Have no idea where to start!

[CaramelPrincess]

So my DS is 6 months old next week, and we are beginning the wonderful weaning process!
I have literally no idea where to start with it all, I've got a few books for recipes etc, but would love to hear some other parents feeding routines. Do I start with just one meal, or jump straight in with breakfast dinner and tea?
I am currently EBF and DS has no 'routine' at present when it comes to feeding

You hand him a pice of food, see what he makes of it. That's the lovely thing about waiting until 6m, none of this faffing about with purées, just share your normal food. They don't need teeth to chew! (Tho mine hated pasta and rice until they had premolars.)

A few things to avoid for health reasons, eg honey, raw/runny eggs, undercooked meat, salt.

Most calories are still from milk at this stage, so lots and lots of tasting and experiencing. Many tinies will spit out or pull faces at new foods, but it's just unfamiliarity. Try again at another time of day or prepared in a different way.

Just give him something suitable and off you go. DS has been going for three weeks and we give him two 'meals' a day. As he eats so little of it I don't cook for him yet or try to give him three meals. He eats a bit of what we have once a day and a 'meal' of finger foods once a day.

Typical stuff is sliced peppers / carrots / broccoli / cauliflower / toast / pitta / yoghurt (his favourite!) / pear / banana / melon/ nectarine / ricecakes.

The book I bought says by 7 months they should be eating three times a day, but honestly it's all led by baby and what he wants. As I said, very little currently goes down except yoghurt, so he's drinking as much milk as he ever did and is having great fun squishing food in his hand and into his hair!

Thanks for the replies, I can't wait to have food all down the walls and covering the carpet, good job we have a dog

Avoid excess added sugar too.

You would be surprised to see tastes starting to form up as he grasp a basic understanding of taste

As others have said, just chuck him a bit of anything you're having bar a few foods already mentioned. I'd add whole nuts and raw carrot/apple (unless grated) to that list too.

As for how often to feed proper food, as it is only complimentary to milk at that age, just do it as it's convenient for you. Don't stress if they 'miss' a meal because you're out/they're asleep etc. It's about the experience of flavour and texture rather than calories.
With DD1 I started with lunch, then added breakfast a month later, then dinner a month later again. Snacks were added sometime on from that once she had become a competent eater and was choosing to reduce her milk intake.
DD2 will start getting offered something 3 times a day once she starts weaning, but that's only because I'll give her a bit of her sister's. I don't expect her to actually eat very much of it at first. I would have done the same with DD1, but when it was only me to worry about feeding regularly, I'd eat whilst she was napping or entire packets of chocolate hobnobs for lunch unsuitable foods.

So like tonight I'm making gammon with cheese and broccoli bake, so I could give him a bit of the cheese and broccoli bake and just mash it up a bit?

Don't even mash it up. I would just give him a piece of the broccoli to hold, see what he does with it.

Look for a book called Weaning Made Easy - best baby book I ever bought! U can get it on amazon.
Has tips on first meal, timetables for introducingg food from 4, 5 and 6 months, how to reduce milk and increase food. Honestly, it's brilliant!
Takes a middle road between all out baby led weaning and purees.
Totally helped me out!

And don't beat yourself up if you end up using the odd jar or packet.. There are some good ones out there (I've heard lots of people recommend Ella's kitchen) and they can make life easier on occasion.