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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Weaning

2 replies

HC18 · 12/06/2019 15:45

My LG is 20 weeks and the hv has said that she's ready for weaning but I don't know how to start her off. The hv said about baby rice but I really don't want her first meal to be so bland, I want her to try flavours ect. Is it okay for me to just go straight ahead with some soft fruits or pureed food? Or is it best to use baby rice? Any tips/ideas are very appreciated
Thanks

OP posts:
Ricekrispie22 · 12/06/2019 16:24

You can start weaning with single vegetables and fruits – try blended or mashed parsnip, broccoli, potato, butternut, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear. Just start with one to two teaspoons before a milk feed at lunchtime
Many people prefer purées to baby rice for a couple of reasons. Firstly, baby rice a high carbohydrate, highly processed product. Most brands are made from white rice, which quickly metabolizes into sugar. We know that we need to avoid foods that give us sugar spikes, and the same goes for babies. Secondly, a recent study found that a number of brands of baby rice, and some baby cereals made with baby rice, contained potentially harmful toxins such as arsenic, linked with cancer, and cadmium, a metal that can cause kidney damage. These toxins enter the product through contaminated water used to irrigate rice crops in certain countries. Usually, mums only give baby rice for the first two or three days of weaning, while their babies get used to taking food from a spoon.
For the first month (or two weeks at least), just offer solids once a day and continue feeding as often as before. At about 7mo, add solids as her appetite increases, a few mouthfuls at a time, after her usual feed until she shows signs of fullness; i.e. turning her head, closing her mouth, batting at the spoon, spitting the food out, etc. (trying to feed past this point is overfeeding). Most babies will balance their milk intake with their solid food intake well if you feed in this way.
All you need to do is to continue to offer foods. Don’t worry if she’s not interested or takes very small amounts. Your only true responsibility is what you offer and when you offer it, not whether or not she eats it. That has to be up to her.

Yogurtcoveredricecake · 13/06/2019 23:17

Think your HV needs to read the latest advice. Baby rice is crap.

There's no rush so have a read round before getting started- for example there's NHS information online, Ella's kitchen do a guide to weaning, Annabel Karner does a guide, there's Baby Led weaning (which we did and loved). A first aid course is good as well so you know how to deal with any choking.

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