Sylvia Cronin started weaning her 12-month-old Arlo when he was six months old. Having already weaned Luke, 6, and Theo, 3, she knew her youngest was ready.
“He would sit completely in his high chair and eat his meals. We would sit down and eat dinner and he would imitate us and chew,” Cronin said.
Ms Cronin, who is based in Inishannon, believes that ‘baby-led weaning’, which registered dietitian and founder of Baby Lead Feeding Eileen Cox Blundell describes as ‘putting food in front of your baby and letting them pick it up and feed it themselves’, is in contrast to traditional weaning, which focuses on feeding pureed foods, one at a time, smoothly with a spoon.
Content creator Cronin understands why mothers want to feel in control by spoon-feeding.
“Your baby has been relying on you for a bottle for six months, and then all of a sudden you have to leave it to them, and they [only] He is 6 months old. ”
Weaning Arlo was easier than Theo, who is a fast eater. “Theo tries to put everything in his mouth at once,” says Cronin. “It’s a lot less stressful for Arlo. He’s very energetic. He likes chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. I make ‘volcanoes’ with mashed potatoes and he loves it.”
The WHO recommends starting solid foods at around six months, but Jennifer Byrne, a registered dietitian at the Dublin Nutrition Center, says it’s safe to introduce solid foods from week 17, when the kidneys and digestive system are mature enough to handle solid foods.
“Delaying beyond 26 weeks is undesirable. At this stage, the baby’s nutritional needs are no longer met by milk (breast milk or formula) alone,” says Byrne, adding that the most important indicator of the right time to start is not age, but when the baby shows developmental readiness for solids.
“This means they have the physical and verbal motor skills to safely manage solid foods. Signs of readiness include having good head, neck and trunk control, being able to sit with minimal support, and showing interest in food.”
Cox Blundell says babies need to be able to reach out and grab food, and they need to be able to grab objects and put them in their mouths.
But weaning her now 12-year-old daughter became her favorite part of her childhood. “Testing textures and flavors and seeing her reactions… She’s grown up to be quite a picky eater, so I fondly remember when she would try everything and usually loved it.”
Like O’Callaghan, many parents worry before weaning their baby.
“A common concern is whether the baby is getting enough nutrition. Parents don’t know how much food to give them. It’s worrying if the baby only eats small amounts, but it’s normal for intake to vary widely from day to day,” says Byrne.
Choking is a major concern. “parents [want] Peace of mind about which foods are safe, how to prepare them properly, and how to prepare them. [tell] Between gagging and choking. ”
The HSE holds monthly ‘Baby Food Made Easy’ webinars in Dublin. The 90-minute webinar includes a short cooking demo with food safety advice. Last year, 1,600 parents participated. Edel McNamara, senior community nutritionist at the HSE, says parents’ main concerns are “bringing in foods that may cause allergies and the risk of choking or gagging when bringing in finger foods or chunks.”
Cox Blundell says taking an infant first aid course before weaning can give you peace of mind.
“First aid teaches you what gagging looks like and what choking looks like, so you can start with confidence,” she says, adding that research shows baby-led weaning is not associated with an increased risk of choking than traditional methods.
When starting baby food, Cox Blundell recommends making sure all the food can be crushed between your fingers and thumb. “So they’re really safe. No hard or round foods. The first meal I gave my baby was a salmon burger with roasted sweet potato spears.”
She suggests starting with one meal a day. “I recommend lunchtime. Mornings are busy at most homes and dinner can be manic. Sit down with your baby and have a quick lunch together.”
Myths such as “babies need teeth to handle textured foods” can get in the way of successful weaning.
“From around 6 months of age, babies are usually better able to cope with soft lumps and finger foods by chewing using their gums, even though they don’t have teeth,” says Dr. Byrne.
Learning to eat should be positive and pressure-free, but the adage “pre-meal eating is just for fun” is a myth that minimizes the seriousness of tackling your baby’s nutrition at this stage.
Dr. Byrne says, “From around 6 months of age, babies require solid foods as well as milk to meet their nutritional needs. Breast milk and formula alone no longer provide enough iron and zinc to support growth.”
Cathy Monaghan, senior pediatric nutritionist and founder of weaning.ie, highlights yet another myth: that babies are safe to drink formula after six months of age. She says it will be tough for babies if they don’t develop eating skills by 10 months.
“By then, children will be accustomed to different textures in their mouths, be able to feed themselves, have good hand-eye coordination, and be well on their way to developing feeding skills, such as drinking water from a beaker.”
Cox Blundell recommends balancing your nutrition. “Make sure you have foods that are iron-rich and energy-dense: small fish cakes, small beef burgers, small falafels, all of which can be mashed and combined with energy foods such as sweet potatoes. Babies grow at an exponential rate. Their birth weight doubles at six months and triples at 12 months. This is incredible growth that you don’t experience at any other stage of life. That’s why nutrition is so important.”
Sandyford-based Jennifer Allen, mother of three-year-old Olivia and 10-month-old Eloise, started feeding Eloise allergens (peanut butter, oats and eggs) when he was five-and-a-half months old.
Eloise’s weaning process is going well despite some challenges. “She puts food in her mouth a lot, but she can’t swallow it.
“Olivia has been good at not throwing food back at me, but Eloise is doing very well. She is very independent.
“This morning she ate Weetabix using her hands. She doesn’t want to be fed with a spoon. If I give her a spoon, she’s more likely to put it in her mouth.”
Eloise, who is currently teething, loves melon and cucumber slices kept in the fridge. “They’re definitely my favorite right now.”
“It’s hard to feel like you’re doing it right,” Allen says of weaning. “I’m still worried that something could go wrong.
“Eloise has now transitioned from apple puree to slices and is trying to chew…
“But over time, we found that they ate more. The less pressure you put on them, the more they eat. [on them]the more you eat. Olivia is a big eater. I’m enjoying everything. ”
- Cox Blundell says invest in a good high chair with a footrest. “If your baby’s legs are dangling, either they’re really relaxed and not sitting up straight, or their tummy muscles are tense. Foot supports help your baby sit up straight, giving them the stability they need to grab food and put it in their mouths.”
- “Plan to wean your child off by eating all the food you want as a family. You don’t want to be cooking separate meals for your children in the future,” Monaghan says.
- Begin when your baby is developmentally ready, Byrne recommends. Feed iron-rich foods from the beginning, such as meat, fish, eggs, legumes, and iron-fortified cereals. Avoid foods high in salt and sugar.
- Expect your appetite to fluctuate. Byrne says that with patience and repeated exposure, babies can accept new foods over time. “As you’re learning to eat, it’s normal to feel messy, refuse food, and have a change in appetite.” She advises listening to your baby’s hunger and fullness cues. “To maintain a healthy relationship with food, avoid pressure, distraction, and forcing food.” “It’s not your job to put food in your baby’s belly, it’s your job to help them learn to eat in a safe way,” Monaghan says.
- Eat meals with your baby, recommends Cox Blundell. “It’s important for your baby to see what you put in your mouth. You’re modeling and modeling, ‘This is what mealtimes look like at our house.’ Say, ‘My lunch is really good. Is your lunch good?'” It’s about everyone sitting together, not you spoon-feeding. [afterwards] Eating a cold dinner. ”
- Karen Planty, a pediatric nurse and mother of four, advises keeping it simple and letting your baby take the lead. “Let them touch food, let them use their hands, let them pick up spoons, let them get dirty. These are all part of a positive experience of learning and creating.”
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