Category: Family Life
Wobbles When Weaning
Before long you will have mastered the art of weaning your baby with pureed fruit and vegetables. After a couple of months of puree your baby will be ready for the next stage of weaning, eating foods with more texture.
Adding texture is an important stage in weaning and development for your baby. It helps to strengthen jaw muscles, encourages the development of speech, helps to ensure healthy teeth and prepares your baby for chewing food and eating family meals.
The best advice I received when I was introducing texture to my baby was to take things slowly. There’s no need to get anxious or frustrated if your baby spits out the lumpy bits or refuses textured food altogether.
You may find your baby takes to textured food straight away or it could be some time before your baby is happy chewing and swallowing lumpier food. Either way, there are things you can do to help make this next stage of weaning as easy as possible for both you and your baby.
Tips for the Smooth Introduction of Texture
1. Until your baby is at least ten months old they should be able to easily mush any lumps in their mouth, with or without teeth.
Lumps in food need to be small, soft and manageable for your baby.
2. Begin by slowly adding texture to the foods your baby likes.
Introducing texture to your baby’s puree will most likely be met with a surprised face! You can start by adding grated fruit, mashed vegetable or finely chopped food to your baby’s puree which is a subtle way of encouraging your baby to eat thicker and lumpier food. Introduce new food textures one at a time.
3. Keep baby interested in texture.
When your baby is happy with some texture you can start to vary the texture you give by adding baby pasta shapes or grains such as couscous into their favourite meals.
4. Offer your baby finger foods if they’re developmentally ready.
Babies will often eat lumpier foods if they’re feeding themselves.
5. Don’t force your baby to try something if they don’t want to.
The key is to keep things relaxed and fun so your baby looks forward to mealtimes. This helps to avoid fussy eaters later on.
Initially, I found my baby was happy to eat food with a thicker consistency but she didn’t enjoy food with lumps in it. She would spit the lumps out or refuse to try what I was offering. I took my time and continued to give her food with texture for several weeks until one day she just ate the spoonful of lumpy food as if it were the most normal thing to do!
Lydia Oliver – Nutritional Advisor Only Best For Baby
This article was published in the April 2013 edition of Mummy and Me Magazine.
I offer one to one nutrition programmes for breastfeeding, post pregnancy weight loss, weaning, weight management and health. Contact me.
Along the River Thames
This week we ventured out along the River Thames with grey skies, wind and snow blizzards. Like everyone, we’re waiting patiently for some sunshine and warm weather which has been promised by the Met Office for the end of next week. But the cold hasn’t stopped us from enjoying our daily walks and outdoor adventures.
We met two beautiful horses from the Mounted Branch of the Metropolitan Police.
The grey skies looked spooky above us.
Viewing London City’s skyline as strong winds attempted to whisk Imogen’s hat away.
Hunt for the Largest Easter Egg
On Good Friday we set off an urban adventure to find the largest Easter Egg.
It was a beautiful sunny morning with a bitterly cold wind and we stopped in the park for a play until our fingers felt as though they would drop off. Our adventurous toddler loves climbing, running and exploring. Her confidence is streaks ahead of her capabilities so Daddy was called to join her in the ‘big’ playground.
Daddy got more than he bargained for when he found himself coming down a slide made for little ones. Thankfully we were the only ones at the park at 9am on Good Friday!
Living in London near the River Thames means we’re lucky enough to walk along the beautiful and changing landscape of the city’s iconic river. The River Thames has a total length of 215 miles and tides that rise and fall by 7 metres. This morning the tide was out so we could see the river’s foreshore below us.
We headed to Canary Wharf for a play near the fountain. I tried to keep Imogen out of the fountain by explaining that the water was freezing cold and not for swimming in. She ended up with a soaking wet glove, it could have been worse. After several runs around the fountain we headed indoors to warm up and have some lunch.
On our way home we walked through Westferry Circus Gardens. Did we find the largest Easter Egg in London? This beautiful bronze sculpture is by Do Vassilakis-König.
