How to wean

[samidolls]

Just started my lo on some baby rice over the last couple of days. He's had some of his morning bottle mixed with the rice, gobbled that up and then had his bottle.

I've been and bought some pouches to try him on (before I start steaming veg left right and centre!) and just wondered how much to give him (it's says a pouch is a serving for a 1yr old and he is 5months) and also when to give it? I've been giving the rice first then his bottle because stopping his bottle halfway through for rice would be unacceptable to lo, we had to stop mid feed burping as it made him sooooo angry.

He has 4 bottles a day so at around 7/8oz each so when does the amount drop or should we drop a feed at some point?

Just wondering what other people did, or if anybody has a good book recommendation that isn't just recipes or baby led (we've decided that's not for us at the moment).

He will naturally drop feeds himself, there’s no rush yet. According to the NHS you need to introduce the third meal between 8 and 9 months.

Have a read of the NHS info here and MN has some excellent Weaning information here.

At 5 months I’d just offer solids once a day or even every other day. They don’t really need any solids until they are 6 months unless you’ve been advised to wean early by a HCP or they are showing all the signs of readiness, like sitting up and being able to pick up food and place it in their mouth unaided.

As for your question in portions, one ice cube size is about all you need to offer, if you’re offering anything.

I would stop all food until 6 months. Lots of research suggests early weaning can cause long term future health issues.

The nhs website has lots of good advice on weaning.

I would stop all food until 6 months. Lots of research suggests early weaning can cause long term future health issues.

No it doesn't. Not unless you're weaning really, really early.

To answer this bit:

just wondered how much to give him... and also when to give it?

Time giving solids so it is not replacing a milk feed. Solids want to be in addition to milk feeds, not instead of.

For example if you normally give bottles at: 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm. Then good times to try meals would be 9am, 1pm or 5pm - mid way between bottles. Then let baby eat until he starts refusing.

Important thing to note:

Gram for gram, ounce for ounce, the easiest calories for baby to access are calories from milk. So a hungry baby who wants calories will benefit more from having 4oz of milk than 4oz of vegetable puree.

Early weaning foods tend to be low calorie (fruit, vegetables, lean meat - all the stuff you eat on a low calorie diet). It is calories your baby wants. High calories. It is not unusual for early weaning babies to need to increase their milk intake, because the food being eaten is not providing the calories needed.

If your reason for weaning before 6 months is because your baby seems hungrier, it would make more sence reducing the time between milk feeds to 3h and so having 5 bottles per day instead of 4. This will give your baby more calories than any rice or veg will.