18/02/2015

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So James is almost at the stage to start weaning. Where is my little baby disappearing to! He is almost 6 months old which, for me, seems late as Harry weaned at 4 months, even though I know it is recommended to wait until 6 months to start. Harry was always a great feeder and drained all his bottles where James tends to be more fussy. I tried James with some baby rice a few weeks back but he wasn't interested in it and I just felt like he wasn't ready just yet and didn't want to push him so decided to wait an few more weeks. Below I have listed a few things to consider and some things that you may need to buy, if you don't already have them, before you start weaning.

Some signs that your baby is ready to move onto weaning:

  • they are 6 months old
  • they are able to hold and control their head
  • taking an interest in your food
  • milk no longer satisfies your baby and is wakening up again during the night
  • tries to put things in their mouth
  • makes chewing motions
  • chews fingers and fists

  1. high chair - when choosing a high chair I would recommend one that is easily wiped clean as there are sure to be some messes to clean up in those first few months especially if you are baby lead weaning. One that reclines and can move up and down are great to grow with your child right into those toddler years. You may need to get a padded insert to support younger babies or a car seat/baby seat can be used instead.
  2. small bowls - small feeding bowls are perfect for weaning as your baby will only be talking one or two teaspoonfuls at first. They will also come in handy for snack bowls when they become a toddler. 
  3. ice cube trays - great for freezing small portions of puréed food. The food can be frozen in the trays and then transferred into a sterile freezer bag and labelled with the date. That way you can take one or two cubes out at a time to defrost or mix and match with different cubes of food. 
  4. bibs - bibs are essential for keeping your little angels clean during the weaning stages. Plastic wipe clean bibs are fantastic as well as those with a pouch at the bottom to catch any food that may miss their mouths. However younger babies may prefer a softer bib to start off with.
  5. hand blender - great for blending small amounts of baby food as again you wont be puréeing awful large amounts at first. It is essential especially if you do not have a food processor and a lot cheaper. 
  6. plastic feeding spoons -when buying feeding spoons soft plastic ones are best as metal ones may hurt your babies gums and can become very hot.
  7. lidded cups - from six months it is recommended that milk and other drinks should be offered in a lidded cup. I found that the hard tip ones, like the tommee tippee one pictured, seem to work best compared to soft tip ones. 
Some things that may be useful:

  • Steamer
  • Food processor 
  • Flask
  • Mess mat
  • Masher
  • Mouli (food grinder)
I hope you have found this post helpful for any of you that are thinking about starting weaning or wondering what you may need before you start. We will be posting our weaning journey every Wednesday so make sure to keep tuned! Please feel free to leave a comment if I can be of any more help or advice!



3 comments:

  1. Some very helpful tips that I wish I had read before my two started weaning. The ice cube trays are great for storing food and I also loved the small feeding spoons that changed colour if the food was too hot so you knew when it was a safe temperature for baby. Good luck with the new blog. Ali xx

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  2. Fab list of tips! I couldn't have lived without icecube trays and my steamer when we weaned Pops. Blog looks lovely, good luck with it all x

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  3. I agree the ice cube trays are brilliant and the spoons that change colour are so handy and make it easier to tell if the foods too hot! Thank you both for taking the time to read and for your lovely comments and well wishes! :) xx

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