My Top 10 Weaning Tips
Weaning - What You Need to Know
By Laura Carbery of Hungry Munchkins
2 Min Read
Eat together - Family mealtimes are a great chance for your baby to see everyone eating lots of different healthy foods and encourage your baby to try them too. Best of all, your baby will see that mealtimes can be pleasurable. This will help to set a healthy-eating habit that could last him/her a lifetime.
Be adventurous – The more varied tastes and textures you introduce to your baby from a young age, the better. Introducing them to a range of flavours and textures often makes them more adventurous eaters later on.
Don’t give up – Try, try and try again. It can take up to 15 times for a baby to accept a new food. Don’t worry if your baby refuses certain foods at first. Keep calm and try again another day!
Embrace the mess - It’s important to let your baby explore their food with their hands, as it’s a vital part of their development. Don’t be afraid to let them touch and squish their food as they use their senses to explore the world around them. Wipeable long sleeved bibs are an essential purchase! It doesn’t always have to be really messy though. You can give your baby convenient finger foods such as toast soldiers, slices of cheese, chopped steamed veg and banana, which will give your baby a hands-on experience without having a huge amount of clean up after.
Go at your own pace – Don’t get too hung up on how much your baby has eaten at eat meal. Each baby is different and each day is different. Your baby may eat less while teething and more during a growth spurt. Trust your baby and your instincts. Try not compare your baby to others and go at your own pace.
Don’t wait for the ‘Hangry’ stage - Babies get frustrated when they are hungry so space out the milk feeds and solid foods so that mealtimes are relaxed and enjoyable for everyone.
Store cupboard – Juggling babies and every day life can be challenging! Having a well-stocked store cupboard of easy, go-to ingredients can make life a whole lot easier on those crazy busy days. Things like tinned pulses, sweetcorn, frozen veg, tinned tuna, eggs, pasta, rice and tinned tomatoes can help get a nutritious meal on the table in no time.
Plan ahead if possible – Plan your meals, shop online and learn a few quick and easy recipes to get you started. This way you’ll have more time to enjoy mealtimes with your baby.
Batch cook – Cook double portions of lunches and dinners when you can so you can freeze them. Then you’ll always have a stock of yummy, healthy food on hand.
Have fun – Weaning your baby onto solid foods should be a really exciting and happy time for you and your baby. The time flies by so try to take a deep breath, relax and enjoy the experience.
