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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

Weaning book / website advice please

26 replies

warthog · 07/07/2006 22:02

Hi,
I'm beginning to panic about weaning - I don't have a clue where to start! I've looked at old threads and seems like there are three favourites:
Annabel Karmel
Lorraine Kelly
Gina Ford
I looked at Amazon and these people have written lots of books - Annabel Karmel has written quite a few, which one is the 'beginners' one? I don't necessarily just want a recipe book, I'd like to understand the concept. I don't know when and how to start introducing food and how to structure it over time. Should I just get all three and try to make my own 'best of'? Any advice welcome!
Sorry if this is done to death

OP posts:
jabberwocky · 07/07/2006 22:14

Annabel Karmel seemed way too complicated for me. I also found weaning a bit overwhelming so don't have any brilliant advice, I'm afraid. Except maybe don't overdo the bananas - it can cause constipation.

Seona1973 · 08/07/2006 13:03

annabel karmel has her own website if you dont want to buy the book.

Annabel Karmel website

CorrieDale · 08/07/2006 13:15

Weaning is really easy if you leave it until baby is 6 months. No pureeing, nothing to be avoided other than whole nuts, honey & cow's milk as a drink. Simple and stress-free. Check out the baby-led weaning threads if this sounds appealing!

moondog · 08/07/2006 13:18

wh,ignore the books.
Only purpose is to make money.
CD is right.
I weaned ds in wildest Turkey btw on bits of banana and plain yoghurt.

Original poster
warthog · 08/07/2006 13:24

oh wow! music to my ears! i am definitely waiting to wean dd until she's 6 months because my brother had half his colon removed as a result of early weaning (and they think this was the trigger for his autism too). i'm not taking any chances. and i don't have to puree??!?!? will definitely check the threads out. thanks!

i must say that i bought every damn parenting book there was when dd was born and read them all cover to cover. wish i had just thrown them out the window, would have saved a lot of stress. was determined not to go overboard with weaning so this is a relief...

OP posts:
moondog · 08/07/2006 18:58

wh,THAT SOUNDS ALARMING RE YOUR BROTHER.
tELL US MORE! [SHOCK]

yES,KEEp it simple

vitomum · 08/07/2006 19:13

taht's horrendous about your brother . I have just heard about this baby led weaning malarky and god i wish i'd known about it 18 months ago when weaning my ds - makes loads of sense and so much easier.

mawbroon · 08/07/2006 19:18

I'm another one that recommends BLW.
How can they be so sure that early weaning caused your brothers problems? Not disputing, just curious....

mawbroon · 08/07/2006 19:21

here's a similar thread from last week but this one is about baby led weaning

Original poster
warthog · 08/07/2006 19:57

my brother was started on babyrice / porridge type things when he was 4 months. basically his colon got blocked and a massive infection developed. my mum kept taking him to the doctor who insisted nothing was wrong - just teething or colic - usual baby problems. but one evening the doc pitched up on mum's doorstep white as a sheet asking after him. mum said 'he's fine because he's just fallen asleep'. turned out he was in a coma, and they had to do an emergency op. told mum the outcome was positive - he'd have a 50% chance of living! they think his colon just couldn't handle it. a very unusual case i'm sure, but i don't want to take any chances!

so i'm really keen on blw and have been reading as many threads as i could find. thanks for the link! i'm definitely going to go that route - it makes sense to me.

still not sure about how to go about introducing the meals / reducing the b/f... will come up with a plan and perhaps post it on here to see what you think. ultimately i guess dd will decide.

anyway, thanks all for taking the time to post. i feel a lot better (and informed) now!

OP posts:
somethingunderthebedisdrooling · 08/07/2006 20:03

I have the Anabel Karmel book for someone who enjoys cooking and can read recipes, seemed like a lot of work especially when dd turned her nose up at everything till she was 10 months old. Lots of fussiness.

I can handpick her recipes which I thought yes, sounds tasty as grownup food too and weren't a lot of faff.

Her weaning schedule to me was more than a bit overambitious too, i found.

I later bought this book which have a lot more common sense recipes and are not as faffy to prepare.

Finger food for Babies and Toddlers
by Jennie Maizels.

designed for baby-led weaning.

chocolateshoes · 08/07/2006 20:19

I found the Gina Ford one very helpful (whether you agree with her parenting techniques or not!) as she suggests which fruit & veg to introduce at a time & also has a very good glossary of foods at the back suggesting when is best to introduce them & what are the benefits etc of each. There are also some quite good recipes. She then goes on to give a very detailed timetable of recipes which I certainly didn't even attempt to follow as I do have some kind of life!

She also suggests that you make lunch time the main meal as babies are often v tired by the ned of the day - therefore sticking to easy to eat foods such as soup for tea. This has worked really well for DS who is now 12mths.

aitch71 · 08/07/2006 20:42

hello warthog,
i'm doing baby led weaning, it's a doddle. today the baby has eaten some cheese, broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, rice cakes, toast and some new potato. apart from the cucumber and rice cakes (which is what i take out with me for her to eat) the rest came off mine and DH's plates. i think i started her off with fruits, principally because she grabbed a peach out of my hand, and then a bit of steamed carrot and later some roast sweet potato.

yesterday she ate some pork fillet and some jersey royals at my mum's house. i cut a big chunk off (it hadn't been salted, just some garlic and herbs) and she chewed and sucked on it to her heart's content.

the one thing i would advise if you are going to BLW (well, to be honest i would just advise it for all mums as it's a pretty useful skill) is to find out if there's an infant resuscitation seminar at your local maternity hospital. that sounds a bit frightening, but it's just the opposite. i would have done it anyway, whether pureeing or not, but now when she very occasionally gags and spits the food out i feel that if things were suddenly to become more serious with a choking incident i would know what to do. my brother's a paramedic so he was very insistent that i do the seminar as my brain exploded when he tried to show me himself.
anyway, back to the weaning, the best of luck to you,
h

Original poster
warthog · 08/07/2006 20:55

gosh yes. think i'd better do that resuscitation seminar. getting excited now! bet my local hospital doesn't do it. but will ask hv.

how old is your baby aitch71?

thanks again for all your posts.

OP posts:
aitch71 · 08/07/2006 21:17

she is, much to my surprise, nearly 7 months old so we've only been doing this a short time. it's such good fun, and so little hassle. we've been out to cafes (she has bread and butter, or some cheese) and been able to grab a banana from a shop in an emergency... no spoons required.

the point you have to remember is that for the first 12 months they are sustained by milk, so this is really about taste, texture, learning to chew and to be relaxed around food. and i reckon i'm less stressed myself because i amn't fussed if she's not hungry one day and then ravenous the next, but it might be confusing or tense if i was measuring everything out in lovingly home cooked ice cubes and she was refusing it...

if you can bring yourself to do it, i suggest you do a search for my name as i've only been posting here for a few weeks and it's mostly been about BLW so you might pick up a few tips. not just from me, i should stress, from the other people who've answered me or whom i have answered.
one thing, though, broccoli makes a hell of a mess...

h

moondog · 08/07/2006 22:09

Another reason i don't like all these specila baby recipe books is that it perpetuates the (mostly British) myth that children and adults need different food.

If the food you eat isn't good enough to feed your baby,then frankly,it isn't good enough to feed you.

Also what sort of message are you giving your children about the socilal and nutritional aspects of eating if you eat different stuff at different times??

hunkermunker · 08/07/2006 22:21

Agree with that, MD - remember being asked if what I was giving DS1 (when he was DS ) was "special baby cheese" and I knew then that we were in Big Trouble re food in this country

Go BLW, WH. How old's your baby? DS2 isn't ready yet, but he's 24 weeks - he'll be readier in a few weeks, I think. Want him sitting unaided first

aitch71 · 08/07/2006 22:31

hear, hear, moondog. plus the fact that when i saw all those annabel karmel pureeing charts i had an out of body experience.
moondog, do you mind me asking how long ago you weaned your DS? (just to say i initially thought you said that you weaned him on Wild Turkey, which i thought was a bit devil-may-care even for me...)
i'm only at the very beginning so am on the hunt for any tips you might have,
cheers
h

Original poster
warthog · 08/07/2006 22:38

thanks aitch71. i was looking in past blw threads and saw your name a few times. will do a search.

moondog - absolutely everything you've said makes perfect sense!

hunker, dd is only 4.5 months so still plenty of time. i just wanted to be prepared and have researched all the options. i definitely think blw is the way to go. was your ds1 blw?

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 08/07/2006 22:42

Mostly, WH - had some spoon fed stuff, but loads of finger food.

Sandwiches were a firm favourite when he was 8mo, despite him not eating huge quantities till about then. And bananas.

Never give grapes whole though - too choky.

aitch71 · 08/07/2006 23:12

plus, warthog, you do get a special glow of parental pride when your baby is sitting in a restaurant highchair chomping on some raw pepper from your salad and people stop to coo at what a mini marvel they are. and you get to eat your dinner warm, as well!

i saw a really good quote somewhere (might even have been HunkerMunker, actually) who said that you should try spoonfeeding your partner and having them spoonfeed you. apparently it's a supremely unsatisfactory experience, because the food doesn't come fast enough/comes too fast is too much/too little etc. so to follow on from Moondog's 'why give them things you wouldn't eat yourself?' principle i would add... why feed them in a manner you wouldn't enjoy yourself?

cheeseypeas · 08/07/2006 23:24

I would suggest getting hold of three or four different books.

I would rec Annabel Karmel
NCT First foods & Weaning
365 Recipies for Babies, Toddlers & Children
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1844830365/026-8046329-9553231?v=glance&n=266239

The NCT 'First Foods and Weaning' was a real help for me because it basically gave you a roungh guide of what types of food to be giving at what age. Also, there are some fantastic recipies at the back.

I found it a bit of a mind field at the start but you'll soon find your way of doing things. Weaning my DS has taught me to cook!

Good luck - it's wonderful giving your baby his or her first tastes.

moondog · 09/07/2006 11:07

lol Aitch!
What I meant is that I was in the wilds of Turkey when I weaned my ds (who was 2 last week)
Dh works there and we are often there.
He had bits of flat bread,youghurt and spoonfuls of lentil soup at around 7/8 months while we ate in restaurants (which we do every day as they are so cheap.)

aitch71 · 09/07/2006 11:31

what a relief, moondog, although with a name like that you might equally have weaned him on prefabricated sprouts.
yum, yoghurt, flatbread and lentils, sounds delicious, mind you... are there any good Turkish-y recipes that both parents and baby can enjoy?
what about baba ganoush? i bet babies would like that and it's so easy... now you've got me thinking.

moondog · 09/07/2006 19:04

Well grilled veggies and meat and pulses and the old fave baba ganoush are all most acceptable to my kids!