WEANING YOUR BABY
Introducing solids can be an exciting time for you and your baby, a whole new world of flavour and texture awaits them. As with many aspects of parenting the reality can sometimes feel a little different to the expectation so we’ve put together our top 5 tips to help you through.
OUR TOP 5 TIPS…
1.Use safe Sensory toys from birth
Teething toys are great practice for your baby. Developing their grab reflex when the toy is placed in their hand will soon develop into a grab and drop response. It won’t be long before they are bringing the teether to their mouth to explore further. This helps to encourage the development of Fine Motor Skills and Hand-eye coordination. As they continue to explore with their mouth this also helps to develop the muscles used for chewing and exploring food.
2. Milk is still vitally important for your baby and patience is key.
Introducing your baby to solid foods should start when your baby is around 6 months old. It is important to remember however that, until the age of one, milk is still the priority – solids are meant to be an addition, not a substitution. Don’t worry about how much your baby actually eats. It’s about encouraging a positive relationship with food rather than it becoming their main source of nutrition. At first, it’s all about fun, learning and experimentation. Initially your baby will need to understand they are moving from from only milk to milk and solids. Ensure your baby is accepting and being open to the idea of eating food, you may notice they start to pay attention to the food as they watch you eat or might try to take food out of your hand when you are eating. You can start weaning with first tastes which is single vegetables and fruits, you could also offer soft finger foods - cooked sticks of carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, etc.
3. Expand their palate.
Once weaning is established and your baby is content and happily accepting foods, progress to combining flavours and expanding your baby’s palate. It’s easy to get comfortable using the same ingredients, especially if they enjoy eating it. If it’s all going well, try to introduce new foods, flavour and textures where you can. You could try one new food and one new texture type a week.
4. Be prepared for good and bad days.
There may be other factors that affect your babies response to food. If your baby is teething or feeling unwell this can drastically affect how much they will want to eat. They may like one food one day and not want it the next. Also be prepared for mess. It may feel disheartening to prepare food for your little one to enjoy only to find the majority of it plastered all of the floor and themselves but this is a good sign your baby is enjoying meal times.
5.It might get emotional.
There is so much pressure on making sure your baby is getting enough food and nutrition. Like with most aspects of parenting, everyone from your well meaning mother in law to a random stranger in a restaurant likes to offer words of wisdom and this can often feel judgemental and unhelpful. You may also feel triggered by advice from other members of your family as this may relate to your own childhood but approaches have changed over the years. Trust yourself and take the pressure off where you can. You ARE doing a brilliant job!
BENEFITS TO BABY-LED WEANING
BLW helps to promote good eating behaviours and protect children against excess weight gain. It can also reduce picky eating behaviours and make it easier for parents to introduce new foods to their babies. Your little one has the chance to choose, pick up and explore food themselves. Helping them to gain independence. They get used to different food textures from the beginning.
WHAT DO I NEED?
Once your baby has learned to sit up unaided, you can help them adjust to their new position by giving them some time in their highchair before you start introducing food. Give them a favourite toy and let them watch you prepare food for yourself. Helping your baby to become familiar with certain aspects of their new environment will help them know what to expect. Preparation is key so here is a list of some other things you might need…
High Chair
Plate and Bowl
Steamer
Blender
Messy Mat
Weaning Storage Pots with lids
Ice Cube Trays with Lids
The Flavour Academy
Zenia from The Flavour Academy has put together a Complete Online Weaning Course. You may have heard first hand her in-depth science based knowledge of the weaning process in our Instagram LIVE but we haven’t really touched the surface. Each module has been structured to guide you through each step from the fundamentals of weaning and baby nutrition through to sensory weaning, exploring flavour and texture, meal planning and preparation. There really is everything you need to help you along your weaning journey.
Baby and the Gang
Baby and the Gang have a recently developed a range of silicon table-wear perfect for when you decide to start introducing solids. Easy to clean, microwave safe and BPA FREE.
They have also just launched their NEW sensory box which is Ideal for helping your baby prepare for weaning too.
