Our top 10 weaning tips…

I’ll be completely honest here, the thoughts of weaning Ruby put the fear of God into me. She had reflux which hadn’t been easy and I knew from friends that weaning refluxy babies was a bit tougher than the usual journey so I was super nervous. I had no need to be, yes there were some foods that drove her reflux mad or flared her eczema a bit but in the end it genuinely was one of my favourite stages. Watching her little face when she tried something new whether she liked it or didn’t like it really was so much fun, introducing new textures, researching recipes and just generally going with it and enjoying it still bring a smile to my face.

Some of the top tips and products from my own experience and advice I got from friends were;

1. Don’t pre mix foods, if you’re giving your little one sweet potato and carrot then steam them separately, blend them separately and freeze them in ice cube trays separately. Then if they don’t like one of them you’re not throwing them all out and you can mix up with other foods easily or add a third flavour. Give the same food for a few days then introduce the next one so carrot for 3 days, then sweet potato for 3 and then mix them for 2, then move on.
2. Buy a steamer – it’s so much easier to do your own than it is to buy pre made and so much cheaper
3. Lots and lots of little pots – invest in good quality ones and they will last for years – I still have the vital baby and tomy ones I used.
4. I’m obviously going to say get yourself a YummyBoo or two ideally, these are just brilliant for keeping clothes clean and little ones comfortable.
5. Don’t be afraid to give them finger foods and food they can feed themselves right from the start. Chunks of fruit or veg or bread sticks or toast were firm favourites in our house. Or a floret of broccoli!
6. Try them a good few times with different foods, if they don’t like it the first time wait a few days and try again
7. Give them their spoons to chew on in between meals, it will get them used to the texture of the spoon
8. Be adventurous, just because you don’t like sweetcorn doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it to your little one.
9. Be prepared for the nappies, things will change when you start weaning, especially after banana!!
10. Once they have the hang of it try just adapting your own dinners to suit your baby, so use low salt stock cubes for example but it’s easier for everyone if they just eat what you’re eating…

A great ally during the weaning stage is our YummyBoo feeding bib. Our little ones will be experimenting with food, with all the mess that entails, and this bib will ensure that clothes stay spotless. Plus, it’s very easy to clean, so using it is a break for parents. Check out all our available models by clicking here.

Some of my favourite resources for recipes and advice are;

First 1000 days – https://www.first1000days.ie/

Baby Led Feeding by Aileen Cox Blundell – http://www.babyledfeeding.com

My Fussy Eater – https://www.facebook.com/myfussyeater

Little Grazers – http://littlegrazers.com/

Any Annabel Karmel books – a great starting point – https://www.annabelkarmel.com/