Weaning and formula

[Nutritionmum]

Hello,

My baby girl is 6 months old on Friday and I know she is ready for weaning. Can I start straight onto puréed veg rather than baby rice? Also I’m going back to work in Nov and at the mo she is exclusively BF. I would like to introduce 1 formula bottle a day at the 4pm feed so she can get used to the transition slowly but will this be too much all at once? And if so which should I do first?

Thank you

[Hidden]

We are starting weaning next week and I’m doing some batch cooking today. We are going to start off with puréed veg first as apparently it is better for them to get used to veg otherwise it’s harder to introduce later.

If you sign up to cow and gate they send you a free weaning book which has a guide you can follow. I’ve also got an Ella’s kitchen book which has some recipes in.

Good luck! I’m really looking forward to it x

[Nutritionmum in reply to Hidden]

Amazing thank you. I’m going to have a cooking session tomorrow and get started. Looking forward to it and hope it helps with sleep too.x

[Hidden in reply to Nutritionmum]

Good luck! I’m too terrified to start baby led weaning first so that’s why I’m starting with puréed but I’m sure it won’t be long before I do a bit of both. Both those books give you both options so you don’t feel pressured to do one or the other xx

[Munyze]

Well, I can tell you what we have done with ours... he was exclusively bf until 6 months, then we started straight with purée veggies and one bottle of formula everyday.. one type of veggie at the time, two meals a day and one bottle in the afternoon and then bf during the night and first feed of the day, one week after we started mixing some of the tastes, at 7,5 months we started giving more solid food but very well cooked and now he is no longer bf ( he just quited at 10 months), was on formula milk 2 bottles a day until one year and now he is on cows milk and eats everything! Likes all the veggies and fruits but lets wait until he starts talking and saying no... good luck in your phase... if you want to talk just send a message.. I'll try to share what was my experience

[Nutritionmum in reply to Munyze]

Thank you so much. Seems like a minefield. I read books for answers and end up just more confused and just spend the whole time anxious. I’m going to introduce food tomorrow and make a start with that till the end of the week then get the one bottle feed a day going too. Thank you!

[Ribena1987]

My baby is exclusively BF and I started weaning her at 6 months too. I went to a weaning class and the HV said skip the purées, go straight to food. BF babies have stronger suction and jaw movement because they have to work harder to get milk out of the boob. So mashed food is fine to start with. I started with mashed potato, then went onto vegetable sticks (once a day). Week 2 I introduced breakfast (porridge or weetabix) so 2 meals a days. Week 3, three meals a day. Pretty much anything. Chicken, fish, bread, yogurt, eggs, vegetable, fruit, rice, pasta. At 6 months babies can eat anything except whole nuts, whole grapes and honey. No extra salt or sugar. Not too much fruit as they’ll possibly reject more bitter foods. Keep doing your BF as normal. The solids are a supplement. Once baby gets used to solids they will have less boob and more solids. My baby is nearly 8 months. She still has 4 feeds a day but she is on the boob about half the time that she used to be. She’s not a massive eater but she is enjoying solids more and more. We eat together and I do a combination of spoon feeding and baby led feeding. She doesn’t have baby food. Baby rice is basically ground rice but costs £20/kg as opposed to normal rice which is 50p/kg. Same with baby porridge. Normal porridge is fine. My baby eats what we eat (aside from sugar and salt). A lot cheaper and we don’t have to prepare separate foods so much. Hope this helps. NHS start for life has great advice on weaning. Also babies pop will start to change and become more like adult poos. Get ready for the stinkies! x

[Ribena1987]

Also, baby may gag as they get used to swallowing solids. Make light of it otherwise babies can get anxious. Gagging is fine. Choking is different, their faces go blue. Then you call 999 and try and dislodge trapped food x

[Hidden]

Have a look into baby led weaning, it is much better for the development of their fine motor skills and teaches them from the start that food comes in different textures. It also helps them a lot to recognise the signs that they are full where as with spooning in puree this can be easily missed.

Don't bother at all with rice cereals, there is no real nutritional value in baby eating them, they just act as a filler.

I would do food before formula, introducing a bottle of formula in place of a nursing session will cause a decrease in supply, not all babies take to food straight away, and breast milk is superior to formula and will continue to provide tailored nutrition whilst baby adapts to food.

As far as introducing formula ready to go back to work, it is totally your choice, however employers have to give you the time and space to pump if you continue breastfeeding. It is a legal requirement.