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Weaning your baby on to solid food: share your best tips with HiPP Organic. Voucher to win!
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I just wanted to highlight that it's not just 'babes' that require weaning! I've been known to wean small animals - as well as all 3 of my babies, but my eldest 'babe' is my 'Super boy' who I will probably be weaning on and off for the rest of his life - due to his profound medical and complex special needs. My son is predominantly fed via gastrostomy (directly into his stomach), but as we're keen for him to retain his love of food via taste and enjoyment - it's incredibly important for us to continue to wean him. Periods of ill health, operations and time in hospital often set us back and It's baby foods, such as Hipp, which are invaluable to us. We mainly use them to supplement his gastro intake and for treats too - as he needs extra calories! I think my best words of advice are temperature (it's not necessarily a rule of thumb what he enjoys warm or cold - sometimes he prefers things we'd normally have warm cold and vice versa). I also sometimes mix things up a bit, sweet and savoury - just to challenge his taste buds and sometimes get something important into him (like fruit and vegetables) but enveloped in something a bit naughty like rice pudding or chocolate mousse). I'd also say persevere! All 3 of my children were very different when it came to weaning - and what one refused one day they would devour the next! Oh, and if I can be so bold I'd recommend getting a dog ... our dog camped underneath the high chair and feeding chairs when my children were little and rarely did I need to clean up afterwards ... 9/10 times the fall out didn't even touch the floor!!
dont be too frightened of them choking, if you are anxious (like i was) get yourself on a first aid course so you know how to deal with it. Other than that try as many different flavrous and combinations as you can
Try mixing a new flavour with a tried & tested liked one to introduce it
some days you feel you are going backward, your baby will let you know when they are ready just keep offering but don't despair at rejection the first time...some foods are an acquired taste, but it is worth getting them trying lots of tastes to keep there palate broad.
I think trusting your instincts is really key to weaning, gradually introducing foods and not being in a rush to do it. We also tried to match what we were eating to what the baby was eating and eat with them as I think that helps a lot. One thing that is really important and was hard to get my head around was not cleaning the baby up until the end, which can be really hard if they are messy (which they all are) and not worrying about what order they eat it in, mine loved to eat a bit of main then have fruit and then go back to main - and thats ok! Go with it!
Buy a coverall apron for meal times so you don't have to keep on changing baby's clothes!
Keep it exciting, let them experience new flavours. Even if they don't seem to enjoy something, offer it again in a few days to see if they have developed a taste for it.
Be patient, go at your baby's pace all little ones are different, and make food interesting. If possible blend your own.
And watch for different reactions to get the tasted they love.
And
start with savoury foods or they will only eat the sweets stuff
Liquidise the meals you have so baby gets used to tasting different foods, introduce them to all vegetables and fruits.
just take it one day at a time one day they will hate something next love it xx
Go at your child's pace and let them explore different foods. Encourage your child by giving them lots of praise when they try something new.
It may be tempting to give your baby sweet fruit & sweet foods (as they are very yummy!) I recommend introducing them further along so your baby doesn't gain a sweet tooth early on and learns to like a variety of other foods first e.g. vegetables. I've had the experience that my first child wouldn't eat and just wanted pudding so I didn't make the mistake with my second. They can't miss what they haven't had!
try one food at a time and dont be disheartened if they dont like something at first, just persevere!
try a variety of different flavours and textures.
We used an aeroplane spoon, which my son loved!
Start of plain with just one flavour then keep adding different combinations and textures also mix some savoury with sweet if little ones are only wanting pudding
Cucumber is not only easy for them to hold and chew on but also brilliant tool for teething
Don't get too worried if your baby spits out your lovingly prepared offerings. It's all new and strange to them, so do persevere!
We also found the ice-cube tray useful for freezing baby-sized portions.
Here is my Grandson... sat in his highchair, eagerly awaiting his lunch !