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MNHQ

Tell Organix your weaning stories and you could win a £200 John Lewis voucher! NOW CLOSED

189 replies

AngelieMumsnet · 24/11/2014 14:46

We've been asked by baby and toddler food brand Organix to find out about Mumsnetters' experiences with weaning.

So, when did you start weaning? How did you feel about it? What were your questions and how did you get the answers? Was there anything in particular which surprised you about weaning? 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 £200 John Lewis voucher.

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

OP posts:
lucyrobinson · 27/11/2014 21:27

I weaned my kiddies at 6 months. My second child I did babyled weaning. I think you need to listen to your little one. You can't beat talking to other mums. They have great ideas. x

missorinoco · 27/11/2014 21:37

I had different experiences with each of mine. I weaned DC1 at 4 months on advice, lots of lovingly pureed food, and he ate jars only for eons. Cue much beating myself up over eraly weaning and the child who was always going to be a fussy eater etc etc.

DC2 - BLW - went down a treat, the floor was mopped 3x a day plus after every snack. (BLW in a nutshell - check half on the floor, smear a quarter over yourself, and the walls, and then give the rest to your child to do as they will. And just chuck the bowl of cereal on the floor from the outset, saving 4 cheerios - it will save time.) But it was great fu8n, and DC ate anything, and I was clearly going to have a well adapted non fussy child. Who then became a toddler and decided she didn't like brown bread/boiled eggs etc etc etc.

DC3 - decided to start weaning himself from my plate on an non organic non pureed non hand made slice of pizza. - Back to mopping the floor 6 times a day, but add onto the mess the solids from the others that made it to the floor. By this point I had no time to extrapolate what this meant for his overall personality, malleability and food faddiness.

However many years later they don't eat hummus and olives (who are those kids anyway?! How did you do that?) but they aren't bad, and eat a balanced meal without me rocking silently under the table in despair.

So generally, they don't eat what they started out eating, I didn't get much in the way of advice other than from my mother and mother in law who both never had a problem with their children who just ate what they were given - and I would suggest just go with it. If they won't eat it now it doesn't mean they will never eat it, and although you will know at least 4 people whose children were weaned on stuffed olives there will be at least another 4 who avoid weaning outside in case it all goes horribly wrong (again.)

What surprised me - the mess. Dried on Weetabix could be used in industry. And the selective amnesia of some others. I may need to cultivate it by way of revenge.

HelenSw4les · 27/11/2014 22:09

I remember when I started weaning, my baby would often cough and splutter at any sort of lumpy bits, he really disliked any lumps and textures were difficult for him too but after a couple of months it settled down and has been a breeze since ;)

Aimeefs · 27/11/2014 22:12

I weaned DD at 20 weeks as she was a big baby. I started off with baby rice but then decided to give baby led weaning a go. It was amazing. When this baby is due to be weaned we're going straight to baby led weaning.

artex · 27/11/2014 22:16

Blw worked for us

I discovered that blueberry rice cakes eaten by a snotty baby make them look alarmingly like they've had a nose bleed!

Started with fruit & veg at 6 months. Added fish, tofu, cheese & meat over the weeks. Then bread, pasta, rice, grains etc

Countmyblessings · 27/11/2014 22:19

My daughter and her weaning journey to me was a battle of who can hold out the longest!!!! She's a fighter from birth! She has health issues lower mobility issues, bladder problems and complex clubfoot!
But my daughter thought she should be Breast feed until her teens!!! She didn't want nothing unless it was Breast milk! I had to stop BF to get her to try anything and then when we did she had allergic reactions swollen face and rash and crying!!!!
Off we rushed to the gp! Oh great! Why can't things just be simple!
So daily we had to check that her foods didn't contain wheat!!!!!!
So when she finally took oatabix and had no reaction I was over the moon! Then one day she grabbed a carrot and started eating it! Then some brocalli and then grapes, strawberry and Orange!!! Whoop!!!!!!
She also has discovered her love for salt n vinager rice cakes!!!!!! What???so now before I eat anything I just offer it to her and behold she takes a bit! So rice is a yes! And so is chips oh great!!!!! She likes carbs!!!!! But she's eating something it's thumbs up here! She's 21 months and loves fruits, yogurt, rice, chips, rice cakes!oh and oats porridge!!! Her journey is still ongoing so it's test for reactions first then if a taker its on the list!
She's baby no4 and so far the biggest challenge but my baby is my miracle and all the hard work hospital appointments is all worth it for my Angel!!!! My fussy Angel!!!!

Marg2k8 · 27/11/2014 22:23

My children are older now and when they were babies, it was the norm to start weaning at 4 months. It all went fine at the time, but it is no longer recommended at that young age.

lightgreenglass · 27/11/2014 22:25

We started weaning DS just before he turned 6 months, now almost 15 months, a bit of mashed banana, carrot and then very quickly went on to finger foods and a bit of whatever we were having. Didn't ascribe to BLW or purée just went with it as figured I had purées and I eat anything.

I couldn't wait to start as I wanted to cut down breast milk. Didn't like seeing him gag but thought it's a good thing his gag reflex works. I used mumsnet for advice and ideas and still do. The biggest thing I worried about was he eating enough and was he truly interested - now he eats non stop.

He used to love avocado - now won't touch it. He loved olives and Dahl/Saag with rice, rice cakes and raspberries when we first started and still loves them now and licking the butter off his toast.

QuickQuickSloe · 27/11/2014 22:26

I had a morbid fear of DS choking. I would be sitting there with this huge fake smile on my face while he gnawed a piece of toast pretending I wasn't terrified.

Bananas and avocado mash was his favourite dip. It was surprisingly nice!

lightgreenglass · 27/11/2014 22:28

I've read that back and I sound like a middle-class stereotype Blush. I give him baked beans now!

feeona123 · 27/11/2014 22:34

We started at 5.5 months, baby was sleeping rubbish so thought the food might help with the sleep! It didn't lol!

She has loved everything to date, didn't like lumps at first but took to them well after a while.

She's quite independent and is moving away from spoons and wants to feed herself so am giving a lot of finger food at the mo.

She really likes strawberries and raspberries at the moment for pudding.

compy99 · 27/11/2014 22:50

Started at around 6 months with the usual soft foods, very quickly took to it and now can hold the spoon unaided, pretty much can eat anything at 15 months.

savo888 · 27/11/2014 22:57

Started weaning from 6 months. Started with smooth puree as little one wouldn't like bits then under the guidance of a dietician, we moved him onto thicker puree's (usually anything with banana is thicker) and with baby rice. At the moment he's on stage 2.

Princessxo · 27/11/2014 23:44

We started weaning DS at very young (around 4 months). It wasn't something that was hard though, as DS loved everything we gave him and I also had my mum there with me throughout.

Tzibeleh · 27/11/2014 23:47

All of my dc ate virtually everything they were offered, until they started developing 'tastes' at about 2yo. Then fussiness set in. I now have one very fussy eater, who seems to live off air; one pleasure-to-feed-them, who will eat virtually anything as long as it does not contain about 4 particular ingredients; and one it's-Tuesday-so-I don't-like-chips (even-though-he-did-on-Friday) bottomless pit of a child. All tall and healthy.

kerryv · 27/11/2014 23:50

My youngest son basically self weaned, tried anything - liked most things and still does. Whereas my eldest, DD, is a fuss pot - moans at every meal I put down to her.

finleypop · 28/11/2014 06:31

We started at about 5 1/2 months. We had no advice, so the first thing we tried was some soft mashed potato. My son was distraught as the food hit his mouth, he was crying so much. However, from the next attempt onwards, he ate everything we gave him & has never been a fussy eater

JoJoBaldwin · 28/11/2014 07:16

DD was a greedy little thing and ate everything I put in front of her. She wouldn't take anything from a bottle at first and so my 6 month weaning plan went a bit awry and I ended up breastfeeding till 9 months. Her favourite thing was marmite on toast of all things - I hate marmite!

Tyranasaurus · 28/11/2014 08:47

I started at 6 months with BLW and it was a complete non-event. I don't think any food got swallowed til at least 7 months and it was about 2 years before significant meals were being eaten. Most surprising? How stressy and uptight a lot of mums I knew got about weaning

21Catherine21 · 28/11/2014 08:50

I enjoyed the weaning process, the thrill of introducing baby to 'food' was great. I would mash up almost anything we were having (avoiding salt & anything too strong of course)
I think mashed up rusks was the first new thing i gave baby though. Smile

lizd31 · 28/11/2014 08:56

Olivia was easy to wean, she loved the Hipp Organic products & had no problems with mashed veg

littleme96 · 28/11/2014 09:40

With my eldest I started weaning earlier on advice of my HV and it went fairly well. We went down the puree with finger foods route, starting off with baby rice and then trying new things one at a time. She was fairly fussy, but really enjoyed feeding herself.

With my youngest I was able to wait for longer before weaning him and so we went down the baby-led route. This was so much easier and he loved it! I felt that we had so much more choice doing it this way and also that by this time there was a much better range of baby snacks and breakfasts available which helped with new tastes and textures.

ChutesTooNarrow · 28/11/2014 10:24

I loved weaning. Ds was six months old. He sat in his highchair. I gave him bits of my lunch, he ate, I ate. It was marvellous. I did the same for dd.

gretagrape · 28/11/2014 10:57

Read about 20 different books on the subject and dreaded it because he was diagnosed with food allergies a week beforehand. All the books told me his first taste would probably be about a teaspoonful - 12 teaspoons of carrot puree later I knew it was going to be fine because he obviously had the appetite of his mum....and he hasn't stopped since!
I've found that likes and dislikes are based on texture rather than taste - he won't eat a french bean or spinach leaf, but will happily have them if they are cut into pieces to go on his fork; bread isn't popular but toast is devoured; mince is chucked, beef casserole is eaten!

southernsun · 28/11/2014 11:01

Our son showed a real interest in food from 4 months and he is now 7 months and is loving his food. We are yet to find something he doesn't like and are trying to vary his diet as much as possible without introducing too many different foods at once. Fingers crossed so far so good.