Starting weaning!

[esunny]

Hello,

my baby is nearly 6 months so I’m due to start weaning soon! Just wondering if anybody can recommend any weaning bundles/makes (bowls, cups, spoons, cups, bibs etc) or any advice you think will help! What am I best trying first? Purées? Porridge?

Also going to look at joining our local weaning class!

thank you :)

I did purées, baby rice/porridge, yogurt. I think your meant to introduce something on its own and be happy there’s no allergy before introducing something new. HV advised me to introduce veg first to avoid them getting a sweet tooth. I did that but she still ended up preferring fruit to veg so I dont think that tactic actually works.

I followed loosely Joe Wicks Wean in 15 and What Mummy Makes and still use their recipes 2 years on for some meals and snacks!

I started with veg too but my little one loved fruit more like the poster above!

Solid Starts app was good to show how to prepare foods I wasn’t sure about!

I just got a bamboo suction bowl and plate and some little plastic cutlery and come coverall type things as it did get messy!!

Just buy whatever plates or bowls you can find at a local supermarket or ikea has a good range of children’s plates. You don’t need anything special because the actual starting to eat phase is short lived. You need toddler friendly things. But a sippy cup or doidy cup and pots for taking food out and about are helpful. A bento box is great, but any will do. For the first bit though, I didn’t use any plates or bowls, just went right on the tray.

We just fed normal food, without loads of salt and sugar, no honey before 1 or whole nuts. Eldest’s first meal was Sunday roast - roast chicken, a Yorkshire pudding, roasted parsnips in garlic and herbs. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@ACR7 @JollyHostess101 @mindutopia awww thank you! How did you all cope with introducing solids? So worried about the gagging and choking!!!

Mine did really well with increasing textures. It was all going really well until I let her do it herself then she started over stuffing her mouth. I hated it. She didn’t choke but we had to help her get it out a few times and it was scary. I bought a life vac that we take everywhere just incase 🫣 I’m aware that may be ott but makes me feel so much better. She’s coming out of the phase now though thankfully

Bibado coverall bibs are amazing. When they first start I just put stuff directly on the high chair tray, they just whack plates and stuff off otherwise.

I used solid starts and did baby led weaning so didn’t bother with purées. We did try veg first and as a baby my eldest ate anything but she still ended up fussy as a toddler!

We also did a one off online weaning class which gave us confidence with our first, I think it was via NCT. We also did baby first aid so we knew what to do in case of choking which was reassuring.

We did baby led weaning with our two. We read Gill Rapley's book first. It was messy but easy as we just removed the salt from our cooking and adjusted the shape and texture of some things (veg cut in chip shapes and cooked quite soft, easy to hold larger pasta shapes, meat in thin strips). The youngest loved porridge cooked till it set a little then cut into finger shapes. One of them ate the food straight away the other threw it on the floor for several weeks then eventually ate it. There was a bit of gagging at first but not loads. It's important they sit up straight. We loved the Ikea highchair for ease of cleaning. We bought a splash mat in case we went anywhere we'd have to feed them on carpet.

My baby is now 9 months and things that have been a lifesaver/worth the money in my option:

• bibabo cover. Got some from Vinted as they can be quite pricey new. Did originally go for cheaper ones but found the bibabo far better in terms of taking on and off and wiping down
• how to wean your baby book is really good if you’re unsure. Again, lots of copies on Vinted. Gives you a plan to follow for the first few weeks with a shopping list. Explains how to introduce allergens etc. Also lots of good recipies
• Big ice cube trays. I don’t buy any pre made pouches/jars (no judgement on those who do, just find it cheaper and better to make my own) whenever I make a big dinner - cottage pie, lasagna etc, I’ll blitz up a couple of portions and pop them in the cube trays for the freezer. Then we have lunches/ dinners in seconds if we’re in a rush.
• I did a mix of homemade purées and BLW. Found this worked really well as they had the benefits from both

a general tip my whole antenatal group have found is a lot of babies won’t actually take to solids right away. I remember being so disheartened when I’d cook a nice meal and my baby just wouldn’t be interested. Just keep persevering!

Did a mixture of BLW and purees. Just stuck to BLW foods which seemed very safe, like banana, broccoli, cooked carrot or parsnip sticks. Didn't move onto mashed food until gagging with purees had all but disappeared.

Don't make a big deal about it if they don't want to eat something. Put it away, no fuss. If you make a fuss about it, so will they. Often when you try the same food again they'll love it.

I found the ice cube tray method only useful for 6-7 months. Past that our son has been eating much larger portions which made the ice cube tray redundant.

Definitely get a cover all bib. No need to buy some expensive brand, we got ours from Home Bargains for £2.

Some of the food catch bibs are useful too in addition to this as baby will learn to reach in and eat out of it if they drop something.

Introduce water from a sippy cup as soon as you can. If baby can grip a toy, they'll soon figure it out. We didn't even really need to give much direction.

Lastly, you may have purchased a high chair already, but if not, just stop worrying and get the IKEA one. Honestly. It's a perfect example of function and form topping design. We experimented with various others and in the end decided the IKEA one was by far the best, which was great as it was the cheapest too.

Agree with PP about the ikea high chair. You can get some bits from Amazon to pimp it up a bit - we have a footrest, silicon mats and a cushion for ours, but the actual high chair itself is way easier to clean than the fancier ones you can get and lasted ours from small baby right up to when she moved onto a chair with a booster cushion