WEANING

WHOOA!! SLOW DOWN SISTER

Sienna started eating food last week. Real, proper, hard-core food. Like raw carrots, and green beans. When I say eating, what I really mean is mostly tasting, and spitting things back out. Except pears. None of that gets wasted. We don’t even need to wipe her face after a pear meal.

And while I am excited about this new stage she entering, and love watching her face entertain us as she tries out all these interesting new tastes, I’m also a little sad. This means she’s growing up, and already she is doing all this growing up stuff way to fast for my liking. I mean, was it not just last week that she was born even? Slow down baby, no need to race off like that and suddenly be six months old already.

She’s sitting next to me as I write, and she’s wearing shoes, holding a packet of sugarfree pastilles and some birthday candles. Shoes, I tell you! Like she thinks she’s some kind of mini grown up something. Is there some kind of injection I could give her, to keep her tiny and cute forever, and smelling of lovely baby-ness for ever?

This weaning business also means a whole different level of planning, and mess. No longer can we dash out the door with only nappies, change of clothes, bunny rabbit, sterilised tutties, snacks for Finley, lipgloss for Mamma, and emergency chocolate in our changing bag. Oh no, no, no. Now we’ve got to add babyfood into the equation. And spoons. And bibs. And facecloths. And what type of food do we go for? Mashed up? Which vegetable/fruit? But didn’t she have that yesterday? And have I remembered to take Finley to the toilet recently?

Solely breastfeeding for six months was so much more simple. No washing up, no planning, no warming it up or cooling it down. Just there, at the ready, wherever and whenever. Ah, sigh.

With Finley we went for baby led weaning, and it was a great success. With Sienna we’re going for a “best of both worlds” approach, where I try to give her some finger foods to hold and feed herself, but I also give her some mashed up superfoods. I’d love to go for pure baby led weaning, but am not feeling quite as brave this time around… but we’ll get there, right?

How did you approach weaning? Are you a fan of baby led weaning, or do you find it easier to start with pureed foods? I’d love to hear your stories.

/Camilla

PS. You need not worry, the pastilles and candles all still had their wrapping on. She wasn’t actually eating the pastilles. Or the candles.