hello again long time no see, weaning help,

[Ginnymarie]

Hi guys

I am a stranger to the forum, never get time these days but have decided I need to make time as it was a massive support to me during my pregnancy and I got to know some of you really well.

I am seriously confused and struggling with weaning.

I have started Mhairi on purees as I am an anxious person and terrified of Mhairi choking, the only books I have are Gina Ford and anabel Karmel. I have serious amounts of ice cubes that need using up but now Mhairi is 6 months do I need to be pushing her towards more mashed food or can I use up the icecubes for next month?

At the moment she is

7am - boob milk
9am - cereal and baby cereal (can I bring in normal cereal i.e weetabix)
12am/1am defrosted veg, butternut sqash, sweet pot etc...
5pm - baby rice and fruit
6.30- milk feed
10pm-milk feed

I have tried her with rusks but she gagged, I have also given her fromage frais but it looked like it was full of sugar on the packet.

What do I need to be doing? my HV is all for baby led and I must agree I love pitta myself, tuna, cheese on top as well as chopped carrot etc.so would love to not have to cook up loads of stews and purees but I am so scared of the choking and Mhairi just does not seem ready for it yet. Also Does the bread have to be wholemeal or white?

She is still waking in the night but not with hunger, teeth I think and she likes to talk at 2am !

Can anyone advise a book or menu planner with ideas for baby-led foods?

Also, I am still giving her the last feed at 10.30pm, she still wakes for it.

I am really lost here and my mum gave me jars and my health visitor is not very helpful to .
be honest.

Any advice be much appreciated, I find the BLW thread a bit too much info just now, what are normal finger foods and when do you give them, when do you introduce proteins ?

So many questions I know but would love some advice and hope I can help others here with some of my breastfeeding experience over the last 6months

xx

 

[Magic Monkey]

Ok, I will try as best as I can to answer your questions, but I am by no means an expert!

I would say, that you can continue to use the purees, but perhaps introduce some mashed foods/finger foods alongside. We started weaning with purees at 5 months and then started to move onto just finger foods at 6 months, but we did it slowly, giving Ella her puree and then the finger foods. Once she got the hang of finger foods, we started giving them first and the a bit of puree to make sure she was full. (they hardly eat any finger food to begin with) In the last month we have started to give just finger foods and then maybe a yoghurt/fruitapura for pudding.

Yes, you can introduce normal cereals now, weetabix and ready brek are good ones. We give mini weetabix/shredded wheat/shreddies soften in a bit of milk now.

Fromage Frais - Sainsburys Kids ones have no sugar in them just natural fruit juices, although I also give Muller Little Stars once a day too.

We started with toast, rice cakes, Organix Goodies crisp things and cheese I think, these are all easy for them to eat and rice cakes and the crisps turn to mush in their mouths, so no worry about choking! If she doesn't seem quite ready, just keep trying and she soon will be. With regards to choking, they tend to gag rather than choke, if they cough it is more gagging and it is best to leave them for a couple of secs to see if they bring it back up (Ella always has). Choking is more silent and red face etc. I looked up what to do if this happens so that I was prepared.

Bread should really be white as babies need a low fibre, high fat diet.

I haven't used a book as I find this place more useful, but the Annabel Karmel meal planner has some good ideas in the 9 month plus section - in the intro bit to that section she suggests good finger foods.

I introduced cheese as a protein fairly early on and meat about a month ago, but I only waited that long as I don't eat it and didn't really think about it!

I hope that answers some questions, let me know if you need any more help xx

 

[Bloom]

Hiya hun hope you two are doing ok

Anyway you sound like you have got into a bit of a panic over this but try to relax a little.

I was the same as you about choking but when i started dd on finger foods i did it when i was out (at my mother and baby group or in a cafe, mums house, friends house) it sounds stupid but knowing there was somebody else there to help if dd started choking put me at ease. Im now much more confident with it and will let her have them at home.

My routine goes something like
6am breast feed she doesnt always wake for this it depends)
8am breast feed
9.30 porridge/weetabix
11am breast feed
1pm lunch depends what i have in but finger foods or jar sometimes if we are out (toast, crumpets, fromage frais, tomato, cheese, fruit, veg)
3pm breast feed
5pm puree of veg with fish/meat
7.30pm 8oz bottle
10pm breast feed

DD was going to bed after her 10pm breast feed but now she has started sleeping through i am trying to move her bedtime forward till 9 and drop the late feed. If dd is waking for her late feed then i would say she needs it and if you drop it you may find she starts waking in the night.

Now that she is 6 months she can have meat and fish and cows milk (full fat but only with sauces or on cereal not as a drink) weetabix and most things really.

I would start to make her food slightly lumpier if you start her on meat/fish you will find its a bit thicker.

Hope this helps but im not an expert just sying what works for me.

 

[Ginnymarie]

thanks ever so much guys

this is really helpful...

I will take your advice for sure xxx

 

[Charlie:-)]

Hi Ginny, welcome back.

Try looking at this site for some finger food meals and meal planner its really good.

http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/

 

[loz]

Hi, I also have panicked a lot about feeding Emms! I think you're doing really well.

Emms is still on purees - she hasnt got any teeth and gags if I give her things with big pieces in. What she has liked however are the baby rice cakes, banana pieces and pittas with cream cheese on. I keep the pittas in the freezer and then toast one and cut it in half and keep one half rapped in foil for later in the day. I have tried giving her babybel cheese and sometimes she will eat it, other times she squashes it in her hands!!! Our childminder gives her breadsticks which she apparently likes too.

I give Emms baby porridge in the morning, purees at lunch and then a fromage frais ( I was told FF are fine by the HV) with a bit of pitta. Then she has a banana mashed or in a lump at about 4pm, then a weetabix about 6pm. Milk feeds inbetween and rice cakes if she looks hungry.

 

[drea b]

My LO absolutley loves roasted veggies - especially Sweet Potato. I like roasted veggies as they are easier for her to hold (steamed ones just turn to mush). She also loves the Organix carrot sticks as they are really easy to hold and turn to moosh in her mouth.

As for the choking - try not to worry too much (easier said than done) LO gags on at least one thing every meal (think she try's to eat too fast ) She find's it really funny for some reason and just laughs and continues eating.

 

[GBLiz]

hi ginny

i dont get on that much anymore either. i just came on now to see if i had the right mix of boob / food with anjali, and saw this- my pattern looks similar to bloom's:

8.15 boob
9.30 baby cereal from a box
11/12 ish boob
2ish baby food either home made lentils/veg mashed, or jar
5ish boob
7.30 food either jar or home made
9.15 boob

sometimes boob at 4/5am ish too

in between meals she snacks on finger foods- favourites are broccoli, bagel, rusks, potato. i give them between meals so she can take her time and not get frustrated with hunger. Also because she's quite slim im making doubley sure she's getting enough!

She's never choked on anything, she tends to naturally move any too-big bits to the front of her mouth and spits them out. I just give her anything i think she might like really.