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Weaning

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

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Original poster

BLW - brain won't work, can you walk me through day 1

24 replies

Quak · 29/03/2013 20:35

I am going to start weaning 26wk dd, I get it, but I can't sort out in my head exactly how the first day will work. She refuses everything that isn't milk from my boob. Including Calpol and teething gel - she purses her lips tight! However she is grabby and puts absolutely everything into her mouth and gums it.
This makes me think that I might not bother with puree and just give her nice finger-sized foods to start with - blw! But, a lot of step-by-step advice on the web is using purees but I don't think that is going to work for us.
What I really want need is a personalised, baby-step through day 1 like it was a technical scientific experiment.
Here are the details:
I have bought a range of foods. Kingsmill 'little one' bread to toast (butter ok??), have sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash. Which is best, or is there something better?
Average routine...
She wakes about 6am. Feeds.
Feed and short nap about 8.30-9
Feed about 12 and longer nap
Feed about 3-4
Bath and feed about 6.30
Asleep by 7-7.30
Wakes a squillion times and pulls my hair a lot

What would you do on day 1? I'll be fine by day 2. [bugrin]

OP posts:

Themobstersknife · 29/03/2013 20:41

Butter fine.
Unless you can be bothered, I would skip breakfast.
After lunchtime feed, I would sit DD in high chair, with a chunk of banana, some toast fingers and a cup of water. See how she gets on.
If ok, then probably sit her down again about 5pm with some of the roasted veg you mentioned. Be prepared to have to clear up and accept that she might eat none of it or all of it. But don't stress! You have ages to get her sorted and up until then your bm will be giving her all the goodness she needs.
I never did purees with either of mine. They both ingested food from day 1 and basically took to it really quickly.
Good luck. Happy to provide day 2 advice as required!

BikeRunSki · 29/03/2013 20:42

Milk feeds as normal. When you sit down for your meal, offer baby a bit of food. Unsalted butter is fine, steamed veg fine. I have never come across special children's bread. Baby will probably just play with the food, or be totally disinterested at first. Ime blw babies take longer to drop milk feeds than puree weaned babies.

Flisspaps · 29/03/2013 20:46

Milk at usual times.

When you sit down to eat, put some in front of the baby, see what happens.

Anything bar honey, whole nuts and whole grapes is fine.

Enjoy!

JiltedJohnsJulie · 29/03/2013 21:27

Exactly what fliss says [busmile]

Original poster

Quak · 29/03/2013 22:09

OK. So your replies all seem very laid back. It is just eating isn't it...food is for fun for the first year someone said. But it does feel so overwhelming. I am not worried about how long it takes, more that it is a milestone reached and a new aspect of parenting to learn.
Thanks for your advice and for being laid back. I'll adjust [bugrin]

themobster I reckon once the first day is done I will be totally fine. But thanks for the offer!

BikeRunSki I picked up a loaf today that said 'little one' on it (I'm usually a much harder sell, promise) We eat seed and nut laden granary type stuff which I though might not be good.

OP posts:

Flisspaps · 29/03/2013 22:44

It is indeed just eating. And your lovely baby has done that since day one, it's just the food that changes and the mess levels

Enjoy

CornishYarg · 30/03/2013 09:03

Our first day was milk feeds as normal then when we had our Sunday roast for lunch, DS joined us in his high chair. I think I gave him a piece of roast potato and parsnip and a piece of steamed carrot. He played with them, licked them and nibbled a bit from them which I considered a successful first meal!

Maternityleaveisawesome · 30/03/2013 10:21

Quak, great question, I need a step by step guide too because I am anal

We are 2 weeks away from blw and am a mix of excited and nervous. Our day has a lot less routine in it (boob monster/no napping) but your night time sounds a lot like ours! Good luck.

Original poster

Quak · 30/03/2013 20:58

Maternityleaveisawesome Fantastic username! It is awesome. Don't worry about a routine. I said 'average' routine. For 3-4 days a week we roll about in chaos.
This is what I have decided to do. Drum-roll, please.
About an hour after a feed, around lunchtime I am going to pop DD in the highchair and place finger-sized pieces of steamed carrot, broccoli and butternut squash in front of her (with the video camera on!)
Then, depending on what she does, I'll figure out what to do next. If she loves it then I might try a bit of fruit. If she hates it I'll try again the next day with something else. I still have a real need for a anal detailed plan but I think I need to ignore that need. Me an dh are doing a baby first aid course next weekend so I don't think there is anything else I can do to prepare.
If you're like me and have the most boring, bland diet then look here for ideas for types of food to try.

OP posts:

Flisspaps · 30/03/2013 21:00

Www.babyledweaning.com is an excellent site to try too

GiraffeAHolic · 30/03/2013 21:04

Fairly sure that 'little one' refers to loaf size rather than target audience

JiltedJohnsJulie · 31/03/2013 09:41

Yeah, it would be a niche market, just babies if MNers wouldn't it [bugrin]

Original poster

Quak · 31/03/2013 09:48

giraffe - you may very well be right. It is a small loaf. What a dummy..... [bublush]

OP posts:

JiltedJohnsJulie · 31/03/2013 09:53

Not a dummy at all, its so easy to be all consumed with the thought of weaning, especially if its your pfb. You'll be much more relaxed with the next one and by the time it gets to your 3rd they'll be weaning themselves on the bits they wrestle from the dog [bugrin]

christinarossetti · 31/03/2013 09:55

Be prepared at how little she may eat for some time. Neither of mine really got going with food until 8 or 9 months, although some babies are gagging for solids by 6 months.

whooshmummy · 31/03/2013 21:40

And do you know when they've had enough because they seem less interested? I've just started with my DS and am paranoid I'm not giving him enough/giving too much choice?

Original poster

Quak · 31/03/2013 22:45

You know, it's been really good talking about it on here, and reading other weaning posts. I was really dreading it. A lot. I really didn't want to start on solids but now, I am getting a (tiny) bit excited about seeing her reaction and just seeing what happens.
She is my vvvvvpfb and I want her to be happy and content. She is not a 'hungry' baby. I've never felt that I couldn't give her enough milk and she rarely cries out of hunger. I really feel blw is the way to go mostly because not much will go in and she will control it.
whoosh - I will worry about that too I think but like a lot of things with babies, I think if you get it wrong, they really let you know. If your ds is happy then you're probably doing it right [bugrin]

OP posts:

Flisspaps · 01/04/2013 17:06

whoosh You'll probably find that the less food you put in front of him at once, the more interested he'll be. If you put lots of pieces or choices in front of him, chances are it'll all just get swiped to the floor. A few pieces will be played with, sucked, chewed, waved in the air and then swiped on to the floor when he's had enough.

Really, you'll think very little is going in at all (almost nothing) until you have to change a weaned baby's nappy. THEN you realise it's going in all right!

Wishiwasanheiress · 01/04/2013 17:12

Keep it easy is my advice. I gave dd lunch only for a month. That meal was easiest as she had stuff off my plate, gave me time to work out what I was doing. I then added in brekkie and finally dinner.

Other word of advice, no baby knows which meal is which so mix them up to what suits to serve, not what tradition dictates. It's experience u are giving rather than food. Keep it wide and well cooked and big enough to pick up. The rest will just come....

slightlyroundthebend · 03/04/2013 12:17

Hiya sorry to just jump on, I've started weaning and was planning on combining till my mil put fear of god into me when I offered ds a piece of steamed carrot saying "I'm glad mummy's here because I wouldn't be offering that he'll choke on it" hmmm confidence lost. He's 6 months tries to steal all my food. Do you just get in on stay close??

Flisspaps · 03/04/2013 12:38

slightly yes, that's about it. Teach yourself what to do if he does choke (very rare) and if MIL says anything again, point out that babies could also choke on purée and that he'd have to have non-mashed food sometime and still have to learn how to deal with it!

whooshmummy · 03/04/2013 13:39

Thanks Flisspaps (love the name, btw!) - have started offering only one or two things so as not to overwhelm, but the last couple of days he doesn't seem interested at all despite not being tired or hungry. Is that normal?

Flisspaps · 03/04/2013 13:53

Yep!

It's just another thing to play with at the moment to him, so don't worry. Just keep offering, milk is the bulk of the diet until around 1yo so there's plenty of time for him to show interest yet. I found putting the food in front of my two and then getting on with my own meal worked wonders. The less notice I took, the more they seem to eat - even now at 3yo and 11m.

whooshmummy · 03/04/2013 15:37

Grand - thanks

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