Weaning questions

[Hazel]

Only started today on baby rice and she ate it all and was very good with it so we're definitely going to start weaning as she's feeding pretty much constantly on the bottle now.

I want to do homemade foods for her with the veg I get from the local farmshop. A few questions

1)Would I be better off sticking to jars of baby food to start off with so I know what she's getting is the right consistency/volume etc?

2)When is the best time of day to be giving her food as it's only once a day at the moment, she's always very sleepy at dinner time so was going to go for lunchtime as her "main meal" but if we're out at that time would a jar of food be better and just stick to the homemade stuff for when I'm at home or somewhere else that it's convenient to warm it up.

3)Should I being microwaving things until piping hot and letting it cool or is just a quick zap in the microwave sufficient to warm it?

4)Anyone got any reccomendations for books with recipes and quantities with storage instructions on freezing etc? I've looked on Amazon as I assumed there would be a "weaning for dummies" but there isn't.

5)How long shall I give just baby rice and can I mix it with things like mashed carrot/banana?

 

[Sherlock]

1)Would I be better off sticking to jars of baby food to start off with so I know what she's getting is the right consistency/volume etc?

Personally I'd not buy jars but make home made. I'm not a fan of jarred puree and think homemade is much closer to how food actually tastes. Texture wise you can puree home made down just fine for her.

2)When is the best time of day to be giving her food as it's only once a day at the moment, she's always very sleepy at dinner time so was going to go for lunchtime as her "main meal" but if we're out at that time would a jar of food be better and just stick to the homemade stuff for when I'm at home or somewhere else that it's convenient to warm it up.

I'd go with lunch or breakfast, whatever works for you. You can give puree at room temp just fine. Fruit ones are good at room temp if need be. If I had done home made purees I'd have taken them out with me for feeds.

3)Should I being microwaving things until piping hot and letting it cool or is just a quick zap in the microwave sufficient to warm it?

If its meat based home made I'd always heat to hot then allow to cool. If its veg or fruit based then I'd warm also. I am not a fan of foods served cold, especially purees (unless fruit ones). If its jarred then follow what it says on the jars. I don't know on them to comment, as never given one to Galen.

4)Anyone got any reccomendations for books with recipes and quantities with storage instructions on freezing etc? I've looked on Amazon as I assumed there would be a "weaning for dummies" but there isn't.

Annabel Karmel does a few good puree recipe books. I used to use ice cube trays and cover and freeze them. Then simply pop out a cube or two for each meal as and when. Let it defrost, heat and away you go.

5)How long shall I give just baby rice and can I mix it with things like mashed carrot/banana?

I only gave Galen baby rice twice when we began weaning at 5.5 months. If weaning as you are now then its advised to only introduce a new food every few days minimum. I used to go a week between new foods way back when nannying and parents wanted to wean. Other parents would go 3-4 days. But not meant to give a new food every day for sure as you need to be sure that babys tummy can cope with it and that there are no adverse reactions to the new food.

I'd personally not mix puree with baby rice, but thats just me. I'd stick with fruit and veg purees and drop the rice. Not a fan of baby rice in this house Its what you feel works for your LO.

Just remember that babys main source of nutrition is still from milk and will be up to about a year old. Food at this age is about fun, learning about new flavours and textures. Don't get stressed about how much your LO is or isn't eating when weaning. It can be very hit and miss. So long as she is having her milk she won't be hungry nor go lacking in nutrition. There are not many calories or nutrition gained from foods while baby is still so young, so don't feel she *has* to be eating x amount each day.

Don't forget that this is also the big growth spurt time and the wanting the bottle so much may ease off as the growth spurt passes. The 4 month growth spurt can go on a fair while, Galen's seemed to last about 3 weeks, if not longer He lived on my boob during this time. But as he was feeding well I never worried he was hungry and once we came out the other side of the growth spurt things settled down again.

 

[Hazel]

I prefer homemade and what I call "real" veg. Just a bit worried about poisoning her with my dodgy cooking

 

[abcd1234]

1)Would I be better off sticking to jars of baby food to start off with so I know what she's getting is the right consistency/volume etc?

Na i don't like the jars tbh, my food looks nothing like them and tastes nothing like them, i giver her out food blended with added water or her usual milk. This has gone down well with us and she is now even eating the vegetables she was previously refusing.


2)When is the best time of day to be giving her food as it's only once a day at the moment, she's always very sleepy at dinner time so was going to go for lunchtime as her "main meal" but if we're out at that time would a jar of food be better and just stick to the homemade stuff for when I'm at home or somewhere else that it's convenient to warm it up.

I fed her on an afternoon at first cos the extra food helped her sleep longer at night, if you think she's too sleepy for food at this time lunch tiem is a good one and baby food books i#ve seen have suggested trying at breakfast and lunch rather then dinner first. again i wouldnt worry about heating it up, Tally has cold food cold and wot food either warm or room temperature.


3)Should I being microwaving things until piping hot and letting it cool or is just a quick zap in the microwave sufficient to warm it?
god knows what the actual advice is on this but we just warm it or 5-10 seconds in the microwave and test the temp, all her food is cooked by me before hand so i know it's well cooked and fine to eat.

4)Anyone got any reccomendations for books with recipes and quantities with storage instructions on freezing etc? I've looked on Amazon as I assumed there would be a "weaning for dummies" but there isn't.
TBH i would just start with easy foods and work her up to eating what you eat, introducing some finger foods when you think she's ready, as we weaned Tally early she is only just able to eat finger foods and we now give her these with her main evening meal so she can practice feeding herself and she likes to have the spoon to feed herself sometimes too. I have a book (cant remember name) with 365 recipes for babies toddlers and children which has nice recipes to make and it lets you know exactly what in the meal nutritionally. I was going to use some of the recipes in this and possibly blend them.

5)How long shall I give just baby rice and can I mix it with things like mashed carrot/banana?
Give baby rice as long as you want, we use it as an alternative to potato or pasta at times as she wouldn't eat these before (she's never eaten baby rice on its own though) it's good to mix with fruit and it'd probably bland down carrot and veg, i think the taste was too strong for her at first and this is why she wouldnt eat these.

 

[Jade&Evie]

1)Would I be better off sticking to jars of baby food to start off with so I know what she's getting is the right consistency/volume etc?
No. Jars are expensive for what they are- especially at this stage- it's much cheaper to puree up some fruit and freeze it so you can use little bits at a time. Jars are sweetened too so homemade purees are closer to the real taste of food. Personally the jars make me gag so I can't use them A stage one jar would be too much anyway so its not just a case of one jar= one meal


2)When is the best time of day to be giving her food as it's only once a day at the moment, she's always very sleepy at dinner time so was going to go for lunchtime as her "main meal" but if we're out at that time would a jar of food be better and just stick to the homemade stuff for when I'm at home or somewhere else that it's convenient to warm it up.
When you are calmest. It can be very frustrating having your lovingly made purees thrown at you or spat out...


3)Should I being microwaving things until piping hot and letting it cool or is just a quick zap in the microwave sufficient to warm it?
I just warm it up- make sure you mix it all up if you are microwaving because of hotspots.

4)Anyone got any reccomendations for books with recipes and quantities with storage instructions on freezing etc? I've looked on Amazon as I assumed there would be a "weaning for dummies" but there isn't.
Dont waste your money- go to library and get a book for some idea but weaning actually becomes a lot less scary after the first few weeks!

5)How long shall I give just baby rice and can I mix it with things like mashed carrot/banana?
We never really used baby rice so no idea! Sorry!