Ask HiPP Organic’s expert about weaning - £150 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Having a baby can often be challenging, and weaning your baby is one of many confusing but rewarding parenting milestones. HiPP Organic would like you to ask their expert, Helen Gardiner - your questions about weaning.

Some more information on Helen below:

“Helen is a registered nutritionist and dietician who has worked with HiPP for nearly 19 years advising on a wide range of issues related to infant and child nutrition. She provides support and advice to parents, carers and other healthcare professionals through HiPP customer services and their social media and websites.”

So, ask Helen your questions about weaning by posting them below by 13th November. We’ll then choose 20 questions for her to answer and post her responses as soon as possible. All who leave a question below (regardless of whether it’s chosen or not) will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £150 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

My 15month old refuses to drink milk at all ever since i had to stop breastfeeding him nearly 3 months ago should I be concerned? I try and give him cheese and yoghurt but he will not always have this

Should vitamin d drops be given when you switch to blue milk from formula?

Is there a best route to take in introducing foods when we have lots of allergies already in family history.

At almost exactly 12 months my son started refusing milk altogether. How much of other dairy food- yogurt, cheese etc should I be giving him to compensate?

My baby doesn't like bigger lumps, I've tried introducing them but she gags and spits them out; I have continued to puree her food but want to try introducing them again. Have you any tips to help?

My 8 month old gags and refuses to swallow whenever he eats anything with lumps. How can I help him move on to textured food?

I recently had a baby who was born prematurely at 35 weeks. I’ve heard that it is recommended to wean premature babies on purées, is this correct?

I like HiPP organic jars but they must be blasted with a lot of heat or something to make them last so long. So how are they preserved? Does the HiPP baby food (and other food from jars/pouches) loose some of the vitamins and nutrients as part of this preparation/preservation process?

My question is what foods to avoid. I give my 6 month old little portions of what I have after its been through the blender, but without ingredients like salt and I avoid foods containing Iron. Any other risky chemicals in food I should stay clear of?

Should you always follow the ever changing recommendations about when to wean your child or should you follow your child and your instinct?

I don't eat breakfast but will be doing baby-led weaning come January and need some good breakfast ideas for baby as can't really use the 'feed them what you eat' rationale!

My little boy is cow's milk intolerant so would like to know how to make sure he receives enough calcium and whether to cook with formula or an alternative milk?

My 9 month old baby is now eating some baby rice and yogurts with fruit puree. I want to make my own foods, are there any foods that I should avoid and what balance of carb to protein to vegetables should I try and get

I want to know about iron.

I breastfeed my baby, and don’t use multivitamins with iron. How much of a priority are iron-rich foods in early weaning (ie. 6-7months), and what is the best way of including it in a weaning diet? (Meat? Lentils? Iron rich veg?)

What foods should you avoid giving your baby.

How do I overcome the fear of my child choking when he eats solid food?

Is it safe to give little one's mild curry dishes

How can I get more vegetables into my child who will only go for broccoli?

What is the best age to start weaning? I hear so many different ages!

What are the right amounts of different food to give a baby whilst weaning

Sugar is the ultimate evil these days but i've seen a lot of baby foods, fruits, purees are high in sugar content. Should I be worried and do you have any tips to limit it?

what are the best foods to start weaning my baby boy onto?

We love spicy foods on our family, when is it OK to introduce spice? Or is a mild spice OK from the start?

I cannot imagine how someone from Hipp is going to be impartial so here's some info for most of you: yes finger food from 6 months, yes pretty much what you eat, yes baby led weaning is brilliant, yes to nearly all foods from the outset apart from really hard lumps like apple or raw carrot, no you don't need puree at all and yes it is better to make your own if you can. Get them used to family food right from the outset and you don't need to follow a dozen "stages" until you're eating together and enjoying one another's company at the table.