These are the notes I made from a recent weaning course I attended. I hope you find it useful:
Spoon fed vs baby led weaning (e.g. puree vs whole #food)
There are pros and cons with both, but if your baby has been told they have low weight issues then spoon fed is better as they will eat more and keep their weight up.
Spoon fed is cleaner, but means they can't feed themselves and you need to spend more time preparing #food. They also need to learn to swallow and chew at a later date anyway, so effectively they have to learn 2 different techniques.
Baby led is easier to prepare, as they eat the same #food as you but tends to make more mess (using a shower curtain under the high chair is suggested). They also eat less to begin with, so there will be a lot of waste.
When to start
Signs that your baby is ready for #food:
- can sit up straight
- puts things in it's mouth
- can swallow food
Babies can't digest #food well before 6 months, however it isn't unsafe to give them fruit and vegetables before this. Just no benefit and they may lose weight if they reduce their milk intake.
How to feed
Their main intake must continue to be milk. This slowly reduces over the coming months (e.g by removing a milk feed).
Always feed them milk first. Wait 30 mins before trying a little bit of #food. They won't eat much to begin with. They may take 3 or 4 spoonfuls one day but only 1 the next. Don't obsess about quantities.
DON'T constantly say things about the food while they're eating. We wouldn't like it if people said 'have some more', 'do you like that' etc to us.
It's best to start with breakfast for a week or so. If they have a reaction to something, it's early enough in the day to get to a doctor.
If breakfast is successful, start giving them lunch too for a week or so. If that's successful then add an evening meal.
Babies can also snack during the day.
Don't give babies sippy cups with a non-spill spout as it requires too much sucking to extract any liquid.
After 6 months it is only necessary to sterilise milk bottles and teats. Nothing else needs to be sterilised.
Suitable #food
Nothing but fruit and veg before 6 months.
Can introduce meat and dairy after 6 months. Give full fat milk, yogurts, cheese NOT diet or low fat foods.
Use the same rules as pregnancy. E.g. no runny eggs, unpasteurised cheeses, shellfish, pate etc.
Don't feed them honey or too much salt. It's also best to avoid nuts if immediate family members have asthma, eczema or hay fever.
Make your own meals using herbs and spices, but omit the salt. You can then eat the same food as your baby. Suggestion is to cook your evening meal but if it's too late for them to eat it, they can have it reheated the following day.
Many baby foods are sweet and contain a lot of sugar, so beware (rusks contain the same amount as chocolate digestives).
Babies are much more likely to enjoy sweet foods, so don't give them apple puree every day just because they like it , as it may prevent them trying other foods.
Babies may need to try something 10 times before they like it. Toddlers need 15-20 times.
It's best to give water or water mixed with 10% juice, than pure fruit juice, in order to protect their teeth from the fruit sugar.
By 6 months, babies that aren't on formula require vitamins A, C and D. These can be bought as drops, but are quite strong tasting so recommend mixing them in 500ml milk.
If a baby is having trouble going to the toilet now they are eating solids, give them more water
Choking
Babies often gag when they are eating as they have to learn how to move food down their throat. They have a reflex that pushes foreign objects out of their mouth, which is why they often reject bottles.
Choking is when a baby can't cry, breathe or cough.
If they are choking (there's a YouTube link in the email below that shows this):
- Check their mouth
- Put them along your thigh, face down
- Tap firmly between their shoulder blades 5 times with the heel of your hand
- If that doesn't work turn them over so they are face up
- Use 2 fingers and thrust their chest 5 times
It's less of a choke hazard to remove a bite out of a whole apple, then give them the remainder, than giving the chunks.
Suggestion of going on a baby first aid course
Conclusion
My baby isn't yet 6 months old so I haven't started weaning yet. I expect I'll use a combination of spoon-fed and baby-led weaning. I'm quite excited at the prospect but also quite nervous, so I would be welcome any advice.