On your marks....Get set...GO! Solid Food: Week 1

And so it begins.  

We've well and truly begun this weaning adventure.  Last week I finished reading Gill Rapley's Baby Led Weaning book and a couple of others that I borrowed from the library.  Dad and I had a chat one night in hushed tones to try to decide what we actually wanted to do; how we wanted to approach weaning MiniMe.  

We were excited...super excited...

MiniMe was not. 

I was, in the back of my mind, prepared for her to be completely underwhelmed by a chunk of banana sitting on her tray where her TOYS used to be.  She wasn't even curious.  Nope, no siree...she gave it the stink eye and then proceeded to avoid making eye contact with us and that blasted banana.  

At this stage, in the VERY EARLY days, MiniMe will just explore what we put on her tray (apparently).  She doesn't NEED to eat it, she doesn't KNOW that this stuff is good, and yummy and will make her tummy feel full.  She's supposed to see it as something new to pick up and put in her mouth LIKE ALL HER TOYS AND CLOTHES AND EVERYTHING ELSE WITHIN REACH.  Except for the first 3 days she didn't even do that. 

Week 1 

Maybe she's not ready yet.  She's not one of these babies that grabs food off their parents plates, she just isn't that interested.  She watches us, that's for sure...but she's just not getting into everything...yet.  

So, anyway, Week 1...

We decided to be very relaxed about what we offered MiniMe, and to really try to offer her things that were suitable for her stage of weaning (i.e. NOT WEANING) but that linked in with what we were eating.  Sometimes I decided what to feed her and then planned my dish around that.  

I guess that main thing is that we offered her food whenever we were sitting down to eat, instead of what our health visitor suggested...one type of food, once a day for a couple of days. I don't know if what we are doing is right for MiniMe...maybe we are over stimulating her offering so many different things.

I should say here that neither Dad nor I have any history of allergies in our families so we have decided that MiniMe should be ok with more than one new food a day.   We are sticking to just breakfast and lunch at the moment anyway since Dad works late so if she were to have a reaction we would be able to deal with it and watch it before bedtime rolled around.  On the nights that Dad is home early enough we are sticking with foods she's already tried.  And I'm keeping a food diary, just incase. Once we work up to more regular meals I'll have to make a real effort to remember to offer new things at lunch time.  

On Days 1 and 2 (when Dad was home) MiniMe employed a true avoidance tactic.  She wasn't interested at all. But by Day 3 she was definitely more curious and was at least TOUCHING her food.  Somethings were picked up, somethings were mashed in her hands, somethings were smeared through her hair.  She for sure got a taste of toast, omelette, avocado and some soup....like it actually went into her mouth.  Her gag reflex is impressive.  Just touching the softened oatibix set that off, so did the steamed carrot stick that grazed her lip.  

It is hard not to be a bit impatient and try to help her pick things up or lift bits towards her mouth, because we want to SEE her try her food.  But even by writing this blog post I can see the difference 1 week has made.  So she isn't so keen right now, she doesn't need to be.