General chat thread for puree lovers!

[Neenztwinz]

Before I started weaning my twins, I read about BLW and thought it looked like an amazing idea.

When I tried it I found my darling LOs didn't pick up a single thing never mind get it into the mouths.

So now I puree food and spoonfeed them and they are eating massive amounts and loving it - and sleeping all night!

So I thought I'd start a thread for others who are doing the same as me - we can swap ideas for meals and say what works for us (ie what makes them sleep ).

I gave my twins four plums plus ebm and baby rice for breakfast and they have had a big bowl of sweet potato, haricot beans and brocolli for lunch. More of the same for tea (plus maybe some swede and parsnip). They are 6.5mths old.

What did yours eat today?

what's up BDQ? We have good days and bad and I think the teeth are the problem - obviously not my strange concoctions I make for him

I think maybe Rusmum knows already but just wants to stir up the thread a bit!!

deb - I would agree - we've got teething and a cold and it doesnt go well - even toast gets the old skunk eye...

Sorry but got NO IDEA!!! Honest- DD is 23 weeks and Just prepared lots of pear for her- decided to start wewning but cant for the life of me remember how it went last time- DD1 is 4.5.

Ps you ladies are VERY sceptical!!

btw I was agreeing about the teething and not the stirring - my pc is a bit slow...

Hahaha, rusmum, sneaked over here from nappies, eh?
We're the non-trendy crowd feeding our babies the sad old fashioned way.

Amazed, no comments on my thread from the BLW brigade! Shame, I was ready with my answers.
I've also started a thread on the breastfeeding board and thinking about it, should have asked here instead.
If you don't want to visit bfing (fair enough!) then I'll explain here. Feel free to answer here.

I've just commented on another thread about BLW. Someone claims her BLW baby is eating rice, and also weetabix. Er, isn't weetabix a puree, basically? And if yes, then what's the baby doing, eating with his hands? That's awful - I want my son to get used to using cutlery, thank you very much! Weetabix is made for spoon feeding!

Thanks guys. Will post properly tomorrow. Just getting unnecessarily stressed, and had a bit of a sleepless night.

Hi Essie. Just looked at your BF post. My DD is only on one feed during the day mid afternoon (apart from morning and evening) and she never takes much. If you can't express for that feed and you are worried, could you get them to give her a yoghurt and some water or something like that to keep him going until he gets home?

DD refused most of her dinner last night. She drank 6oz before bedtime then was up from 11pm-almost 3am and would not go back to sleep. No idea what is up with her but I am shattered.

Poor you, Pudding. (With the [not] sleeping I mean.)
And thanks for that comment - so she's only on 1 milk feed apart from morning and evening? Sounds ok then, because I worry about 'keeping up milk feeds' and stuff. But he happily eats yoghurt and just had a pot for breakfast.

LOL at the expressing, though. I have/had an oversupply problem and I'm keen that DS drinks ebm because I have 3 litres or more in the freezer! Thank god I'm not engorged any more, though. That's not funny at all.

How old is your DD?

Hi everyone, am going to be a bit egocentric and post my weaning woes. Nothing major, I know people have more serious weaning woes and I've got it pretty easy in comparison, but its all starting to stress me out a bit so I though if I wrote it down it might help.

DS is about 6 1/2 months, and started weaning about 24 weeks I think. Took it really easy until he was six months - the odd ice cube of carrot etc and then progressed quite quickly after that. He's not refused anything I've given him (although he looks decidedly fed up when he realises he's getting watercress, potato and courgette again ).

Our routine has been developed, loosely based on GF. So just now DS has:

7am - FF/breakfast (usually porridge with some fruit puree or toast with mashed banana etc)

11.30-12ish - FF with lunch. Lunch usually a between half and full tommee tippee snack pot size of savoury(maybe between 6-8 ice cube worth). Followed by some fruit puree or a little baby yoghurt pot.

2.30pm - FF

5.30pm - Tea. Same as lunch really (but different food IYSWIM) He either gets yoghurt at lunch or tea, and fruit puree or banana at the other.

Bedtime (around 7pm) - FF

I make up 8oz bottles for each FF, but he isn't drinking all of these at all.

I've been really worried about whether he's getting too much or too little to eat. I've seen a few groups of friends with babies around the same age this week (although DS is the youngest in each group) and they've all been surprised that he already has fish, or has a second course. Some aren't giving 'puddings' because they're worried about childhood obesity or developing a sweet tooth. However, all the puree style weaning books I've looked at have a second course at lunch/dinner and I thought that babies needed the extra fat? Its not like I'm giving sugary puddings or anything - just suitable yoghurt without added sugar or fruit purees.

On milk, GF advocates cutting out the lunchtime milk feed once protein established, which would mean DS goes down to 3 milk feeds. He could still get his 18-20oz that he needs from 3 feeds but only if he takes a bit more than he is at the moment. I was originally planning to phase out the lunchtime milk feed (figuring that he'll guzzle his 2.30pm feed as a result) but in my current uncertaintly I don't know!

On the weight front, DS was on the 75th centile when born, dropped to the 50th, and is now around 35. I hardly ever get him weighed because I think people can obsess about it (dont mean anyone on here, I understand when people are monitoring weight for good reasons) but now I'm started to worry that he's dropping down the centiles and wont "fulfill his genetic potential" (AK quote).

The other day DS brought up pretty much his entire milk feed. He'd guzzled loads down before his lunch so I wasn't too concerned, but then he was very vomity the rest of the day. He's never been a particularly sicky baby. This morning he's done it again despite the fact he hadn't had much breakfast/milk. It was quite frightening to watch, particularly as I'm not used to it. He'd had banana both times, but he's had this plenty of other times without incident.

Last but not least, on the nappies front - he's been doing lots of dirty nappies each day which have been quite 'solid' in consistency IYKWIM, which I figured was just a normal development. However, in RL have talked to another few months who've classed this as constipation and are desperately giving more water/pear etc to try and soften stools/make it easier for DC's to poo. That had never occured to me!

Anyway, all these pretty minor things have been really building up in my head, and I've gone from being pretty confident with weaning to totally paranoid that I've got it all wrong. Is everyone around me in RL just being too cautious? It seems that they're going really slow (despite starting at 6 months) or is it me getting it all wrong. To address all the issues above, and make sure dS is getting all that he needs, I'm thinking about tweaking his routine:

7am - Breakfast and FF as usual (using some FF in the cereal/porridge to help him get enough milk)

11am - small FF (maybe 3 or 4 oz)

12-12.30 - savoury lunch with water. (Yes or know to fruit or yoghurt after?)

2.30pm - FF

5.30pm - savoury tea with water followed by fruit or yoghurt

7pm - bedtime

Anyway, sorry for long post. I hope you dont all think I'm being a bit pathetic worrying over nothing. Would appreciate any thoughts (unless they're along the lines of 'bugger off and stop being such a drama queen' )

OMG, that was even longer than I thought. Thanks to anyone who can be bothered to read.

Deb he was fine when he was teething and had a cold (his dad's family are famed for their ability NEVER to miss a meal )

Oh, and I know that some would be delighted if their LO got up to the 35th centile, I'm just worried that he's dropped down in the last 6 weeks. Hope no-one thinks I'm being insensitive.

hi am new to this thread - but is good and reassuring to read. ds is 6 1/2 months also so is new to weaning. At the moment we're still in early days and it's quite hit and miss about what he eats and when (i'm finding trying to be in a routine of meals at set times a big adustment after bf on demand!).

BOADQ or anyone else - how do you make up porridge? - this may rate as one of the stupidist mn questions ever, but got given some tins of heinz porridge (generally prefer to make own food but was in a rush) and he loves it. Am wondering if regular porridge oats are too big or whether you can puree it?

thanks

Welcom happy2bme! I'm using plum baby porridge at the moment. You're supposed to make that up with part water part milk, but I just usually add in some FF and don't bother with water. I've not tried normal porridge oats yet, but I'm sure someone will be along later who will have!

BDQ - our routine is like this (and has been since about your LOs age):

6.30 bf
7.30 plum porridge with ebm and fruit puree/mashed banana
10-10.30 bf
11.30-12 lunch - only one course but toast as well.
2-2.30pm bf
5-6pm dinner 2 courses and some finger food of whatever we are having at 6pm (penne etc) - generally natural yoghurt to follow.
7pm bf

I would drop the lunchtime milk and bring it forward as you say and only have a pudding once a day.

with my first ds having water and milk close together used to make him sick so had to try and avoid that - you might also find that he is getting sick just because everything is going in his mouth maybe? mine was sick a couple of days ago after eating specks of something off the carpet ahem...

I wouldnt worry about the puddings - I think they are fine - and needed for a baby.

happy2beme I use the plum porridge like BDQ and mix it with ebm and some normal milk. Am about to start using Morrisons own brand instant oats though and you can just mix it with milk then bung it in the microwave - not sure about the Heinz pots (am very tightfisted).

Thanks giantkatestacks. When you give two courses at dinner does that include the yoghurt or as well as?

Let me know how you get on with the instant oats. I'm going to start DS on oatibix tomorrow I think.

obviously I meant 'yes or no' instead of 'yes or know' earlier

A question: when would you intro ready brek and/ or noraml porridge and when would you do so with full fat cows milk (not sure ebm would work with ready brek...)???

Tia

BDQ yep the two courses include the yoghurt.

alittlebitshy - hmm am not sure actually - I generally use whatever ebm I have collected in a shell at the early feed and the rest is cows milk, if it doesnt work I will just use full fat cows milk though yes.

You can do it from 6 months alittlebitshy. Cows milk is fine in food, just not as a drink before 1 year. I'm only sticking with FF in DS's cereal atm because he's not drinking all of his breakfast milk. If he was getting enough FF I'd happily put cows milk in his cereal/porridge.

Thanks giantkatestacks. alittlebitshy - a few people have recommended oatibix to me as a good cereal for babies.

bitofadramaqueen ignore all those RL people. Everything you are doing sounds fine. Avoiding 'puddings' IMO means avoiding sugar crap, not a little plum organic fromage frais or some fruit. Babies need full fat products.

We are doing GF too. If you follow her weaning guide, it is really good and tells you when to introduce foods and in what quantities and when to get rid of milk feeds.

Thanks pudding. I've got the guide (although its the old one - pre-change to 6 months). I might have a read through again, but it the meantime will do a small milk feed at 11 until things settle down a bit.

Hi girls again

We tried pears today & it was a huge success (this was DS's first fruit ever!) So now we've moved the baby rice to supper (after a bf around 5) & the fruit / veg to lunch. One question I have (and I'm really sorry if it's covered earlier in the thread, I really need to look through those early threads), how quickly should I progress? I too am following the early weaning guide in the GF book... however, my boy is 24 weeks tomorrow, and is very clearly ready to eat solids (he gobbled up 2 tsps of baby rice at supper today)- so should I take my time, introducing new flavours every 3-4 days, or should I move slightly faster since DS is approaching 26 weeks anyway? I suppose I'm asking, where should I be aiming to be at 26 weeks (which is in 2 weeks time)?

Hi Maria. We kind of started on baby rice at 24 wks, just little tastes each day. Then at 25 weeks, we started following the GF 26 week plan but for the first week, while she was still 25 weeks, she had all her milk first but the 26 wk plan food. Then at 26 weeks, we started doing the tiered milk method (as described under GF's 26 wk plan) but we were on week 2 of the 26 wk plan. Does that make any sense?

pudding, am a bit confused , not your fault I'm sure, just me being daft. I think I'll look into my book more carefully... for now I'm giving milk first & then solids, & from what you say this can be changed at 26 weeks. Anyway. As I said, I'm taking it fairly slow for now, but DS seems extremely keen to have any kind of solid foods I give him (just baby rice & pear so far)- he literally jumps off his dad's arms to grab the spoon & shove it in his mouth!!

Maria - sorry to be non helpful but I think once you get to 26 weeks you can do what you like - a few of us have decided to keep to doing one thing every few days at the start - very helpful if you have a reaction to anything (and are worried about meat/fish/wheat) but other people haven't done this at all...

I think milk and then solids is the way forward for a good few weeks though - especially cos you're worried about milk supply generally.

Slightly controversially I think the GF is designed to wean off bf eventually isnt it (and havent seen the new books so maybe this has changed) - not a problem if you want to do this but bear it in mind if you had self weaning in mind.