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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

Random weaning Qs

34 replies

MeadowHay · 12/12/2018 11:31

Sorry if I sound super naive and anxious Blush...

  • If you're visiting a family member, and you are able, do you take the high chair with you, or just hold baby? (She can't sit up herself yet.)
  • Shall I still offer a beaker of water with every 'meal' even though I've just started and a 'meal' is only a couple of baby spoons at most? Also how do I teach her how to drink out of it (sippy cup)? I can't imagine her being able to do that yet Confused.
  • Are chantaray carrots a choking hazard?
  • I'm meant to offer milk before her solids, right? She usually has a bottle right around when we have our tea anyway (about 6ish), so have been giving that then when she's had enough, offering her solids, is that ok?
  • I am starting with fruit, veg, and carbs I guess - when is the right time to start introducing eggs, dairy, what about meat substitutes as we are vegetarian, are they ok, or not yet? She's 6 months btw.
OP posts:
pastabest · 22/12/2018 22:58

No teeth required!

Most things can be sucked/gummed into a soft purée

Original poster
MeadowHay · 23/12/2018 10:05

Thanks everyone. Really need to order some more cover-all bibs, and the portable high chair thing, and also a friend recommended a Tidy Tot which looks cool so will get one of them too. She is enjoying playing with finger foods and likes eating Ella puree pouches which she eats LOADS of, so I have some more questions as I was going to ask the HV on Friday but then we missed her because I must have been in the kitchen and she didn't ring the doorbell only knocked so I didn't hear it Hmm.

Questions:

  1. With spoon-feeding purees, do I just giver her as much as she wants? Because he doesn't stop...I've been giving her like a third of a pouch in one sitting and she would probably eat even more if I let her, I just feel like that's quite a lot and have been stopping, but if she's happy to continue should I just go with it and keep offering until she's fed up, even if she shows tired cues, or even eats a whole pouch?!
  2. I have tried her with mashed veg a few times now (mashed peas, mashed potato, mashed mixture of sweetcorn, peas, potato, and spinach) as well as a thick puree baby jar (cauliflower cheese) and every time she feels the textures she repeatedly gags for ages and coughs and spits up a bit, and then won't touch it anymore (obviously I leave it then I don't keep trying to get her to eat it). Shall I leave it a week or so and try again, or keep offering it regularly?
  3. If she's asleep at a meal time, shall I wake her for it, or skip the meal entirely, or give her solids when she's woke up later even though that would mean not sitting with me/DH to eat? She dooesn't nap much in the day so is perpetually over-tired and grumpy and her sleeps are all over the place not in any kind of routine.
OP posts:
Whalehello2 · 23/12/2018 13:30

Me again!

  1. Depends on what you can afford. I budgeted one sweet pouch and one savory pouch a day, split between lunch and dinner (so half at each) and supplemented it with blw, but tried to put the focus on blw and just use the pouches to top up and easily introduce new flavours and the idea of eating. But it's just for fun at this stage so if she's loving the pouch then let her go for it if you're cool with that. I usually stopped if DS was tired etc as then it stops being fun.
  1. I found that DS liked the normal versions of things better than the baby food versions of things. So like next time you make some cauliflower cheese do a low salt version and mash it a bit and try that, she might like it better than the jar version. Sweet potato mash with some cooked unmashed peas and sweetcorn mixed in went down well here. I was surprised at how good just gums are at chewing.
  1. I priorised naps and milk over food. Food was a fun activity to take place when there was time. I would never wake him for food because sleep was a necessity and food not.

Xx

Senac32 · 23/12/2018 15:06

My youngest was very lively and kept trying to climb out of her high chair, (I once found her dangling by the reins from her pram). so no point trying to get her to eat there. She walked/ran at 9 months so I used to put a dish of finger food on her level and she would grab some as she ran past.
She liked bread, cheese , ham, fruit, veggies. Plus water or milk.
I can't remember what I did with the older ones, they're all in their 50s now.

Senac32 · 23/12/2018 15:10

ps we were living in a hot country at the time, and had tiled floors, so no worries about spoiling the carpets. That helped with toilet training too, she was the quickest to learn.

Original poster
MeadowHay · 24/12/2018 09:33

I don't know why but I didn't think she'd be able to eat whole sweetcorn and peas Blush, so that's ok then? I will try her with them instead of mashing them. But she's really struggling with textures of anything that isn't thin puree, just gags and retches loads. I gave her yoghurt last night and she clearly liked it as she ate as much as I offered her, but when I say 'ate', I mean pretty much all of it was just coming straight out of her mouth...I don't think she's lost her tongue thrust reflex yet as she just pushed it all out of her mouth each time, but then was desperately opening her mout hand searching for the food for another spoon so she obviously liked it. We've been feeding for around 2 weeks now and she still hasn't got the hang of thick purees or how not to push food out of her mouth, is that normal? Just I keep reading people saying they get the hang of it after a few days etc and she hasn't yet.

OP posts:
Whalehello2 · 24/12/2018 10:53

Try giving some water every 3rd mouthful, see if that helps the swallowing. At this stage she gets complete nutrition from her milk so no worries if it doesn't go in. Things change very fast in a month or so. You're doing great at just offering up different things. Smile lots and give encouragement.

Things like peas, sweetcorn, rice crispies, bit of breadstick, are good to put on the tray for her to play with. Some might go in, no worries if they don't.

Just keep experimenting and don't worry too much about any type of result quite yet, keep the high chair sessions short and interesting for her. She might have fun playing with utensils too.

Also try to let her watch you eat something at the same time, then she will learn by watching what you do. Even better if what you eating is the same as what she is eating, so with yoghurt do like one spoon for you, one spoon for her.

Feel free to PM me xx, happy Christmas x

Original poster
MeadowHay · 24/12/2018 16:49

Yes, we almost always eat together, yesterday we were at a family Xmas gathering all afternoon so I was snacking all afternoon so didn't have a proper dinner, so I just had an apple and yoghurt, and gave her the same so we were eating together as you described. She really loves breadsticks and seems to be getting the hang of gumming them up more now that she's had a few goes at it, will need to buy her some more!

OP posts:
Whalehello2 · 24/12/2018 16:59

Perfect! You're smashing it. Definitely give her a little bit of Christmas dinner and the nibbles. I remember DS really enjoying a roast the first time he had it. Also now when out and about, DS just shares exactly what I have, we love splitting a boots meal deal or a jacket potato in a cafe. Just keep the food is fun thing going on and it will become so easy.

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