6 month old & unsure on how to start weaning

[Lozzylou1]

Hi. This is probably silly but I find weaning quite overwhelming atm.

I don’t know where to start or how to get into a routine with weaning. I am absolutely petrified of my baby choking but I don’t want to delay her by only offering purée.

any advice or tips on where and how to begin?

Look up some baby first aid videos, Google baby led weaning first foods, and crack on with a meal a day.

Maybe start with porridge, yogurt, hummus, mashed potato and other mushy foods. Give her a bowl and a spoon and watch her enjoy herself!

Then you can start adding sticks of well cooked carrot, and crunchy things like breadsticks. Just make sure you know how best to serve them for safety - the BLW resources explain this.

Weaning will be fun, you’ll see. Just get informed first so you know how to do it safely.

I have a 6 month old, and also find the idea of weaning terrifying. I'm just starting by offering him a different fruit or veg puree every day (usually around 5pm)

It's a very slow process, but once he gets use to that I'll start offering him lumpier foods then progress onto baby led.

I've watched baby choking first aid videos on YouTube as this is a big fear of mine. Just be aware is normal for babies to gag and retch when they're learning to eat. It's not the same as choking

I recommend What Mummy makes by Rebecca Wilson. She put me at ease plus her recipes can be eaten by whole family

You wouldn't be delaying her by only offering pureé. After a fee weeks i done a bit of BLW with finger foods but i started off with homemade purée as it made sense to me to introduce flavours first, build up confidence then progress onto some BLW foods. My son is a great eater and better than some babies i know who never had puréed food.

How to wean your baby by charlotte stirling reed.
She gives day by day instructions - for baby led and traditional weaning. Really helped me and my DD this year.

I would suggest breakfast and lunch are the best times, rather than dinner. You offer before milk, so they're at they're hungriest and most likely to get more food in. You also then have the best chance to observe for any allergic reactions - rashes - over the day, rather than if you're only giving food at dinner when baby is more likely to be tired and just want milk, and any reactions you may miss as baby is in bed.

Thank you all. So helpful xxx

How's it going @Lozzylou1?

The main thing is don’t stress (this is my advice to my past self!)

And don’t expect uniform progress. Just because it goes well one day, doesn’t mean it will go well the next. It can feel like 1 step forward and 5 steps back sometimes. It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

Also spluttering/gagging is fine and natural, it means the baby is clearing their throat themselves and is fine. I used to give my DS a firm pat on the back sometimes but I think it was mainly to reassure myself.

Choking is silent, so always watch carefully.

Look up on Instagram or website Solid Starts. Everything you will ever need to know about weaning and first foods and allergens. Run by experts on the topic.

Hey. So we are offering purées and she’s not interested 😂😂😂. So yeah like another person said one step forward and 5 back. I will just keep trying. Hope your well xx

I second the Solid Starts app. We started for the first two weeks with a different vegetable each day and then progressed from there. There’s loads of BLW advice online and you can cross reference with the Solid Starts app if you’re not sure.

Be prepared for it to take a while though. I didn’t really feel like my DD was getting anything much from the food for the first 4-5 months of weaning but then all of a sudden it seemed to click and she’s a great feeder now. The childminder always comments that she loves her grub.

Firstly, you don't need to start yet if you aren't ready.

I would make sure you have a high chair and put baby in their so they are comfortable. Let them sit there and watch you. Absolutely nothing wrong with puree. In fact much easier for a FTM. With mine I did a mixture, but he ate more with puree.

If you do make/buy puree try one that isn't too sweet eg veg and fruit.

It's fun! They still get most their nutrients from milk so food is just for fun

Thank you guys for being so supportive. It’s really helped. Xx

I didn’t want to do blw so bought pouches and jars. Bought high chair , some bibs and a couple of small spoons. I followed the age ranges of the pouches and jars so total purée through to more solid foods. The ranges were great for introducing lots of different flavours and foods. Both DC’s liked the fruit ones better but we always gave savoury first. Worked really well - two non fussy eaters as they were growing up.

In the same boat as you but I've got a mum what's app group where the babies are a bit older and so they drop helpful hints and tips.

Ella's kitchen do a free weaning pack and chart - you just have to put your details in online and you get some coupons for in store.

www.ellaskitchen.co.uk/join-ellas-friends#

'Weaning the BLW way' group on Facebook is just bloody amazing and I've learnt so much from their educational page. I read most posts and I have to say I'm now a bit more excited to start weaning in a couple of weeks :)

Good luck and let us know how you get on!