help weaning, storing, cups!

[murf]

hi i have this week started weaning my 23 week old with baby rice. she is talking a couple of mouthfuls dubiously and then i follow with breast milk. am exclusively breastfeeding at the mo. should i be giving cooled boiled water too?? i did try as she went two days without pooing after her first try of the rice. unfortuantely she wouldn't take the bottle (she did have the bottle when she was younger but it has been a good three months and she hasnt had any bottles and we just changed the teat to avent 2 hole). so any ideas on alternative teats or should I be trying cups now? would be nice to be able to go out in the evenning leaving eexpressed milk but now I am concerned she will start crying refusing the bottle! clearly i have no idea about all this - do I try a doidy or a sippy?? does anyone have any recomendations.

also going to start trying apple purees and carrot purees next week - can anyone tell me how long i can keep these in the fridge. any recommendations on storage containers for freezing (are there any issues with bpa?)

thanks soo much

Don't worry about water if she is bf on demand - you can offer a beaker of tap water but it'll be a while before she gets the hang of it. The Tommy Tippee freeflow cups thus are good.

Fruit or veg are less likely to constipate her than rice. Once she's 6m (which is soon) you can stop worrying about 'weaning timetables' and when to introduce what and just give her anything softish and non-processed, including finger food.

No issues re BPAs and freezer storage but if you're worried make sure you heat the food in a BPA-free thing. Most purees keep for a few days in the fridge.

EBM and bottle refusal is another thing altogether - dd would never take a bottle form me but was fine with EBM at nursery when she saw all the other babies chugging theirs.

thanks mrsbadger . whats ebm?

oh sorry, that's MN shorthand for 'expressed breastmilk'