Weaning adventures
I have been asked to blog about weaning. So let me start and tell you that I am not a doctor, a health visitor or any kind of nutritionist or professional to offer advice on weaning. I am here to tell you what we did and what has worked for us so far.
I do not want to hear from any weaning warriors or from the baby led mafia about how I chose to wean my baby.
My baby is now weaning baby led. I started on the traditional method of first tastes and it didn't work for us so at 6 months I changed to baby led weaning. I will explain the process of this and what worked for me.
I have unfortunately seen many a mummy criticised on social media for saying her baby is baby led and is given purees. This combination is understandable and works for so many. I would have preferred this method but my strong willed child takes the spoon and feeds herself creating a marvellous mess. My weaning method is we started traditional and now use baby led it was a slow swap and was done with professional advice. I think those that do 100% blw can be very passionate about it being 210% from the start blw but that didn't work for me. Due to health history and high anxiety. Now I know what I know of I have another child it will be baby led from the start.
I always thought I would traditionally wean, I spent hours preparing purees from organic fruit and veggies and blended and blitzed ready for the signs she wanted food. Around 5 months I thought she was ready. She was starting to sit up independently, wanting to grab our food, she was coordinating hands and mouth and I decided to try the annabel karmel method of first tastes. I spoke to the health visitor and she was supportive. Squeak had previously suffered from silent reflux and eczema so I wanted to take it slow. Once a day we tried a new food or flavour we started on baby rice to see if she would swallow. She was very interested and moved it around her mouth and swallowed. We only gave veggies and fruit. We then when she was approaching 6 months started introducing baby porrridge for breakfast and a purée for lunch. The purée was about a table spoon at a time. She ate but never seemed starving just interested. Several flavours wernt successful but we gave them again and again to keep trying her. She's been a banana addict since the start.
I have high anxiety and spoke to my HV about fingerfoods as I was petrified about her going into meals and feeding herself she was so supportive and actually came to my house, showed me what to do on a choking baby, cpr and even stayed while I gave her her first piece of steamed veg. Well what can I say, on that first day she ate broccoli, carrot and cauliflower and loved it, she was more than ready and I knew then that purees were not for her.
For the next two weeks I started introducing wheat and dairy and everytime she put anything in her mouth I was on the edge of my seat ready to pounce. I was petrified. I still tried the odd purée but she just wasn't bothered. We continued with the steamed veg and fruit and started adding chicken and fish too.
So then I started researching baby led weaning, I read an interesting article from gill rapley about switching your child to baby led and decided that that was what I would do. She gives great advice all about blw and her books are great. i found a group called the baby led cookbook by Natalie Peall and that just changed my whole journey. The recipes are fab and from day one of purchasing that app Squeak has liked nearly everything I have made.
Now at 7 months she has three meals a day and snacks ( usually when I am eating as it's the only way I can stop her stealing) she eats most of the things we eat and eating out and at home is so easy as every meal can be enjoyed together.
An example of our day is
Breakfast toast soldiers with soft cheese, scrambled egg and mango slices ( I leave some skin on to make holding easier)
Lunch sweet potato wedges with tomatoes cheese sticks, cucumber sticks and a yoghurt.
Dinner cottage pie eaten with her hands with a dessert.
I try to make sure every meal has carbs, protein, fat, veg and fruit.
I do feed Ella's kitchen desserts as they are low sugar and have no nasties in. At home she feeds herself from a loaded soon.
Full fat yoghurt made into bark and the first vanilla petit filous are her favourite yoghurts
I use low salt stock cubes and do not add salt to her food ( I have actually stopped it in mine too which really makes you notice salty food now)
I use full fat milk or formula on her cereal she loves weetabix and I feed her this myself and is the only thing she lets me feed her, it's usually between mouthfuls of banana that she feed herself.
If I go out my mother in law feeds a pouch of food as she's isn't confident with baby led and we have had no confusion.
My biggest advice do your own research and see what works for you. I still struggle in public on my own as baby led weaning is messy. very messy! I'm trying to make things that I can pick up easily as a lot of it gets thrown on the floor, walls and mummy.
I'm regards to choking be prepared, there is a fab picture on gagging versus choking online. We are very lucky and she doesn't often gag, if she does we say good girl, I have once had to remove food from her mouth as she couldn't get rid of it.
My weaning must buys
The app the baby led cookbook is my biggest recommendation we make lovely little muffins and bites that she feeds herself.
Long sleeved wipeable bibs
Plastic ground mat
Small soft tipped spoons
Non slip food mat
Tommie tippee cup for water
Cool bag and Tupperware pots.
Suction bowl
Dettol wipes
I use a Muslin and warm water to clean up as baby wipes make her face sore.
Milk is still the main nutrition and we are unsure how much she actually ingests although I can tell you her nappies explain a lot haha.
Since weaning squeak now has 6oz bottles four times a day.
Our average days routine
6 am bottle
Nap
8am breakfast
10am bottle
Nap
12 lunch
Nap
2-3pm bottle
Sometimes a sneaky nap and snuggle
5pm dinner
6pm bath
6.30pm bottle
Bed
Since blw I have made so many creations for the both of us. I find it easy to combine with slimming world and have lost 13lb since we started. I love it.
I would love to hear other people's creations I really enjoy cooking and feeding the whole family the same things it's so nice to know what she is eating and see he enjoyment when she eats.
I do not want to hear from any weaning warriors or from the baby led mafia about how I chose to wean my baby.
My baby is now weaning baby led. I started on the traditional method of first tastes and it didn't work for us so at 6 months I changed to baby led weaning. I will explain the process of this and what worked for me.
I have unfortunately seen many a mummy criticised on social media for saying her baby is baby led and is given purees. This combination is understandable and works for so many. I would have preferred this method but my strong willed child takes the spoon and feeds herself creating a marvellous mess. My weaning method is we started traditional and now use baby led it was a slow swap and was done with professional advice. I think those that do 100% blw can be very passionate about it being 210% from the start blw but that didn't work for me. Due to health history and high anxiety. Now I know what I know of I have another child it will be baby led from the start.
I always thought I would traditionally wean, I spent hours preparing purees from organic fruit and veggies and blended and blitzed ready for the signs she wanted food. Around 5 months I thought she was ready. She was starting to sit up independently, wanting to grab our food, she was coordinating hands and mouth and I decided to try the annabel karmel method of first tastes. I spoke to the health visitor and she was supportive. Squeak had previously suffered from silent reflux and eczema so I wanted to take it slow. Once a day we tried a new food or flavour we started on baby rice to see if she would swallow. She was very interested and moved it around her mouth and swallowed. We only gave veggies and fruit. We then when she was approaching 6 months started introducing baby porrridge for breakfast and a purée for lunch. The purée was about a table spoon at a time. She ate but never seemed starving just interested. Several flavours wernt successful but we gave them again and again to keep trying her. She's been a banana addict since the start.
I have high anxiety and spoke to my HV about fingerfoods as I was petrified about her going into meals and feeding herself she was so supportive and actually came to my house, showed me what to do on a choking baby, cpr and even stayed while I gave her her first piece of steamed veg. Well what can I say, on that first day she ate broccoli, carrot and cauliflower and loved it, she was more than ready and I knew then that purees were not for her.
For the next two weeks I started introducing wheat and dairy and everytime she put anything in her mouth I was on the edge of my seat ready to pounce. I was petrified. I still tried the odd purée but she just wasn't bothered. We continued with the steamed veg and fruit and started adding chicken and fish too.
So then I started researching baby led weaning, I read an interesting article from gill rapley about switching your child to baby led and decided that that was what I would do. She gives great advice all about blw and her books are great. i found a group called the baby led cookbook by Natalie Peall and that just changed my whole journey. The recipes are fab and from day one of purchasing that app Squeak has liked nearly everything I have made.
Now at 7 months she has three meals a day and snacks ( usually when I am eating as it's the only way I can stop her stealing) she eats most of the things we eat and eating out and at home is so easy as every meal can be enjoyed together.
An example of our day is
Breakfast toast soldiers with soft cheese, scrambled egg and mango slices ( I leave some skin on to make holding easier)
Lunch sweet potato wedges with tomatoes cheese sticks, cucumber sticks and a yoghurt.
Dinner cottage pie eaten with her hands with a dessert.
I try to make sure every meal has carbs, protein, fat, veg and fruit.
I do feed Ella's kitchen desserts as they are low sugar and have no nasties in. At home she feeds herself from a loaded soon.
Full fat yoghurt made into bark and the first vanilla petit filous are her favourite yoghurts
I use low salt stock cubes and do not add salt to her food ( I have actually stopped it in mine too which really makes you notice salty food now)
I use full fat milk or formula on her cereal she loves weetabix and I feed her this myself and is the only thing she lets me feed her, it's usually between mouthfuls of banana that she feed herself.
If I go out my mother in law feeds a pouch of food as she's isn't confident with baby led and we have had no confusion.
My biggest advice do your own research and see what works for you. I still struggle in public on my own as baby led weaning is messy. very messy! I'm trying to make things that I can pick up easily as a lot of it gets thrown on the floor, walls and mummy.
I'm regards to choking be prepared, there is a fab picture on gagging versus choking online. We are very lucky and she doesn't often gag, if she does we say good girl, I have once had to remove food from her mouth as she couldn't get rid of it.
My weaning must buys
The app the baby led cookbook is my biggest recommendation we make lovely little muffins and bites that she feeds herself.
Long sleeved wipeable bibs
Plastic ground mat
Small soft tipped spoons
Non slip food mat
Tommie tippee cup for water
Cool bag and Tupperware pots.
Suction bowl
Dettol wipes
I use a Muslin and warm water to clean up as baby wipes make her face sore.
Milk is still the main nutrition and we are unsure how much she actually ingests although I can tell you her nappies explain a lot haha.
Since weaning squeak now has 6oz bottles four times a day.
Our average days routine
6 am bottle
Nap
8am breakfast
10am bottle
Nap
12 lunch
Nap
2-3pm bottle
Sometimes a sneaky nap and snuggle
5pm dinner
6pm bath
6.30pm bottle
Bed
Since blw I have made so many creations for the both of us. I find it easy to combine with slimming world and have lost 13lb since we started. I love it.
I would love to hear other people's creations I really enjoy cooking and feeding the whole family the same things it's so nice to know what she is eating and see he enjoyment when she eats.
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