Preparing to wean a baby is no mean feat. Not only does it take time and effort, it’s also kind of emotional too. As the 6-month point approaches, things start to change pretty quickly...and you wave goodbye to you static, simple to care for baby (haha, no seriously, when you look back, you’ll see what I mean) and you start to really see how much fun having a child is.
The first months of feeding a baby can be tough, don’t get me wrong. Whether you b-feed or use formula, the whole process can be really tough on both parents (in very different ways!) and one thing to remember is you don’t want to rush weaning. You’ll hear all sorts of myths about getting your baby on solids helping them sleep etc...you make your own mind up on that, but all I’ll say is don't rush it, no matter how tempting.
It’s pretty agreed upon that once your baby can sit up relatively confidently, they’re sort of ready to start trying some food. We’re at that point now and weaning is literally on the horizon.
I’ve mentioned that it’s exciting and sad at the same time. The prospect of seeing the baby try new things is brilliant. I love the adventure he is about to go on with discovering there is more to life than just milk. However, with that said, it sort of sparks the start of the end of him being dinky. That time just flies by and a little part of me wants him to stay small forever.
We learnt a few things the first time around, not on purpose, but by chance that we are going to make sure we do/avoid this time.
Firstly, it’s all in the prep. Weaning requires a bit more work than just cooking and to begin with, you can’t simply just blitz up what you are eating. We have a few books (they’re all pretty good and you can’t tell much between them really except the smiling celebrity face on the cover) but it isn’t rocket science. It’s a good idea to get some freezer moulds so that you don’t have to make up meals/prep veg etc throughout the day when you’re already busy anyway. We’ve done a load of veg puree, frozen them up and portioned them to be defrosted when we need them. It saves loads of stress.
Secondly, there’s no need to rush. I think it’s so tempting to try everything under the sun straight off. I mean, some things are absolutely hilarious, lemon, sweet things - you know the videos that you always see on social media. But with that said, don’t put pressure on yourself to be ultra diverse all of the time.
Thirdly, accept help when it’s offered. Be it grandparents offering to make up meals for you (thanks mum) or even a friend to watch the baby while you do some meal prep yourself, don’t push help away. As with anything around parenting, there are no medals awarded for having a tough time.
Finally, do you. Some people do purees, some people do baby-led - it doesn’t make any difference really. Just do what you want to do and don’t feel beholden to others. If you think the whole b-fed or formula was the only debate/battle you were going to have regarding feeding your baby, think again!
