Your little baby is growing up. Eventually you are going to introduce your baby to solid food. Whether its formula from a bottle or a fresh fruit puree, the process of introducing a food source other than breast milk is known as weaning.
Every mother will eventually have to wean their baby. Some parents have a much easier time weaning their baby than others. For those of you struggling or not sure what to expect, here are some helpful hints to make your weaning process as easy as possible.
There will be mess!
If you go into the weaning process unprepared then it may actually shock you just how much mess you will need to clean up.
While you might not be able to avoid the mess, there are steps you can take to prepare the eating area to make cleaning up a simpler task.
- Lay a cheap shower curtain underneath your baby’s chair. The shower curtain will catch any for that falls on the floor and is also easily cleaned.
- Buy extra bibs, particularly if you use the cloth variety. Bibs are much easier to clean than splattered clothing.
- Perhaps most important, clean as soon as your baby has finished. Its amazing how stubborn food can be to wipe up once it has been left to dry.
If at first you don’t succeed…
Your baby will screw up his face and spit food out time and time again. This is common when introducing new flavors and textures to your baby’s diet.
Try each new introduction several times before giving up. One method many parents find effective is alternating spoonfuls of a tried and tested favorite with a new meal in the same sitting.
While you are weaning, prepare to become somewhat of a master chef, experimenting with various baby food recipes until you find a meal plan that works. For some great baby food recipes check out Parent.Guide.
Don’t stress
Weaning your baby is going to take a little trial and error. Don’t get frustrated. Your baby will be more receptive to eating if you serve food in a happy and relaxed atmosphere.
Smile lots and praise your baby on little successes such as only wearing half of the meal as opposed to the whole thing. This is a passing phase and mess is inevitable. Stressing out about it is only going to upset you and your baby.
Have fun
Weaning is a great way to test your creativity. If your mission is to get your baby to eat then you might as well have fun doing it.
Turn getting your baby to eat his food into a game. Arrange the baby food into the shape of an animal or make a smiley face. Alternatively get an animal place mat and ask your baby to find the elephant. A correct answer gets a spoon full of baby food.
A baby who has fun while eating is less likely to turn down your newly introduced baby food than a baby who believes feeding time is a chore.
Don’t be afraid to give up control
There will come a time when your baby will want to feed himself. Many mothers agree at this point it is better to give up the reigns and let baby attempt to feed himself.
Self feeding is an essential part of helping your baby fine tune his motor skills. Yes, there will be mess but as a Mom who has raised a baby this far, mess should hardly come as a shock to you any more. Just be quick to reprimand any silly behavior such as throwing food.
You can make self feeding much easier if you go out and purchase a couple of items.
- Plastic Bowls
Your baby will knock his bowl off the table while attempting to feed himself. While the mess will still need to be cleaned up, at least the bowl will not break.
- Plastic Cutlery
Your baby will grip his cutlery with a fist while he is developing his motor skills. Rounded plastic cutlery will not only be easy to grip but also stop your baby from poking his eye when he inevitably misses his mouth.
Weaning is an unavoidable part of raising a baby. If tackle the situation with a brave face then you may even find the whole process fun. Take photos, if nothing else, you can look back with fond memories and have a chuckle to yourself.
Do you have any words of wisdom that you used when weaning your baby?
Guest post by Helen C.
photo by By Jomphong,