---

Скачать книгу

---

all the deliciously sweet flavours. Just be careful not to overdo the fruit! It can result in a few upsets – upset tummies and the rejection of blander, savoury vegetable flavours, which is the last thing you need! Always start with a veggie purée over a fruit one.

      no-cook purées

      There are some fruit and veg that you don’t have to cook before serving – they make wonderful first foods and are super-easy to mush up for families on the go! I’m talking about things like ripe banana, avocado, cucumber and melon. (See here and here for a few easy no-cook recipes.) It’s a good idea to offer these even if you’re not on the go to get your baby used to different textures and temperatures. You might not always have the facilities to make your baby a hot meal, so get him used to eating cold foods to avoid fussiness further down the line.

      SINGLE FIRST FOODS

      I’ve put together a few sample feeding routines for you, starting from six months. If you are weaning before then, consult your GP or midwife about what’s appropriate for your little one. How you proceed safely will depend on your baby’s age, weight, whether they were premature or late, etc. It’s best to get medical advice, if only to confirm your gut feeling that your baby is ready.

      WEEK 1

      When weaning day arrived for each of mine, I tried a little baby rice at breakfast to get them started. I’d wait for them to wake up – usually around 7am – leave them with Dan for Daddy cuddles, then go to the kitchen and make up their usual morning milk feed. I’d stopped breastfeeding by six months with all of my babies, so when it was time to start weaning, they were all on formula.

      Mid-morning, I’d mix up a little baby rice in a bowl, using some of the milk from the bottle, so as not to go over the quota for that feed, and prepare a sippy cup of water. For the first week, just a couple of teaspoons of baby rice is enough. When I had everything ready to go – AND HIDDEN THE BOTTLE OF MILK from hungry little eyes – I’d put them in their high chair, give them a sip of water to quench their new-day thirst and offer a little baby rice on a spoon. Not all of my children were immediately receptive to the baby rice, and I made sure I caught on camera every delicious face they pulled, but every day their interest grew, to the point that by the end of the first week, they would all manage a full teaspoon or so, before being offered the rest of their mid-morning milk feed via the bottle.

      After mine got the hang of their morning baby rice, I tried a single-ingredient purée (preferably vegetable – see here). Mine seemed to take particularly well to Pea, Broccoli and Sweet Potato flavours (see here, here and here). For the first week or so, it’s a good idea to mix the purée with a little of their milk feed so that it tastes vaguely familiar. I always found my children were more receptive to trying new flavours after their main nap, that is, at lunchtime. At 3pm, they’re not tired and they are full of beans, bursting to see what new adventures you’ve got lined up for them that afternoon. As with breakfast, keep a sippy cup of water at hand to quench their thirst. You don’t want to show them their milk feed until after they’ve had a little taste of solid food. Then, when their interest grinds to a halt, you can give them the rest of their milk feed.

      SAMPLE MENU

	Breakfast	Sip of water followed by baby rice and morning milk feed (175–225ml/6–8fl oz)
	Mid-morning	Baby’s usual milk feed (175–225ml/6–8fl oz)
	Mid-afternoon	Sip of water followed by a single-ingredient purée (see here) mixed with a little of the mid-afternoon milk feed or cooking liquor, followed by the remainder of the milk feed (175–225ml/6–8fl oz). Pea or Carrot (see here) are good ones to try first
	Bedtime	Baby’s usual milk feed (175–225ml/6–8fl oz)

      WEEK 2

      What happens in Week 2 all depends on how well your baby got on in Week 1. If you didn’t get much past the morning baby rice, then now’s the time to start introducing his first vegetable purée. If your baby wolfed down two meals a day for most of Week 1, then you can think about adding another meal. You can also try adding an extra layer of flavour at a meal by following a purée up with some plain full-fat live yoghurt or a sweeter single-fruit purée, such as Pear, Apple, Peach or Banana (see here). By the end of Week 2, if you are sitting him down twice a day, morning and afternoon, for solids and working in another meal around the mid-morning feed, you’re well on your way to achieving three meals a day.

      Be totally guided by your baby and what he can manage. If he’s grouchy and fed up when you sit him down and has no desire to eat from a spoon one day, then leave it. Try again the next day. It’s all about trial and error and what works best for you both.

      One thing I would say is that you should try to introduce different flavours quite quickly. You can still repeat flavours, but if you’re managing three sessions a day, try to make sure one of those includes something new.

      SAMPLE MENU

	Breakfast	Sip of water followed by baby rice mixed with some of the morning milk feed, then top up with the usual morning milk feed (175–225ml/6–8fl oz)
	Mid-morning	Sip of water first, then a single-ingredient vegetable purée (see here), followed by some plain full-fat live yoghurt. Top up with the usual mid-morning milk feed (175–225ml/6–8fl oz)
	Mid-afternoon	Baby’s usual milk feed (175–225ml/6–8fl oz)
	Teatime	Sip of water first, then a single-ingredient vegetable purée, followed by a single-ingredient fruit purée (see here). Try to give a different purée from the one at lunch, if possible, to encourage a varied palate
	Bedtime	Baby’s usual milk feed (175–225ml/6–8fl oz) Скачать книгу В начало<56789101112>В конец