Wonderful Weaning | A Common Sense Approach

Every first time mum will have gone through the same questions about weaning. Why? When? What? How? Where? WTF?

I have read so many guides, leaflets and books on weaning it’s actually ridiculous. Personally, they’re only good for one thing; recipes and coupons! If you’re looking for the answers to any of the above questions then here’s my concise view. It’s really not as much of a minefield as it’s made out to be.

Why Start Weaning Your Baby?

Well, it’s obvious isn’t it? Of course it isn’t! There are so many different reasons why parents could start weaning their babies. Some do it only because ”that book says so”, others ”because my friend’s baby is”. The truth is, you wean your baby because they’re ready to move on to the next stage of their food. It could be that milk just isn’t filling them up any more, or it could get to the stage where, in a health professional’s opinion, they should be started on solids. Look for the signs below!

When Should You Start Weaning?

3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months? Quite honestly, it’s when YOU feel you and your baby are ready and when they’re showing the signs. Not when a guide says so, or because your mum-in-law says you should. Look for the obvious signs of not feeling full up; chewing at their hands (although this could mean they’re teething too) and staring at and showing interest in your food.

Other people suggest that your baby should be able to sit up unaided which, in my opinion, is a little bit rubbish. My little boy can sit up in his highchair on his own, but not the floor, and he’s quite happy and able to sit there and eat his food! I’d also suggest doing it when they’re not grumpy. Perhaps leave the last ounce or two of milk and try a bit of food, that way they’re not starving hungry and may be a little more receptive to trying something. I did it in reverse and tried some food around 20-30 minutes before he was due a bottle

What The Hell Do You Feed Your Baby?

Food, of course. I started with baby rice, others start with baby porridge. There’s no right or wrong. I agree that it should be mixed with your baby’s usual milk though, just so there’s something familiar going in their mouth. Weaning guides are good for getting the “first taste” ideas. It’s also best to introduce new things one at at time; one of the best reasons for doing this is to identify any allergies they may have to the food! Just mix some of their milk in, feed them what you think they want (start with small quantities) and then once they’re finished, feed them the rest of their bottle.

With my second baby I did a more baby-led weaning approach although still fed him some things myself as he would get quite frustrated. You can start with things like cooked batons of carrot, sweet potato and florets of broccoli. Chunks of fruit they can gnaw on and that basically progresses into whatever you’re having!

How Do You Feed Your Babies?

It’s entirely up to you what method you choose to feed your baby with. Whether it’s baby-led, with pouches or with a spoon the most effective tools you’ll need are  a huge cheesy grin on your face and lots of enthusiasm.

Baby-led is great for babies to get used to the texture of food in their hands as well as their mouths. It’s a full on sensory activity from start to finish but I know that lots of parents worry about choking and gagging.

Pouches eliminate any need for cutlery but they do go everywhere when the baby squeezes them. You can get a kit from Fill ‘n’ Squeeze for all your home made meals to be mashed and squished into a pouch for you to either freeze, or take out and about with you or feed to your baby straight away which is quite cool.

Spoon fed is another method which is pretty straight forward. I’ve used a mixture of all three and they all worked well for me at the time. Do what you think is right. There’s no wrong way to feed your baby!

Where Should You Feed Your Baby?

I started with doing it at home and in a highchair. The last thing you want is to try it for the first time round the in-laws where you might get unwanted advice and feel you’re being watched (mine didn’t, thankfully) or out in public somewhere. Make sure the surroundings are familiar. As my little one isn’t too messy at the moment I do feed him in our living room. However, as he gets older I’ll move it to the dining room. That way he knows it’s time for eating, and if it does get messy (it really will) I don’t have to scrub spaghetti hoops out of the carpet. If you don’t have much choice then Messy Me do some fab PVC under chair splash mat!

WTF?!!!!

Exactly. WTF? indeed. Nobody knows what it’s really all about (maybe the Hokey Cokey). Just go with what you feel is comfortable for you both and wing it! There’s no set right or wrong way to do this, as with all things parenting. You do you!

Final Tips

• As baby gets older, I’d suggest giving them a starter cup with a drink in it so they get used to something different from a bottle. It really does help with the transition when the time comes for no more bottles but it also helps differentiate from ‘food’ meal times to ‘milk’ meal times.
• Once they’re familiar with the hand to mouth motion, pop some cutlery down so they get to play with that a bit too.
• If they want to play with their food, let them. It makes it fun, they get to explore food and get messy! Who really cares if it adds to the washing?

What are your top weaning tips?