Started weaning...quick question.

[NoTeaForMe]

We started my daughter off on some porridge and sticks of fruit yesterday for breakfast. She took to it well and munched away fine. My husband is keen to give her some puréed carrot/sticks if carrot this evening for dinner. I think it's too soon to start a second meal. Who's right? She's a few days off 6 months.

She's a bit slouchy in her highchair, as her trunk strength isn't great-presumably that's not too much of a problem?

Just stick with one meal a day for a few weeks while you and she get used to it. Then up it to two meals and so on. There is no rush! Make sure she still gets her nutrition from milk (ie. formula or boob) - food for the first few months is about textures, flavours, learning to chew, learning to swallow.

Well, it's probably not going to do much harm either way. It sounds like she took to her first tastes well so I'd be tempted to offer her another bite or two at another mealtime, but no worries if she doesn't fancy it.

What did you decide notes?

We didn't do a dinner. Maybe we will in a couple if days but I don't think there's any need to run while she learns to walk so to speak! This is my second baby but I seem to have forgotten everything from the first time round!

In fact, while people are here...
She doesn't particularly wake up hungry in the morning (neither did her big sister) so I give her breakfast first thing. I haven't ren offering milk straight after, just waiting until she's hungry and asking for it. Should I just offer her some anyway or am I right in letting her demand it?!

Thanks.

All the current advice says to give the milk before solids, preferably until they are one so I'd give milk first, then offer breakfast an hour later. It's no big deal if she doesn't eat her breakfast but it is an issue if she's not taking enough milk

The last couple of days she has woken up a bit early and hungry and has had the tiniest breastfeed first and then breakfast around half hour later.

I have a toddler too-if I give my baby milk then food an hour later I'll be doing two lots of breakfast...

Suppose it was easier for me as dd bf at around 6am so fitting in breakfast with everyone else was easy. It's just the guidelines anyway, as long as her main source of nutrition is her milk I wouldn't stress too much

Well she has been having a small feed around 6 these last few days. I'll see if that continues. If not I'll try and offer extra feeds. Should the food not be replacing milk soon though?

the food shouldnt replace milk for a fair while as you are introducing new tastes and textures rather than substituting one for the other.

Agree with power. Look on it as more of an exercise in getting them used to cups, sitting at the table and trying new textures and tastes. It doesn't even matter if they don't get any of the solids in their tummies at this age.

Yes they do start to drop milk feeds but you need to make sure that you don't do this too quickly. Keep offering solids roughly an hour after milk and only do one meal a day for a fair while yet. I wouldn't even bother with 2 meals a day until she is 7 months, then move to 3 meals a day between 8 and 9 months.

There is a useful chart on solids replacing bfs here

My health visitor advised that she'd go up to two meals relatively quickly as she's 6 months. I know my first daughter did. I know health visitors are often slated on here but I respect and like mine. She's a trained nurse and does normally talk sense!

We did blw and it advises to just offer food whenever you are eating yourself

Its fine if you want to move to 2 meals quite quickly but she may not be upto date with the current nhs guideline to move to 3 meals only between 8 and 9 months.

Aren't all HVs trained nurses notea?

my ds went to 3 meals fairly quickly but they were very small and more to get the right timings. He still had all his milk feeds and the food was at least an hour afterwards.

Jilted ha, are they really? I had no idea-I've been impressed with my HV partly because she was a nurse! Whoops!

We're doing lots of finger foods, not quite BLW though.

By another meal I'm only thinking of doing tastes of different veg at dinnertime, nothing too crazy. I'll make sure she keeps having milk. Though obviously I'm hoping some if the night feeds will cut down!

Well I always thought they were trained nurses who then took a course to qualify as a HV, but I could be wrong

Yes they are all nurses or midwives first www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/nursing/careers-in-nursing/health-visiting/