Last week I blogged for Emma's Diary about how much I love the process of weaning.
I know that weaning can be a time of much anxiety and stress for many mum and dads but it should be (and most certainly can be) a process that both you and your baby enjoy together. To me, weaning a baby is one of the greatest joys of parenthood but then I am a self-professed foodie.
It is recommended that you wait until your baby is six months old before you start to wean them onto solids and not before 17 weeks as their digestive system is not yet ready. At 17 weeks Holly showed no sign at all of being even vaguely ready to wean but 7 days is a long time in the life of a baby and by 18 weeks she was unstoppable. In that one week Holly's first tooth appeared, she stopped sleeping through the night, started demanding TWO bedtime bottles as well as her normal breast feeds and started screeching every time any of the rest of the family sat down to eat. The day that Lara offered Holly a piece of nectarine and she happily took it and munched on it, I knew that Holly was ready for us to introduce solids.
When it comes to introducing solids I've chosen to combine purees and baby led weaning (once she turns six months) and do it our own way. The Mellow way! My freezer is now full of scrumptious concoctions of fruit and vegetables so that I can lift one out whenever we need a quick meal. I top up the home made purees with a small selection of carefully chosen sachets of baby food and non-wheat cereals - I'm not super-mummy after all. I am well prepared with a house full of bibs, sippy cups, face wipes and soft-tipped spoons. Weaning is GO!
Tommee Tippee sent us a set of soft-tipped first weaning spoons for Holly's first tastes and these have proven to be a godsend - when you decide to wean early with purees, there is a lot of mopping up to be done by scraping the food from around their tiny mouths and a soft-tipped spoon means this is less uncomfortable for them. It also helps them to get used to having a spoon in their mouth as those first days are all about learning to wrap their tiny little lips around a spoon.
I love watching the excitement with which Holly looks up to see what food is coming next. Her eyes glow, her little mouth parts and as the spoon of food meets her tiny mouth her little lips pucker up and sometimes her face screws up as she tries a new flavour for the very first time. So far we have had successes (avocado was a favourite) and failures (peas and potatoes were refused). Sweet fruits certainly seem to bring bigger smiles than green vegetables.
I've noticed how different Holly is to Lara. Lara's appetite was immense (it still is) and she VERY quickly moved onto mashed food and finger foods but Holly is taking it a bit more slowly. I've also struggled a bit with Holly and drinks. Holly has always been a bit of trouble when it comes to taking a bottle and it is the same with a sippy cup - most of the cooled boiled water Holly is given ends up being spat out and dribbled down her front. I have now tried 5 different cups with Holly and the only one that has worked so far is the Tommee Tippee Tip It Up Cup which Holly always seems eager to grab and the soft silicone spout must feel quite like a teat so she has now started to get the hang of it and is slowly starting to be able to drink without my help.
Over the coming months I can't wait to introduce Holly to some of our favourite family foods (I'll admit she has already tried her first curry!) The Tommee Tippee First Weaning Spoons and Tip It Up Cup are available from ASDA.
I know that weaning can be a time of much anxiety and stress for many mum and dads but it should be (and most certainly can be) a process that both you and your baby enjoy together. To me, weaning a baby is one of the greatest joys of parenthood but then I am a self-professed foodie.
It is recommended that you wait until your baby is six months old before you start to wean them onto solids and not before 17 weeks as their digestive system is not yet ready. At 17 weeks Holly showed no sign at all of being even vaguely ready to wean but 7 days is a long time in the life of a baby and by 18 weeks she was unstoppable. In that one week Holly's first tooth appeared, she stopped sleeping through the night, started demanding TWO bedtime bottles as well as her normal breast feeds and started screeching every time any of the rest of the family sat down to eat. The day that Lara offered Holly a piece of nectarine and she happily took it and munched on it, I knew that Holly was ready for us to introduce solids.
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| Holly's first roast dinner |
When it comes to introducing solids I've chosen to combine purees and baby led weaning (once she turns six months) and do it our own way. The Mellow way! My freezer is now full of scrumptious concoctions of fruit and vegetables so that I can lift one out whenever we need a quick meal. I top up the home made purees with a small selection of carefully chosen sachets of baby food and non-wheat cereals - I'm not super-mummy after all. I am well prepared with a house full of bibs, sippy cups, face wipes and soft-tipped spoons. Weaning is GO!
Tommee Tippee sent us a set of soft-tipped first weaning spoons for Holly's first tastes and these have proven to be a godsend - when you decide to wean early with purees, there is a lot of mopping up to be done by scraping the food from around their tiny mouths and a soft-tipped spoon means this is less uncomfortable for them. It also helps them to get used to having a spoon in their mouth as those first days are all about learning to wrap their tiny little lips around a spoon.
.jpg) |
| Nom, Nom, Nom |
I've noticed how different Holly is to Lara. Lara's appetite was immense (it still is) and she VERY quickly moved onto mashed food and finger foods but Holly is taking it a bit more slowly. I've also struggled a bit with Holly and drinks. Holly has always been a bit of trouble when it comes to taking a bottle and it is the same with a sippy cup - most of the cooled boiled water Holly is given ends up being spat out and dribbled down her front. I have now tried 5 different cups with Holly and the only one that has worked so far is the Tommee Tippee Tip It Up Cup which Holly always seems eager to grab and the soft silicone spout must feel quite like a teat so she has now started to get the hang of it and is slowly starting to be able to drink without my help.
.jpg) |
| I've got the hang of this cup now, Mummy! |
Over the coming months I can't wait to introduce Holly to some of our favourite family foods (I'll admit she has already tried her first curry!) The Tommee Tippee First Weaning Spoons and Tip It Up Cup are available from ASDA.
