portion sizes & water

[PenguinTheGrey]

So, LB is 28 weeks & has been on solids for 4 weeks now. Have been having a range of veg & fruit puree, have just moved to protein (lentils & chicken) & some dairy as well. Have been giving him some firm of finger food every day the past couple of days e.g. toast, banana etc. He's doing really well & will basically easy anything that is put in front of him (so far - fingers crossed it continues!)

But in terms of (eventual) quantities for meals - how much should a meal be? For example, lunch today was a chicken recipe from an annabel karmel book, & he had roughly 2-3 tablespoons. Should that be less/more/is it completely dependent on child?

Also, he's been struggling to poo a little bit over the last couple of days so I thought I'd try to get him to take some water. He refused from sippy cup & then also from bottle. How do I get him to drink something other than milk?!

I would be led by your baby as to quantities. Ideally they should learn to eat to their appetite rather than a set amount decided in advance.

As for water, just keep offering water in a free flow sippy cup and he'll eventually get the hang of it. You could try offering watery foods to help with the constipation as well.

Babies vary so much and wean at different speeds (and not evenly either ... dd nibbled for months then suddenly one day scraped a bowl of porridge clean).
So there is not one correct amount.
My hv said it's better to wean at their speed with a focus on different varied foods than worry about portions (I guess then people start to only give favourite things as they'll be eaten).
Babies dislike hunger so will let you know if they want more! And how!

Oh and YY to moist food.
Melon, cucumber fingers, porridge made with water or milk, soup or stew, soft fruits etc.