Don't know where to start with weaning!!

[alfiesmadmother]

My baby is 24 weeks old and yesterday she grabbed a malted milk from my hand and stated eating it. She has also tried to eat the kids cheese!! I tried her with a baby biscuit and she wasn't interested but shows interest in what we eat.

I think she is ready for weaning, she has been waking a lot in the night and can sit up and feed herself. But I just don't know what I can and can't give her. I seem to remember eggs, honey, wait til 26 weeks for wheat??? Can she have a small taste of their pizza or baked beans ? Is cheese ok or too salty? What about meat and chicken??

It might be better to advise me what she can't have. I know she isn't 6 months for another couple of weeks but my instinct tells me she wants food and it's only tastes at this stage. What age are they on 3 meals??

Can you tell I'm lost?!

I started weaning my DS at 17 weeks, and he is now 28 weeks and on 3 meals a day. 3 HUGE meals a day.

No egg til 9 months. No honey til can't remember when. From 6 months introduce meats and can use cows milk in cooking. Some say steer clear of strawberries til a bit later and other allergy risk foods like kiwi - I haven't omitted them but that's just my way.

I started with veg and fruit purees and baby porridge. And then mixed baby rice in with the purees once he'd learnt how to swallow.

That was just a brain dump - sorry!

As for kids pizza and baked beans - I'm a newbie to this weaning malarkey too, but my instinct would be to avoid due to too much salt and processed ingredients, but other Mnetters feel free to correct me.

Just offer food 3 times a day and see what happens. Definitely don't expect "huge meals" at 28 wks. Anything goes from 6 months apart from whole nuts and honey. Just be careful on sugar and salt levels - best way to do this is to cook from scratch as much as possible, e.g. I made pizza and bread from scratch when DS1 was young just so we could eat them together and I could give other things with salt in so he could have a variety of flavours e.g. pesto and Baked beans.

Oh and enjoy, chill out and go with the flow - this is the most important bit!

I was only giving my experience! All babies are different, and my DS is a hulk...

Yes I would let her eat what the rest of the family is having - but be careful with salt levels. Nothing wrong with pizza and baked beans in moderation, but perhaps switch to buying low salt and sugar baked beans and make your own pizza - or even cheese on toast with added "stuff" as "baby friendly" pizza. Put her food on the edge of your plate and when she starts reaching for it put a small amount on her highchair tray and let her feed herself with her fingers.

It's probably best to avoid things like wheat, dairy, eggs, meat, etc until 26 weeks, so just stick to fruit and veg where possible. At 6 months they can have anything but just be careful about salt levels - and no honey until 1 year.

Frozen veg is really good (you can get the packs of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) because you just have to heat it up in a pan of water on the hob and then you can rinse it under the cold tap to cool it down more quickly too. Just be careful if they are "baby carrots" rather than chunks of carrot because round shaped foods can be a choking hazard.

Bertibotts, agree with everything you say, but eggs are one thing to avoid til 9 months. No idea why, but all the books and HV and specialists I've spoken to say no eggs at 6 mo.
If anyone does know why, I'd be interested!

Ah, OK, I never heard that Perhaps it has changed recently? I was told they should be well cooked (e.g. scrambled, omelette, hardboiled egg) but not runny (e.g. fried or soft boiled) until they are older, maybe that is the 9 month thing? DS never liked egg anyway so I probably didn't pay much attention to it.

I don't know - I thought scrambled eggs would be perfect baby food, but apparently not. I don't know whether it also applies to eggs being used as an ingredient ie. in cake - I guess it must do...

Sorry OP, have hijacked your thread!

Department of Health weaning guidelines.

As you are finding around 26 weeks when they are able to sit up, pick up food, put it in their mouth, chew and swallow, generally they're ready.

Apart from honey and no added salt and sugar and no whole nuts, from 6 months there are no reasons not to share your food with them.

DD was about 6 and a half months when she was ready (sitting up, no tongue thrust reflex, able to pick up things in a pincer grasp, chew and swallow) and she just ate with us from the beginning. We cook from scratch anyway and her first dinner was a roast!

Good luck, enjoy it, remember it's just about exploring and trying out flavours for now, milk's the important bit still and don't feel it's a rush for 3 meals a day.

That doesn't say 9 months for eggs...mmmm.

I've been given the "solihull aproach resource" and been told to follow that which says 9 months for eggs on the food chart.....but says 6 months in the text great proof reading there!

No idea. Sure it prob doesn't matter greatly!

Thank you!! I let her suck a piece of cheese and briefly suck the biscuit as she was interested and made a home made fish pie and gave her the potATOES OFF THE TOP SHE LOVED AT AND COULD SWALLOW IT but di gag a little. I think I will have to concentrate on healthy family food.

From 26 weeks would you try her with a sandwich then? I do home made bread for toast but buy bread for sandwiches.

The gagging is normal and good in some ways. Looks a bit frightening but what she is doing is learning how big a piece of food is too big and how to move it from the back to the front of ther mouth again. It's a clever and important skill.

Like I said dd just had what we were having so a sandwich is fine. Bit complex maybe depending on how you make it (she'll just squish it up and drop it etc and there's nowt wrong with that) but you could give toasted soldiers, sticks of cheese (not huge amounts as cheese can be salty), small pieces of soft fruit instead. So the contents of a sandwich but more manageable for her. Or cheese on toast for example.

Eggs are fine btw. DD liked omelette cut into strips. Cheese, onion and veg omelette was her favourite.