Thursday 6 August 2009

I weally weally wanna wean!

So the little dude is now 15 weeks old - still two weeks away from what 'they' (the all knowing, all powerful, super health professionals!), say is the absolute earliest a baby should start having solid food. (not that baby rice strikes me as all that solid, but whatever.)

The signs 'they' tell you to watch for, include:

~Attempting to put things in his or her mouth - has been attempting to get his whole fist in his mouth since day one - is now also trying my fingers, any and all available toys, muslin squares, his feet, and occasionally, the dog.
~Making chewing motions - again, since birth!
~Doubling their birth weight - check.
~Holding his or her head up and controlling head movements ~Sitting well when supported - yep & yep.
~Displaying curiosity about what you are eating. - And then some! I was having lunch with a friend yesterday, LD was sat on my lap, dropped his squeaky giraffe, as I leaned over to retrieve it, he launched himself at my sandwich!! Don't try & tell me that wasn't planned - the little monster is smarter than he lets on!!

So my question, is this:
Am I being an irresponsible mummy if I go for it at 17 weeks, rather than waiting for the more widely recommended 6 months?
Mummies whose monsters are already munching (loving the alliteration today aren't I?), when did you start?
And also, what do I need?

I'm very aware of not wanting to feed the little dude jars of processed mush - I'd much rather he had home cooked mush. So is it as simple as just blending tiny portions of whatever we're having? Or do I need to make separate cuisine for mushing up?

I know, I am the picture of cluelessness!!
All I am good at so far, is gazing lovingly at all the tommee tippy spoons, and bowls, and dinky little pots for putting stuffs in (I don't know what stuffs though), and some more cute little bowls... and maybe a sippy cup... oh, and those bibs that are like overalls! God I love baby shopping :D

Need help please!

8 comments:

  1. Hello, I hope you don't mind me posting my opinion, but I did weaning a bit differently, and it's worked amazingly for us. Some other mums on BMB do the same, there is a group you can join. It's (the process and the group) called babyled weaning. You wait until baby is interested in sitting on your knee at mealtimes (sounds like you're there!) and let him grab at whatever he wants (assuming you have a fairly healthy diet i.e. not too much salt or processed foods). Key thing is: let him put it in his own mouth, when he is ready. The dexterity skills this takes, plus to actually chew & swallow (rather than play and spit out) matures at the same time as the digestive system (very clever,so that when his hands are ready to do the work, his tummy is ready to receive). I started offering food from my plate at around 5m. My boy played, licked and made messes, I let him, he was relaxed, so was I, it was great. He actually started EATING, as opposed to playing, at around 10 m. That sounds late doesn't it?? But that's when he was ready. Now, at 20m (and for quite some time now) he's had a healthy appetite, and will try ANY food. Yes, spouts. Yes, madras curry. Yes, suhsi. Anything at all. The trick is to trust them. If they appear to eat very little for ages, that's ok, their main diet is still milk til at least 12. After then, trust he knows how much he needs.One day,it may just be one bit of fruit, the next, he's eaten twice as much as you! Fed on demand babies (formula or breast) do very well with this. They know better than us! Feel free to email (allgrownup06@hotmail.com) me about this, we loved it, I really think it's the only way to wean a child: down with mush! Also fab for the lazy mummy....lol

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  2. My sister and Claire started weaning their boys at 4 months and they are doing really well. Obviously Malachy is a lot older now, he is almosy 9 months I think, and Harrison is 5 months and loving his butternut squash etc!

    Looks like he is showing the signs, so go ahead and try at least!

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  3. zooarchaeologist7 August 2009 at 08:50

    I weaned toddler boy at 17 weeks. We did Baby Led Weaning wth him which was good. Fifi was weaned at the same age she has a mixture of pureed stuff and the same food as us. Mainly as I find it hard to give her 100% of my time at meal time with two of them to supervise. With BLW you obviously have to keep a close eye on them. Nonethless, she had Pizza the other day quite happily at Pizza Express (bad mummy)!
    The one thing I would say is that I would not go to the effort of cooking seperate meals for the little dude. I did this with Toddler boy and now he is really unhappy about eating the same stuff as us. As long as what you give them doesnt have too much salt in it thats fine.
    My best tip for an easy puree type food if you are worried about the BLW is mashed potatoes with cheese- you can do this in the microwave!

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  4. We're a baby led weaning family too. First child started eating at 24 weeks (was offered food for a couple of weeks before actually eating). Second child is 22 weeks and being offered food but not putting it in his mouth / chewing yet. Personally think he is not quite ready but plenty of time for him to get the hang of it. If you BLW no real need for purees.

    Will refrain from offering you advice / opinion as really it is up to you to decide what to do with your little dude. As with BF I feel these choices are personal to each family.

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  5. miss leslieanne7 August 2009 at 11:12

    thank you for the comments!

    I'd heard of babyled weaning, but to be honest, wasn't entirely sure what it was all about - sounds very interesting though - and I love what @allgrownup said about her little one now eating anything & everything - the last thing I want is a fussy eater!

    Going to do a bit more research into all this methinks.
    Keep the top tips coming though! xx

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  6. I didn't do baby led weaning, but would consider it next time around for sure. I started weaning at 24 weeks (although she had occasional tastes before then) because she looked at my food with such longing eyes that I couldn't say no for any longer.

    If you cook yourself, they can eat most things but leave out salt or anything processed that contains salt (even tinned tomatoes may have salt!). Also no fish, no eggs, as little dairy as possible up to a year. After a year, they can have anything.
    Just take it easy, mash some of the veg you cook with a bit of milk or formula and let little dude try. Or cook well and give as finger food. Don't give anthing that could be a choking hazard.

    The reason they advise to wait is because the digestive system isn't so developed and some babies may develop food allergies if weaned too early, also tummy bugs are a small risk.

    Good luck!

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  7. If you want to read up on babyled weaning I can recommend the book by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett.
    I started Presley at 24 weeks and he ate well from the start. I thought Cash was ready at 20 weeks, but he didn't eat anything until 24 weeks anyway!
    Good luck! x

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  8. We did babyled weaning with crazypixie and she's a great eater and we had loads of fun. I would second Sandys recommendation on Rapley and Murketts book.
    There are links to babyled weaning sites on my website http://www.tinygreenpeople.com/tums/tums.htm

    Whatever you decide I'm looking to hear how you get on..

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