Weaning ??? Help !!!

[strawberry310]

Hello
My little one is now 5 months old (4 months adjusted as prem) so we will be starting to wean in a months time. I’ve been reading lots but still confused. I like the idea of BLW but if I start with one meal a day (breakfast) then should that be a breakfast food such as porridge or a steamed vegetable stick/avocado etc?
And on the subject of porridge is that proper porridge or ready brek? Would I make it with breast milk or cows? Is baby rice necessary?
When do you move to two meals a day? We have our main meal in the evening when DH gets home but that’s right before bed for her.

I've just started weaning at 26 weeks and I'm doing a mix of spoon feeding and finger foods. For breakfast DD has "proper" porridge made with normal Quaker Oats and full fat milk. I've been mashing some fruit in with it such as banana. So I make enough for me to eat with a bit extra for her. I load up her spoon and she manages to get it in her mouth herself and swallows a fair amount. Breakfast is the one meal we are doing every day. I also offer her sips of water from a beaker.

Later on in the day I've been offering her some finger foods to try. So far she's tried: steamed baby corn, cucumber sticks, pitta bread with humous, sticks of red pepper, banana. She doesn't really eat much of this, it's more just to try stuff.

I don't believe baby rice is necessary. As I waited til 26 weeks we just started with normal adult food. I've got the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook which I've found really helpful.

I don't have a firm plan of when to move to two meals a day. I'm just going with the flow and seeing how she gets on with various bits we are trying.

With BLW you don’t have to be so strict on one meal/two means/three meals because babies will regulate their own consumption. So if you’re eating something that is Baby friendly, there’s no reason why you can’t just share it.

Generally just offer whatever you’re having. So breakfast can be anything, but if you’re having cereal/toast/eggs, that’s fine. So long as your baby is about 6 mo, you don’t stick to fruit & veg. Protein and carbs are good! The only rules are no honey under 1, no whole nuts/grapes/cherry toms, less than 1g of salt per day.

Baby rice definitely isn’t needed!

I’d also recommend the BLW cookbook for some good tips and recipes.

Following as we've just started weaning, I haven't done much reading though. I'm just trying to pick up tips from friends and MN as we go .
So far we've made tea the consistent meal as I like sitting together and it means my Dh can be involved with feeding her. I give small pieces of toast/fruit/veg during the day as I have it too. Like you we're doing mix of spoon and blw feeding.

I love to cook - havent had much time since lo one though as she’s not content to watch me for too long in the kitchen
I’m just very keen to not have a fussy picky eater so I’m probably overthinking the whole thing. Also her grandfather, aunt and two cousins are all dairy intolerant. She already has excema she’s br.fed I tried a month dairy free myself and it made no difference so I’m a bit worried about allergies too I suppose. Her dad had an anaphylactic reaction to egg as a baby but can have them now without any worries.
I think I will do a mix of purée and finger food it’s just what to introduce when and how many new foods per day/week etc.
I expect in a few months I’ll look back on these concerns / my cluelessness and laugh 😂

I had a massive stress before I started weaning! Dd is now 10months and eats like a trooper!
I started with lunch - just purée for the first few weeks. I introduced a new meal each week (so 3 weeks in we were on 3 meals) and then started introducing some finger food alongside the spoon feeding.
Once she was getting the hang of finger food a bit I started being a bit more adventurous with meals. I got the Annabelle Karmel book and started making batches of various things.
She now just eats what we eat (usually nearly as much as me 😂)

Good luck - it's not too scary once you start! And don't worry too much if they gag a bit on finger food, it's part of the process. It's probably a good idea to talk to your hv about the difference between gagging and choking so you are comfortable with it.

Our son was 6 weeks prem and we found purees easier than BLW to start with as we began weaning before he could sit upright and didn't feel comfortable giving him things to chew. You may prefer a different approach but might be worth considering!

It was a bit slow going until one day he decided spoons were annoying and we switched to BLW!

For breakfast I would go with porridge but obviously you'll need to offer the spoon. You can always give some finger food alongside.

I think I was advised initially to cook with formula or breast milk but switched to cow's quite quickly

What @teaandbiscuitsforme said.

Also, how you wean and what food you offer makes sod all difference to whether you get a fussy eater.

My two ate pretty much everything from 6mo until they were about 2.

Now (aged 5 and 7) if it’s not served with chips, beans and ketchup it doesn’t even get looked at.

As a PP said, just give a bit of what you are having as long as it is suitable and the baby is awake. We started with vegetables e.g. cucumber, pepper to suck on and then introduced fruits. They eat so little at first that it doesn't really matter what it is. If you are making porridge etc it's fine to use cows milk or breast milk if you have some to hand (formula fine too obviously if you use it).

Get the BLW cookbook. You can do porridge fingers for breakfast and make pancake things to freeze etc. It’s really helpful first time round!

I do blw, and did it with first. I try not to offer food when hungry or tired, so usually end up avoiding traditional meal times. We’re shift workers, so meal times vary. I usually prepare a mild version of our evening meal, but offer random appropriate foods throughout the day and try to eat at the same time, even if it’s just a snack. Some days he will nap through, or we will be out of the school un or whatever and he will only get one or two meals. Sometimes he gets three. If we have a take away, he has a bit of cheese melted on a wrap and eats with us. Anything they can hold goes although taking it slowly is sometimes better for our nerves. Familiarise yourself with the difference between choking and the gag reflex too.

They honestly take in so little for the first few weeks that it doesn’t matter if you’re giving them one meal or seven, it will all go on the floor, and a little bit of it might get licked before it gets thrown.

We eat our main meal in the evening when DH at work during the week but that’s too late for DD, she’s tired by that time of day. So reading the posts here I could just give her what I’m having for brekkie and lunch but then she wouldn’t be getting her veggies etc. (I often just have sandwiches for lunch or something on toast). So would I save some food and veggies from our meal the night before and give them to her sometime the next day? Would I need to warm them up in the microwave for safety and flavour? (things like carrot/broccoli etc.) - same with meat or any of our meals really? Rewarmed risotto surely wouldn’t be safe or some pasta dishes mightny be very nice warmed etc? Plus I’d be killing more nutrients?

Honestly, 90% of it will end up on the floor or her chair, you can reheat it if you want or you can leave it cold!