What are the rules?

[Kafri]

Right so I know it's 6m for weaning. DS is coming up for it now - 5.5m and have started giving him a finger of toast in his high chair as we sit to eat our meal - more in a bid to keep him occupied and happy to be in there than anything else. Today, for the first time, he actually made an effort to pick it up and put it to his mouth.

Was planning on giving the usual - seamed carrots, cucumber etc aswell, but possibly waiting a couple more weeks to cross the 6m threshold properly.

What are the rules when it comes to trying other things. Like today, for example, I had a chocolate mousse thing for pudding just HAD to have something sweet after tea am I allowed to let him try a tiny bit or is that a big no no? I'm looking for genuine answers as I really don't know what protocol is.

Also, while i'm on it - any tips on starting to use a sippy cup? I know we're only at 6 months so there's no hurry but thought i might as well tag it onto this post.

Thanks,

I'd start with fruit purees, raw mashed banana, steamed mashed apple and pear. If baby is ok with those try baby rice and porridge. But keep the milk intake the same, and offer water with food in a sippy cup. Keep an eye on his bowel movements with the baby rice/cereal as they can cause constipation, which is why you neec them to take water too. Portion size is important, aim for about what it would take to fill two icecube sections.

Though I'm not a massive fan of Annabel Karmel, her book on weaning is very good. Your food is ok for a taste, but not for a meal because it will be high in sugar and salt. When he's older he can process it better. Avoid Honey because it can cause infant botulism, and babies haven't got a mature enough system to cope with it.

Thanks Num, I have tried purees with him - his consultant suggested trying early weaning to help reflux.
i'm having trouble fitting food in around his milk and still making sure he has his milk too.
If I give before his bottle, he doesn't want the milk. If I give after the bottle, he doesn't want the food. If I try in the middle of a feed he screams blue murder and believe me after his early weeks he's perfected the art of screaming and is in no state for me to introduce food. If I try an hour after his bottle he's either napping (hes still on 1.5 hour awake time, sometimes slightly more) or if he is awake, he refuses his next feed meaning he isn't getting his milk quantity.
On the occasions where I do get him to have anything, he loves it and is great with taking a spoon etc

That's why I was going to knock it on the head and go down the BLW route.

I started giving DD bits and pieces from 4 months and from 6 months she progressed fairly quickly. I read some of the puree books but couldn't hack the prescriptiveness of it so got mainly used Hipp Organic fruit jars and Ella's kitchen pouches alongside mashing up what we ate when it couldn't be served as finger food. Now at 8mo she's more or less just on what we eat with the occasional pouch of ella's kitchen 10mo (lumpy) meals.

I don't always wait the hour after milk as its not practical for us maybe try 1/2 hour?

I have a similar problem. I'm bf and it's the same issue, he cries for a feed but once he's on, he won't want to come off til he's sated. I've notice he's less frantic about 5 pm so I will start before he's really hungry for a feed and let him try things. He's been more receptive at that time and then we've gone on to feed after that. It's completely different this time for me. I ff dd because I couldn't get along with bf with her (various reasons) and she seemed to wean easier, but I had a more rigid routine of feeds, whereas bf seems to mean it can happen whenever so introducing purees at a regular time every day has been more tricky. Am trying to ignore other friends of mine who seem to have cracked it very easily, and keep repeating a mantra to myself 'they are all different'.

Totally agree jars are a godsend. There's only so many hours in the day! Also I have just discovered a spoon made by KoKo which screws onto the pouches directly and the puree squeezes out into the spoon. Amazing! So handy when we're out and about. They've got them in Poundland, er, for a pound.

Google baby led weaning it's brilliant!

Book by gill rapley is fantastic

I second the baby led weaning book, some of our favourite family meals are still recipies from the book we used when we weaned dd1.

Have you read the MN weaning info? The NHS website gives you a list of foods to avoid and you might like this on Kellymom too.

Someone has already mentioned babyledweaning. Have a read about it here. I've weaned 2 and doing blw with dc2 was just so much easier than purees and worrying about introducing foods gradually (which there is no need to do with a baby over 6 months anyway).

Been reading up on various websites while DS has napped today. Thanks for the info.

Is it a strict 26weeks for getting going or am I ok giving him a little piece of toast/cucumber to touch/put to mouth while we're eating - he's 23w today?

If he can sit up by himself, grab a peeled banana and eat some of it, then he's ready.

Thanks Noble

Agree with noble. The NHS site has the criteria for readiness. I started with dd at 23 weeks when she demonstrated that she could sit up, pick up food and pop it into her mouth by reaching for a sandwich and scoffing it before anyone could stop her

Thanks - I read the guidelines, but was wondering about all the stuff about their tummies not being ready til 6 months etc. Blimey I do wind myself up about some things, lol

How I looked on it was this, its a guideline. Some babies will be ready before 26 weeks, some after. There is not a magic day when they wake up and are suddenly ready 6 months after you give birth and dd was showing all of the signs listed on the NHS website.

Having said that, you are a bit limited on what you can give them before 6 months just ignore the bit where I said dd ate a sandwich