and we're off! connor's weaning adventure - updated w. vid!

[purple13]

updated fri 22nd aug

i'm secretly quite pleased with how our first week is going - i feel a bit like a fish out of water with all of this, but we seem to be muddling through ok

we've started just with lunches cos its the time of day where we're both the most chilled out. so far connor has eaten (or played with ) banana, porridge, cucumber and mango! and some gluten free/reduced sugar rusk this afternoon as a treat - check him out!!

i'm sooooo pleased that i waited til now to wean. connor is both hand and spoon feeding himself- its awesome to watch. i'm so proud of him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Vc5qUp4TQ (sorry about the rubbish quality)

*******************


after seeing our breastfeeding councillor yesterday, i was advised to start weaning! i'm sooooo pleased that i made it to 6 months, near as damnit

but i'm feeling a bit clueless about the whole thing TBH - i want to do BLW but it won't be practical for us all the time. has anyone combined feeding purees and finger foods - valentine, did you do this??

the bf councillor said to start on baby rice for a week, with the aim of being at 3 meals a day in 3 weeks time. but so many people here have said that baby rice tastes and i don't see why connor's first food should taste ick??!!

he had some banana yesterday and LOVED it. i've no idea how much he should be eating though? he just had a small chunk yesterday and didn't even eat all of that. i'm guessing that he'll let me know whether he wants more or whether he's had enough and i should just go by that?

where should i go from here though??!! for this week, i'm thinking that i'll just give him a bit of lunch each day - do i just let him have banana again today? when should i start giving him breakfast and dinner? and why do things like rice cakes say 7+ months on them??

i feel so thick

 

[X5OT]

We started jenna at 5 months and we started with dinner. The first thing we gave her was baby rice - only for 2 days though. Yes, it tastes yuck to us, but babies dont know any different so its fine! After baby rice, we moved on to other purees; carrot, parsnip, swede, butternut squash, sweet potato, apple, pear, banana, avocado etc. Then I started mixing 2 flavours together and gradually built in new foods every few days. After 2 weeks, we introduced breakfast (organix porridges) and then at 6 months we added in lunch. We did no dairy / meat / fish / chicken in the first month - only fruit and veg. At 6 months we started to introduce pasta, dairy (cheese, yogurts (Rachel organics), cows milk in cooking, unsalted butter in cooking) and also chicken and cod. We have gradually built on this and now Jenna eats pretty much anything. We didn't start finger foods until 7 months, but now she has finger foods along with her purees for lunch and dinner (veg and fruit finger foods). I think the first thing I gave her was steamed carrot. As I cook all my own food for her, and we try to eat dinner as a family whenever possible, I tend to give Jenna most things as finger foods now, although she still has the main bulk of her food as semi-smooth purees. She still has no teeth but manages to get through most things.

I found the Annabel Karmel books really helpful

 

[Gem & Leland]

i actually started with dinner ( helps to go through night lmao) and gave him baby rice ( he doesnt know it tastes ick it just taste like unsweetened rice pudding) i think brought in a fruit puree . ( i did it all alot slower tho as he was weaned early ) , for breakie i then introduced a fromage frias , then after yet more time ) i brought in lunch . now he has breakfast , lunch + pudding and dinner + pudding !!

mango is another great fruit to try ! especically in the net feeders , and if its cold it helps teethies .

as for amounts , i go buy him , he doesnt it as much as he should but his not exactly loosing weight so must be ok ! i would say about a 1cm worth of bannna ? really small amounts to begin with , let him play with taste and texture !

 

[andreag]

I started about the same time as you and more or less did BLW. We started off with fruit and veg, any fruit really cut into finger sized pieces. I dryed them off a bit on kitchen paper to make them easier to hold. I steamed carrot sticks and other hard veg (carrots aand brocolli were favorites), but she also got through a lot of tomatoes (cut in half/quarters) and cucumber. All of these she could feed herself. Once she is over 6 months you an introdue wheat and dairy - pasta was a godsend, and its so easy to do in so many varieties, and she could feed herself. Bread took longer for her to manage (although toast is easier). I made a few of the recipes on the BLW website, but tbh it was easier to adapt what we were eating anyway. They make a good standby for the freezer though. I never pureed anything, or gave babyrice, but spoonfeed her things that she couldn't eat with her fingers (yogurt, rice pudding, cereal, mashed potato etc).

We started off with breakfast and lunch, but it took her a while to be interested in an evening meal (about 6 weeks I think), and we have milk puddings/yogurt after lunch and dinner (she loves tapioca - suppose someone has to!)
I make up the yogurt with fruit and natural greek yoghurt as most of the commercial brands have sugar in - even those which say they are suitable from 4 months.

I would just give him as much as he wants in the early days - it will take a while for him to get the hang of it but I was surprised at how quickly it did happen.

All the best
Andrea

 

[ozzy]

after seeing our breastfeeding councillor yesterday, i was advised to start weaning! i'm sooooo pleased that i made it to 6 months, near as damnit

but i'm feeling a bit clueless about the whole thing TBH - i want to do BLW but it won't be practical for us all the time. has anyone combined feeding purees and finger foods - valentine, did you do this??

the bf councillor said to start on baby rice for a week, with the aim of being at 3 meals a day in 3 weeks time. but so many people here have said that baby rice tastes and i don't see why connor's first food should taste ick??!!

he had some banana yesterday and LOVED it. i've no idea how much he should be eating though? he just had a small chunk yesterday and didn't even eat all of that. i'm guessing that he'll let me know whether he wants more or whether he's had enough and i should just go by that?

where should i go from here though??!! for this week, i'm thinking that i'll just give him a bit of lunch each day - do i just let him have banana again today? when should i start giving him breakfast and dinner? and why do things like rice cakes say 7+ months on them??

i feel so thick

ive just started weaning. i started off with some baby rice at 1100am bottle which he really liked and then i wanted to give him breakfast so i give him cow and gate apple and babnana cereal i did this for just under 2 weeks. im now starting on fruit and veg i have bought a few jars but have bought some fresh stuff to start making home made foods. ive bought an apple, pear, butternut squash, sweet potato and carrots. im going to still give him his cereal after 7 am bottle ( will try another make and flavour tomorrow) and then at lunch i will give him either fruit and veg and then change the flavours. im still making his 7 oz bottles and will then give the puree afterwards. im going to do this for another week or so and then gradually give him a dinner too. im not sure if im doing it right to be honest HV was usless. so im going to give him his milk as normal ( he gets bored and only has about 5oz each time, 4 bottles a day) and then give him puree untill he turns his head away, i guess
your not thick at all, i think we just worry that we are not giving them enough
sorry i do not know about BLW, Im just gonna do puree and then finger foods after a month.
good luck!

 

[ozzy]

i actually started with dinner ( helps to go through night lmao) and gave him baby rice ( he doesnt know it tastes ick it just taste like unsweetened rice pudding) i think brought in a fruit puree . ( i did it all alot slower tho as he was weaned early ) , for breakie i then introduced a fromage frias , then after yet more time ) i brought in lunch . now he has breakfast , lunch + pudding and dinner + pudding !!

mango is another great fruit to try ! especically in the net feeders , and if its cold it helps teethies .

as for amounts , i go buy him , he doesnt it as much as he should but his not exactly loosing weight so must be ok ! i would say about a 1cm worth of bannna ? really small amounts to begin with , let him play with taste and texture !

sorry , can i just ask?
did u keep to the same amount of milk or did this reduce? i still make my lo 7 oz bottles but im lucky if he finishes it so i then give him his puree. i just woundered if Lelands milk intake reduced when intruducing puree? thanks

 

[Gem & Leland]

Hi

I let him guide me on his milk , to begin with ( prob first 2 months ) i didnt alter his milk ,he was having 4 - 5 x 8oz bottles but the consultant said this was too much and i had to increase his solids ( when i introduced pudding and more lunch ) and now leland is down to 4 bottles a day , generally he will have 8oz at 8 am , 6 oz at 1pm 6oz at 6pm and 8oz and 11pm , But he doesnt always take the full bottle now but i still offer these amounts plus water with his meals !

 

[purple13]

thanks guys

he's had a bit of banana yesterday and today cos i haven't really had the time to go out and shop for nice food items. i feel like i'm stumbling through it all a bit but i'm sure it'll all start coming together soon enough - and in the meantime i'll keep asking you lot questions!

 

[beanie]

I did a mixture of BLW and purees with Seren as she was at nursery and they would only give her purees. Banana is an excellent first weaning food, its sweet like boob milk so will appeal to baby. Baby rice is ick, Seren had it once then refused, I tasted it and had to agree with her lol. As he has been breastfed he will be used to different flavours in your milk and I personally would introduce him to as many as you can, no blanding things down. For purees I would do things like banana and avocado (great source of essential fats), apple and carrot, then like someone said after 6 months you can add other things such as cheese sauce etc to make meals such as cauliflour cheese, pasta and cheese, fishm in cheese sauce.

Ideas for BLW can be found here

 

[purple13]

updated 1st post

 

[Jade&Evie]

Go Connor!

how are your cream carpets coping!?!

 

[purple13]

the food ain't nearly so bad as the green poo i'm using a tablecloth under his highchair at the mo and its working pretty well!

 

[beanie]

yay Conner

 

[keli]

Clever boy

 

[clarey]

Aww what a good boy, am getting quite excited about weaning Eva after reading this