Weaning is too complicated!

[passionberry]

So far DD has had some baby rice (she loved it!) and organix banana porridge (she loved it!) - and is obviously still bf-ing all the time as well.

So I looked at a puree book this morning that my MIL gave me and I have freaked out! There was a chart of what to introduce when (i.e.veg before fruit and only one new thing every week etc.) - I am too disorganised to do this!! And as for purees - OMG I don't want to be making these from scratch all the time!!

I could buy some jars of puree but it seems a bit wrong somehow - we cook most of our food from scratch.

I know about BLW but that seems to have a lot of rules as well. I've already started spooning stuff in so feel a bit bad!

This is what I am considering doing today: making some baby rice and chopping up some banana and giving it to her. But I feel that this is wrong on all levels iyswim.

Shall I tell you what I did?

When dd showed the signs of being ready, I put whatever was for dinner in front of her and let her help herself.

Not complicated at all...

The only foods to avoid are honey and whole nuts. Careful with salt and sugar. From 6 months they can eat what you eat within reason.

Don't faff around making tiny batches of purees.

Make batches, freeze them in icecube trays and then you can mix and match to make meals.
So...
a cube of apple, a cube of pear defrosted with a touch of cinnamon and you have a yummy winter compote. Ta Da.
a cube of brocoli, a cube of carrot and some baby rice and you have a yummy vegetable risotto. (sounds impressive too - even if it does feel like cheating ).

And I agree with ShowofBloodyStumps (ROFL @ new name) to use the food you are eating yourself as much as possible. So if you are having carrot for tea - cook a couple extra, puree then feed some to your baby and freeze the leftovers.

Thats what i did pipra, i did a bit extra when i cooked our meals, couple of extra carrots and froze them in ice cube trays.

wasnt much faffing tbh.

didnt take too much interest in when to introduce stuff, so just gave what we were having, lots of fruit & veg.

You see I didn't even bother with the puree bit. Just plonked the shepherd's pie or whatever in front of dd and stood well back.

I could stew some apples and pears today - do you add a bit of sugar?

ShowofBloodyStumps - but she is in bed by the time we have tea. I guess I could save her a bit for tomorrow! (we're having lasagne!)

I'm assuming that you are using eating apples (not cookers like Bramleys)?

Eating apples and pears should not need any sugar adding. Cinnamon can make things taste a little sweeter, without the sugar if you really want to change the flavour.

Ok, thanks Piprabbit!

Yes, just save a bit of what you're having (without salt) and give it to her the next day. It's a good idea to try to include her in family meals aas much as possible, however, as weaning is also about the socialisation of meals and eating together.

Weaning books make it complicated because if they made it look simple you wouldn't feel the need to buy the book...

I started weaning my 6 month old at the weekend - we're not bothering with purees or mashing things up. She's having baby porridge and then just soft / well cooked normal food (what we're having or easy to prepare things). So far: banana (not v keen), avocado, carrot, courgette (loved this), pear (loved it), boiled potato. I've given her finger shaped sticks, she enjoys playing with them but gets frustrated as her hand to mouth coordination isn't great yet, so I've also been holding them to her mouth for her or putting little bits in her mouth (or spooning it in the case of porridge) she makes it clear when she wants more by opening her mouth wide and making grunting noises!

Now they say to wait till 6 months I don't think it matters so much what you introduce and when because their digestive systems are much more developed (avoiding honey etc of course).

Habbibu - I would never have bought a weaning book for myself but as it was lurking in the kitchen I thought I'd have a look and went !!

DH works ridiculous hours at the moment so not much hope of family meals taking place until about 9pm

On nights when he's working all evening I might try eating my supper with her before her bed time (may end up eating two suppers though!)

FidgetPie -that sounds like a good relaxed approach! I have an avacado - might try that later!

Hey there,
I agree! I started getting all anxious about weaning a couple of weeks ago - I read Gill Rapeley's(?) book on BLW and then Annabell Carmody's book on purees plus NHS guidelines etc....left me feeling really confused about it all.
So, I decided to ignore everything and have some confidence in my own maternal instincts (V.hard!!!!) - so aside from being a little careful about what I give my DS (who has eczema so a little worried about allergic reactions) I am weaning him in the way that feels most natural to me and that he seems to enjoy. He is still getting most of what he needs from BF but I am giving him the plum organic 4grain cereal mixed with BM in the mornings then he munches on fruit and veg sticks throughout the day. He's only 6 months now but I guess as he gets older I'll have to gradually become more organised with it, but for now I'm just trying to ignore all advice and enjoy his little face as he gobbles baby rice or smuches up a nectarine with his gums and laughs!

Good luck and have fun...and throw all your books away

Hi there - have been lurking around the weaning forum for a while, as am reading round the subject in preparation for when my DD will be ready. But have a question re purees/ spoons and BLW. Another poster said she just put a shepherds pie in front of her LO, and stood back. Why could you not then help them eat it with a spoon? Why if they can manage that sort of consistency themselves, could they not manage it from the spoon? Am I missing a vital point?

Flossie, I think BLWers are quite keen on the idea that the baby takes what they want and they see spooning it in as effectively force feeding. I think it's something to do with the baby managing their appetite and just taking what they need or something like that. Not my preferred approach though, I prefer to help a bit with a spoon, so perhaps someone else will explain better.

Weaning is very simple, you say 'here taste this' and either hand it over or pop some in their mouth.

Special books etc not required.

I'm still not getting it. Even on the MN page on weaning, it say that if spoon feeding, you need purees, and if BLW, then anything in front of them, and they will help themselves. So why at 6 months do they need purees from a spoon?

But even if spoonfeeding, you watch for the signs that they have had enough, so you are not at any point 'forcefeeding'.

So if you wait till they are 6 months, could you not just take anything you are eating, and mash it up, and give it to them on a spoon? And of course they could stick their little fists in it at the same time and lick it off. That would indeed be simple.......

Agree with the comments above - just put something in front of them and let them get on with it. If we ate dinner after DS gone to bed, he had it as leftovers the next day.

At 6 months, they don't need purees from a spoon. 'Tis a myth, partly because there's a whole industry dedicated to trying to sell you ice cube trays / food processors / weaning books. Of course, lots of people prefer to start with purees, which is fine.

And mashing up what you're eating & spoon feeding, or letting them put their fists in also work.

BLW works on the assumption that babies can feed themselves, so why would you want to bother doing it for them with a spoon?

The idea is that they are in charge of everything that goes in their mouth - it's less of a choking hazard, less effort for you and you don't have to wean them off being fed by you. So if you're doing 'pure' BLW (I don't like that phrase but not sure how to describe it), either give them a loaded spoon or let them get on with it with their fingers.

I'd just do whatever seems easiest to you.

Basically, because when they first start eating, they don't know how to chew. They have only ever had milk which is a swallowing action.

The theory is that BLW teaches them to chew food before they learn to swallow it. They get it to their own mouths when they are developmentally ready (which is why you shouldn't hold the food to their mouth for them) and they will take it in and move it around a bit, usually at the beginning gag and spit it out again (this is why they need to be sitting upright!) but after a while they will chew it or swallow a bit and work out what is meant to happen.

With purees they just get it spooned straight in and this bypasses the gag reflex (a baby's is much further forwards than an adult's) which is fine if they are smooth purees but if it's something chunky on the first go then they might choke on it. In fact a lot of babies whichever way they are weaned tend to reject anything of the mush/lumpy consistency, because of this. They can't swallow it safely/comfortably without chewing but by the time it's at the back of their mouth they can't work out how to move it to the front to chew it first. (Imagine just swallowing a spoonful of cornflakes, like you would a spoonful of smooth soup.) So they reject it instinctively as they don't know what to do with it.

That is very helpful Bertie - thank-you! :)
And the theory of BLW actually makes sense, I am much more likely to try it now!