Weaning Diaries // Week 1 & 2

Florence enjoying some Broccoli Purée!

I spent a lot of time questioning whether Florence was ready to start weaning. She was showing all the typical “ready” signs such as;

• Her birth weight had doubled. 
• Curious about what Chris and I eat. 
• Sitting well when supported and enjoyed sitting in her Highchair. 
• Making chewing motions.
• Showed good hand-eye coordination.
• Brought everything to her mouth. 
• Started taking an extra bottle.
• Woke more during the night when she previously slept 8/9 hour stretches.

I’m sure that many of the “ready” signs are natural to their development, especially as she seemed to be experiencing the sleep regressing and a growth spurt, but it’s what all of the books and websites suggest so we decided to give weaning a try! 

Florence had her first mouthful of Baby Rice when she was 20 weeks, almost five months old. She initially showed interest in the Baby Rice so we tried the same again on the Tuesday lunch time. This time was different. She didn’t swallow much of the rice and kept pushing it out with her tongue. Although I understand that babies are born with the tongue-thrust reflex, meaning they’ll push anything that is placed on their tongue out of their mouth, I didn’t feel that Florence was ready so we stopped offering her the Rice with the intention to try again the following week.

The following Monday we offered Florence some Baby Rice again. This time she was different. This time she was more enthusiastic about eating and pushed the rice to the back of her mouth and swallowed it. We tried again the following lunch time and she showed the same enthusiasm. I was then confident and happy to try her on some homemade purées.

To start off with, we introduced Florence to a new vegetable every two days. We offered her a single vegetable purée as we wanted her to experience each flavour on its own before we start to combine flavours. It is also worth knowing what vegetables she enjoys eating and the ones that she is less enthusiastic about so that we can continue to try.

Here is Florence’s meal planner for her first week of weaning-

Week 1	Breakfast – 9.00am	Lunch – 1.00pm	Dinner – 4.00pm	Bedtime – 7.00pm
Monday	Bottle	Bottle Baby Rice	Bottle	Bottle
Tuesday	Bottle	Bottle Baby Rice	Bottle	Bottle
Wednesday	Bottle	Bottle Carrot Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Thursday	Bottle	Bottle Carrot Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Friday	Bottle	Bottle Parsnip Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Saturday	Bottle	Bottle Parsnip Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Sunday	Bottle	Bottle Sweet Potato Purée	Bottle	Bottle

At the start of the week Florence only had a few spoonfuls of purée, but by the end of week 1 she was easily eating a whole cube of purée and would have happily had more. Therefore, Chris and I were confident that Florence was taking to weaning and didn’t feel the need to offer her the same vegetable for two days anymore.

During week 2, Florence tried a new vegetable every day. Here is her meal planner for her second week of weaning -

Week 2	Breakfast – 9.00am	Lunch – 1.00pm	Dinner 4.00pm	Bedtime 7.00pm
Monday	Bottle	Bottle Sweet Potato Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Tuesday	Bottle	Bottle Swede Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Wednesday	Bottle	Bottle Pea Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Thursday	Bottle	Bottle Butternut Squash Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Friday	Bottle	Bottle Potato Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Saturday	Bottle	Bottle Broccoli Purée	Bottle	Bottle
Sunday	Bottle	Bottle Cauliflower Purée	Bottle	Bottle

This week we are going to combine different vegetables to make delicious purées. We are also going to start introducing Florence to fruit purées with her breakfast bottle.

Are there any vegetables that we have missed out?

What was your baby’s favorite?

Weaning Essentials

Weaning is a wonderful experience for both Baby and Parents, it can however be very daunting. How do you know when your baby is “ready” to start weaning? How do you know what equipment to buy? Baby-Led or Purée? 

Before Florence was even born we started to buy equipment for our weaning journey. Here are some of the things that Chris and I have found to be essential;

 Steamer

It is best to steam all baby food as it preserves all of the natural nutrients. You can of course buy an electric steamer but we just use a tiered steamer on the cooker top. When we made all of Florence’s purées we also used our microwave to steam, we had them all on the go! 

Blender

We were kindly gifted a Tommee Tippee Explora Baby Food Blender and used it for Florence’s first batch of purée. I was excited to use it but we haven’t used it since. Unfortunately, it’s very small which means you can only purée a small amount of food at one time. We found ourselves having to blend each vegetable twice because it didn’t all fit into the container. It also leaked through the bottom and made a big mess on the work surface. We now use a Kenwood Hand Blender which seems to be working much better and means that we can make larger quantities in less time!

 

Ice Cube Trays

Ice cube trays are excellent for freezing small portions of purée. We made up all of Florence’s fruit and vegetables and froze them in silicone ice cube trays, purchased from Amazon. When the purées had frozen we popped them out of the tray into ziplock freezer bags and labelled them with the contents and the date they were made (once purées are frozen they should be used within six weeks). Another good thing about using ice cube trays is you can mix and match the purées to make new flavours, for example you could defrost a cube of Carrot and a cube of Swede to make a carrot and Swede purée! 

 

Bowls

Florence’s feeding bowls are from John Lewis. They come in a pack of five and are brightly coloured to make meal times fun! I really like these bowls as they are deep, easy to clean, stackable, and have removable lids meaning we can use them as lunch boxes too! They are also suitable for freezing and microwave use so we can freeze and defrost her food in them when she’s eating larger portion. The bowls are BPA free so they are perfect for little mouths!

Spoons

Her spoons are also from John Lewis and match her bowl set. Again, the spoons are brightly coloured and BPA free. The tips are soft so they are very gentle on Florence’s gums and they are small enough to fit into her mouth. They are fairly shallow which makes the transition from sucking to taking a spoon a little easier! 

Highchair

We use the IKEA Antilop Highchair with the Support Cushion insert. I done a lot of research on highchairs and this type seemed to come out on top every time. It’s easy to clean, compact, has a large tray, and at £13 it is an absolute bargain! I was a little worried that it didn’t have a five point harness but we’ve never strapped Florence in because the insert really supports her (oops, naughty Mother!) It’s quite small in height too which means Florence can sit with us at the table at dinner time which she loves! To keep her entertained for longer periods we put some of her favourite toys on the tray, she has a lovely Highchair suction toy too!

 

Bapron

Weaning can be a very messy process for everyone involved so I was on the look out for a bib that would cover most of Florence while she eats! While searching online I came across something called a “Bapron.” It’s an apron bib that ties around the back of the baby so there’s no way they can pull it off! Florence’s Bapron is a beautiful oil cloth Strawberry pattern that I found on Etsy.

 

 

Doidy Cup

The Doidy Cup is designed at a slant that helps young children learn how to drink from a cup. Fingers crossed it will also mean that there will be less water spilt! I haven’t introduced the Doidy Cup to Florence yet but I am excited to! She currently takes her water from a small Dr Brown’s bottle while she is learning how to eat from a spoon. I didn’t want to put too much onto her too soon!

The following products aren't essential for weaning, but they are lovely to have!

Nuby Fruitsicles Purée Mould

When I saw these on offer in Waitrose I just had to have them! The Nuby Fruitsicle Purée Moulds are perfect for making frozen purée or yoghurt lollies and are small enough to fit into our little one’s hands. The weather is getting warmer and Florence’s gums are getting more poorly by the day so I am hoping they will help soothe the heat and teething problems! 

Munchkin Lil Apple Plates

These Munchkin Lil Apple plates are a bright and vibrant way to make meal times fun. I can’t wait to start using these plates when Florence starts having finger food in a couple of months. The small sections mean that she can have a variety of food on the plate that she is clearly able to see and grab!

Fill ‘N’ Squeeze

The Fill ‘n’Squeeze allows you to transfer your home cooked purées into food pouches so that you can take them on the go without having to buy branded food pouches. The pouches are reusable, and can be used in the dishwasher, freezer, and microwave! This product means that I can still give Florence a homemade, healthy meal whilst we are out and about.

So these are my weaning essentials! 
Do you every day essentials that you'd like to share with me?

Florence's Five Month Update

Weight

We wasn’t able to get Florence weighed this week as our local Children’s Health Clinic was closed for Bank Holiday Monday. When she was weighed two weeks ago she weighed 13lb 13oz, meaning she has just doubled her birth weight! 

Daily Routine

Florence’s daily routine has slightly changed now, mainly because her nap routine has changed!
Her new routine generally follows this pattern;

7.00am – Wakes up and comes into bed with us.
8.30am – Morning bottle.
8.45am – 9.30am – Playtime.
9.30am – 10.30am – Morning nap.
10.30am – Get dressed.
11.00am – Leave for Baby Class.
11.30am – 12.30pm – Baby Class.
12.30pm – Lunch bottle.
1.00pm – Lunch purée.
2.00pm – 3.00pm – Afternoon nap.
3.00pm – 4.00pm – Playtime.
4.00pm – Afternoon bottle.
4.30pm – 5.00pm – Last night.
5.00pm – 6.00pm – Playtime.
6.30pm – Bath.
6.45pm – Night time bottle.
7.00pm – Bed.

The 4 month sleep regression/growth spurt still seems to be effecting Florence as she is still waking at 11pm for an extra bottle!

Eating

Florence has 6 bottles over a 24 hour period, taking between 4 and 5oz each time. She still isn’t interested in taking larger amounts but has now started to take a full 5oz bottle over the last few days.

We started Florence’s weaning journey last week too! After a few weeks of slow weight gain, taking an extra bottle, and waking more during the night Chris and I decided to try her on some solids. She has a bowl of vegetable purée after her lunch time bottle and is really enjoying her food. So far she has tried Baby Rice, Carrot, Parsnip, and Sweet Potato. We offer her water with her lunch puree too.

Clothes

Florence is still wearing mostly 0-3 clothes. All of her Sleepsuits are 0-3 but she is starting to fit into some of her “normal” clothes in 3-6 months but most are still too big for her! Some clothes are still Newborn (bless!)

Florence is now in Size 3 nappies!

Development

Giggling – After making us wait weeks and weeks after her first smile, Florence has finally started to giggle! Chris was playing with her when she first giggled and it made me cry. Thankfully we caught it on our Camcorder. It really is the best noise in the World. 

Rolling – Florence is trying her hardest to roll from her front to her back. She is almost there but her arm keeps getting in the way!

Swimming – Florence has been submerged many times but she has now done a couple of underwater swims at her Swimming Lessons.

Sitting - Florence can sit up unsupported for a couple of seconds, she's getting there!

Confessions Of A New Mum

Okay Mamas, it's time to confess. What crazy, funny, a little odd, and possibly embarrassing pregnancy and parenting stories do you all have?!

1) I have told people that Florence is teething when she starts fussing in public.

2) Sleep deprivation is the blame for everything, even on days when I'm not tired. Overflowing laundry basket - tired. Not wanting to cook - tired. Not getting dressed until 3.30pm - tired. 

3) I started wearing gigantic granny knickers after my Caesarean. I am still wearing them.

4) I use Florence to get out of social situations and I am not ashamed to admit it.

5) Florence was sick in my hair once. I forgot about it and didn't wash it for two days.

6) The same goes for clothes.

7) I sometimes watch Chris sleeping peacefully while I'm up at night with Florence and imagine punching him in the face.

8) And when he tells me he's tired.

9) And when he moans when I ask him to do something.*

10) There are some nights where I just have to sit down in the shower.

11) Four hours of broken sleep is a good nights sleep.

12) Baby wipes are the Holy Grail of cleaning tools. From wiping down the high chair to washing the sick out of your hair.

13) I wash the same clothes twice (at least) before I get around to hanging them out to dry.

14) Some days I cry more than Florence does. 

15) I once tried using Dentinox as a sleep aid. It didn't work.

16) Sleep over intimacy. Who has time for that anymore?!

17) I can't go a day without crying. Whether it's over a video, program, film, song, news article. I am so sensitive now! 

18) I have lied about feeling unwell just so I can have five minutes uninterrupted time to myself.

19) I'm 99.9% sure that I fell asleep on the toilet once. 

20) I've questioned whether I have remembered to put Florence in the car or if I have left her in the shop/restaurant/park.

*Dear Chris, I am sure you'll read this at some point. Please don't be alarmed, I don't love you any less but sometimes I really really resent you. Lots of love xxx*

Florence's Four Month Update

Weight

When we went to the Children’s Health Clinic on Monday Florence weighed 13lb 1oz. She has almost doubled her birth weight! She’s been quite poorly this week so I am hoping that she has still gained a good amount of weight when I take her to be weighed next week!

Daily Routine

During the day Florence still follows the pattern of Bottle, Playtime, Nap, Bottle, Playtime, Nap. We have moved Florence’s bedtime a little earlier again, and now start running her bath at 6.30pm. Before we start her bedtime routine we either have a last play to tire her out, or wind down with a massage using Earth Friendly Baby Moisturising Shea ButterMassage Oil. We tend to alternate Florence having “short” and “long baths.” For example, on Monday she’ll have a big bath using her Baby Neck Float and on Tuesday she’ll have a small bath using her Angelcare Bath Support.

Chris has now taken over Florence’s bedtime so I can get on with boring jobs such as washing, ironing, cooking dinner, or washing the bottles! Florence has been really snuffly lately, so after her bath Chris rubs Snufflebabe Vapour Rub onto her chest and feet, and turns on the Calpol Vapour Plugin! She is then changed into her night time Pampers Baby Dry nappy, clean pyjamas, and has her last bottle!

Florence had started to sleep really well. She would go down at 7.15/7.30pm and not wake for a bottle until around 2.30/3.00am. However, it now seems that the 4-Month Sleep Regression has reared its ugly head and now she has started waking for an 11pm bottle again, and another 2-3 times a night. It is exhausting! She does have better nights than others and will still occasionally sleep until 1.30/2.00am.

Eating

Florence now drinks 5oz at almost every feed. While we are out we use the Aptamil Ready Made Bottles and she will occasionally 6-6.5oz. We have just introduced Florence to water! In the morning I make up a small bottle of cooled, boiled water and she’ll have a few sips over the course of the day.

Clothes

Florence is still wearing 0-3 sleepsuits and has just started to wear her “real” clothes such as dresses, leggings, and blouses! I don’t think that it’ll be too long before we are sorting out her 3-6 month sleepsuits though, she is so long!

Development

Grabbing – Florence has started grabbing toys when you put them in front of her eye line. She especially loves playing with the dangling Zebra toy on her Bright Starts Spots and Stripes Playmat, and her Winkel Rattle which is perfect for her little hands to grab!

Rolling – Florence can now roll from her tummy to her back, and there have been times where we’ve left her on her back and when we come back she’s rolled onto her front! I haven’t seen her actually roll from her back to her tummy though.

Thumb Sucking – Florence has recently found her hands and does not stop sucking on them! She now sucks her thumb when she sleeps, it is so adorable!