Getting Ready...

Last week I attended a weaning talk at the local baby clinic.  I only knew about it because the baby nurse had mentioned it when we were in getting MiniMe weighed before Christmas.  Actually, when we were there before Christmas she asked if we were staying for the weaning talk she was doing that day (which I didn't know about).  I wasn't really prepared to, at that point, so she said to come along to the one in the new year.  

Along we bumbled.  A few mums from my antenatal group were there getting their babies (born before MiniMe) weighed and when I asked if they were staying for the weaning talk they told me they had (all) already been to a talk and, besides, they were (all) already weaning.  That didn't really phase me. MiniMe is the youngest baby in the group anyway.  What I wasn't prepared for was for her to be the OLDEST at the weaning talk.  The baby nurse was actually surprised that we were there, and what she told us wasn't really relevant to us anyway...because it was all about weaning from 17 weeks.  

I guess I felt a bit the fool, really.  I hadn't been notified of any talks when MiniMe was 4 months old and since weaning wasn't even on my radar at the time I didn't think to ask about it.  Needless to say I didn't really learn anything new from the talk.  And it was only after the fact that I thought of some questions to ask (about offering whole wheats and grains, dairy, brown rice).  We see the Health Visitor in a week so I'll TRY to remember to ask her then. 

In the meantime we've decided to start MiniMe on solids TOMORROW! We had been intent on waiting until she is 26 weeks but social engagements mean that Dad won't be around next weekend and it wouldn't be fair on him to miss out on such a BIG EVENT.  

I've also been reading some weaning books, namely Baby Led Weaning by Gill Rapley and Weaning Made Easy by Rana Conway.  Rapley's book is all about Baby Led Weaning (obviously) and it outlines how to go about it through the different stages MiniMe will go through over the next few months.  It explains about gagging reflexes and, what I found interesting, the LANGUAGE, of weaning.  She says to OFFER food, rather than GIVE or FEED.  Offering implies that MiniMe is in charge of feeding and regulating her food herself, where as giving or feeding implies that we are making the decision for her.  Typing that out makes it all seem a bit hippy dippy actually, but in reality it makes a lot of sense.  MiniMe is exclusively breast fed, she already decides when she wants to eat and for how long...this is something that she will be able to carry on at the table.  

I'm happy to have read the Baby Led Weaning book to have a better understanding of the physical side of eating...what is actually going to be going on in MiniMe's mouth and the ethos behind letting her be in control.  I like that, but we have decided that we would like to do a combination of spoon fed and baby led weaning.  Conway's book talks about combining both methods but because she gives advice for weaning from 4 months the beginning of the book is pretty spoon fed/puree heavy and in her meal plans still recommends baby rice/porridge for 6 month olds.  I'm not interested in that, one bit.  

So we have decided that TOMORROW we are going to give finger foods a go.  Banana at breakfast, steamed carrots and lunch and steamed broccoli at dinner.  We have no history of allergies on either side of our family so we are just going to go for it.  For the meantime MiniMe will get to explore what we offer her for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the weekends when we can all sit down together, and for breakfast and lunch during the week (unless Dad comes home early).  Once she is settled and actually eating I'll start eating my dinner early during the week with her...but that's a while away.  

Stay Tuned...

When should we start to Wean?

I've been thinking a lot about weaning MiniMe over the past month or so.  Mostly I've been day dreaming about the amazing meals I'll make her and how much fun we will have in the kitchen together, but more practically I have been worrying more and more about when to actually start weaning her onto solid foods. 

A pal of Dad's gave us a box of baby cereal a month ago, it was unopened and had a short date and he thought that we might be able to use it since, at that point, MiniMe was nearing 4 months.  Dad was all ready to give it ago when I kiboshed his plans.  

In my mind 4 months was way too young to start MiniMe on baby cereal (even if the box said it was fine for babies from 4 months).  At that point, while she could hold her head up pretty much without looking like a BobbleHead, she was still slumping over while sitting in the Bumbo or on my lap.  She wasn't ready, and on closer inspection I had to tell Dad that I wasn't prepared to express milk just to mix with the baby cereal (especially considering I haven't really been able to express to feed MiniMe). 

We hadn't had a discussion about her weaning as her parents yet, there was no way we were just going to jump into it.  We agreed to wait until after Christmas to broach the subject again, or sooner if our Health Visitor thought it might help with MiniMe's weight gain.  

Now that MiniMe is 5 months old we can realistically think about this huge step.  Her weight has levelled out just with a few tweaks to how we breastfeed so there is no need to worry about filling up her tummy just yet, giving us a little bit more time to think about our plan of action. 

The NHS Start4Life site suggests that MiniMe will be ready for solids when she can stay in a sitting position and can hold her head steady, Co-ordinate her hands, eyes and mouth, pick up food and put it in her mouth, and swallow her food.  Basically she needs to be able to sit up unaided with a steady head, be able to pick up food and get it pretty close to her mouth, and be able to swallow (not just push her food back out).  

Realistically, the only way to know if she will be able to do most of those things is to try.  

I am glad we decided to get MiniMe a highchair as one of her Christmas presents (we went with the IKEA Antilop).  For the past week she has been sitting up at the table with us during meal times.  She needs a little bit of support for her back since she is a bit dinky, but for the most part she sits up very nicely and plays and chats away to us while we eat.  I think that by introducing the highchair before starting solids MiniMe will get used to sitting up, be familiar what happens up at the table and will (hopefully) be more confident.  

While speed reading some weaning sites on the internet over the past couple of weeks I came across this article that kind of threw some doubt into the plan of action Dad and I have started to work on.  The article calls into question the advice that we wait until 6 months to introduce our children to solids. It suggests that by waiting too long we are placing them at risk of developing diabetes in childhood.  

Shoot me through the heart! 

I feel guilty enough about everything I choose to do as it is, and now I need to feel guilty about waiting to wean MiniMe? Sure enough the article also warns about the dangers of weaning too early...so I'm left with the dilemma of when is the right time? 

I suspect MiniMe will be ready in a few weeks time, close to the 6 month mark.

I'm off to a weaning talk at the Doctor's Surgery next week.  I'm hoping to have some questions answered, but by then MiniMe will be 5 1/2 months so early weaning won't be an option really anyway (not that I'm keen to start early).