what was the main stuff you weaned your baby on?

[swizzles]

I'm thinking a bit of baby rice at first

then pureed fruit and veg

no salt/sugar/dairy/meat until 6 months

So until 6 months, I'm going to puree the following stuff. Please could you add to it or tell me if there's anything I shouldn't have added:-

Mashed potato (how do I make it runnier? water?)
broccoli, carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, cauliflower, stewed apples, pears, bananas, mango

Does that sound abou right??

banana stains are pretty bad

Why dont they just make orange bibs and be done with? lol!

yeah banana stains make clothes look mouldy!

i think i am the only person who likes baby rice! i still make it for ds as a breakfast with a bit of cinnamon in

and porridge sets like concrete

ds refused baby rice, its the only thing he has ever refused. he liked veg and lentil soup (homemade, before stock was added), whizzed up with hand blender. baby rice can be used as a thickener, just tastes of nothing on its own! (also good for thickening stewed pear). and you can get gluten free rusks which are ok earlier than 6 months

ahh my ds hasn't refused anything. yet
i am sure he will be one of those 3 yr olds who suddenly decides he hates ALL food though

i did jars (10mth+) when dd was little (5 mth) as she didnt like purree, but obv couldnt eat big lumps and i found it hard getting it right from cooking, it was more expensive but certainly easier, she only had them for 3mth or so and then went onto our food in lumps, do whatever makes it easier for you!

just read some more posts and would like to say i weaned dd at 14 weeks, she had lumps (in jars) from then and she eats absolutely everything in sight, inc our food, so dont think theres always a link between too early weaning and fussy eating or that its particularily hard to get them off jars. it probably has more to do with the child!

Theres a very interesting chapter in Joanna Blythman's book 'The food our children eat, how to get children to like good food' called 'The rot begins with those little jars'

....food for thought.

DS1 ate mostly bananas. Oh, and all the usual mashed stuff - turnips, prunes, courgette, whatever. Jars for travel - no jars before 8 months or so.

DS2 ate our food, just table scraps. Much less work! He's never had a jar! I briefly tried pureeing, but he didn't like the mush, so I gave up.

thanks for your replies.

We don't eat much out of jars/tins ourselves (I always worry about what reaction the tin is having with the food). Certainly food for thought about the jars. I expect they taste more appealing than pureed carrots, so I could see a problem arising

You've obviously never eaten jarred baby food then swizzles.... Don't be drawn in by the appetising names - it is disgusting. Pureed carrot is far tastier.

Babies don't do tasty in any case... It takes about 15 goes for them just to accept a taste. If you try them 15 times on some jarred puree carrot, it'll probably take another 15 goes of real pureed carrot to get them onto the proper stuff! (Trust me, I'm not a doctor!!)

I found the easiest food to be accepted was that mixed with formula/presumably breastmilk (the taste thing, obviously) - porridge and... banana (they all seem to love it!!) Avoid baby rice - it really does look aand taste like wallpaper paste!!

swizzles - to be inflamatory, i wouldn't give sugar at all, until well after the age of 2, and certainly not at 6 months - they don't need added sugar - also beware of sugar in so called baby foods (such as added to yogurt, jars, etc)

i don't think there is any need as there are plenty of naturally sweet foods

Link to new Government weaning guide

Yes, it says six months, but that's not the point of me posting it - it also has ideas about what to give your baby.

Or you could do as I did - the lazy-arse mum way - give finger food and bits of what you're eating. No hassle and eating out is a piece of piss because they just have what you're having or you take a sandwich and some fruit with you.

Also be aware of passing kindly strangers who pass pink wafer biscuits to your 9 month old baby to suck on.... (I kid you not )

(don't give finger foods at 16 weeks obviously!!!....)

I followed the Gina Ford guide & found it great. Started with 11am milk + baby rice which DD loved. She was 24 weeks & so had passed the tongue thrust reflex. I think that's a good indicator of when to wean ? Of course the WHO recommendation too.

If you're keen to read on to the next step, buying spoons etc, you might find you'll enjoy the book too ? it had a list of foods at the back, advising when to try & a stack of receipes we still use now

DD is a good eater so maybe this helped ?

Had a friend who tried her DS on butternut squash & he was allergic, but DD was fine on it & hated carrot.

I fed my ds on weetabix in the morning mixed with cows milk, he has what I have for lunch - possibly a cheese sarnie/boiled egg/salad, followed with a fromage frais yoghurt.
For tea he has a baby food jar mixed with mashed up veggies.
Have tried mash but he isnt keen.
He does like fish fingers! ds is 8.5 months.

swizzles, thats what i have done for my ds. I started weaning at 17 wks and he is now 23wks.

We started with Sweet Potato, Carrot, Pear & Apple. Have now introduced brocoli, cauliflower, courgette, potato, parsnip, papaya, peach, banana, leek and pea.

The only things he doesnt like are: brocoli, cauliflower and carrot. Although I do hide them in with other things and he is easily fooled.

I have bought Anabel Karmels meal planner for babies and toddlers. It has 200 or so receipes in, and takes you through stage by stage. I have a freezer full of home made food, as well as jars/packets, for emergencies and when we are out and about.

Swizzles,
Lucy Burney has some excellent recipe books
'boost your childs immune system'
'Optimum nutrition for babies and children' lots of great recipes for 0 - 18. Definitely worth a read . I prefer her to Karmel.

I think the woman is a God !! So there (just my opinion)

parsnips. If I ever see a sodding parsnip again.......

Hmm, total nightmare. I would emphasize pears...

I've been introducing different foods to my DS diet for past 6 weeks. His normal day is as follows:

Morning (7ish): bottle and snuggle with mum with either a small banana, kiwi, pear - whatever I can lay my hands on.
Breakfast (11ish): baby rice/cereal and remainder of bottle and a heinz biscotti which he eats himself and gets everywhere! -very cute-
Dinner (3ish): pureed meat or fish (full of calcium & he loves it - I inspect thoroughly for bones first - mixed with pureed veg & spuds/sweet potato.
Supper (7ish): bottle and snuggle before bedtime.

I try to give him the bulk of his food while he's up and about because he's so woozy early and late he can't cope with anything more than a bottle at the minute - think he's too lazy!

Lentils are great - big hit here-, peas, cauliflower, mushrooms! Introduce one thing at a time, your baby will let you know if they don't like something!

Just to be controversial, I've recently been to a weaning meeting, held by la leche league, which suggests leaving weaning until your baby is interested and can grasp and manage finger food ie about 8/9 months. Milk, esp breastmilk is more than enough, and there are no calories in fruit/veg purees, so their little tummies are full, with no room for milk. With hindsight, this is what my DS did, as he was not interested in any pureed food, but as soon as he could manage finger food, he has had a brilliant appetite and tries everything I give him. Much cheaper not buying all the jars/packets as well, and he decides how much to he wants rather than me shovelling down a whole jar.