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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 - help!

82 replies

Writerwannabe83 · 20/09/2014 15:43

DS is EBF and he is 6 months old tomorrow. We are going to begin the weaning process but don't really know how to go about it!!

We are giving him mashed/puréed carrots but how much am I supposed to give and when? Does he need to be restricted to one or two spoonfuls or do I let him have as many as he wants?

And should he be on one 'meal' a day or more???

OP posts:
Artandco · 23/09/2014 16:03

He can def try some. It's just prob better to give non sugary ones in general

RiverTam · 23/09/2014 16:14

I found BLW a huge faff and ditched it (and the Gill Rapley book, what a load of tosh that was) after a month - at 6 months I was still all over the place and eating a lot of crap which i didn't want DD to eat!

Went straight into the 7-9 month stage in the Annabel Karmel book (so mashed/lumpy foods, rather than purees) and it was absolutely fine. I found it much easier to batch cook and freeze.

No problems with lumps (although at age 3, having been fine, she started to turn up her nose at fruit in yoghurt) or feeding herself. And she gagged once doing BLW, it was absolutely awful and I wasn't about to put her or me through that again. We did some finger food alongside trad weaning, but it wasn't the focus.

MN will have you believe that trad weaning is the work of the devil, but it really isn't as long as you think about it and follow your baby's lead. Not every trad weaned child turns into a lump-refusing, non-self-feeding, overeating child, but that's what some would have you believe.

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 23/09/2014 16:15

He sucked some of the tip of my finger and then did it again when I offered some more but after his second taste he kept turning his head away so I won't push it Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 23/09/2014 16:15

He sucked some of the tip of my finger and then did it again when I offered some more but after his second taste he kept turning his head away so I won't push it Smile

OP posts:
PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 23/09/2014 16:20

RiverTam - No one has said that though Confused The OP asked some questions and people have answered. Many of us, including me, have gone out of our way to say that puree is absolutely fine and just a different option, even if we didn't bother with it ourselves.

Writer - That's great. Reading his signs is the best way. "I've tried it mum, I liked it so I'll have some more. No, that's enough for today now." Smile

PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 23/09/2014 16:21

Oh, also Tam, honest question because I've seen lots of people say that they batch cooked from Annabel Karmel etc. Given that you need to eat too, is it not easier to batch cook things everyone can eat? I don't really see where the 'saving' is?

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 23/09/2014 16:36

He sucked on some cucumber earlier but he didn't seem too enthralled by it.

I'm tempted to try some baby rice tonight with some EBM.

How many new flavours are we supposed to the them with this early? I worry that by keep giving him different things the BLW technique won't work but at the same time I kept getting excited about seeing him try something new Grin

OP posts:
RiverTam · 23/09/2014 16:44

it meant that I could wolf down a (salty) ham sandwich whilst giving DD something healthier (I eat ham sarnies virtually every day Blush). And I didn't always want to eat at the same time as DD - she had lunch at 11/11.30 and tea sometimes as early as 4.30, when I really didn't want to eat. Eating or not eating with her didn't seem to make a blind bit of difference, I know it's one of those things people say you should do.

Batch cooking meant I had a freezer full of a variety of meals that I could wang in the microwave just like that. Easy peasy.

I have to admit that I didn't read past the first page, but my experience of these threads is that the trad weaners can get shouted down by the BLWers. And because I hate hate hate the Gill Rapley book with a passion! Apologies if that's not the way this thread went Blush[again].

PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 23/09/2014 17:00

Writer- feel free to try some baby rice. Must admit I don't really understand it now that we wean later. It looks and smells so nastyGrin

You don't have to follow a schedule for introducing foods. Just give what you want when you fancy.

Tam - fair enough. Ours tended to eat with us. I must admit I don't understand Annabel Karmel though. Always seemed to be hours of faff with a butternut squash for tiny cubes of food. Before I decided to blw I looked at it and found it really daunting. My mum said 'just mush up your tea with a fork' which sounded easierGrin

PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 23/09/2014 17:01

Oh, and we don't have a microwaveSmile

CultureSucksDownWords · 23/09/2014 17:05

There isn't really a "BLW technique" - it's just that you give them normal family food (no added salt or honey), and let them at it! You don't need to worry about how many flavours to introduce after how many days... just give a wide variety of family foods. Maybe with an eye to what is a little easier to pick up with hands.

The first things my DS had were steamed or roast vegetables, mainly as I was a little nervous of how it would go. Very quickly I got over my initial worries and he would just have a small portion of whatever I had made for everyone. Lunches tended to be a more picnic/sandwich type meal, and I tried to offer a wide variety of breakfasts. I cooked with herbs and spices to give the food lots of flavour.

I've got some fantastically funny pictures of him wrestling with noodles, spaghetti, rice, cauli cheese - all sorts of things, from 6 months plus.

AnythingNotEverything · 23/09/2014 17:22

I agree. No real technique. Just normal, real food, preferably what you eat as a family but not necessarily at the same time (for the record, we eat all our meals together and it works for us, even dinner at 6.30pm).

If like Tam, you want a salty jam sandwich for lunch, baby can have cream cheese on toast or rice cakes, or some cheese and a variety of fruit.

If you're continuing to ebf you don't need to worry too much about variety. Nutrition is from milk for a long while yet. So e advise you introduce potential allergens one at a time though, so dairy, egg, kiwi, strawberry etc.

MultipleMama · 23/09/2014 17:39

I never read any weaning books at all, I just gave them what I ate but did google what I should avoid until suitable ages.

Two of mine didn't care for BLW so had mainly pureed food for quite a while and they now eat perfectly fine.

No one is saying she shouldn't puree but that most us find it easier to do BLW because it's much hassle.

My younger one doesn't always eat at the same time as us so I just warm up frozen meals I prepared which isn't any hassle either.

Both weaning methods work fine. But ultimately it's down to what your child ready/interested in. There isn't really a time line, either. My 11mo isn't on any foods yet.

Go with what you're comfortable and prepared to do :)

AnythingNotEverything · 23/09/2014 18:56

Arf at salty jam sandwich Grin

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 25/09/2014 16:43

I tried to give him a few spoonfuls of baby rice this evening mixed with my breast milk but he just kept grimacing, turning his head to the side and dribbling it all out Sad

My friend had got a baby who is a week older than mine and it's eating so many different types of food (BLW) whereas mine doesn't do anything except suck on a parsnip. Everyone is always telling me how well their babies took to food and they were eating baby porridge by the bowlful right from the off and so I'm starting to feel like a bit of a weaning failure Sad

OP posts:
PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 25/09/2014 16:56

I mean this kindly, but why on earth does it matter whether another six month old is eating more?

I don't blame him on baby rice. Grin But more seriously, he may not have been hungry (regulating one's eating to appetite is a good skill) or may hate being spoon fed. Don't stress it. Smile

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 25/09/2014 17:05

She just keeps going on about with a tone of "look what my baby can do but yours can't" in her voice. She knew I was a bit apprehensive about weaning and it's like she's purposefully trying to knock my confidence Hmm

I'm really glad he likes parsnip though as I love it but DH hates it so we never eat it - at least I have someone else to cook it for now Smile

OP posts:
EmbarrassedPossessed · 25/09/2014 17:09

I agree with Penguin. What another baby is or isn't doing is irrelevant. It's definitely not a competition, and they will all get there in their own way. For all anyone knows, your friend's baby may suddenly become super fussy and stop eating so well. You just can't say how it will go.

I honestly think you should just put a small portion of your food in front of your baby once or twice a day when you're eating, and try really hard not to worry what he's doing with the food. Sucking a parsnip is great - that's exploring the taste and texture of something completely new. We all do similar when given a new food as an adult - we look at it, smell it, perhaps touch it carefully and then maybe try a small piece. Which we might reject if we don't like it so much. Give your DS plenty of time to get used to this eating lark, and he'll get there.

PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 25/09/2014 17:10

That is because there are literally three options for someone determined to be smug about a six month old's achievements: sitting, eating and sleep. Smug people have to pick one. It is the law.Grin

Just smile and nod. She will be smug about walking, talking and (heaven help you) reading levels in due course. ..

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 25/09/2014 17:14

Grin Mine is a crap sleeper too but I won't tell her that Grin

Me and DH are having something quite spicy tonight : spicy sausages and pepper so probably not best for baby.

What about a slightly spicy Mexican potato wedge? lol

OP posts:
PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 25/09/2014 17:17

Mine were crap sleepers snd nothing to write home about in the first few weeks of weaning. However their vocabulary and the big one's reading. ....Wink

PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 25/09/2014 17:18

Spice won't hurt, they just have super sensitive taste buds so tend to reject it. Some mild or unseasoned wedges tend to be a hit with lots of babies though.

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 25/09/2014 17:22

My DH has just come home with a cucumber, an apple and a banana so I'll try DS with one tonight Smile

I am worried about doing it 'right' but at the same time it is quite fun Grin

OP posts:
PenguinsIsSleepDeprived · 25/09/2014 17:26

Do you know that if you sort of press a chunk of banana it splits vertically into three chip shaped pieces. That was a revelation to me I tell you.

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 25/09/2014 17:32

I will get my DH to do that then - I absolutely hate bananas, especially the smell Grin

I bought an Annabel Karmel App for my phone on the recommendation of a friend but she seems very purée focused so I haven't really read her recipes in detail.

I think I'm just overthinking things.
I'm just paranoid about choking and allergies Grin

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