Weaning

[Annh17]

When did you all start weaning your little ones? I’m thinking of introducing my LG to some pureed fruit and veg. She’s 4months, I know everyone says wait till 6 months, but a HV I saw in the week said start when you want too, as long as it’s pureed

[Hidden]

I started at 6 months with purée. I personally wouldn’t start earlier as it’s such a faff to wean lol xx

[Annh17 in reply to Hidden]

I’m not thinking of weaning completely just a couple of mouthfuls now and then, not go in full as I would be later on lol. x

[Hidden in reply to Annh17]

If your HV says it’s ok then it’s up to you. I just hated it so much and still do 😂 milk is so much easier xx

[ChloeLeighCorn]

Babies do not need anything other other breastmilk/formula for the first year, any solids introduced beforehand are just for fun, milk should still be main source of nutrition so there’s really no need to introduce before the guideline.

The guideline is 6 months because there’s loads of research that shows that (any even a small amount) introduction of solids before 6 months can cause permanent damage to their digestive systems. It’s also been linked to childhood obesity, allergies and digestive diseases in adulthood along with other issues.

Plus the comment above is right, is a pain in the back end weaning. 😂 Baby Led weaning is an easier option. You just give them bits of what you’re eating cut into finger food sized pieces for them to grab. It helps with their development of their pincer grip too. xx

[Hidden]

I started weaning at 5 1/2 months (my LG will be 6 months on Tuesday) and we are doing single veggies at the mo. I wouldn't have started any earlier. Your HV is wrong to say you can start at any time as long as it is pureed as the guidelines recommend around 6 months. I am personally enjoying weaning and can't wait until she's on proper food. I breastfeed so I feel like it will actually relieve me a bit from all the feeding and I can stop getting my boobs out in public 😂 I listened to a podcast about feeding children and the nutritionist said that babies no longer get everything they need from milk(even breastmilk) from 6 months which is why it is important to offer a variety of foods alongside their milk. X

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I loved weaning at the start too! Not until she started eating proper food it all went downhill 🙈😂 xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Oh no! Why did it go downhill? Xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Fussiness and she was sick on a few things so now doesn’t eat them at all unless we trick her which is really annoying as one is bread so lunchtime is hard xx

[ChrisWest1983 in reply to Hidden]

Poor you! I was scared of weaning, but My boy loved food more than the milk, ate everything I made for him, so blessed! Mine does not like bread either but I don't worry about it as I don't think grains are best for us anyway- prefer him eating meat and veggies, dairy products.

[Hidden in reply to ChrisWest1983]

My girl loves her milk and still does. I wished she liked bread as would be good if I could just give her a sandwich sometimes. She won’t eat anything like pitta, bagel, crackers etc so hard to find variety at lunch xx

[ChrisWest1983 in reply to Hidden]

I feel your pain now- I totally know what you mean - and it's so much more convenient to give some nice piece of bread, toast than cook a proper meal- for example if the little one is hungry before bed or going out- or in the park...

Mine just does not like bread - he wod eat crackers etc.

Hopefully they'll grow out of it soon. Unless they are cleverer than us- maybe they struggle to digest it therefore they refuse to eat it.x

[Hidden in reply to ChrisWest1983]

Yeah exactly but oh well I’m sure one day she’ll just randomly eat it. She also hasn’t touched fruit unless puréed until now but even then she just sucks the juice out of a grape or blueberry and leaves the skin 😂. They can be funny creatures xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Oh yes, I am not looking forward to the inevitable fussy stage! I'm hoping she is like me and her dad and eats pretty much anything, but I doubt it! Xx

[charlietayloromara1]

i asked my hv about weaning my lb as hes such a hungry boy she said not to wean before 6 months as they dont recomend it the food thats made for 4 month olds is only there becuase the company that make them are just after your money

[MissEd]

I started a couple of weeks ago at just over 5 months. Health visitor said it was fine and told me to try baby led, ive stuck to puree at the minute and he loves it. I wouldnt have started any earlier though, so much more work! Lol

[Kempton]

Like others have said, it's best to start after 6 months.

I found after an initial great start and big interest in food, my boy was so difficult to feed, much preferring milk. But I read that any gaps in his nutrition could be filled with milk - I breadtfeed - so not to worry too much about giving meals, but just tasters here and there.

Now he's 18 months, he has 3 meals a day, snacks throughout and milk at nap/bed times. Thankfully he's a pretty good eater and is into most foods, though I've read that it's a natural part of growing up (interest in new foods), and it's also normal to be picky during the toddler years.

[Annh17]

I was only saying about introducing new flavours, not like everyday. Just a few spoonfuls now and then, she is doing the motion of chewing all the time even when we not eating.

[Hidden in reply to Annh17]

We are just doing single veggies at the moment, once a day. I'm going to introduce fruit in the third week and then some finger foods and build up slowly. It will be a while yet before she's having proper meals so it takes time. If you're not going to do it every day then I'd probably wait until you can be consistent and give her digestive system a bit more time to mature. Of course, it's entirely up to you though. The NHS website gives information on what signs to look out for. X

[Tiffs]

I have just started introducing purées and just veg, my LG is coming up to 5.5 months, has two teeth and been showing an interest in what we eat and watching for a long time.

[Kata89]

I don’t know why your HV suggested before 6 months, that’s bad practice. They shouldn’t have solids before 6 months as they need to be sitting up securely before they start eating solids, they need to be confidently supporting their own head or they can choke! They also need to be able to have the control to spit the food out if they need to, many babies won’t have this reflex that young.

If you’re going to try it early give them till 5.5 months (as someone has already said they did) unless you have a specific reason to introduce them this early don’t do it. Your baby only needs her milk. And if you’re going to start before get baby rice and leave it at that. She doesn’t need solids yet

[Annh17 in reply to Kata89]

I never once said solids, only said pureed. I would never give my baby solids untill shes ready

[kt_11 in reply to Annh17]

Think there’s maybe a discrepancy in what people are meaning here. When referring to baby weaning, the word “solids” tends to mean anything that isn’t milk. So puree is usually counted as solids in this context.

I started at 6 months, a mix of purée and finger foods although it was a little while before he was eating much at all x 😊

[Kata89 in reply to kt_11]

Yea that’s what I meant, solids include purées. She only needs milk