Fairy Non Bio wants to hear your thoughts about feeding and weaning - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

As part of our new partnership with Fairy Non Bio, we’ve produced our first ever Mumsnet Babies Podcast. There are ten episodes in the series and so far we’ve released five. Episode one is about feeding and weaning, and you can listen to it here. Fairy Non Bio would like you to listen to the podcast whenever you can, and then discuss your experiences of weaning and feeding your child.

Feeding your child is one of the joys of parenthood but it can also be an uphill struggle. We imagine ourselves watching our little ones devouring something delicious and home-cooked, into which we’ve poured both love and superfoods - but the reality is usually rather different. Fairy Non Bio would love to hear your stories about feeding and weaning. When did you start weaning? What process did you use and what worked well for you and your child? Do mealtimes often become a battleground or are they mainly about having fun? Is your child a fussy eater? How do you deal with that - do you ignore it and let them eat nothing but yoghurt and toast if they want, or do you try to sneak veggies into their meals? Have you experienced interference from family members, friends etc who have different ideas about feeding children? Whatever your story, please share it with Fairy Non Bio by posting on the thread below.

Everyone who posts below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

If you want to rate the Mumsnet Babies Podcast, please go to the iTunes store and add a review!

Thank you and good luck!

MNHQ

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I got quite stressed when weaning DS1 - worrying about what and how much he was eating (or not!). I made everything from scratch, froze small, meal size pots of food and did everything 'by the book'. With DS2 I was much more laid back, mostly because I had to be with another child to think about as well. DS2 had a combination of pouches and home made food, as well as much more sweet stuff than DS1 was ever allowed! Turns out DS2 is a much more enthusiastic eater than DS1. I think part of this is down to the fact weaning him was a much more relaxed affair. My biggest tip for anyone weaning is to try your best to take it in your stride - don't stress about how much they're eating or be too strict about the content of their diet. Just make eating 'normal' and fun for them, and I think you've got a much better chance of ending up with a happy eater!

I may raise eyebrows, but i truly do not believe in 'fussy eaters'
I think that you and I and a child will eat what their body craves and needs, as well as what they like.
With my little one, I try different flavours, textures and food groups
Essentially, I listen to what she eats - I do not give up, however, I may wait a few weeks before re-introducing a food and if it still doesn't go down well, wait again

As long as the diet is balanced and little one is gaining weight and happy, I'm happy

Eating has a tender psychology that goes with it and my concern has always been around stress and eating - I do not want my little one to feel rushed or pushed into eating anything, as I have no idea how this could manifest in the future

Started at 6 months, diligently made recipes up like fish cooked in milk with sweet potato, and gradually gave up as he preferred bits and bobs.

I started weaning my sons around 6 months with different plain home cooked purees or mashed banana. Later on I always made an effort getting our sons used to the flavours of our regular food by cooking no-salt versions of our meals (I've frozen them in batches). For example the "baby lasagne" was made with the tiny star shaped noodles, pureed tomatoes, carrots and beef mince, a little cheese and a hint of oregano. I felt this made it quite easy to raise fuss-free little eaters :)

DS had bad teething pain the two weeks before he turned six months, when I'd planned to start weaning and I gave him cucumber and melon strips to gum while I had my meals as he was complaining a lot and I thought it might help help him. He loved it, so we went for a mainly BLW approach, s he was eating the same things as we were at the same time, just prepared in a way that was easy to hold. It really suited him and at fourteen months he likes everything he has been given apart from peanut butter and cake because they stick to his mouth. That's really handy as his diet is limited by the fact that he is allergic to milk products and aubergines and we're also veggie, so being able to rely on him too try new foods helps keep his diet well balanced and healthy without giving the same meals all the time.

I weaned at 18 months - it was not as difficult as I imagined but it did take time!

My little one was definitely ready to be weaned just before she turned 6 months, she ate everything I gave her. I started off slow and steady with baby porridge and bananas but she was soon enjoying a whole range of different things. I tried (my hardest) to relax and let her enjoy trying different things, and ignore the inevitable mess! I also gave her things that I didn't like myself, like courgette and butternut squash. At five now she's a happy little eater - but still as messy!

We started weaning at 4 to 5 months all 3 DCs were different. Just a teaspoon of baby rice and milk or porridge to start with and then vegetables puried and later food chopped to eat by themselves. My gran and mum were brilliant in advising. I did try them with various jars of baby foods but found although they enjoyed a couple they did not take to most of them unfortunately.

We did BLW with DC1. With DC2 we didn't have time to BLW. Ironically, DC2 is the less picky of the two eaters and has much less of a sweet tooth than DC1.

started weaning my first baby when she was 3mths old...as that was the advice they gave at the time and fed her purees of every fruit and veg! Second time around weaning advice had change to 6 months but by that time i had read up about it a bit more. This time we tried the baby led weaning which was wonderful as she tried everything we ate and it also made us eat a healthier too! I think the baby led weaning was much easier as no more purees but also i think it made her a little more adventurous with trying new foods! So would def recommend baby led weaning though be warned it is messy!! seriously messy! : )

Don't feel pressured to wean too early - they all get there in the end! Baby led is great as they experience different textures and flavours and it doesn't matter if they spit it all out!

I have 2 DD's. DD2 is 7 months so currently weaning her. Daddy is very worried about choking so we are sticking with traditional weaning. She is still EBF so we started with purées at 6months. We didn't stick with introducing certain foods gradually we just offered a range Of fruit and veg, sometimes combined or served separately. Now we are starting to blend dinners, her favourite at the moment is super vegetable soup.

I started with jars of food obviously, as she got older I switched to the bigger tubs that have actual food in rather than all mashed up then after a month or so, switched to homemade food. Thankfully never had an issue with weaning, my child is a monster and loves food! Haha

I have one nine month old daughter. I started giving her purées at 5 months on advice from the doctor and then added finger foods from six months. She has loved her food and enjoyed everything I have given her. I was given and avoided advice from family that I should have started solids earlier as she was 'starving' and am getting the advice that she should be eating cake and biscuits by now! Unfortunately she came down with a virus a few weeks ago and went off her food completely and she still has not got her appetite back which is worrying as she is not eating anywhere near as much as she was. I find it hard to gauge portion size as I find she will eat lots of fruit but not as much of other things. She is starting to show a preference for fruit and cheese!

We've done a mix of spoon and finger feeding! They love getting stuck in and feeding themselves now (Just over a year old). However they'll ALWAYS accept a yogurt from a spoon lol. In fact they'd turn into yogurt given the choice! 😂

I weaned #1 at 16 weeks, and #2 at 6 months. It was pretty straightforward, although I did have to contend with my mother wanting to put rusk in #1's bottle from about 10 weeks old, to "help them sleep". We used a mixture of homemade food and jars, and neither are particularly fussy eaters.

With both of mine I started with baby porridge type things and fruit purees suitable from 4m+ just to try tastes and get used to textures from around 4/5 months. With my son from 6 months he had a mixture of everything; finger foods, jars and tastes of our food either mashed up or to hold and try. He weaned really well and has always been a good eater. Now at almost he can be slightly fussy eating the same foods he is used to but eats well. I'm just beginning the weaning process again with my 5 month old, so hopefully it will be as smooth as last time.

I started weaning a bit early with both of my girls, as they were hungry babies and breastfeeding was exhausting. They took to it really well, and I began with purees. My husband is totally anti sugar, so with both girls they had nothing except sugar from fruit until they were two.. and (surprisingly, really) neither of them like sugar now, which he is really happy about! After a month or so, we mixed purée with bits of hand held food- messy but fun! Oh, and occasionally, Ella's pouches are the best!

good diet is essential and one should persist with the correct food and diet

Netiher of my 2 took to blw very quickly and much preferred the spooning in option. We have thus doe a combination. My youngest has a dairy allergy which makes everything that bit more trickier and my eldest is phobic about fruit and vegetables so that is another obstacle. I do my best to ensure they have a well balanced diet and give them homemade soup everyday for viatmins.

I like to blend all my meals for my little one. All healthy and organic

Things that can be mushed up plus lots of mango. Weetabix and milk flinged across the kitchen is tough to clean up!

Don't let everyone else tell you the best way to do it, do it how you want. I wish I'd never let MIL have her input as usual!

3 yo Dd used to be a great eater but recently she flat out refuses to eat dinner. Have tried making it later, no afternoon snack etc but still nothing. So she's almost nil by mouth from midday to 0730 next day.

I was militant when weaning mine that everything had to be home made, really good nutritious food - I'd be in the kitchen making batches of food, pureeing, mashing etc and freezing it down til nearly midnight, every night. Absolutely hated the period in my kids lives - including the mess. But so glad I did it and persevered - my two eat so well now, are an absolute joy for anyone to cook for!