Weaning !

[Jenny2020]

Hi all !
So my LG has been weaning for a while and currently gets purées at dinner and porridge at breakfast but I'm looking to start giving her the bigger mush pouches than the purée.
And also add in a lunch ...
So I'm thinking wtf do you give them for lunch and dinner ? Like I would blend my own dinner but what about lunches ?
Please help ft mummy and loosing her mind probably over nothing :)

I made mine butter beans with garlic today (it's a 6months + recipe on the nhs weaning website) and he wasnt a fan so I wonder if the garlic was a bit strong. I enjoyed it though!
My weaning journey has been a little different as my DS had a really bad reaction to a splash of milk landing on his skin (ended up in a&e) so we think he is allergic to dairy. Doctors have advised we hold off on milk products so I find breakfast ideas tricky!

That's guys x we love a bit of spice in this house so will start with herbs and work our way up x
Oh my that sounds horrific ! Hope your little ones okay xx

@Jenny2020 try to avoid the melty sticks or similar products. If you read the ingredients you will see that they are actually doritos for baby minus the salt. It is corn flour and oil with a pretence of health food by adding vegetable powder which has zero resemblance to the real veggie and zero nutritional value and it will hook a child to artificial and processed food.

As a PP has said, the most important thing to be aware is that salt is very dangerous especially if she is not even 6 month old. Even a low salt gravy still has salt. You need to read the ingredients and if salt is listed, avoid as her kidney might not cope with it.
IF you cook from scratch, add salt to the dish after you have removed a portion for her. But if to cook your food, you use jars be very careful.
A mashed potatoes with some parsley and butter is fine. A creamy broccoli and potato and peas cooked in a bit of water and blended together is also fine, but going full blown with spicy meals on an untrained gut might be too much.
Try risottos, which have more consistency than soups or purees.

You also need to understand that any Ella's pouch will have sweet ingredients to make it palatable to a child so keep these to the bare minimum as it will create again a preference for artificial taste.

For the veggies, more than steaming , try cooking them in 2 cm water simmering for 15 min and then blend or mash with the back of the fork mixing the liquid as well. Use fresh vegetables as the frozen one taste horrible. Frozen peas are fine. Yes to herbs but careful with spices especially if they come in a sachet (with sugar and chemicals) . A bit of cumin in a stew or Dahl is fine, those ready mixes not so much,

And listen to your HV . Your baby is not even six months. Unless you do the gravy yourself don't give her industrial granules made with a dozen additives.

Thank you for your advice ... she's 6 months in 10 days lol so I'm just looking on what to start her with in the next weeks
How time flies ! Xx

So as of 6 months she can have what I have really ? Ovb with the low salt granules ect ?
No stock cubes I under stand that ....
daft question but if I make spag Bol .. do I blend the meat ?
And what about chicken dishes ? Do u offer the meat as a finger food ?

Yep, from 6 months you can offer whatever you have.

I never blended minced meat for either of mine, shephards pie I chopped the veg smaller, so it wasn't as chunky for dh and I but still takes the same.

I did potato, broccoli, carrot and chicken breast for dinner last night. Dh had the chicken breast cut into rectangle cube things as it cut easier than as strips. I think as long as its easy for them to hold to eat, it's what will works for you.

Jenny people used to blend when they started weaning at 4 months but now that it is 6 months the babies have the capacity to hold the bits of food and control manoeuvring the food in their mouths so blending isn't required. They haven't got incisors to tear things apart but their gums become very tough and my toothless one year old was able to eat a whole apple peel and all by gumming it into submission.

Thanks guys so much I'm guessing it's just the fear of her holding things and doing it herself !
Tried her with mashed cauliflower today and the smarty pants wouldn't eat it unless I put a bit of pear purée in it but I'm guessing that's because it was her first taste next time I'll offer the florets to her too !
I'm so worried bad use me and my oh always have food spicy but I suppose I can batch cook a wee tomatoey sauce for her without the spices and just herbs ? Xx

Yep, from 6 months you can offer whatever you have

NO. Not if you are eating crap. So artificial granules even low salt are a mixture of sugar, low quality fat, chemicals.
You can't wean on baby on that.

The correct answer is you can wean baby on real food you are eating not on ultra-processed and artificial food.

Weaning is not only moving from a milk liquid diet to solid, it is about discovering flavours and textures, and take it one at the time. Don't mix cauliflower and pear together, that's a flavour that doesn't exist except in baby pouches but if you have to cover a veggies in fruit puree, she will never learn about the veggie flavour.

I understand that in the end, she will eat what you eat. But you might need to reconsider what you eat. Read labels. If if comes in a packet, a jar or a can, read labels.

I think you've made a very unfair judgment here .. I don't eat crap all my meals are home made .. like I said we love a bit of spice hence the reason I asked about making her her own sauces and freezing.
Also it was a tiny bit of pear purée to intise her .. not the full
Pouch or even 1/3 of it a tiny squirt. Like I said earlier this was her first try at this texture

What would you do if your baby refused a flavour then and refused to eat what you offered ? Ftm here looking for no judgment just winging life

Also it actually said on the ellas kitchen page that I followed to add a bit of her baby milk into it ... but I didn't because like u said you don't get those flavours so any advice would be great

Sorry didn't mean to offend, the "crap" comment was related to the granules you kept mentioning over and over.

My best advice would be to quit Ella's kitchen to get healthy advice. Several times, her products have been under criticism from health and nutrition professionals.www.greenlifestylemarket.com/blog/2017/07/18/top-baby-food-brand-found-loaded-with-sugar/

Ella's kitchen is a business and seriously they have junk food for babies in their product range (the puffs, the melty stick which have the exact same ingredients as doritos minus the salt) so sorry not a good source of nutrition there.

Then you need to understand how tasting and liking a product works. qz.com/701128/the-science-behind-getting-your-kids-to-eat-everything

It takes just one taste to like a sweet food or sweet tasting food (carrot, corn, ....) but up to 10 times a savoury one.
You have a unique opportunity to offer a preference for vegetables . The trick it to offer food that tastes nice and that you would eat yourself. So yes to the whole range of vegetables and fresh tastes so much better than frozen.

Cauliflower has a strong flavour so of course the first impact is surprise. But pumpkin (oven roasted with olive oil and rosemary and garlic for over an hour, then mashed or blended without the garlic) ,sautéed zucchini, ....you can use a vegetable broth base and do several soups.

The reason I kept mentioning granules is because it's something my hv mentioned to me . I actually work in a nursery - all be it the 3-5 room and know that babies do receive small amounts of these foods so was a little confused. Small amounts I said remember. The reason I chose cauliflower is because it's a veg we have quite a lot so instead of getting into the habit of cooking various meals every night I thought it would be what to try one that we eat most.
That's for your input I do appreciate it. I will continue to offer and try .
Considering you have such a strong opinion on this you didn't answer my question. If your baby refuses at a meal time then what would you do?
She only eggs one melty stick with her lunch to encourage hand to mouth as I've stated before she is only turning 6 months .
Like I said I'm looking for advice and not to be judged.
What do U mean a vegetable broth base is that not vegetable stock that I have been told is full of salt aswell ?

I've just be on the site linked above and found numerous articles heavily leaned towards anti vaccination and the bulk of the site seems geared towards flogging homeopathy oils / teas etc for up to $60 a pop, so not really sure how reliable it is to be honest.

Op, I think you're fine following common sense. Pouches for when out and about are probably fine and it sounds like you plan to mostly cook anyway. Just offer lots of different bits, keep to savory tastes (more veg than fruit for a bit) If she refuses, don't push, just try again another time. It is mostly for experience at this point so try to keep it positive and relaxed. Most of her nutrition still comes from milk and will do for a while.

A broth is a savoury liquid either done with vegetables only ir vegetable and meat. Take a big pot of water in which you put 5 carrots, 1 onion, 1 zucchini, 3 ripe tomatoes cut in half, 3 celery sticks and you leave it to simmer slowly for 3 or 4 hours after which you discard the vegetables and you are left with a broth also called bouillon. You can make meat broth, fish broth or bone broth, but I wouldn't do bone for a baby.

You freeze the broth and use it to cook a small risotto to which you will add butter and parmesan cheese towards the end, leaving it quite soupy so baby has a mix of liquid-solid meal.

I love cauliflower so if it is a frequent vegetable in your house, go for it, but prepare it the way you would eat it minus the salt.

Why do you mean with refuses the meal time? Refuse a dish or generally to willing to eat at a certain hour?
I always has my meals at the same time as my children and sitting at a table. I had my plate, they had theirs and I would give a spoonful to them and have food from mine for me. If they wanted to taste my food I was always willing to share.
I am French, and I believe the biggest difference is that we don't snack . So between breakfast and lunch, baby have nothing so they are ready for food at 12 because they are hungry. If your stomach isn;'t empty you are not tempted by food. Or depending if baby wakes super early and there is a big gap, fruit sliced or pureed at 10 and then nothing till 12 and this includes drinks (no milk, no juice only water)

Thank you ! Yeah I do plan on cooking most of the time
It is fresh cauliflower I'm
O wrong just mashed to smoother consistency .. I'll offer some as a finger food also and see how I get on .
Sorry i so appreciate the help I do .. I'm just trying to offer things that are often cooked at home so that sharing is going to be easier when she's a little older.
I know not to use salt when cooking I actually don't take salt on anything myself.

We would I not offer my baby her milk still ? Foods at this time are for fun she is still getting 4 bottles a day and is drinking them so I don't think she is ready to drop any.

I'm
Offering *

Don't drop any milk feeds yet, I don't think. Like you say, it is mostly for getting used to texture etc for now. Her main source of nutrition is still milk. In fact I'm sure NHS advises to offer food after a milk feed, otherwise the small bit of food fills them up and they don't get the nutrition from the milk. I found this really helpful, they have recipes too 🙂

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/solid-foods-weaning/

Have fun! Xx

Thank you :) I currently do it inbeteeen milk feeds and no issues yet .. that or I have a baby that would eat and eat and eat .... wonder where she gets it haha !! X

Scrambled eggs, mashed sweet potato and any vegetables. Baby pasta and pasta sauce(boots). When mine were that age I would usually give pasta and a yiugurt for lunch and then pototae /veg and a dessert for dinner. Would give toast, rusks, liga, small pieces of cheese as finger food.

With gravy it’s the salt that is the problem. No honey until 1. No whole nuts until 5. Introduces the major allergens quickly and give regularly after 6 months.

There is a great NHS website. Have you looked there? 3 meals a day is far too much for a 6 month old. I would carefully at labels and only give sensible food, what are the ingredients in those melts sticks? Are the things you would cook with? Finger food is important to speech development. You don’t need to blend broccoli just give it in florets. Babies don’t not like new foods, they are just learning about new flavours and textures.

She's not getting 3 meals a day.
She gets porridge and a little lunch about 3 pm.
She gets her porridge in the evening right now as it is when I introduced it to help her sleep .. so I'm not changing things up the now untill she is getting 3 meals.
No I haven't I'm
Just trying to do my best here 😂

@Lockdownseperation Seriously, the only problem with gravy granules is salt. Here are the ingredients list for bisto low salt granules:

Potato Starch, Maltodextrin, Palm Oil, Salt, Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Colour (E150c), Flavour Enhancers (E621, E635), Flavourings (contain Barley), Sugar, Emulsifier (E322) (contains Soya)

Now let's break this down a bit: number E621 doesn't look nasty but what is it? Monosodium glutamate (MSG, E621), a flavour enhancer that is not permitted in foods for infants and young children due to concern about its effects. It also causes an adverse reaction in some asthma sufferers. Then E635 MSG boosters: Ribo Rash (flavour enhancer 635 or ribonucleotides E635, 627, 631) ... In the USA, these additives are called Food Flavor Enhancers Disodium ... Ribonucleotides are not permitted in foods intended specifically for infants and

www.fedup.com.au/factsheets/additive-and-natural-chemical-factsheets/635-msg-boosters-ribo-rash-ribonucleotides-627-631

So yes this is a crap you shouldn't give a baby dirt a toddler. Read your ingredient and refresh your High school chemistry .

So to say it again; DO NOT use gravy granules and READ the ingredients listed on packages.

It sounds like you're doing great OP! From 6 months you can introduce lots of finger foods, which I found made sharing and not making seperate meals a lot easier!
Things like whole broccoli florets (built in handles), toast fingers, pasta in different sauces (we found fusili is easiest to hold), omlet strips, grated cheese are all things we found good!
And.. there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving melty sticks! They're an easy little snack and your child isn't going to end up hooked on junk food they absolutely don't have the same ingredients as doritos (even if they are babu crisps) so I'm not sure of PP sources.

My LO is 10 months and has only just moved to 3 meals a day, but she wasn't a big eater from the beginning. Maybe you could add in a finger food meal of whatever you're eating to give her the chance to play around?