in for breakfast (these days ready brek is salt free), finger foods or something easy like baked beans and mash at lunchtime, then a mashed up version of our dinner - we lived on softish meals like pasta in sauce, fish pie, shepherds pie, curry etc for a while! He's nearly 17 months now and although he has famine weeks where he's expressing his own free will, generally he's a good eater.

[TooTabooToBoo]

OP, I'm on DC2 - 9 year age gap. DD weaned at 4 months and I was rubbish at it, clueless. Everything was pureed and baby rice was given on advice of everybody.

She was fine. AK saved my sanity, I still have the book and still use it (I hate cooking BTW so she was my intro to recipes)

With DS (4 mo) I'm holding out for 6 months and plan to BLW .

Just go.with the flow - lots of good advice here.

[Tee2072]

Yes. From five years ago.

[bigkidsdidit]

I weaned DS at 5 months when he took a bite out of a banana I was holding

I know she's not liked on here but OP if you're too nervous for BLW, which I was too, get an Annabel Karmel book. I found it really useful

Good luck. After a while its fun - what does he like, what doesn't he like? It's interesting :)

[Shiraztastic]

well there is the arsenic issues..

[MrsPercyPig]

Right, thanks all for the advice.

I have now made a batch of:
Sweet potato
Sweet potato and apple
Sweet potato and apple
Apple and blueberry

All blitzed but not totally puréed as I'm a little nervous and want to take an in between approach.

I will go for more lumps and finger food next time.

I agree, these things are all easy when you know how!

[Smartiepants79]

There is nothing wrong with baby rice. Mix with fruit and veg purée if you want to go down the spoon feeding route.
For what it's worth I have just started weaning my daughter. She is 7 months.
She has fruit purée and baby rice for breakfast with toast.
Finger foods for lunch. Sandwiches, breadsticks, houmous, cucumber, cheese etc. plus yogurt.
Veg & meat purée for tea with veg finger food. Fruit and rice pudding or something similar.
The mix of baby led weaning and spoon feeding means I can be sure she has actually eaten something. But she is also learning about chewing textures and tastes for herself.
Worked very successfully for my first daughter!

[YoniBottsBumgina]

DS practically wrestled a flapjack out of my hand at 5 months. I gave him some toast. He was happy :)

BTW OP bigger bits are better than smaller pieces if you want to let them try solid foods from the start (BLW) - think chip-sized or adult finger sized. Needs to be big enough that they can grab it in their little hammy fist and still have a bit sticking out to gnaw. They can't do pincer grip - needed for smaller items - until 9 months or so.

[BalloonSlayer]

Well I was told to give baby rice mixed with milk at 4 months, followed by bland fruits + baby rice "because it's nicer."

Some statistics

1st DC - rule was start at 4 months. He couldn't wait.

2nd DC - rule was start at 4 months. TBH she could have waited but I was obedient and started weaning anyway as I wanted to do the best for her.

3rd DC - rule was 6 months. Expressed doubt to lovely HV that he would keep going to 6 months. "Most don't dear" she said. Blesser.

So all mine started weaning around 4 months.

I have one who will eat anything (despite having lots of food allergies WHICH APPEARED BEFORE WEANING) - DS1

I have two "chicken nuggets" kids with no allergies - DD and DS2

All weaned the same way at the same time.

[Tee2072]

Also? This is the parenting topic. You should expect questions about, you know, parenting.

[Tee2072]

Noel, there are no stupid questionsor limits to the mumbers of threads started on MN. There are rude answers, however.

My son, BTW, loved baby rice. And everything else!

You're doing fine, OP.

[Ethlinn]

OP, I started weaning a few weeks ago (just before 6 months) and DS is the happiest baby ever now! I still use baby rice - I mix it with all sorts of fruit for his breakfast and we're doing a mixture of spoon feeding and BLW. I feed him a bit and he also gets loads of things to try and grab and chew on himself. So far mango and broccoli seem to be his favourite. I just give him slices of fruit and veg (all nice and soft) and he picks them up and sometimes puts in his mouth or everywhere else.
I am no expert, but I have been giving him pretty much everything me and OH are having. I love cooking and he gets to try most of the things I make, I only mash them up a bit with a fork or give him little bits as finger food. My HV says it's fine.
HTH

[noelstudios]

Maybe I should be more discerning about the 'most active' tab... Doesn't always guarantee classic intrigue and belly laughs. Op, I'm sure your baby will enjoy food of one variety or another, good luck!