Weaning advice for 8 month olds?

[SucreK]

Hi everyone! I have twin 8 month old girls and I need your advice, because I'm pretty sure I'm doing this all wrong. Sigh.

So, the girls have been weaning since 7 months. They only "eat" at dinner time (the rest of the day they drink bottles). We've done rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, and squash. I offer oatmeal (about 2 TBSP) at almost every dinner, as they typically only eat a few bites of the vegetables I've offered before they start refusing to eat anymore (though they do seem to like the squash!). We try each veggie at least 10 times (10 days in a row, as much as they'll eat each time).

Am I doing this right? Am I moving too slow? The girls sit upright on their own and are doing great in their high chairs. They are very interested in anything we're eating or drinking, so I know they have an interest in food. I just worry that I need to move things along, but I'm not sure how to do so since my husband and I both work full time. I don't want to stunt my girls! Similarly, I don't want to jump the gun and risk giving them foods that will make them choke or that they're simply not ready to digest (we had a scary incident with a puff that supposedly 'melts in your mouth'--not quite).

Thank you for any advice!

 

[petersmamma]

I started weaning sooner (at 4 -5 mos) and I used similar foods. Is your concern you started weaning too late?

 

[SucreK]

I started weaning sooner (at 4 -5 mos) and I used similar foods. Is your concern you started weaning too late?

Hm...good question. Maybe not that we started too late (their adjusted age is 6 months, as they were 2 months premature), but that we need to pick up the pace. I feel like a lot of parents have their children eating multiple meals a day by now, and day care has offered to add a feeding. Would it make sense to have day care feed them something easy and portable, like yogurt? Or a puree dish? I definitely don't want them feeding the girls chunky food (because I'm neurotic).

 

[liz1985]

Is there a reason they only eat 1 meal? ie. Because they are not that bothered about food? Or have you just not offered it yet? If your not offering i would begin to start offering another meal and maybe some finger foods as well. Both mine were on 3 meals a day by 8 months but that doesn't mean all babies will be. If your offering and they just dont want it, then just keep offering and im sure over time they will start eating more.

 

[SucreK]

Thank you. I'm ashamed to say that they're on just one meal because hubs (and I, though I'm already gone in the morning before they wake up) are still trying struggling to get both girls out the door in the morning with feeding them bottles and are having trouble wrapping our brains around doing the meal feeding thing in addition to everything else we have to accomplish in the morning. We might be overly neurotic, but we want to watch them while they eat (just in case they have trouble), and OH just doesn't have the time to do that AND get ready for work. Starting today, though, we're sending them to school with yogurt and other first foods, and will practice finger foods at night when we can watch them like hawks.

 

[minties]

Could they have dinner with you and eat what you eat?

I would definitely expect much more variety at 8 months including meat and finger foods etc.

They can have whatever you have aparr from whole nuts and honey, just don't give lots of salt

Toast was very popular with my kids at that age.

 

[SucreK]

Could they have dinner with you and eat what you eat?

I would definitely expect much more variety at 8 months including meat and finger foods etc.

They can have whatever you have aparr from whole nuts and honey, just don't give lots of salt

Toast was very popular with my kids at that age.

Would you say that toast is a better finger food than the Gerber puffs? My girls cannot, for the life of them, get the puffs off their sticky hands. They try and try to get them off, but the puffs stay stuck to their palms, and I'm not really sure the puffs are doing anything to advance their pincer skills.

If you do toast, do you butter it? I can't even eat toast without something to help it down!

Thanks so much!

 

[Twinkl3]

Toast is a great finger food

You could try a variety of topping so you know they are getting different nutrients. Just some idea's we have: butter, full fat cream cheese, mashed avacado, mashed banana or hummus.

Avacado is a great weaning food as its mushy but babies can generally hold them well in strips Plus it is full of healthy fats.

In regards to adding another meal I say go for it. We started with lunch then breakfast and lastly dinner. Shes 7 months and has 3 meals but I think its because shes a greedy moo and loves food haha. Each baby is different

 

[minties]

I've never seen a puff before, but Sophie had toast at 6 months and it was easy for her to hold

You could use olive oil or coconut oil as a spread if you aren't keen on butter or margarine. I used unsalted butter and a smear of something like Vegemite/marmite.

Little mini pancakes were another item that was easy to grab onto.