Sounds like a plan - weaning LO

[Sherlock]

Had a long talk with HV this morning about when to start weaning Galen. I had wanted to go to 6 months on breast feeding alone but tbh I think he is getting keen to be eating food. He is a big baby, weighed in at 18lb 1oz as of today, 4 months and 2 weeks old. Also he is very advanced for his age and has started trying to commando crawl and is into everything and just wants to be doing something all the time. He is able to roll from back to front and back again, is trying to sit himself up and his little mind just wants to be active. Atm the only thing holding him back is his body limitations. But he is certainly trying. He won't lie anywhere and is also sitting forward in his bouncer so that has had to go already. He spends his time being carried around looking at everything or sitting. Even his pushchair frustrates him as he cannot sit totally upright in it and is restrained.

Also with my op looming in November I don't fancy trying to be weaning him around the same time as I have that. I'd rather be under way with it and know one way or the other if he has taken to it. And if so it takes the pressure off me a little regarding breastfeeding after the op.

I had wanted to do BLW but am going to try to combine the best of both and work it in at 6 months.

So after careful thought the plan is to wait 2 more weeks and let him get to 5 months. Then to start on puree and baby rice. Taste before texture. I am going to let him have a spoon so he can fling it all over but actually feel part of it all. And then have one for myself so I can actually get some food in his mouth if he is unable. I'm ready for food to go everywhere I don't want to just have me feed him as I believe this can lead to fussy eating or refusing to eat so would rather he experiment himself and if he gets it all over the place, even if he uses his hands and fingers, its better than only me feeding it to him.

I'm going for brain and energy foods. Broccoli and avacado top my list. And things like carrot and butternut squash etc. I'm also going the plain natural yogurt route over those fromage frais pots. I'll mix in pureed fruit with it.

No bottle for water. I'm using a feeder cup from the off. As he'll still be having breast milk I am not overly worried about dehydration. I don't plan on intorducing any form of juice at all until older. He'll have breastmilk and water.

Also shall be feeding him at meal times with us so as straight away he is in to meal times and when we eat. And he'll always eat with us, or at least me if hubby is out. He'll have breast feeds in between and in the early days I'll give him some breast milk before feeding.

Once ok with purees and when we reach the 6 month mark I'll start with texture and go from there. He'll basically eat what we eat (fresh food, no salt and no junk food).

Does this sound like an ok plan? Have I missed anything vital? Anyone got anything to throw into the hat for me?

 

[valentine]

Hey Sherlock,

It sounds like an excellent plan and although we weaned later and followed BLW, it sounds like the (vague) ideas and rules that we used. Key ones being:-

* Feeder cup from straight away. To be honest it wouldn't even have occured to me to use a bottle for water - its fine to go straight to a cup. The Tommee Tippee free flowing hard lip cups are great for first sips. We use a different (non free flowing cup) for milk now (less smelly milk spills) but still the same one for water with meals.

* No juice. DD had v. diluted apple juice once about a month ago. She loves water so I don't see the need to do it again and she guzzled it just the same as she does water so no point just now. She just loves water.

* 2 spoons is a great idea and we still use this tactic now.

* Meal times is a great idea - we've always fed DD at traditional breakfast, lunch and tea times. You'll find that he naturally drops breastfeeds without you really having to manage this, it just happens.

* My LO loved veg mashed up - particularly avocado (very transportable if out for the day - just mash on a side plate if out somewhere - take avocado and a fork) and things like root veg mash (neep, sweet potato, carrot, swede etc). We used yeo valley natural yoghurt as well and DD LOVED it. We now use Rachel's Kitchen little pots as DD loves these (very natural and organic) but still use plain yeo valley too.

* From about 7/8 months DD has eaten what we have for tea - home cooked, no salt - nice and tasty. It helps us eat better!

It sounds like you've thought it through well. Have you thought were you will be feeding him (what he'll be sitting in) - can he sit up on his own? If not, then a highchair is no use. If you are planning on giving him the spoon and doing BLW at a later date maybe get a splash mat or something easily wipeable too (unless you have wooden/stone/lino floors).

If I think of anything else, I'll write more later.

Good luck! Photos please!

Valentine Xxx

 

[Bee]

Have fun!

We r doing the puree route too - slowly making our way through veg first and porridge

I use a cup for water too - he associates the bottle with milk so didn't want this

 

[badgergirl]

This looks great. I'm thinking of doing something similar, as Sprog's really starting to 'get into' the idea of food, and cries when I don't let him in on the fun. Plus the dogs are really looking forward to helping me clear up the floor

Please keep us up to date with how you're doing - I'm DREADING weaning, and your post made me feel more positive about the whole thing. I'd never thought of natural yoghurt and fruit purees! Recipes etc greatly received - I'm a culinary disaster, and my initiative where food is concerned is nil

 

[LisaJ1986]

Good Luck. It's a load of fun. I've skipped full puree and made most foods slightly lumpy so that's all she knows. HV recommended this to me. She loves her lumpy foods. I was told to skip baby rice as it's purely texture, no flavour to it, so don't bother now.
I just can't get her to drink. Boob is all she knows so plays with other methods. I was told yesterday to try a doidy cup. When i find one i will.

 

[Sherlock]

* My LO loved veg mashed up - particularly avocado (very transportable if out for the day - just mash on a side plate if out somewhere - take avocado and a fork) and things like root veg mash (neep, sweet potato, carrot, swede etc). We used yeo valley natural yoghurt as well and DD LOVED it. We now use Rachel's Kitchen little pots as DD loves these (very natural and organic) but still use plain yeo valley too.

It sounds like you've thought it through well. Have you thought were you will be feeding him (what he'll be sitting in) - can he sit up on his own? If not, then a highchair is no use. If you are planning on giving him the spoon and doing BLW at a later date maybe get a splash mat or something easily wipeable too (unless you have wooden/stone/lino floors).

If I think of anything else, I'll write more later.

Good luck! Photos please!

Valentine Xxx

Hiya Valentine

Yogurt won't happen till 6 months plus of course but we'll be trying fruit and veg from the get go. I am thinking of mixing pureed fruit into the baby rice to help aid flavour. And if I can, only have that as breakfast and give veg and fruit at other meals. Or am I maybe better to go with baby rice for the evening also, but again mix something in with it?

All being well he'll be in a high chair. Kitchen floor can take the mush. And we have an Eric for cleaning duty there also He can sit up really well atm and if supported in a high chair he'll be fine. Another couple of weeks I am sure we won't have to support him as we do atm. He has great control and is *really* strong. And determind.

If he is not quite there for the highchair I am not sure what we will do. Bouncer is no good and the Bumbo is kind of iffy as he tends to like to throw himself sideways in it. Even with a tray I am not convinced its the thing to use. Worse comes to worse if we have to wait another week or so for his body to be able to sit comfortably then so be it.

Thanks for your reply. Good to know you think things sound decent

 

[Sherlock]

This looks great. I'm thinking of doing something similar, as Sprog's really starting to 'get into' the idea of food, and cries when I don't let him in on the fun. Plus the dogs are really looking forward to helping me clear up the floor

Please keep us up to date with how you're doing - I'm DREADING weaning, and your post made me feel more positive about the whole thing. I'd never thought of natural yoghurt and fruit purees! Recipes etc greatly received - I'm a culinary disaster, and my initiative where food is concerned is nil

Glad you like the sound of it. I've been mulling it over for weeks now and as much as I'd like to go with BLW totally LO is so big and using so much energy I think it'll be good to start him a bit sooner. Its only a few weeks at the end of the day and he'll not be rushed.

I did worry about the allergy aspect of early weaning but again, its not like he is being weaned from the earliest opportunity and I am sure he is ready for it. If he were smaller or less active I'd maybe hold out longer but I think he'll do well.

And aww don't dread weaning. I'm really looking forward to it. Of course I am sad to be moving away from exclusive BF'ing but there, we need to progress for LO.

I've helped wean babies when nannying and have a really strong idea of what I hope to do and why. And I am a big fan of letting them feed themselves for sure. Messy as hell but lots of fun and babies seem to like it also.

Just remember no yogurt till 6 months. Go with fruit puree till then. I'm thinking of mixing it with a bit of baby rice to make it more interesting.

And yup I'll be sure to update how things go

 

[Manda&Thomas]

with regards to him not being able to be in his boucy chair or bumbo to eat and if hes not good in the highchair just prop him up on the sofa i do with thomas as hes still struggling with the highchair i lean him slightly back so he doesnt sits up to much while im feeding him (he can pull himself up from flat and sit unaided now so he does it all the time )
i put a towel or something underneath him so if it goes everywhere its easily cleaned
good luck
xx

 

[flowergirl]

Sherlock, your plan looks great. I will be doing something very similar in a couple of weeks. I think you are doing the right thing weaning him early- I am convinced, looking at the babies from our NCT course that once babies reach around 15-16lb (or more in Galen's case!) they start to want more than just milk. I've seen it with almost all of Kathryn's friends and am sure size is an issue. Kathryn is still only 13lb 5oz and is still very content on just milk- she's not started demanding extra feeds from me and often a feed is only 5 minutes! As she is almost 6 months I've been waiting for the sleepless nights associated with a baby who is ready to be weaned but as yet no change in her usual pattern (which, admittedly is 2 times between 12 modnight and 6am!). I'm excited now about weaning, rather than daunted. I'll watch your weaning report with interest as we'll probably be introducing first tastes at the same time! Good luck!

 

[BabyMagic]

Sounds good Sherlock. It seems that you, Flowergirl and I will start weaning around the same time. Like Flowergirl's my LO still seems fine without food. She is also quite smalls and seems content with boobie milk only. She is interested in what I eat and tries to grap my fork but then she tries to grap everything like babies do at this stage

I have also put some thought for how to start introducing solids and have started to look forward to it - instead of dreading it a few weeks ago (never mind LO being ready, I wasn't for sure ).

I still haven't bought a high chair and tbh I think I'll buy one of these booster chairs first and see how I get along.

Good luck and let us know how you get along.

 

[valentine]

Like Flowergirl's my LO still seems fine without food. She is also quite smalls and seems content with boobie milk only. She is interested in what I eat and tries to grap my fork but then she tries to grap everything like babies do at this stage

Sometimes I wonder if its a breastfed girl thing - in my experience, breastfed girls seem much less hungry, show less signs of wishing to move to the next stage, generally smaller and just happy on boob milk for much longer. That's just my observations from the forum and friends though, not scientific at all!

Valentine Xxx