Alternative to baby rice

[Addicted2DairyMilk]

Just a quick question about weaning. My dd is coming up to 6 months and I am starting to prepare for giving some solids as she is definitely nearly ready, I've just upped her milk intake for now. I've heard baby rice mentioned so much as one of the first food babies have, but I've also heard it's horrible. Is it really important to give baby rice or are there good suitable alternatives?

I am planning to do BLW with a bit of spoon feeding for the less solid foods. With BLW can you really just give them bits of fruit/veg to munch on and chew on their own straight away or is it best to do a bit of spoon feeding first to get them used to swallowing/chewing food?

I'm totally lost on this new stage as it's my first baby! Any help would be appreciated.

You don't need baby rice at all whether you do BLW or spoon feeding.

Yes you can definitely just do BLW straight away! Start with soft foods like banana or cooked carrot.

With BLW they learn to chew first and then swallow, with spoonfeeding they learn to swallow first and then chew - so up to you. Spoonfeeding tends to get them going quicker, but I was lazy (and wanted DS to go at his own pace) :)

I'd agree with Bertie

Thanks Mulled wine I'm a little bit excited about this next step, but I suppose like feeding it probably becomes a little bit of a chore, esp if your LO messes around all the time like mine! Think I will just start with lunchtime and give her little bits of what I'm eating, and let her do it herself. It will encourage me to eat more healthily too, so bonus!

Also I just remembered my other query - I know milk is to be the main source of nutrition til one year but what order do you give milk/food in? I worry that if I give dd food first she won't take as much milk, but if I give her a milk feed she probably won't want much food..

Always fed my babies milk before food, the food was just there to get them used to tastes, milk is main nutrition

Give her milk first as it is to provide most of her calories and nutrition until one year. With BLW the idea is not to feed them solids when they are really hungry. IN the early days, they want to be not full, but not really hungry either, so they are relaxed enough about experimenting with self-feeding.

At about 9 months or so you can start to feed them food first - to gradually get them used to the idea that food is something that fills them up.

Hope that helps?

PS. I had loads of free samples of baby rice which I used to thicken lots of my stews and curries!

Wow quick replies! Very helpful. I think I've got to remember that the food thing is just a little taster for dd and not as a main source of nutrition yet. It takes the pressure off a bit doesn't it? Thanks everybody.

I started my DS with finger foods, whatever we were eating, but also with some sloppy stuff that we give him on a spoon. He loves it all. I found that he really loved the 'PLUM' 4 grain stuff. It's basically just baby rice and quinoa with a couple of other grains- I gave it to him with expressed milk and he really enjoyed it and I think it has helped him to realise that solid food that I give him will actually fill him up. Now I use it to thicken things and add a bit of bulk.

"Food's for Fun Until they are One"

Mine hated baby rice, and didn't get interested in food at all til they got something with a bit of flavour (in dd's case, a roast potato she swiped of dp's plate and sucked to death!)

Pureed fruit and vegetables if you want to go the spoon feeding way.

But it's a good idea to offer one at a time - then if they do react badly to a particular food you know which one it is.

Just waiting for high chair to arrive (go away snow) and will be getting started when she hits 6 months in new year. Can't wait to see how she reacts to food, I can tell she'll love it already. Thanks for the advice, am going to do a bit of a mixed approach but mainly BLW. Might give that PLUM stuff a go, or just ordinary porridge sweetened with some fruit.