Nervous about weaning

[ManchesterMummy]

Okay. We're going to start on solids next week when DD will turn 6mo. She's ready - feeds in massive quantities (ff and bf), sits very well in high chair and has started demanding a late feed at night, something she hasn't done for months. She drinks water from a TT first cup that she feeds herself. The thing is, I'm really nervous - the hvs keep on intimating if I get this wrong DD's going to be damaged. We've also got people having at go at us for not having started sooner, including DH's boss, who started his DS (a week older than DD) on solids at 10 weeks.

I'm a first-timer, so probably prone to wobbles like this, but so far, I've been really quite confident at how I've attacked this baby thing - I've surprised myself. But now I'm terrified!!!!

As we'll have got to 6 months, must I give her baby rice? Was thinking of root veg - bad? DH's family like to shove all sorts into his cousin's 1yo without bothering to check - how do I avoid this? MIL can't wait for DD to enjoy her Sunday roast, all of which comes in a pack from M&S - how do I say no?

TIA

you won't het it "wrong" and she won't be damaged. Your HV shouldn't say things like that - it's just a normal development stage

Have you thought about BLW? I find it very laid back and relaxed and MIL can give her the sunday roast no problem.

go and have a look at the baby led weaning page BLW

Good luck and have fun

oh - and don't give her baby rice - it looks and probably tastes like wallpaper paste

there's no real point doing purees if you're starting at 6m (and certainly no point doing baby rice, which is vile) - she can pick up food and hold it herself, which is a lot more fun for her and less work for you.

DD started on steamed carrot sticks and worked quickly through potato wedges, pitta bread, roast chicken, cheese, steak, naan, quiche, bread, cabbage, cauliflower - you name it.

There's no reason she can't have roast dinner, but steer clear of stuffing and sausages, whcih might be a bit salty.

MIL's roasts are ready made. And are salted again by her when they come out of the oven. Do I have the right to say please don't give her any mash/carrots/broccoli/cabbage? She salts everything. If we ask her not to, she'll do it anyway.

MM you will have to assert your authority with your mil and this is a good place to start. It'll start off with the roast and then it'll be something else... you're her mother, what you say goes. There's nothing wrong with mil spoiling her on occasion but not with salty/fatty food

It's definitely a case of pick your battles but I would say something if the roast is going to be twice salted as it probably will be too salty for a 6 month old baby. Tell her if she wants to give baby some she'll have to get her portion out first, OR baby can eat the food you've brought with you in your bag. I'm sure she'd rather baby tried her (it's not even hers!) roast minus the added salt than not at all.

I didn't worry toooo much about the odd slightly salty thing (marmite, toast, the occasional preprepared potato wedge/roastie) as long as you know everything else in your childs day is unsalted it'll be ok. Sometimes it's best to look at their diet for the week rather than per meal. If it's healthy and low in salt overall don't stress too much.

As for the people who are having a go at you about waiting til 6 months to wean, just tell them sweetly that the world health organisation recommends it, and you're just following the latest guidelines, based on the latest research. In other words, tell them to mind their own damn business! You're doing a great job!

you have the right to say anything - it's your dd, not hers

I agree over-salted things not a great idea, so just say no to everything and bring your own things for dd.

BLW has the great advantage that people won't poke spoons of unsuitable slop straight in their mouth - there's generally a big enough window of time between (eg) MIL putting chocolate buttons on the tray and dd getting them into her mouth that you can swoop and remove them.

Follow your own instincts and the impartial advice here.

I was fierce with my inlaws, Fil was always trying to slip my ds bits of chocolate and god knows what!

I didn't give ds solids til he was almost a year, he did really well. I know babies that seemed to be on solids very early, they did well too!

You need to make the decisions and b* your dh's boss!

At christmas I consented to my lo (about 4 months ish) having a chocolate button as mil and sil were virtually begging, I turned my back for a second and they shoved a mini milkyway in his mouth. Lovely sight, my baby struggling to deal with a huge mouthful of chocolate sludge, while they whooped with delight going "he likes it, he likes it!" like they'd won something.

Of course now at 8 months he probably definitely would like it, but he also treats peas and sweetcorn like sweets so we're still holding off!

James, I totally empathise, my inlaws were terrible about giving ds sugar. Newsflash: child likes sugar! It's amazing!
I was maddened by the way mil would add sugar to everything! He doesn't need it!

Thanks everyone. I think I'm probably needlessly stressing as usual but my MIL has such an extreme dependency on salt that I'm really quite concerned. And her food is too salty for me! (we don't salt much at all at home and usually cook from scratch). Fortunately, DH also things his mum's diet is awful.

Then get him on board, make him stand up to his mum and tell her that too much salt is really dangerous for small babies as their kidneys aren't ready to cope with it. Get her to look at the packets of the M&S food and note the amount of sodium on there, and definitely say no to her adding her own liberal sprinkling!

Mil and sil used to worry the crap out of me on a regular basis til I got annoyed and stopped worrying so much about keeping them sweet, and started to say "NO, he's not having any" and "tough" lol They're a lot better now and don't take the piss with him as much. It has to be done, sometimes!

I agree, I think this is one area where the parents are right to be uncompromising. My inlaws generation have not necessarily kept up with much nutritional stuff and they are full of a 'treat' mentality.