My 7 year old has ARFID so never weaned properly. Please help me on how to wean my DD.

[RaspberryPudding]

As the title suggests, I have a 7 year old DS and a 5 month old DD.

My DS is Autistic and has ARFID so as a baby we had a really hard time introducing solids. He didn't start to eating solids until 1 year old and even then he would only eat 5 types of cow and gate pre made baby jars. He then only ate those until they were discontinued when he was 3 and we finally managed to get him onto some ready meal spaghetti bolognese and lasagne. That's about all he will eat.

With my DD being 5 months and approaching the time to start weaning I have realised that I have absolutely no idea how to do it as my previous experience was not typical!

DD has CMPA so is on a prescribed dairy free formula so I know that weaning has to be totally dairy free until 9 months then small amount of dairy introduced slowly.

But... where do I start?

Buying some baby rice to mix with her formula and giving her a taste of that?

Mashing up soft foods like bananas?

If anyone could give me some tips on where to start and how best to approach weaning that would be really appreciated!

I'm really scared to get it wrong as I don't want to cause DD to have ARFID as well.

Thanks in advance!

Hey! I would definitely try more of a BLW approach. Just to ensure the textures are different and baby can explore more. When weaning it's more about exploring texture and taste rather than actually eating.
There an app "solid starts" it's great for advice on how to start and how to serve many foods.
I would always stick to veggies first - no fruits as with the sweetness some kids get preference for it.
Also Instagram has a good few profiles on wearing too. Good luck!

Thank you! I'll check out that app.

You definitely can't cause ARFID, please don't worry about that. It's way beyond normal fussiness as you know

I'd wait until she is showing the signs of readiness and then introduce the first tastes of solid foods recommended on this guide.

The guide is pretty good and should take you through from 6 to 12 months.

There's another guide from one to 4 years too

I would only do saviory solids at first.

Toast is a great place to start at 6 months. Avocado is easy. Flaky fish is easy to eat. Pasta in sauce works from 6m too - they tend to hold and suck the pasta, but are getting the sauce. Egg dishes are good too - scrambled and omlette a good place to start.

Babies don't suddenly develop a need to only eat one product or one brand of food.
@SparklyOliveBeaker is right.

It's often said that you need to try a food 15 to 20 times for it to be accepted, which is where many parents give up and just assume that their children are fussy eaters.

If, for example, your baby likes mashed potato. Maybe start adding carrot or swede or parsnip or celeriac to the mash. Then stop mashing and start forking.

Slow steps.

Some good advice here on the general weaning side but regarding the allergy we were advised to introduce dairy using the dairy ladder one the child is 1.

Do you have a dietician for the allergy?

With my eldest I blended and froze lots of fruit and veg, and had a table of what would be added when. Veg first, then grains, fruit and meat last from memory. We added finger foods at about 9 months.

With my second we were more laid back, and she had 95% finger food from the start, with the odd yogurt or pouch if we were out. I could claim it was baby lead weaning, but honestly it was laziness combined with been overwhelmed juggling baby and toddler. She mostly ate toast and fruit through the day, then a bit of whatever DS was having for tea. No harm was done and she's become the better eater of the two.

Forgot to say if you want any ideas for DF foods, just shout as I'm DF too.

There's also a long running thread in the Eating Disorder Section I think and the SN Children Section can help with ARFID too

There's a brilliant booked called How To Wean Your Baby which has lots of recipe ideas, advice and a 30 day getting started weaning plan

I just gave mashed over cooked salt free meals.

My ds5 sounds similar to yours, didn't eat until nearer 2 due to poorly treated cmpa. He's NT, not quite ARFID apparently, and still has overnight milk...

We were nervous (well me mainly) about weaning dd, who is beautifully healthy with no allergies, reflux, milk/food aversion. She actually weaned herself at 5 months when after a couple of weeks of attempts, she made a successful lunge at a pastry I was taking a bite of... She's 2 now and eats like a champ, large variety, although she does have a sweet tooth (berries mainly) but loves a big bowl of brocoli when she's feeling ill. The heart wants what it wants. I'm thrilled for her. At first, some days she would only eat peas for a couple of weeks at a time etc, I just went with it if it was healthy.

After ds, I've been very mindful about pressure and self leading. We did offer yogurts, porridge, purees, but were extremely cautious and aware of her interest, and mainly did finger foods. I'd rather she be hungry than feel pressured from mis-read queues. Sometimes she's off her food (teeth usually) and I just offer fruit and ice lollies (long term constipation from witholding so im wary around hydration) and make my peace with her not eating (she's still breastfeeding).

Easier said than done, but try to relax, no pressure, and what will be will be. Good luck!

Some really good advice here. Thank you everyone. I will have a proper read and look into it tomorrow morning.
The dietician who diagnosed DD with CMPA mentioned that if I introduce dairy too quickly it can cause ARFID.

I know in my DS's case it's due to him being Autistic and the sensory issues around food. DS also had CMPA and horrific reflux as a baby which probably didn't help!

Second the Solid Starts app. I also did baby led weaning - using real whole foods. Keep offering and I wouldn’t start with baby rice or sweet mashed stuff.

My youngest was also on prescription dairy free formula under dietetics.

Remember up until 1 food is for fun

Start off with fruit and vegetables.