Share your advice and top tips for weaning with Organix: you could win a £150 notonthehighstreet voucher! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We've been asked by baby and toddler food brand Organix to find out your top tips and advice when weaning your LO onto food.

So, what single piece of advice would you give to another mum just about to start weaning? If you were weaning again, what would you do differently and why? What 3 words would you use to describe your weaning journey? Which foods did your little one love during weaning, do they still love the same tastes now?

Share your thoughts on this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £150 voucher for notonthehighstreet.com/

Please note your tips and comments may be used, along with your MN nickname in an email MN will send out. They may well also be used elsewhere by Organix.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Don't worry too much. The more you stress, the more stubborn they become . Treat each meal as separate, offer foods more than once and if your baby really doesn't like something (baby fandango hates turnip) then don't force them, you wouldn't eat something you don't like so why should they. Keep a good supply of rice cakes, blueberries and yoghurts in the house, even when he rejects all else my baby will always eat those 3 things.

Serve a wide variety of foods and keep weaning fun. A jar/pouch here and there won't do any harm at all.

3 words that describe your weaning journey: messy, changeable and fun.

So, what single piece of advice would you give to another mum just about to start weaning?
Everyone will tell you how to wean but as long as you are doing it safely, do it your way. You know your baby best. I used a lot of jars and food pots for DS when he was smaller, I found it more convenient and less sstressful and he enjoyed them. We introduced finger food as we went along and now at 18 months he mostly has the same as us, with the occasional premade toddler meal if we are having take away or something.

If you were weaning again, what would you do differently and why?
I wouldn't start so early, with hindsight DS could probably have waited longer before starting solids

What 3 words would you use to describe your weaning journey?
Messy, fun, interesting

Which foods did your little one love during weaning, do they still love the same tastes now?
At first DS loved broccoli and sweet potato, he still likes them now but he enjoys lots of other food too.

weaning in 3 words: 'babyrice and (mashed) banana'
or: 'wait 6 months' then you don't feel guilty when they have an allergy
or possibly: 'buy a magimix'

dd never liked mashed carrots. she is not keen now and only eats them in things if chopped up small, 6 years on.

ds was number two and had more mashed banana due to it being quick. he still adores bananas

Agree its worth doing a first aid course.

If your baby doesn't like something, keep trying. Don't just dismiss that food as something they don't like. Also keep spare snacks (biscuits, crisps, rice cakes) and a baby food pouch in your change bag to avert meltdown if they get hungry suddenly.

So, what single piece of advice would you give to another mum just about to start weaning?

• chill out! Food is for fun until they're one.

If you were weaning again, what would you do differently and why?

• nothing really, it was fun :)

What 3 words would you use to describe your weaning journey?

• experimental, messy, funny

Which foods did your little one love during weaning, do they still love the same tastes now?

• nothing was rejected really - they were both game for anything. We didn't give them any "baby foods", they were just given whatever we were having anyway (obviously unsalted). One of mine loved spicy foods when they were young but have become a little fussier and less keen on hot things now. The other is still very adventurous.

Lots of well cooked broccoli, it has a natural handle. Don't stress - the vomit inducing phrase 'food is fun until they're one' was actually a great comfort to me.

3 words? messy, fun, interesting

We BLW - my advice is - plan in advance. It's a bit tricky to think off the hoof what new foods to share so it helps to meal plan everything out... Or like me you could give him tomatoes and porridge for breakfast. Yuk!

He's loving it so far, almost everything he eats and it's really encouraging me to eat healthier and meal plan more too. Don't listen to moaning minnies about how your baby is hungry, will choke, needs teeth etc. It WORKS!

Ps... love the organix range, your rice cakes and oaty biscuit things have gone down a treat with my boy

Get a cheap shower curtain to put under the high chair to protect the carpet! Carrot and sweet potato were great favourites and still are. If I did it again I would try and relax and not stress so much if LO wasn't eating much, especially when teething.

Did baby led weaning with the second and third, would recommend it.

Tip - whatever weaning you do, when they are getting started, after the first week or so, they want the food and are hungry but are not adept enough to get it in. Either get them going or make it easy to eat.

Three words - very very messy.

I cooked for my babies every night. Sometimes they loved it, sometimes not! One night I steamed seabass and mixed it with coconut milk - and not a bite was taken!

In terms of advice - don't worry. Cook yourself. No matter what you do - it's better than opening a jar, or a packet of crisps or a packet of biscuits. If you want to give them biscuits, make them yourself and replace fat with ripe bananas, flour with porridge oats and sugar with sultanas (and it tastes ok for adults too - particularly with a touch of mixed spice). Mine loved these.

Cook plain rice and add simple veg. Or use breast milk to soften mashed potato. Every baby seems to adore mashed sweet potato. Remember breast milk is insanely sweet so babies love sweet when they wean - just try and make it healthy sweet. Mine devoured grapes.

Within a few weeks / months - Don't mush too much. My 8 month old chewed on beef as a form of meaty teething ring.

My (West Indian) midwife told me (rather sternly) that Indian babies and African babies eat whatever their parents eat and it wasn't "boring" - so I gave my spiced (not hot) food from the earliest ages...

Works for me, works for them! :-)

One day they love potatoes, two days later - hate the sight of them. Roll with it and don't worry.

My advice - don't worry, relax and keep going!
Three words - it takes time.

I wouldn't change how we did things, but our two ds's had very different weaning journeys. Both eat fine now, and encourage our new little one as she tries new foods. Our ds was sneakily given ice cream by an aunt fairly early on - he has loved it ever since!

So, what single piece of advice would you give to another mum just about to start weaning?

Relax! So many mums I talk to are really stressed and worried about it

If you were weaning again, what would you do differently and why?

Nothing really. I'd probably put less effort into making baby safe food (no salt etc) since dd didn't eat significant quantities til she was well over 1.

What 3 words would you use to describe your weaning journey?

Slow, laid-back, uneventful

Which foods did your little one love during weaning, do they still love the same tastes now?

Tomatoes- still likes them

My advice: don't be in a hurry to wean, 6 months is fine, they've the rest of their life to eat!
What I would change; we did BLW and I was happy with this lazy method, but maybe I'd be a bit more adventurous with spice
Three words: rock hard weetaBRICKs! (Still some on the fridge now after three yrs!)
She still loves loves apples. Has at least two a day

I started with the veg in ice cube trays, spent a few hours blending and freezing. It meant instant food, no hassle, and I could mix up the food.

That was only successful for the start as soon as they get hungry it's too hard to keep up. Then I swapped to mashing up our meals, anything we had he had.
Soup pasta was great, DS fav recipe was a minestrone soup, you can hide loads of veg in there.
Same with lasagna, you can grate carrot, courgette etc into it to get the veg into them.

Anything is finger food, and you have to relax, easier said then done.

Get a wipe able table cloth for under the high chair.

Baby led weaning.

Takes patience and time.

Rewards are endless.

Doesn't fit into the baby food marketing world though so they are constantly trying to find products to fill a gap which isn't needed if you BLW

So, what single piece of advice would you give to another mum just about to start weaning?
Buy a hand blender - I didnt have one before but it was a much loved and much used piece of equipment when my DS was weaning.

If you were weaning again, what would you do differently and why?
I don't think I wnt do anything differently as me, DH and most improtantly DS enjoyed the whole weaing experience! Luckily DS isn't very fussy and seemed to eat anything and everything we offered him.

What 3 words would you use to describe your weaning journey?
Experimental, Interesting, Fun!

Which foods did your little one love during weaning, do they still love the same tastes now?
DS loved pureed carrot, parsnip and sweet potato. He loves all fruit esp grapes and strawberries. He now enjoys a varied diet and happily eats anything from cheese on toast to chicken casserole to chilli!

My 3 words: don't stress it!

The only advice I think I'd give (and could have done with myself!) is that they really don't need much actual volume of food in the first year if they drink plenty of milk/nurse lots. I agonised about it until I read the BLW book!

3 words Hmmm
What a mess

My advice would be unless you don't eat don't worry I was given a lot of books I didn't really read them I told people we were blw but really I was kindof going with the flow if he eats he eats great if he doesn't all I've done is saved something I was already cooking so I am not offended when he smears it over the table or throws it on the floor or point blank refuses to eat it.
As someone said it's not a dark art it's food! And yes I am sure he will be fussy in future because they all are at some point!

So, what single piece of advice would you give to another mum just about to start weaning?

Food really is for fun, they're still getting everything they need from milk so anything that goes in their mouth is about exploring the taste/texture and not about nutrition...dont worry if it doesnt look like they're not eating much

If you were weaning again, what would you do differently and why?

Start on more spicy food early - still at 3 he's a bit reluctant to have anything with a bit of 'heat'

What 3 words would you use to describe your weaning journey?

Bit by bit

Which foods did your little one love during weaning, do they still love the same tastes now?

Apple and pumpkin, still loves apple but not keen on pumpkin now

I absolutely loved weaning - my favourite part of the baby period.
I had a special cooker thing (can't recall what it was called) which I used every day. But to be honest it was an unnecessary luxury. All you really need is a hand blender.
I made ice cube sized portions, followed my instinct together with a bit of Annabel Karmel.
Weaning DD changed mine and DP's meals too. Because I was buying healthy ingredients for her, I was using them in our meals too.
Her favourite recipes were Lovely Lentils (AK) and banana mashed with blueberries. She still loves these today, 5 years later.

3 words: do not stress.

With DS1 I mixed finger foods with what we had. It was easy - I spent a lot of time away from the house (failing relationship, hated feeling trapped at home) so I fed a lot of Plum/Ella's kitchen when we went out. It never occurred to me that he could have sandwiches.

I worried, with DS1 because obviously his intake of purée was much larger than when I let him feed himself.

With DS2, I did BLW and loved it, except for one incident of proper choking, on a bagel. It was terrifying, but I tried not to let it put me off. I spent the next couple of weeks poised behind his chair at mealtimes.

My tips? Do it your own way, make it as easy (and fun) for you and the baby as possible. If you can do a first aid course I'd really recommend it. I was in an utter panic when DS2 choked and just acted instinctively.

So, what single piece of advice would you give to another mum just about to start weaning?
Don't panic, put food in front of them and let them get on with it.

If you were weaning again, what would you do differently and why?
Nothing, I've done relaxed baby led weaning twice. So not IT MUST BE FINGERFOOD version, but for soups, yogurts etc I loaded up the spoon and handed it over, so they could still feed themselves.

What 3 words would you use to describe your weaning journey?
Messy, messy, messy

Which foods did your little one love during weaning, do they still love the same tastes now?
Anything and everything, but both DC have got fussier as they've got older. There are very few actual foods they really dislike, but they enjoy refusing whatever I've just put in front of them!

My single piece of advice would be to do what feels right for you and don't worry about what others are/aren't doing.

If I were to do it again I would stop worrying so much about allergies and whether I was doing it right. I probably used far more jars of food than I would like to admit to given how much I love cooking . I also got very fed up of following recipes from a famous 'baby cook book' which involved a million ingredients and two hours of work for a small pot of sludge.

3 words - messy, fun, exciting

DS was easy to wean - loved his food and still does. I do think that being at a very good nuresery helped - the menu varied on a 6-week rota so he tried loads of things that we wouldn't have cooked at home. We have always taken him out for different meals and he now enjoys sushi, seafood, curry as well as pizza and sandwiches! Did we do it right or wrong, who knows?

what single piece of advice would you give to another mum just about to start weaning?
sliced apples go nice and soft in the microwave after 1 min. Cool in cold water.

If you were weaning again, what would you do differently and why?
I've done all of purees, BLW and a mixture. I loved BLW, but the latest Tide sprog's system didn't get on with lumps for a while so we had to return to purees. It's a case of listening to your baby, taking it slowly and doing what fits in with your life at the time (I am less tolerant to mess 3rd time around).

What 3 words would you use to describe your weaning journey?
messy, varied, fun

Which foods did your little one love during weaning, do they still love the same tastes now?
my first Tide loved everything from mackerel to mushrooms, but 6 years later has narrowed down her preferred selection. Probably because we got less good at offering such a variety over time. Tide 2 has always got on with spicy food and still does. Tide 3 is mostly into meat and spuds.