So here is my run down of how weaning has changed in the three years since we had our daughter. I was going to call it a 'guide' but this is anything but a guide.
Child One
Wait the suggested six months before trying the tiniest bit of baby rice for a few days. Mixing it up with breast milk so that you know she is still getting a bit of the good stuff. Pluck up the courage to move onto the thicker creamier baby porridge for a few weeks after that. Then finally start making and buying puréed food.
Child Two
Wait five months. Grab left over strawberries from child number one's dinner and see if child number two knows what to do when there is one being dangled in front of him (by the other half - I was all for waiting six months...)
Upright, upright, tipping, uh oh...
Aww, are you not sure about that one? I'll make you something else from scratch...
Child One
Purchase a brand new fancy high chair from Mother Care. Don't look after it, cut the straps off it because they were filthy and getting tight and then throw it in the tip when no longer needed. We did this knowing we wanted a second child. Money to burn, us. Yeah right.
Child Two
Don't buy a high chair at all. Wait until the boy has been lapping on strawberries for a few minutes, phone the in laws and ask Grandma to look for one next time she goes to a car boot. Grandma comes up trumps and brings us a second hand Silver Cross one. Bargain.
Child One
As they are not quite sitting up unaided yet, prop them up in high chair with towels so they will be comfortable. If they start to slide forward or sideways, stop feeding and reposition. Repeat this at least four or five times over the course of the meal.
Child Two
Sit the boy in the chair and when he leans forward and starts to suck the table, gently nudge him back to his sitting position. When he starts to lean sideways and appears a bit distressed/pissed off, feed him quicker and then grab him moments before he loses his shizz altogether.
Child One
Sterilise the shizz out of everything. We used to sterilise two plastic bowls and at least three spoons just in case one fell on the floor, touched the side of a chair/sofa or just looked at child one in the wrong way. Bottles and bowls have been sterilised that much that they have been discoloured; spoons have been melted and bent.
Child Two
Clean a spoon with a Milton wipe.
Or a Huggies wipe.
Or just get one out of the kitchen drawer.
Child One
Cook all of your food from scratch. I boiled carrots and processed them, broccoli and processed it, sweet potato and processed it. I made loads and froze it. Days later, I lost all trust in the freezer so I binned the stored food and started again from fresh. After a few weeks (days) of doing this, I took a stroll down the baby aisle and (I swear this happened) a bright celestial light shone down and introduced me to Ella's Kitchen pouches. Amen.
Child Two
Buy the whole range of Ella's Kitchen from Tesco. Throw in a few Hipp Organic jars as the are on offer '4 for £2' and Bob's your Uncle. The irony? I have been(almost) exclusively breast feeding for six months in order that my son gets the best start in life and to save money by not purchasing formula. As soon as I have to cook myself, out come the pouches.
Child One
Use a different spoon and bowl for each course of the meal. Discard any unused food.
Child Two
Use one spoon. Spoon it out of a jar or pouch (or shove pouch in mouth). Put unfinished jar in fridge for use the next day.
Child One
Google 'baby led weaning' at least ten times before boiling a batch of carrots to almost mush. Precariously place one carrot on the sterilised high chair table. Wince and cringe as baby number one clumsily tries to put it in her mouth. Secretly rejoice when she doesn't know what to do with it and puts it back down. Promise yourself that you will try solids again tomorrow and then return to Ella's Kitchen pouches forever.
Child Two
Sit him on your knee at dinner time and if he can reach your plate and grab something from it, then let him have it.
Child One
Get excited about giving her her first Petit Filous yoghurt as you used to eat them when you were little.
Child Two
Share (using the same spoon!) a Petit Filous yoghurt as you are not quite sure if, at five months, he should really be eating it and you haven't had time shower, go to the toilet, drink and let alone eat yet.
So that's how weaning is going down in our house. How about yours? The boy seems happy though when he is not either licking the table on the high chair or sucking the (second hand) straps. I do keep wiping the straps and table down with Milton wipes, that's okay isn't it?
New (barely used) steriliser Vs microwaved to a crisp steriliser.
This is so true for me too, I could've been reading about myself here. The second baby is so much more chilled than the first!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading the post. He was so chilled up until a few weeks ago when he learned how to roll over. Now it's all he does. Flips over and cries! I am getting no sleep!
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