Introducing a plate...and a fork!

Around 9.5 months we started offering MiniMe's food to her on a plate.  Before then I would prepare her food and put it on a plate and then the plate on the table in front of her high chair and place pieces of food on her tray a bit at a time.  Around 9 months she started reaching for the plate (and almost getting it on some occasions) so we decided that she was ready to have it herself.  

We were given some suction bowls and a mat that also acts as a suction but...wouldn't you know it...she managed to figure that all out and bowls were quickly lifted high up off the tray.  There really was no sense in trying to keep putting them back on, so we just prepared ourselves for a few flying plates and went with the flow.  For the first week or so either Dad or I ate sneakily holding the plate while she ate off of it, but she soon wised up to that and STARTED REMOVING OUR HANDS!!! 

She's been successfully using a plate and bowl now for the last few months.  When she is finished eating she starts picking it up to put it on the table.  There have been a couple of plates that went flying onto the floor but that's only because Dad and I were too wrapped up in our own conversation to catch the plate before it was lifted too high.  

Now that she is 1 and happily eating off a plate we decided that we would give eating with a fork a try.  Just like the pre-loaded spoon way back at 6 months we have been pre-loading her fork for her at some meals.  We spear something onto her fork and put the fork down on her plate for her to pick up and self feed.  She then hands us the fork back.  Sometimes while she is chewing she will use the fork to try to spear food herself, and has actually managed to get quite a bit herself (her little face is so cute when she does....so proud of herself).  

spearing macaroni 

Trying to get some egg (she actually did at one point) 

Pre-loaded Fork 

Going for the red peppers with such concentration 

Up-cycled Breast Milk Container Yogurt Pots

For a while we were giving MiniMe a fromage frais every night for her "dessert".  She would use a little spoon and dip it into the little yogurt pot and attempt to feed herself.  She really surprised us with how quickly she figured out how to dip the spoon (after watching us) and bring it to her mouth.  Sure, she was already used to self feeding from a pre-loaded spoon but the process of dipping and feeding presented a real challenge. 

We started when she was about 8 months, and now at 12 months I can say that on most nights the mess (if there is any) is confined to her cheeks and is no longer all down her front, on the floor and all over the high chair tray.  

After a few weeks though we realised that the amount of sugar in those little pots is just ridiculous! Sure, most of it probably occurs naturally through the fruit but it was still really high.  So we started giving MiniMe plain full fat greek yogurt, but the problem was that there had to be a pretty large portion of yogurt in her bowl for her to be able to successfully dip and feed herself.  UGH. 

We tried using an egg cup...not enough yogurt, we tried a ramekin...not great (plus being ceramic someone had to hold onto it so it didn't meet its death crashing to the floor).  THEN I came up with the ingenious idea to Up-Cycle a Tommee Tippee breast milk storage pot as a yogurt container.  

Breast Milk Container being used as a yogurt pot 

So now we just plop in some plain greek yogurt and MiniMe can hold the pot and spoon feed herself! Sometimes I'll add in some fruit smoothy if we have some leftover, but it really isn't necessary. 

On the Road Weaning: Week 5

I haven't bothered writing anything separate for our 4th week of weaning.  MiniMe had a horrible cold, and then a fever and then a rash.  She wasn't interested in eating or nursing or much of anything, really.  I did continue to offer her things like toast and yogurt over the week, but only once a day if she was in good spirits.  Poor thing, it really knocked her for six...and totally screwed up all the progress we had made with weaning.  And to top it all off, we had a visit from the health visitor where we found out the MiniMe had dropped down another percentile on the weight chart...ugh.

She's never been a great feeder, and although she is very active she doesn't seem to want to eat for any longer than is entirely necessary...so she already had that against her, and then when I mentioned that we had only started weaning at 6 months and were trying mostly Baby Led Weaning, the Health Visitor told us that because MiniMe's weight gain wasn't steady and because she isn't a great feeder it was important to be more aware of how much solid food she was actually ingesting.  She said that she liked Baby Led Weaning and she didn't want to discourage me, but that if I was already trying some combination feeding that I really should try to spoon feed MiniMe yogurt or soup once a day...that way we could guarantee she was taking on at least those calories. And to offer her 3 meals, instead of the 2 I was already doing. All fine with me, really.

Week 5

The day following that visit we flew down to Norfolk to spend some time with the Grandparents.  They were really onboard with the whole finger food thing and totally prepared for the mess, which was really nice for me...made meal times less stressful.  Sticking with the advice we had been given I spent some time making a batch of carrot soup to freeze in an ice cube tray so that we were prepared for MiniMe's meals, and stocked up on some yogurt, cottage cheese and some fruits.  

When we visit The Grandparents we tend to go on lots of day trips so most of the meals at home consist of nibbles for the adults.  It wasn't ideal really in terms of wanting MiniMe to eat what we were eating, but she did manage some good salad plates of veggies, hummus and cheese.  Eating out was another experience, and despite having problems with most high chairs, she managed to nibble on little bits of my meals.  I only found it difficult once to find something appropriate to share on the menu, and when I mentioned to the waitress that I had found it hard she offered to bring MiniMe some toast...which was really nice of her.  In the end, though, MiniMe ended up sucking and gnawing on the pickled cucumber that sat atop my burger! 

This week plums and kiwi fruit were a big hit.  Totally messy, but a big hit. She can easily hold a quarter of a plum or kiwi and use her gums to scrape out the flesh from the inside.  Apples and cucumber were great to gnaw on and massage her gums, and she loved sucking hummus off the ends of bread sticks. 

We introduced meat this week as well, roasted chicken thigh shredded and some lovely lemon chicken breasts shredded too.  MiniMe couldn't get the meat into her mouth so I popped pieces in for her.  I know that I have read about not putting food in a baby's mouth for fear of chocking, but she was very good at gumming the bits I helped her get into her mouth.  She also loved the bolognaise sauce in her piece of lasagne.  

I fed her yogurt or soup everyday, sometimes both in one day...MiniMe is very happy for me to spoon feed her now, and has actually become less interested in picking up the finger foods we offer her.  She is very happy to pick up plums, kiwi, bread sticks, and toast but is less interested in anything that is too wet, or gooey or sticky.  She certainly isn't interested in licking anything off her hands if they get mucky.  

I think it is safe to say we are combination feeding, and happy about that.  

Slowly Slowly: Week 2

Week 2 saw MiniMe showing much more interest in the food we offered her.  Almost everything made its way into her mouth...very little was gnawed on, but it was all given a try.  

The big hits this week were grilled pepper strips (we were having fajitas).  Dad thinks it is because I rubbed a little bit of olive oil on them before I grilled them so when placed before MiniMe they were nice and shiny...like plastic.

Tinned peach slices have also been a big hit. They are the perfect size for hands and oh so juicy! I figure, even if she isn't CHOMPING on them she's getting loads of the juice.  I have no problems with tinned fruit, especially at this time of the year. I'd love to have fresh peaches for MiniMe to try NOW but they are so expensive and...rock hard.  We've tried tinned pears, apricots and peaches and the peaches have been the firm favourite so far (as in she's actually picked it up and put it in her mouth).  It is a bit tricky finding fruit in JUICE rather than SYRUP but there is enough choice out there.  PLUS for £1 I can offer MiniMe peaches for a week.  Oh...yes, the peaches are a little bit slimy, but I just pat them dry with kitchen roll.

Finally, I didn't bother taking a photo of our FrIday night dinner...PIZZA.  Every Friday we have homemade pizza in front of the TV in our pyjamas.  Since we started weaning, however, we've been a bit more civilized and have been eating up at the table in our regular clothes but I can't wait until we can get back to our Friday Night Pizza Party.  This week when I made the dough I omitted the salt and then once baked cut off one of my crusts for MiniMe.  She LOVED it.  She happily sat there gumming away at her dough stick.

I am amazed on a daily basis when MiniMe puts the food from her tray into her mouth.  She has definitely become more curious about it.  She is in love with her spoon, but after 2 or 3 accidental tastings it becomes something to bang on the tray rather than put in her mouth.  She is trying MOST things and her shocked face is more and more precious.

Slowly slowly is our motto.  We are still reminding each other that it is OK if nothing reaches her mouth, that she is happy and chatty and enjoying sitting up at the table.  She IS making progress and this is all new and weird to her.  

The Pre-Loaded SPOON

We weren't sure how we were going to tackle food that needs to be eaten with a spoon.  I had been keen to try to spoon feed SOME things to MiniMe in the hopes that when we are out and about (or on a 13 hour plane journey) she will happily let me feed her.  Most of my friends who have  gone down the Baby Led Weaning route have combined it with spoon feeding, in fact it seems to be pretty common in parents who aren't hard core BLW-ers. 

How do those BLW babies eat soup you ask? off toast...and yogurt? off apple slices...or off a pre-loaded spoon.  A SPOON THAT YOU "LOAD" with whatever the spoonable food is and hand over to your baby.  

Combination feeding was the route I was sure we were going to go down. I wasn't too keen on the idea of handing MiniMe a spoon "pre-loaded" with anything...it sounded like I was handing her some automatic weapon.  A messy soup flinging weapon. 

MiniMe had other ideas.  During our first week weaning we offered her some soup with toast fingers, but tried spoon feeding her the soup first.  That little mouth stayed clamped shut...no amount of silly faces pulled by Dad could make it open.  So we dipped her toasts and those made their way to her mouth...like immediately. 

Week 2 we introduced yogurt and tried spoon feeding her again...again that little mouth was cemented closed.  I couldn't stomach the idea of dipping her toast in the yogurt (gag gag gag) so I decided to give the pre-loaded spoon a try.  

All I did was smear a bit of yoghurt on the back and front of the spoon and hand it to her.  She started banging it around on the tray and then tried to get it into her mouth.  She was holding it far too far down the handle, so the yogurt ended up all over her face...her expression was priceless WHO PUT THIS MUCK ON MY PLASTIC TOY??? But, after loading it again and helping her to hold it closer up the handle the yogurt made its way into her mouth.

We tried a few spoonfuls and she obligingly tasted it every time.  It was messy, more was smeared across the tray and up and down her arms...but it worked. And the best bit, she was happily trying it, unlike when we tried to do it for her.

I'd still like her to let me feed her, just so that I know I can if I feel the need to, and maybe that will come in time when she begins to understand what the MUCK on the end of the spoon is.  For now, though, I'm a convert to the pre-loaded spoon.