10 month old and weaning - please help!

[Frankie2607]

Hi all. We have a 10 month old baby boy and weaning is not going well.

we give him Weetabix for breakfast, which he likes but the rest of the day just goes to pot. I’ve tried doing a mixture of mashed/pureed and finger foods. The mashed stuff he might eat depending on what it is, and the solid stuff might go to his mouth but he doesn’t do much else with it.

He’ll happily eat pasta and sauce or a whole banana and yogurt. He picks stuff up but doesn’t do much else.

We time it so he “eats” first and then bottle. And make sure we feed him when he isn’t too tired etc

Where am I going wrong? I feel so disheartened with it all. I don’t know if my earlier fear of him choking has pushed him back? Any tips would be GREATLY received x

Do you all eat together at a table as a family? That’s probably my biggest weaning tip to be honest, to just feed your baby whatever you are all eating prepared safely for them and sit together at the table to eat so they can learn by watching

We do eat all together, but it’s been a bit hit/miss cus of house renovations. We’re hoping to get this back on track after this weekend though. Thank you for your reply x

How much milk is he having @Frankie2607?

Between 10 and 12 months they only need 13.5 Floz/400 ml a day of you’re FFing. If they’re having much more than that then it will usually affect them eating solids.

Have a read of this guide from the Caroline Walker Trust as it gives sample menus, suggested portion sizes and how to cover the main nutrients.

You’ll probably need from page 77

Thank you so much for this! His milk intake has gone up slightly again as he’s teething. I’m kind of hoping that it’s maybe the teething that has put him back with his eating 😬😬 x

mine Has only eaten properly since about 13 months, don’t worry. Just keep offering and eat together. If he likes pasta; go with that and put different things with pasta, my toddler has pasta every day! Don’t worry about offering stuff he won’t eat, it’s a waste.

Thank you @Peonies12 He does love pasta, but think I was getting too in my head about giving it to him every day. I’m finding the whole weaning thing so overwhelming, although I’m trying not to let it be. It’s just the pressure of not wanting to screw out all up 😅😭 x

Nah honestly don't worry. I was advised by HV to run with whatever they like and use that as a base for adding other foods. We do many different things with the pasta, for example, turkey bolognaise, red lentil bolognaise, spinach pesto, tuna, salmon, mac and cheese. I always offer wholewheat pasta or the pasta made from lentils or chickpeas, for the protein / iron. The priority is setting up good eating habits for life - I really recommend Sarah Ockwell Smith's book about raising a calm eater. is your little one going to childcare? Nursery has really helped mine eat more variety, as they don't often have pasta there - so she eats curry, noodles, casseroles etc there.

It sounds like you're getting stressed about it, which he'll pick up on and you'll end up in a negative spiral. If I were you I'd stop preparing him anything specially, but just sit with him when you eat and offer him bits from your plate. If he eats it, fine, if he doesn't, fine.

Thank you. That’s the approach we’re taking, just use pasta as a base and run with it haha. He will be going to nursery soon, so I’m sure that’ll help. However since his bottom teeth cut, he’s been really good. Trying stuff and eating a lot more! Think it was just a blip x

You’re right, I definitely was getting stressed. I’ve just taken a step back and like you suggest, have made it simple. Just hard not to compare to what you see on social media (which I know is all made up crap, but still plays on the mind!). However, the last few days he’s really done a u-turn! He’s happily trying stuff, so we’ll just ride the wave 😅