Weaning
Every baby is different and this is no more apparent than with siblings. In this case I am referring to the weaning stage which in my two experiences to date have been worlds apart. My son who is now three suffered from (what I now realise was) very very bad reflux. He was constantly sick, projecting his milk across the room, he also suffered from colic and would choke and vomit very easily even from crying a few seconds, and still suffers now. When it came to eating, it became apparent that he was more than ready at around 5 months as he screamed at us with every mouthful we dared eat.
We gave him things like sliced pepper to suck on while we ate but as he was so young we didn't want to start finger foods so instead started with baby rice. Baby rice went down like a lead balloon but we did have more luck with mashed fruit and porridge so gave him those but even with that he would still choke. We continued down the 'mush' route and gradually increased the sized of chunks, lots of scary chokes, back pats and screaming later we worked out way up to proper food but this took some time and was a long and scary process.
Baby two would naturally be easier as we knew what we were doing, but baby two (S) is an entirely different child in every way possible. Thankfully Baby S never really suffered with colic or reflux and only had the odd restless night which was usually my fault for being slack on the winding.
Baby S showed no interest really in food until 6 months which was great, I decided to give baby led weaning a go as she is so easy and laid back. I also figured that if I could feed her and her big brother the same, then I'd have it easy!
I'm pleased to say that a month in baby S has taken to eating like a pro. Her first food was a slice of butter toast cut into fingers. She sat and ate the whole slice even stopping to pick up tiny bits she dropped on her tray, a super impressive pincer type grab from such a tiny baby - I was so proud.
I began to give her mostly the same as her big brother, fish fingers, broccoli, brioche, cheese, omelette's and lots more! I can honestly say its been a million times easier than worrying about making separate dinners and having to feed every mouthful with a spoon. Baby S is really enjoying all the flavours and I am really pleased that she can feed herself. As you know I like the easy (could be considered lazy) approach to parenting!
So far (touch wood) we have had no choking episodes but I imagine the hardest bit for new parents would be to sit on your hands while waiting for them to 'sort themselves out'. Something impossible with my son who turned beetroot almost straight away!
If you are considering BLW then I would really recommend trying it, its fun and really great if your baby can wait long enough as the suggested start age is 6 months, with heads being held up well.
The theory of BLW is that babies learn to chew before they learn to swallow. With mashed food they learn to swallow before they learn to chew apparently so then once you introduce bigger foods they can be a little chokey. This makes sense I think but totally depends on the baby on whether its doable or not. With A we happily gave jars, sachets and mashed everything because it suited him and was the best option.
So that's our first month and previous experiences in a nut shell and I'll leave a few helpful tips below. I will continue to update on the BLW and how we get on. Fingers crossed she will continue to be a star but who knows with these babies, they are cleaver creatures!
Here is a list of our first foods that baby S thinks are perfect for first tastes.
- Brioche rolls
- Omelettes
- Savoury muffins
- Avocado sliced but zig zags for easier griiping (though it will be a slimy mess regardless!)
- Broccoli - cooked
- Cauliflower - cooked
- Toast with butter and/or Marmite
- Strawberries - halved but cut in chunky zig zags for easy gripping
- Halved grapes and blueberries
- Sliced melon
- Fish fingers
- Potato waffles cut into 'ladders'
- Rice cakes
- White bread sandwiches (brown can give them tummy ache with too much fibre)
- Sliced pears
- Mashed potato (rolled into sausages! Frozen mash is great)
- Spiral pasta with homemade cheese sauce and peas (spirals are easy to grab)
I will list more foods as we go on our BLW journey and share any recipes that people would like, for now its pretty basic and ore about preparation, variety and shapes for holding.
Equipment you will need-
A high chair - the Ikea basic one is the absolute best you can get and a total bargain. this can get messy and these high chairs have no silly gaps like the expensive ones to stash food in!
Bibs - any are fine and lots will be needed, think at least three a day sometimes.
Bowls
Plates
Sippy cups - sips of water with food from 6 months upwards. I use the TT spout cups or Ikea spout cups but I know they change their mind what is good for babies teeth from time to time so please decide which you would prefer to use.
Dogs can be pretty handy too!
Happy weaning whatever you choose, its messy, fun and exciting. I really and truly believe the 'Food is fun until after one' despite baby S being a little piglet, they aren't always and its really important not to compare to other babies or worry about what your child is doing! Enjoy!
Please leave a comment if you popped on by so I can say hi :)