Introducing a baby to solid foods is probably one of the most nerve-racking things I've ever attempted, I genuinely asked so many people for help and advice on what they did and what they started with, how much and when! I thought, considering how much I struggled, I would do a post on how I started/what I started with and what she is eating now.
This post is in no way a guide on 'how to' wean your babies at all, I have been asked a number of times what I did which is just another reason for this post today.
If anyone doesn't agree with the way I feed her, what I am feeding her or the fact I started weaning her at 4 months then please click away now as negative comments aren't welcome :)
So lets just start with when and why I started weaning Mia;
Mia was 4 months old exactly and I had taken her to be weighed a couple of days before she turned 4 months and she had dropped off her growth curve for her weight, I mentioned to the health advisor that she was either refusing bottles or drinking half and them throwing the entire lot back up over the space between feeds (that was my reason for getting her weighted that day because I was concerned). The health visitor was no help at all and told me that because technically, even though she had fallen off the curve, she had put weight on, even if it was a very very little amount.
I took it upon myself that day to start reading all I could, downloading weaning apps and asking anyone and everyone for advice on weaning. The health advisor told me to wait till 6 months because food wouldn't solve her issue, my mommy instinct told me otherwise so I went with it.
First Food;
Mia has been fed formula since day 3 or 4 after a failed attempt at breastfeeding on my part :/
The formula we decided to go with was Aptamil, so when looking at the 'first taste' section in my local supermarket I decided to stick with the foods from Aptamil - its just the way my brain works haha. I chose the creamed porridge over the rice after 1. reading that baby rice actually contains a lot of harsh chemicals and that genuinely freaked me out and 2. I did a lot of asking about, questioning and borderline interviewing my friends who have babies about what they started with.
The main difference that was making me lean more towards the rice was the fact that you make it with the formula milk whereas you make the porridge with water but I quickly learnt that actually you can make the porridge with milk, it still turns into porridge haha.
What Mia Has Now at 5 Months Old;
Mia tends to have 2 or 3 solid meals a day as well as 5 bottles and she feeds every 3-4 hours.
First thing in the morning when she wakes up she has a 7oz bottle and usually drinks it all but can sometimes get distracted or start chewing on the nipple instead of actually drinking her milk and once she's out the zone there is no getting her back.
At 10am she has 5oz and fruit porridge, I use the Aptamil creamed porridge and 2 portions of pureed pear/apple/mango/banana - the fruit depends on the day and her poop pattern haha.
Today we had apple...
I make sure to give her the bottle first, I used to feed her the porridge first and then I realised that once she's tasted the porridge she didn't want boring old milk anymore so would refuse her bottle. She still sometimes refuses it or only drinks half but if she ever drinks under half I go back to the kitchen, add another spoon of porridge and then pour in her milk and mix it all together.
At 1pm she will have a 6oz bottle and some puree fruit medley depending on how much milk she has drank. If I think she has drank enough milk I will give her the fruit which usually consists of 1 portions of pear, 1 portion of apple and 1 portion of mango.
At 4pm she will have a 5oz bottle and some puree vegetables or a Heinz Dinner - the Heinz dinners come in a box very similar to the porridge and you simple add 1 heaped scoop of the mix to 4/5 spoons of water. There are so many different options of the dinners, you don't only have Heinz but they are the best ones I found for 4+ months.
If she is having vegetables I normally give her 2 portions of each thing - for example today I gave her 2 portions of peas and 2 portions of carrot.
Lastly at 8pm she will have a 7oz bottle and that is the start of her bedtime routine - I have a separate post on her bedtime routine if you are interested in that. I did that post when she was 3 months old I think and it is still exactly the same and still working strong. Consistency really is key!
If you are interested in how I make the 'portions' you see in the images above then please let me know as I would love to do a post on that if anyone is curious haha.
If you have any suggestions of meals I could create for Mia or any in particular that your little one loves then please feel free to get in touch with me on my social media! I love hearing about your little ones and learning new parent-y things every day.
I hope you have a great day or night where ever you are!
Emm xoxo
