Baby rice/normal rice....

[BlairsBabe]

Hi there. I'm going to be starting to wean DS in a 3 or 4 weeks (he's 21 weeks now). I plan to do a mix of BLW/purees to start with while I get my head around it with more and more focus on the BLW side as we go on.

Anyway, I have one question about baby rice. I hate using commercial baby focused products when I know that they're just there to make money from me. A friend weaned her baby (early ish) without using baby rice but didn't substitute with other carbs (so initially things like carrots, mango, apple etc) and found baby was pooing all the time, so ended up giving in to the baby rice.

How can I avoid this? DO I just cook up normal rice and mash with the veg? I have had a look at iron rich food to include in the purees and in the finger foods - e.g. spinach, beans etc.

Any other tips for avoiding baby rice/lots of poo and making sure baby gets enough iron?

Thanks!

Baby rice isn't food, it's a substitute wallpaper paste, designed purely so a baby can experience a different texture in their mouth. It tastes of nothing and has very little (if any) nutritional value. I trained as a paeds nurse for a couple of years, I'm really not joking.

Thhere's iron in your baby's milk aswell so I wouldn't worry too much about this. Don't listen to the formula advert (the one that suggests you look at a web site and look up the amount of Iron your baby is getting), it doesn't take into account the iron a baby recieves from food.

A healthy balance is all your child needs.

I make my own baby rice by boiling short grain (pudding) rice and pureeing. You can freeze it in batches but make sure you reheat it thoroughly.