Weaning

[biddingwar]

Hi everyone,

Hope this is the right thread!

I've started weaning my baby with purées as I'm too scared to start with BLW. We've been doing puréed vegetables at dinner time. I'm just wondering what the next steps are to move onto meals? How many meals etc. There doesn't seem to be much guidance about this. I've ordered some porridge to do at breakfast next week but just wanting some tips.

Thanks

What age is your baby?

Following as would like to offer what I started doing with my LO but like to know age before I can say

Just turned 6 months

Mines nearly 6 months and she has bit of purees but much prefers to feed herself. I say feed she will touch suck and chew and take bit down but spurs it out 😂

I given bits of what I have toast. Omelette (scrambled too but haven't given yet) avadcado, cooked brocoli, cauli, carrots, banana.

your doing purees. From what I read give one meal for a few weeks then simply move on to another meal of your choosing. Whether that's lunch or breakfast, but as with dinner can take a few days before they take any 🤷🏼‍♀️ so your call what you like to add next x

I started at 5.5 months as my lo was ready, I did 1 meal a day of pureed foods.
She took to it so easy and ate anything so after a couple of weeks I went up to 2 meals a day and then a couple of weeks later went up to 3 meals a day.
I havent done BLW either ( I too was too scared of her choaking 🙈)
However she does eat foods with small lumps in and is fine with chewing.

I’ve literally just finished reading a book called ‘how to wean your baby’ ahead of starting weaning next week and it has really helped me understand everything a lot more. I found all of the info out there so overwhelming and the health visitor particularly useless. So would heartily recommend - there are recipes and tips etc. Promise I don’t work for them, but wanted to share in case it helps xx

Ahh so glad I came across this thread I just started one myself.
My DS is 5 months and 1 week. He is under a dietician as he's a primary lactose intolerant baby. I've been advised to start weaning him because we did a lactose challenge 4 weeks ago and he still has explosive diarrohea to this day 😟 dietician said startchy foods such as baby rice, banana, potato and porridge should naturally thicken his stool so last Saturday I started giving him baby rice at lunch time, he was literally only having about a teaspoon worth just to get the hang of mouth movement and swallowing. Then yesterday for the first time he was kicking his legs with his mouth open impatiently waiting for more! So I did some more up and he probably had 1oz worth in the end. Today I tried him at breakfast with some puréed rusk - he loved it! And I have given him 1oz of baby rice with mashed banana in at tea time. He's still having his x4 lots of 8ox bottles a day.... now have I moved too fast here giving him solids twice today after just 1 week??? Should I stick to once a day for a while longer but maybe increase the amount so it is classed a meal and replaces his lunchtime bottle?
Sorry for the million questions lol
It's just so daunting and I'm worried of over feeding him 🤭 and as the name states I'm a first time mom lol so I'm new to it all 😊

@biddingwar I started off at 6 months with first tastes of single pureed veg for 2 weeks then moved on to combining flavours. My baby started 2 meals at almost 7 months and then was up to 3 meals by just past 7 months. Don't be afraid of BLW, it's pretty easy and not as scary as you think once you get going. My dd loves toast and won't eat anything mushy unless a) she eats finger food first and b) she feeds herself. I just load up the spoon and hand it to her. I make her little omelets, american style banana pancakes cut into fingers, steamed veg that are easy to hold (cauly, broccoli, green beans etc) and things like banana, big strawberries and avocado - easy to hold.

@FirstTimeMommy2021 Advice is generally just to let them try food in the early weeks and follow their lead for how much they want to eat. I wouldn't worry about increasing quantity enough for it to be classed as a meal. He's very young to be thinking about replacing a bottle imo. At 6.5 months my dd was eating 2 meals (just as much as she fancied and a lot on the floor) and breastfeeding just as much as she did pre solids so I wouldn't worry. He will cut back on milk when ready.

We did just midday meal for a fortnight, then breakfast and midday meal for another fortnight, then 3 meals a day from then on (I say 'meal' but I of course mean a couple of spoonfuls of whatever!)

Thank you everyone. I think I'll stick with what I'm doing and increase meals slowly and start introducing solids here and there.

I think its so confusing there's no real guidance and then I see people doing BLW the same age with plates piled high of normal meals like I'd eat it I just can't imagine him eating that much yet or having the stomach for it!

@FirstTimeMommy2021 Just wanted to flag that the reduced sugar rusks have more sugar in them than digestive biscuits do. Up to you if you use them but just wanted to make sure you know. It can make it harder to introduce vegetables and savoury foods later as babies get used to sweetness.

@biddingwar That's kind of the point with BLW - you chose when they eat and what you serve. They chose whether to eat and how much.

In practice not much goes in them for the first weeks of BLW as opposed to traditional weaning but there's no adjustment down the line from mashed food to full on solids.

I see people doing BLW the same age with plates piled high of normal meals like I'd eat it
That’s because most of it will inevitably end up on the floor. I’m definitely a fan of letting baby feed themselves but it does get really messy!

It sounds like you’re doing great, continue to be guided by your baby and it’ll be fine.

Thank you for that tip @nutellamagnet as I've been advised to keep off vegetables until his stool firms up so, No more rusks for now!