Weaning my 4 and a half month old.

[Danidandan]

Hi everyone. I'm much of a lurker / reader than a poster on MN, this is my second post in 2-3 years so I'm a bit rusty with all the terminology.

Basically I've started weaning my 4.5 month DD. I know it might be going against the grain a bit, but I feel it's the right thing to do. She is a super healthy baby. The main reason I've chosen to wean her (with some help and advice from her paediatrician) is because she's on a certain medication that can make her blood sugar drop during the night. She's formula fed and sleeps through. I have been dreamfeeding her at 3am but she no longer wants her milk during the night and sleeps from 8.30-7am. (I'm a lucky girl I know..)

Long story short, what foods are the best to try her with first? She has been on baby porridge for the last week once a day in the evening before bed. She loves it!

She's my first baby so this is all new to me. But does anybody have any ideas on what I can start giving her, any foods that won't be too harsh on her little tummy? She doesn't have any allergies (yet,) and no tummy issues or reflux or anything.

Just wondering if there are any foods I should be avoiding or trying for her at this age.

Thank you for reading!

Dani

Start with root veg purées and some puréed fruit such as pear, avocado, banana and stewed apple. As she’s so little, I’d avoid ‘windy’ veg like broccoli and cabbage while her digestive system gets used to something more than milk. Avoid citrus fruits and berries until a bit further down the line. After a couple of weeks, you could probably add some cooked chicken, white fish or salmon to her purées. I’d hold off on dairy and eggs until 6 months.

Ask your health visitor.. Weaning under guidance age should be done under professional support...

Easily digestible fruit and veg
Avocado and banana have been big hits with my DD (just started weaning as she recently turned 6 months)
She also likes chewing on cucumber sticks
Try to give a range of flavours, and not all sweet things

@Easterbunnygettingready as above I was advised to do so by her paediatrician. I'm just looking for some food ideas to give her

@Fivemoreminutes1
@NameChange30

Thank you for the advice! I've bought a couple of the heinz pouches (banana and apple) and was going to maybe mix a bit into her porridge. I'll avoid the eggs and acid / citrus fruits and maybe try some sweet potato and carrot or something and whiz it up in the blender for her. Thank you for the suggestions :)

As you have been advised to start early, has the paediatrician not given you a weaning plan? If not, you need to go back to them for advice as the methods/foods are likely to vary depending on the reason you need to start now.

Don't waste money on baby porridge. Ready Brek (or a supermarket own brand) is just as good. Make it with breastmilk / formula.
You could add a little puréed fruit or mashed banana.

The thing with veg / fruit purées is that they contain far less calories than milk so can actually fill babies up in the short term but make them hungrier again more quickly as they're more quickly digested. I'd ask a healthcare professional for advice if they've given the go-ahead to wean early.

I'm surprised if you're acting under the advice of a paediatrician they haven't given you a list of suitable foods, especially given it's your first baby. Did they just say "yep, wean your baby early" and wave you on your way without any guidance at all?

Do they still make baby rice? That's what my kids started on albeit 18 years ago! ? At the time all babies started weaning at 4 months / when waking in the night having previously slept through. Added vegetables next , not too much fruit especially if they start getting teeth!

I haven't managed to see her paediatrician I'm face to face at all it's all been over zoom and it's all quite rushed. Not blaming anybody i know times are tough due to covid.
We were discussing her doses of her meds. She asked me some questions I'd DD is rolling / good neck strength / teething which she is all doing. She then suggested 'starting on a small portion of solids in the evening and avoid anything acidic or rich for their tummies' so no meal plan. I guess she just thought I know what that would mean, which a lot of it is common sense. I was just looking for some suggestions on here to see what foods others think if they've started to wean their babies early.

I will speak to the HV tomorrow (although it's hard to get a reply ever) and ask for a meal plan if that's the best thing to do. She's had some baby porridge so far and I'm really cautious but her medication has a risk of dropping her blood sugars in the night, and now that she refuses a bottle in the night it was suggested to me to do a solid in the evening.

Thank you everyone for your replies :)

@thenonsensepotter Yes, I don’t find this hard to believe because outside of mum boards everybody seems to be capable of just using their common sense when feeding babies.

@Easterbunnygettingready I think you need to brush up on the most recent research because it’s all pointing to the benefits of earlier weaning.

I weaned #1 at 17 weeks under paeds guidance.

We were advised to give plain porridge (I just blitzed standard oats to a fine powder) mixed with formula/breast milk until 20 weeks as it was just for calories then add a little of a pureed veg (one at a time incase of intolerance) to the porridge for nutrients before increasing veg ratio for flavour by the time they hit 24 weeks.

Then we could start giving whatever we were having blitzed up - we needed to know he was taking calories in so most was spoon fed with a few finger foods chucked in on the side.

If you’ve been advised to wean early you should have also been referred to the dietitians (only doing telephone appointments at the moment) who will advise what foods to give especially as you are needing to give foods which will help blood sugar levels.
Phone back and request a referral.

I'd also be concerned they haven't supported you with a plan. I say this as I weaned.my first on apple puree and Carrott puree but I don't think they will help with stabilising blood sugar as they are incredibly sweet. Plain baby rice is bland, no gluten, no sugar...but I don't know if its the right sort of carb....

Thank you everybody for your replies.
Trying to get an appointment is like getting blood out of a stone at the minute but I've managed to get somewhere. I have a meal plan! (Finally) the past month all I've been giving her is baby rice / baby porridge sometimes adding in a small amount of purée. It's not too far off of what the plan has stated me to do, but it would have been ideal if I had got some guidance from the start as I'm a first time mum with not a clue other than a bit of 'mother's instinct' on what to give my baby early!
The reason for early weaning is she's on Propranolol for a Hemangioma on her eye. It's only tiny, but the fact it's on her eye they wanted to treat, but the medication can slow heart rate and blood sugars from what her consultant told me. But the food plan has helped clear things up massively.

Thank you for all of your help.

She's basically on a very bland diet of baby rice / porridge, and puréed veg (sweet potato, carrot, broccoli) nothing too harsh on her tummy until 6 months. Then I can start offering her more.

I would avoid pouches. You want to get her used to real food and flavours. I started with broccoli and then sweet poached. I did single veg purées for a few days and then added grains and meat.
I weaned before 6 months with all of mine.
There is no strong evidence against weaning before 26 but after 17 weeks and some evidence for a benefit to weaning before 17 and 26 weeks.

@3WildOnes Real food? What do you think pouches are made of??

Pouches are heat treated to preserve them. The heat kills much of the nutrients and they taste fairly bland. Whilst they are great for occasional meals it is much better to wean on to home cooked vegetables so that babies get used to the different flavours.

@3WildOnes

Thanks for the advice! I've been doing sweet potato and carrot, and pea and broccoli and freezing it in ice cube trays and I just get one or two out in the morning and she has that for lunch. I've bought some pouches for out and about for convenience. She has porridge in the morning and I just mash a bit of banana in it at the moment. It's going well!

Her bottles have dropped an ounce but I'm guessing that's because she's fuller for longer I'm just going with her cues. But so far so good!

The only thing they haven't advised is fluids. Obviously most of her nutrients come from milk, do I offer her cool boiled water or anything? She's never had it before as she's never needed it! Perhaps I need to ask the HV about that. There are some juices I've seen but I don't really think she needs it?

Sounds like you are doing really well! I would offer an ounce or two of cool boiled water at meals times in a beaker but not too much.
Some babies can get a little constipated when first weaning, if she does then you can get little pouches of prune purées which really help loosen things up!

What you are doing sounds great. Obviously fruit and veg is great for vitamins and minerals but it will be a little of a grain food in the evening (like the porridge) that will help to stabilise those blood sugars as its broken down slowly by the body