Weaning questions from absolute beginner, please advise...

[lurcherlover]

DS is 26 weeks and for the last fortnight or so has been having bits of food - I would like to do BLW but have also spoon-fed a bit when he's been getting really frustrated with his lack of manual dexterity. He is quite happy to be spoon-fed if I let him hold the spoon and just give it gentle guidance towards his mouth, and I'm careful to stop as soon as he's lost interest so I'm not going to get hung up about spoon-feeding. Introducing food is going well I think but there are some things I'm not sure of - please help!

1. How many times a day should I offer food at this age? I have been offering fruit in the morning (he can wolf a sliced pear or chunks of banana no problem), something savoury at lunchtime (today was couscous with an Ella's kitchen pureed fish pie mixed in to flavour it) and then more fruit or veg in the evening. Is this enough/too much/not enough? Should I try to offer more variety now than just veg?
2. (Linked to 1 really!) I'm concerned that he is enjoying food so much that he will scoff it whenever I offer it, and he needs to be drinking milk. Do I need to worry that he will fill up on solids and not get enough milk (I'm bf)? If so any pointers on making sure he drinks enough milk?
3. How much do I need to worry about salt? Obviously I won't add any to food I'm cooking for him, but what about salt naturally present in bread, cheese etc? Is it OK to use normal stock cubes in cooking?
4. DH and I normally have our evening meal once DS is in bed. Can I reheat leftovers for DS' lunch the next day?
5. Should I offer water with a meal or not? I don't want him getting full on water when he needs milk, but I know he needs to be learning that water is a drink as well as milk.
6. What are people's opinions of jars of food? I like the look/convenience of them but am worried they're not "real" food and just the equivalent of me eating a ready meal...I wouldn't mind having them in for occasional use but feel a bit guilty.

Sorry, this all sounds PFB I know! Just feeling like I'd got my head round bf and it was all going fine, then weaning hits and I'm starting all over again...!

Re stock cubes you can buy baby ones from Boots & we use those in all our cooking

Reheating - if you can reheat it, it should be ok for baby.

I can't really help - we're only a week in ourselves and I have much the same questions!

I do know you can get baby stock cubes in tesco - they don't have any salt in them. Having said that I only have the chicken ones, so I used a normal beef one today. I figure a single cube to braise enough beef for 4 people, with the liquid drained off after cooking, isn't going to put that much salt into the two slices if beef my babies ate!

1. Throw food at baby at normal meal times/the meal times you want baby to have.
2. Continue to feed on demand. Your baby isn't daft and will not let himself go without. Unless you are shovelling food into him until he explodes then he will still want milk and will regulate his intake pretty well himself.
3. Don't add salt. Don't feed him crisps . Othjerwise don't worry, yes there is salt in ham and cheese and stuff but unless you are basing his entire diet around those foods then it isn't a problem. You can get low/no salt stock cubes, don't panic too much though.
4. Yes, goodness yes and it is by far and away the easiest way to give hima "normal"diet without stressing yourself out by cooking half a million different meals.
5. I gave a beaker of water with meals, others don't. I doubt it matters much.
6. meh, far too expensive but useful when you go camping with a just weaned baby.

I should probably add that I stressed a lot about weaning ds, with dd I found the "throw food at baby and hope some of it goes in" approach much better