Terrified of Weaning

[x-amy-x]

The more i read, the more i am confused, the more confused i get, the more i really don't want to ever wean Caitlyn. I know that according to guidelines she is still a long way off weaning. But i don't even know where to start. I don't know when she will be ready. I keep telling myself that she will let me know when she wants proper food, but how will i know, she is my first child.

How will i know what food to give her? I feel like what should be a really fun time is turning into a dreaded time for me. My mother can't wait for me to start feeding her but she can stay on milk for the rest of her life for me

Am i the only one who feels this way? I'm probably just being stupid

xx

 

[Munchkin]

I don't think you are the only one Amy!
There are so many different guidelines. I would so much recommend picking up a good book on weaning. Perhaps one of Annabel Karmels.

In terms of when she is ready, the best advice I have had is:
1) Baby can hold head up well
2) baby has lost tongue thrust reflex - i.e. she pushes unfamiliar things straight out of the mouth
3) Baby starts waking up at night because she is hungry (bar growth spurts as milk intake during the day should be increased at these stages, rather than solids introduced)

The one good bit of advice I had from my HV that I didn't see in Annabel Karmels is to introduce veg first instead of fruit so they don't reject anything that isn't sweet. now, I don't know how true this is, but Ryan will take veg easier than fruit.

It's not as daunting as it seems. You will get there!

 

[sam's mum]

I was exactly the same!! But now we've started I'm loving it (and so is Sam)...you will know when she's ready, and you start them off so slowly that things don't really change much at first anyway. Annabel Karmel's 'Feeding your baby and toddler' is really good for advice, recipes etc but at the moment I'm just making purees of whatever we've got here that I think he'll like, and haven't had any problems with anything yet (he's had carrot, apple, butternut squash, banana, avocado and a few other things and I've just been playing arpund mixing things that I think will be nice - avocado and banana last night). You get loads of ideas from jars too, or you could just try her on those when you first start. It's far less stressful than I expected!

You'll be fine when she's ready, don't worry!

 

[loveshopping]

Don't worry Amy - I felt just the same. If anything I felt she was growing up too much and dreaded when she was 6 months old and had to start weaning. But bought Annabel Karmel's book and just tried a small amount of baby rice and then pureed fruit and veg just for one mealtime. And keep telling yourself milk is still their main food. When you see them like it and smile, you will gain confidence. Hope all goes well.

 

[Holldoll]

I'm feeling the same way! I've been reading "Super Baby Food" because I want to make my own food for her. The more I read the more nervous I am about weaning her.