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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Starting weaning tomorrow - anyone else need some support?

58 replies

Lavitabellissima · 05/05/2011 10:56

Ok starting weaning tomorrow, being a bit PFB and off to buy a steamer today Smile

I have twins who are now 6 months & 1 day old

Don't really have much of an idea what i'm doing & am not looking forward to the mess though Hmm

Does anyone want to join the thread and we can discuss how well it's going/not going?

OP posts:
munkiii · 05/05/2011 19:18

marking my place! Grin

Original poster
Lavitabellissima · 05/05/2011 19:26

I've bought a steamer, some pears & carrots

Planning to do a mix of BLW and puree, I think Confused

I meant to buy baby rice but forgot, so will start with carrot tomorrow.

11am = mess carrot time!

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 06/05/2011 09:09

Did you read anything? DD is 5 months and I am starting to panic! DH has already bought baby rice. After avoiding organic food for 5 years I asked, "is it organic", he looked sheepish and said, "it's too late for us but she can have organic".

I am sort of planning on purees so keep us informed.

HarrietJones · 06/05/2011 09:49

Don't bother with baby rice. Not on it's own anyway. It's tastes awful!

Original poster
Lavitabellissima · 06/05/2011 14:15

I've read bits of the BLW book and have the Annabel Karmel recipe book. All just seems a bit daunting.

I also bought a Wean Machine and used that after i'd steamed my carrots, still seemed to be lumpy though but the girls ate it, DTD2 happily, DTD1 not as happily.

Going to try pear tomorrow, how much food should they have? I read 1/2 teaspoons but that doesn't seem like much Confused

OP posts:
pinkyp · 07/05/2011 09:33

Whats the difference between..combinding purees and blw? Isnt that just weaning? as you tend to give finger food 6/7 months. I'm starting weaning too so marking my place

ZimboMum · 08/05/2011 18:57

Can I join you as well? DS is 24 weeks and we've started weaning over the last week or so. He wolfed down his baby rice - he seemed to love it! - and has had carrot, apple and today, some strawberry. The first few days he seemed to really struggle during the night with wind and tummy trouble so we cut right back to one v. small portion a day. I think his eyes are way bigger than his tiny tummy as he just gobbles whatever you put on a spoon right up!

Bit worried as after an absolutely enormous poonami on Thursday there hasn't been any more poo... but he doesn't seem to be constipated or in discomfort.

On a downside, from sleeping pretty much faithfully from 10pm to 6ish am he's started waking in the night appearing to be absolutely starving - even when I've stuffed him as full as I can during the day with milk :)

Good luck everybody! :)

Flisspaps · 08/05/2011 19:03

You can't combine BLW and purees Grin That is just weaning using finger foods and puree.

BLW is exclusive self-feeding - so you can't do that AND spoon feed IYSWIM.

Aitch explained it this way to someone on a thread last week, and I thought it was rather good. Once you get into it, it's not half as daunting as the thought of it is.

Morebounceperounce · 08/05/2011 20:27

Just started with DD, who is 5 and a half months, with a teaspoon of baby rice with some BM today. She's had a chew on some banana, broccoli and mango in the last week and likes sticking a spoon in her mouth whenever possible.

It took a few mouthfuls and some dribbles before she caught on with the whole swallowing thing but DH held his nerve and some cheshire cat grins and clapping seemed to help! My friend recommended cow and gate creamy porridge over baby rice so might try that instead?

Made some apple and pear puree today and have an american weaning book called Petit Appetit, which seems alright. Just hoping we don't have any gagging/choking incidents!

Wallace · 08/05/2011 20:39

Started BLW last night. ds3 (6 months on 18th) had roast chicken and potatoes. He really enjoyed it :)

I think he has been desperate for a few weeks...

We went to a party today and he was grabbing my food and cramming it in his mouth Grin

Morebounceperounce · 09/05/2011 10:19

Nice one Baby Wallace! How much did he have?

Just about to go for day 2, portion 2 so fingers crossed!

ZimboMum · 09/05/2011 16:48

How did it go morebounce? My ds is the same age as your dd and today we had some strawberry puree at breakfast and some baby rice at lunch. Think I am going to try the porridge as well - its not like they are going to be eating rice for breakfast when they're older!

Was a bit worried as DS hadn't pooed since a poonami last Thurs, but never fear, the little terror darling had been storing it all up for me!! Has your dd had any tummy trouble since you started food?

Wallace · 09/05/2011 19:04

How did it go?

Not sure how much he ate - hard to tell when it is dropped and smeared everywhere Grin Enough to show in his nappy though!

He had baked potato tonight - I gave him chunks of the skin to suck and chew :)

Morebounceperounce · 10/05/2011 10:03

Thanks Wallace, it's good to here how BLW works in practice and I bet you've got some great pics! I'd like to give BLW a go but am a bit concerned as DD has had issues with poor weight gain and I think I need the security of knowing how much has actually gone down her neck for a while. She did have a go at a chunk of banana yesterday, giving it a good aggressive suck!

Zimbo it's going well and she hoovered down a teaspoon of baby rice mixed with two dessertspoons of BM, mixed with a little cube's worth of pear puree yesterday. We've yet to have a poo (last one was on Sunday morning after I'd had a curry on Saturday night so was pretty impressive and she;s an infrequuent pooer anyway) but I'm a bit paranoid about constipation so have stocked up on prunes, dried apricots and frozen spinach cubes. Am going to make the first two into purees and introduce them with a bit of apple puree in the next few days and then try a bit of spinach mixed with pear puree, as I'm worried that she'll have an exclusively sweet tooth otherwise! How long have you been going, as I was wondering when to introduce a second meal?

ZimboMum · 10/05/2011 14:28

MoreBounce - we started weaning on Easter Sunday and spent the last week of April trying to introduce two portions a day - one mid morning, one mid afternoon. DS gobbled everything put on a spoon in front of him, but then suffered at night. It wasn't constipation, more trapped wind or griping pain or something and subsequently his sleep went to pot. From no wakings from 10ish to 6ish to two or three. We cut back to one small portion for the whole of last week and are slowly starting to try to build it up to two portions a day. He only had carrot with some baby rice and BM at lunch today as he had a restless night.

I think he might be teething a bit as well so I'm starting to lose the plot a bit. Not sure if he's waking because of his teeth or his tummy or something completely unrelated! If he has another restless night tonight it might be the baby rice as that's the only thing in common over the last few days. I bought some baby cereal/porridge type stuff and will try that tomorrow.

In terms of trying different things, he has only had carrot, apple, strawberry, banana and baby rice. Think his eyes are bigger than his tummy so i'm having to hold myself back from trying him on two many things!

familyfun · 10/05/2011 22:29

hi can i join in, dd2 is 24 weeks and we are on day 8 of weaning, she has tried apple,pear,carrot, porridge and brocolli and banana and enjoyed them all, about 2 teaspoons and 1 meal a day, not sure when to go for 2 meals and start combining flavours?

emza78 · 11/05/2011 14:51

Hi ladies, can I join? Planning to start 22 week old off on saturday so OH is there for the momentous occasion! I don't like the thought of baby rice so planning on going straight to carrot puree. HV just advised keeping to same thing for 3 days then moving to next, is anyone doing this? Sounds a bit boring...

ZimboMum · 11/05/2011 16:55

Hi familyfun and emza78

My DS loved carrot puree so think that is an ideal first weaning food. Not sure about trying the same thing for 3 days and then moving on to something else - not heard that before. I guess if your LO hoovers things up then just try things quicker but if they're not sure about the whole eating malarkey then staying with the same thing for a few days wouldn't be a bad thing.

Saw a work colleague today for lunch and she said they were desperate for me to come back. The thought of trying to increase to three meals a day and slowly drop milk feeds until I am able to leave him for more than a few hours just seems a monumental challenge at the moment and has got me quite stressed. I would like to use my KIT days but there is just no way at least for a couple more months.

Anyone else feeling stressed today about being a parent and all it entails?

xx

Olivetti · 11/05/2011 17:24

Hi, please can I join? I start weaning my DD next Monday, and I'm really stressed. I'm pretty undomesticated, so have found bfing SO SO convenient.

My first question is this (please don't laugh too hard): when you freeze those little pots of puree, how do you defrost them?? And how long will they then keep for? Thanks in advance.

ZimboMum · 11/05/2011 18:10

Welcome Olivetti

Don't stress! With the little pots of puree you can either leave them in the fridge overnight to defrost or take them out the freezer in the morning and they should be defrosted by lunchtime. You can keep them in the freezer for about a month I would reckon.

I'm finding this weaning malarky stressful and delightful in equal measures!

Good luck for Monday.

Morebounceperounce · 11/05/2011 19:31

It must be hard trying to work out what's going on with your DS Zimbo, hope he's doing better now and you've had some sleep. DD is waking in the night again and I'm suffering! It is stressful and I imagine work wanting you back must add to that (all be it in a complimentary way), especially when work might well feel like a walk in the park compared to this parenting malarky sometimes!

WRT defrosting little cubes of puree, in my limited experience, I've found that they defrost very quickly as so small and so take one out of the freezer when I express first thing (about 6am)and it's defrosted by lunchtime, kept in the fridge.

I've heard to introduce new flavours every two/three days but think you can let your baby set the pace (according to the weaning leaflet the HV gave me)? Ie. if they seem happy and confident trying their food then try different combinations of purees/new things. I gave DD a baby rice cake after her lunch today to see how she got on and she loved gumming away on it so maybe something like that or some cooked green beans or chunk of mango, in addition to purees?

Original poster
Lavitabellissima · 11/05/2011 19:37

The Annabel Karmel book says you can introduce a new flavour each day, we've done banana, carrot, sweet potato & pear.
I'm now on day 8 so have introduced another meal so today I did pear for breakfast and sweet potato for lunch. Both went down really well, the girls seem to understand what is going on now and were like two little birds with their mouths open Grin

I've bought baby rice so add into the fruit for breakfast but am still breastfeeding, I really can't be bothered to express milk to mix it up, can I just use cool boiled water? on the packet it just says formula or expressed milk Confused

Olivetti I haven't bothered freezing any yet, I bought a Wean machine (like a mini potato ricer) and just cook/steam the fruit/veg and then stick in that, it's really easy.

OP posts:
familyfun · 11/05/2011 20:55

im using cooled boiled water too as i dont express, seems to be fine.
i dont freeze anything yet as its only fruit/veg puree i do a pot for now and a sealed pot in the fridge for tomorrow so dd has the same meal for 2 days then try soemthing new.
when im blending full meals then i will do more to freeze.
dd 25 weeks today but 1 meal is satisfying her so in no rush to up it to 2, is that ok?

irishbird · 11/05/2011 21:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pink79 · 12/05/2011 09:10

Hi,

I'd like to join your conversation too. My son is 6 months and we've started to try and wean him. Not going well! He seems to hate being spoon fed, so it's pretty stressful trying to get food into him. We tried giving him sticks of cooked parsnip and carrot and some banana which went quite well initially. However now that we're a couple of days into it he's disinterested and 'shouts' all the time, not just mealtimes! He was previously quite a calm and relaxed baby so that's been quite stressful...

I also have a question about formula. My son has been having 4 x 9oz feeds per day, which satisfies him and he's putting on a steady amount of weight. However, the follow on formula says from 6 months you should feed only 4 x 6 ozs per day. (Just statred this today after old milk ran out) Bit worried this won't be enough for him to continue to gain weight at a good level. Anyone else had any experience with this?

Sorry for the long post, but it's quite a frustrating process this weaning business!!