Baby Weaning: Tips and Meal Ideas!

Its been a while...

Hi everyone, sorry it has been a while! I think it has actually been almost 2 weeks since I posted a blog post. I do try to post one every week but sometimes this can be difficult. Not due to lack of ideas or motivation, I love writing and have A LOT of ideas of blog posts I want to write but with Halloween just passing, Christmas coming up, planning a wedding, starting to think about Ella-Grace's birthday and just the day to day tasks of being a stay-at-home mum and working from home writing Articles for Baby GaGa and various other freelance opportunities that has come up. Also all of Ella-Grace's clubs I take her to and seeing family and friends, cleaning the house and you know relaxing and keeping myself sane haha. Writing my blog every week as well as all this can be difficult at times. Saying that I would not change any of it for the world, I love every aspect of it and I know all my lovely readers understand when a blog post is delayed or I am off the radar for a while. If you do want to keep up with myself and Ella-Grace more often please follow my social media which I can quickly post to more often- links above. Anyway back to today's post. By request I am going to be doing another weaning post today. I am happy to say Ella-Grace is still thriving with her solid food and a lot of mothers have reached out to me and asked me to write some tips for weaning and some ideas of meals to give a baby. So here it is, enjoy!

Ella-Grace weaning update...

So the last update I did for Ella-Graces weaning she had just turned 6 months. I had started slowly weaning her at 4 months old which I do not recommend for everyone, a lot of people start at 6 months which is fine too, but in Ella-Grace's case and the advice I got from my health visitior 4 months was the perfect time for her. It stopped her being constipated, it stopped her being sick and she has developed and grown so much since we started weaning. 

-For all the info please read my blog post, "From Bottle To Baby Food: Our Weaning Story So Far" 

So, at now almost 7 and a half months Ella-Grace has 3 bottles of Aptimil Lacto-free formula a day and 3 solid meals a day. The times vary depending on her naps - she usually has 2 naps a day, after breakfast and after lunch- , here is a rough idea of what a daily routine food wise can be:

6am-7am : 210ml Bottle 

8am-9am: Breakfast - Weetabix (1 & 1/2 biscuits&120ml formula mixed with 1 tsp of peanut butter) 

                                    1x Organix Fruitpot 

                                    1x Slice of Toast (Crusts cut off, Dairyfree butter)

                                    Cup of Water 

10.30am-11am: 210ml Bottle 

1pm-2pm: Lunch - Baked beans mixed with mushy peas, Quorn chicken pieces and broccoli. 

                                  1x Organix Fruitpot 

                                  Cup of Water 

5pm- 6pm: Supper - Mild Chilli (Quorn mince, kidney beans, onion, mushroom, peppers, tomatoes, sweetcorn) with rice, peas and cabbage. 

                                 1x Organix Fruit pot 

                                 Cup of Water 

7pm-8pm: 210ml Bottle 

I also will give her a small snack while she is waiting for me to cook or if we are out and she seems a bit peckish, these are usually also of the Organix brand (all dairy free and organic!). Rice cakes, sweetcorn rings, carrot puffs ect. Will add the link to the Organix website below. 

I no longer puree Ella-Graces food unless it is a meal that would be pureed anyway such as soup. She eats what me and Reece eat obviously with no added sugar or salt. 

Tips...

Weaning can be tricky and every baby is different so what works for one baby might not work for another. I have been lucky that Ella-Grace has thrived on solid food, now at 7 months old she very rarely refuses anything. But there was some hard times and I found out foods and textures she doesn't like and ways of eating she prefers. I figured out what worked for her and now we are doing great! Here is some tips that might help you with weaning your baby onto solid food.

1. Start soft and simple - When I first started weaning Ella-Grace the first thing I gave her was baby rice. It is kind of like porridge and you can find it in most supermarkets, you add formula or breast milk to it and it turns to the consistency of porridge. This is a good one to try as it is very soft, no lumps and is a taste your baby will be used to. Following on from this I tried her with a fruit pot, this is also soft but a different taste to what they are used to. Since it is sweet however they are likely to enjoy the taste. From then I slowly tried her with new things and that's how we got to where we are now. Slowly built form textures and tastes they know for a gradual transition. 
2. Take your time - This one is very important. Don't rush! When I give Ella-Grace her breakfast (her favourite meal of the day) she scoffs in down so quick! But then it comes to lunchtime and I could be sitting there for up to an hour and a half waiting for her to eat or finish eating. And I am okay with that. If it is a food that I spoon feed her she usual has it quicker but for finger foods such as vegetables, well-cooked pasta ect. she might play with it for a while before she eats it. That's how babies and children learn, through play. Ella-Grace loves to play with her food, she is learning what it is and how it feels in her hand, its all new. But instead of me, after 20 minutes, going okay your not eating and take her to get cleaned up I let her do her thing. And sure thing after she has played a bit she puts a bit of her food in her mouth and she will eat it. Take your time and let your baby discover what food is, it is all so new,
3. Don't force it - There will be a time when your baby just refuses what you are giving them. In Ella-Grace's case this was banana, she hates it! I tried it in different ways, pureed, cut up, mixed in things, she hated it. But that's okay. If you realise your baby isn't taking to something, stop anf offer them something else and try that kind of food another time. No point in forcing them to have something in their mouth and eat it if they are just going to cry and get overwhelmed. That is counter-productive. So as frustrating as it may be when they refuse a food as you just want the best for them, don't force it they will get there in there own time. 
4. Try different textures and flavours -As I said at the start all babies are different and some flavours and textures they are going to like more than others, but that doesn't mean you can't try different kinds. From puree's to finger foods, I give a mixture of both to Ella-Grace. At the moment she seems to be liking the finger foods and flavours such as butternutsquash, carrot and brussel sprouts she seems to love. Trying all different flavours and textures you will come to find what your baby likes but also be giving them a wide varitey of experience with different foods hopefully meaning as they grow they will be open to a variety of different meals. Even challenge yourself to try something with your baby you have never tried before, lead by example. 
5. Let them feed themselves - I have already partly touched on this, baby's love to discover and some will cry as soon as you put a spoon or bit of food to their mouth. Ella-Grace is quite independent and a lot of the time likes to feed herself. So give them something they can manage to hold such as green beans or toast and they will have a great time. 
6. Give them a hand - Sometimes Ella-Grace will be eating a finger food then it will get too small for her to control and she gets frustrated knowing there is food in her hand but she cannot put it in her mouth. So at this point I will help her by placing it in her mouth for her. Some may say this is counter productive and she won't learn how to do it herself but thats just not true she will do it when she has the hang of her hand movements, for now instead of her getting overwhelmed then probably not finishing her food I give her a bit of help. No crying, no frustration. A happy and full baby. 
7. Eat at the same time - Family meal times are important any age including as babies. It might be frustrating trying to eat your own food as well as helping/watching your baby eat but if they see you eating and the way you eat they are likely to copy. Also this will stop them wanting what you are eating if they have food themselves. Ella-Grace always tries to grab whatever I am eating if she does not have food herself. Yes your food might go a bit cold if your baby needs some help but honestly I think it is so worth it. Starting meals sitting at the table as a family early is so important for me anyways and will definitely help them learn by copying Mummy or Daddy. This is also a good habit to get into as you will only have to make one meal and both eat it at the same time. Ella-Grace loves to sit in her high chair and watch me cook and I love it  too. 
8. Start with one meal a day and build up - This one helped me a lot who likes to do things step by step. When I used to think of weaning it would get me panicked until I read "start with one meal a day and build on that". So whatever time of day your baby is happiest or most content, just whatever time of day you think is best. Start with that meal (breakfast, lunch or supper). I go into more detail in my other weaning blog post but to sum up I started breakfast with Ella-Grace first, then moved onto lunch which she did not take well to so I stopped that then went to supper, so for a while she was having breakfast and supper and then we started lunch and there you have it 3 meals a day. This happened over a span of 2 months (from four to six months) now at 7 months old she eats what I eat and it is great. 
9. Keep it positive- This goes for pretty much everything you are trying to introduce baby to. Keep positive and happy! I know how easy it is to get stressed and overwhelmed when baby is not taking the food or refuses to open their mouth but the more anxious you get the more anxious they will get and they will start to associate meal times with stress. Which you don't want because that will make weaning even harder! So try to keep positive and not make eating a big deal, if they don't want something one day try it again another day. If your eating a meal together and they refuse to try their food and just want to play with it, let them and have some of your food. This has been great for Ella-Grace, I used to get quite stressed when she would refuse food but she could sense that it just made her more overwhelmed so I took a deep breath and calmed down. Now every meal time I have a smile on my face and no matter what I do not let myself get stressed. If you feel that way just put the baby's food down and take a minute.
10. Praise- I praise Ella-Grace after every meal and so does Reece. We clap and say "yay!" and give her lots of kisses and cuddles. After EVERY meal. This positive reaction will encourage baby to eat as they will want to receive this positive reaction. 

These are my top tips. I am not a professional or have any medical training so if worried always consult with your doctor but these are the things that have worked for Ella-Grace. I hope they have helped. 

Meal Ideas....

Breakfast: 

• Weetabix and a spoon of peanut butter (6 months +)

Made with breastmilk or formula (I find 90ml for 1 biscuit and 120ml for 1 and a 1/2) add 1 tsp of peanut butter, mix and let cool. Spoon feed to baby or let them feed themselves. 

(ELLA-GRACE FAVOURITE)

• Toast with Dairy-Free Spread and Scrambled Egg (6 months+)

At the moment I still eat eggs and I found it would be unfair for me to not let Ella-Grace have them if I have them myself. I do however buy local RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) eggs or buy them from a friend where I can see the chickens are being looked after and loved. I found out recently that you can make "Tofu Scramble" so I am definitely going to try this as a substitute to eggs. 

Scrambled Eggs- Crack 2 eggs in a jug, add a splash of soy milk and microwave for 1-2 minutes  

Toast- Cut off crusts, toast, spread on dairy-free butter and cut into slices. Give as finger food. 

• Banana Pancakes (6 months +)

2 ripe bananas mashed. 1 cup of flour. 1 cup of soy milk. 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Mix. Heat pan on medium heat, tiny bit of vegetable oil. Spoon a bit of mix in the pan. When middle of pancake begins to bubble or edges seem to be firming up flip. Cut pancake into strips. Spread some dairy-free butter and give as finger food. 

• Porridge (6 months +)

I buy the "oat so simple" sachets of porridge where you can pour milk into the sachet to measure. Tear packet, pour porridge oats in bowl. Pour soy milk in the sachet up to the line. Pour in bowl. Microwave 2 mins. mix and let cool. Spoon feed to baby. 

Lunch: 

• Baked beans and Mushy Peas with Toast (6 months +) 

Easy and weird combo (Ella-Grace loves it though). Quarter tin of reduced sugar and salt beans into bowl and quarter tin of mushy peas in bowl. Mix and heat for 1- 2 minutes. Let cool and spoon feed. Add toast and dip in sauce, offer as finger food. 

(ELLA-GRACE FAVOURITE)

• Quorn "chicken" pieces, broccoli, sweetcorn and fussilli pasta (6/7 months +) 

Quorn chicken- Quarter tin of tomatoes in bowl add quorn chicken, microwave for 5 mins. 

Broccoli, sweetcorn and pasta- cook until very soft, drain

Let cool and serve as finger food. 

• Soup (Vegetable, tomato, potato, butternutsquash etc.) (4 months +) 

Link to my tomato soup recipe : Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

More soup recipes coming soon 

• Butter beans, butternutsquash and carrots 

Boil in pan until soft. Offer as finger food. 

Supper: 

• Homemade Pizza (7 months +)

Base: Buy pre-made base (homemade pizza base recipe coming soon) 

Sauce: 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1tsp oregano, 1tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp basil, finely chopped onions. Fry onions until soft, add other ingredients bring to boil and simmer 

Toppings: For Ella-Grace I just top hers with some vegan cheese and put her veggies on the side as a finger food.

Cook pizza 10-15 mins, once cooked cut into small slices and give as finger food 

• Mild Quorn & Veggie Fajitas- torn up totrilla and fajita mix for them to pick up as finger food (7 months +) I also grate some vegan cheese on her tray for her to pick at if she wants.

Quorn pieces or Quorn steak strips, red onion, mushrooms, green pepper, cherry tomatoes (halved), sweetcorn. Fry in pan, add tinned tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, pepper. 

I don't give Ella-Grace mushrooms or onion as finger food out of the mix as I think it is a difficult taste/texture for her, they are in there for the adults. 

• Mild Quorn Chili and Rice with |Peas and Cabbage (6/7 months +) 

Boil peas and cabbage. 

Boil rice until soft, add knob of butter and mix. 

Heat oil in frying pan, fry onion and mushroom. add peppers, kidney beans, quorn mince, carrot shavings, basil, garlic powder, ginger and cumin. Mix, Add tinned tomatoes, bring to boil and simmer. 

Use food processor to cut chilli into smaller chunks so you are able to spoon feed with the soft rice. Give peas and cabbage as finger food. 

Chili can also be cooked in the slow cooker. 4 hours on high. 

(ELLA-GRACE FAVOURITE)

• Spaghetti and Meat-free "meatballs" with carrots (6/7months +) 

(Pic above is of spaghetti bolognase which I make and give to her in a similar way) 

Cook Spaghetti. 

Boil carrots. 

Quorn meatballs, mushrooms, onion, lightly fry. Add tinned tomatoes. Oregano, basil, garlic powder. Bring to boil and let simmer then add cooked carrots and mix. 

Cut Meat-free "meat balls" in half give as finger food along with spaghetti and sauce mix. I also grate vegan cheese on her tray for her to pick at if she wants. 

Ella-Grace can eat the meatballs and carrots no problem, needs some help with the spaghetti. You could also do this with fussilli pasta which is easier for a baby to hold and bite. 

Snacks/After meals:

(I use the brand Organix for all of her snack food that I do not make) https://www.organix.com/

• Organix fruit pots 
• Organix sweetcorn rings 
• Organix carrot puffs 
• Organix Rice Cakes
• Cut up cucumber 
• Toast 
• Pineapple pieces 

All the ages are a rough estimate and these meals Ella-Grace (7 months) eats as they but they can be pureed for those weaning their babies that way. All my meals are dairy and meat free but can be substituted if you want. I cook these meals based on what I was told by my health visitor Ella-Grace can eat, always ask a medical professional if unsure. 

Thanks for Reading...

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this and I hope it has helped you with your weaning problems. Comment below if you try any of my tips, have any other tips or have any feedback for the blog! Always appreciate hearing from readers! Don't forget to check out my latest articles on BabyGaGa.com (link below) and follow my social media accounts for cute baby pics and blog updates (links above blog post). Till next time. Hopefully won't be so long this time. 

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Stay Happy Everyone :)!

10 Things I Want to Achieve Before I'm 30

Not that long away...

Hello readers I hope you are all well. If you are new here, welcome! Firstly I would like to thank everyone for the amazing response to my "All Things Mental Health" blog post. All the lovely messages always give me a boost in confidence and makes me feel like I am making a difference in the world. We all have a voice and I am glad I am using mine to make people happy as well as myself. Today's blog post I have wanted to write for a while, since my 21st birthday in August to be exact. Birthdays always make you think about getting older. Some people think of it negatively, some think of it positively. I personally think age is just a number and you are only as old as you feel so I have never really thought about aging really but hitting the milestone of 21 did get me thinking about some goals I would like to meet in the next few years, preferably before I'm 30. Some of these goals are common, some a little out there. But they are all things I am determined to do. I hope you find them interesting. Happy Reading!

Why 30?....

I know many of you reading are probably thinking, why 30? Why must I achieve these things by my 30th birthday? The answer is, I don't. This is not a strict rule I am setting myself, I will not be devistated iff by the time I am 30 every single thing on this list is not fulfilled. Even if none of them are, I will still have my daughter, my fiance and a great life. But it is good to be ambitious and have goals and for me setting a time scale to them makes it more likely I will try to achieve them. That is partly why I am writing this out for the whole of the internet to see, that will give me an extra push to try and fulfil my goals. Maybe in 9 years I will be writing a post called "I did it" or maybe not but either way I will be happy, these are perks. Above all these that I am going to write below my goal is to be the best mother I can be to Ella-Grace (and maybe baby number 2 - more on that below), everything I d is not only for myself but for my family too, that is another motivation for me. Lets get into it, here are my goals.

The goals...

1. Get another paid writing job OR start my degree

I am at a bit of a cross-roads with this decision or I may well have achieved this one already. So let me explain both sides of the coin. 

For aslong as I can remember I have always loved the thought of going to university and getting a degree, I love to learn. It gives me more confidence and challenges me. Expanding your mind and knowledge is always a good thing. I had the chance to go to university a few years ago to study Mental Health Nursing but I turned it down (just before I got the news that I hadn't got one of the grades I needed anyway so maybe it was for the best I decided not to go anyway- avoided the heart ache). I turned it down because although Mental Health is something I feel passionate about/ can resonate with and I have always known my goal in life is to make a difference and help people. This career just didn't feel right for me, I needed to explore more. So I have done a separate college course, worked and then when I became pregnant discovered my passion for writing. Which is definitely the field I would like to go into but do I want to study it or just work my way through it? That's what I am struggling with. Part of me want's to do the English Literature home degree through Open University (I was actually due to start this month but I postponed it as I'm not sure if it was I want to do), the thought of having my family at my side when I graduate in my cap and gown and showing Ella-Grace you can do anything you put your mind to. Fighting the stigma of "Your life is over" when you have children. That is very important to me and as I said has always been a dream of mine, I want that cap and gown. But then there is the other part of me that wants to just continue pursuing my freelance writing and focus on writing a novel, as helpful as a degree would be for this I do think it is possible without the degree and that I can work my way to it instead. That I feel is more suited to my life now as a stay at home mum. I feel that I am past the student stage of my life and just want to do it! So should I look for more freelance writing work? Take small creative writing classes? Let go of my dream of graduating? Or should I get my degree first and focus on the rest later. A big decision that obviously I don't need to make right now, degrees will always be there and contrary to some peoples views, I believe you are never to old to study or go to university. We will just have to wait and see on this one. 

2. Move away

This one will hopefully happening in the next two years. Moving Away. To Edinburgh to be exact. Why Edinburgh? Well Reece and I have always loved the city and also loved adventure and change. Also our two very close friends (picture above of them and Ella-Grace) live there and being closer to them would be amazing. We live in Aberdeen at the moment so Edinburgh is close enough to family and other friends for us to be able to see them often enough but also far away enough for it to be a big change. This dream has been reinforced since having Ella-Grace as we would love for her to go to school in Edinburgh, grow up somewhere different to where we both did (not that where we grew up was bad, would just be nice for her to have a different experience). But obviously with Christmas, Ella-Grace's first birthday and wedding coming up we will have to wait and see what money we have, especially as we would want to be living in a house with probably at least 3 bedrooms and I would love to have an office. And a garden is a must. So the goal is to be living in this "dream" house by 2019/2020 but if we have to wait a bit longer to get the kind of property we want I would be okay with that. As long as we are moved before Ella-Grace is in school then I would be happy. 

3. Get Married

This one will definitely be happening before I turn 30. It will be happening just over 7 months now actually. EXCITED!!! I know some people are quite cynical when it comes to weddings/marriage now, thinking they are pointless or that you don't have to be married to be in love and I completely agree with that second part. Marriage doesn't make you any more in love than unmarried people but I just view it as a day to celebrate the amazing thing that is love. There is so much terrible things that happen in the world and having a day to celebrate a relationship that is full of love, respect and happiness. Celebrating two best friends agreeing to spend the rest of their life together is magical and that's what I take from weddings and marriage. This will also be the day that I will become Mrs Webster, meaning Reece, Ella-Grace and I will all have the same surname. Our family name. I actually wasn't sure if I wanted to change my last name as I do not like how it is assumed that women will take their husbands last name, it should be a choice but that's why I am changing it as Reece ASKED me if I wanted to change it or keep it or if I wanted him to change his last name. That level of respect and equality that he treats me with, I am proud to take his last name and for my daughter to have it. This makes me very happy. I've just gone off track there a bit but yes anyway married to the love of my life. That's definitely a goal. 

4. Have another baby?

This one has a question mark next to it as we are not sure whether we will have another baby but at it is a maybe. Sometimes we think that just having Ella-Grace and giving her all our focus, attention and love. Putting all our efforts into her would be so nice, she makes us so happy and if were never able to or decided we would not have any more children then she of course would be enough for us. More than enough. She is our world. 

At the same time however we both do think in the future, another little one would be great. I adored being pregnant, Reece is an amazing Dad and if there is a second time round it would be nice for him to get the leave he never managed to have with Ella-Grace and also Ella-Grace (even though she is only 7 months at the moment) I feel that she would thrive as a big sister. Having another baby would be a massive joy definitely but we will just have to wait and see whether we will end up as a family of 4. One thing is for sure, that won't be for a while. 

5. Go full vegan

As a lot of you may know I am a vegetarian and 99% of meals are also dairy free. I do however occasionally have a meal when I am out which may have dairy in and I have a bit of a craving for poached eggs so I have not managed to go full vegan yet. I would like to do this in future if I can, as in not buy mass-produced eggs from shops, if I had my own chickens who I knew were well-looked after and given nothing but love, then I would eat eggs when they occasionally laid them. But if that is not possible then yes, I would like to be full vegan. For animal cruelty and environmental reasons (let me know if you would like a blog post on this). This goal would be more do able I feel when we move to Edinburgh and from what I have found they have a lot more vegan options when it comes to eating out and ordering in (cooking vegan at home is easy I think, I do it every day). I just need to kick my egg habit, any vegans have a tasty breakfast recipe that will replace my poached egg craving, please comment below.  

6. Go on Holiday

I have never been out of Britain! Yes I have been on small trips away from Scotland in other area's of the UK but never on holiday abroad. Which is surprising as I have always wanted to travel but with lack of money at some points and lack of time with going straight from school to studying to working to pregnant and now being a mum. I just haven't managed to go. So that is definitely a goal. Reece and I are hoping to go on a belated honeymoon (I vote for New York, France or the Caribbean). But even if this does not end up happening, a family holiday in a few years when Ella-Grace is older would be so cute. I better get my passport sorted first though. 

Reece and I also have the dream that when we both retire and our baby/babies are grown up, to travel the world. So it might not be by the time I am 30 but I will have that travelling and cultural experience I have always wanted. 

7. Do more charity work

This is so important to me. In the past I have shaved my head and held coffee mornings for Macmillan Cancer Support and I volunteered with Child Line for a short period of time. But I want to do more. Specifically with Mental Health organisations which help so many people struggling with mental issues including myself at one point. I believe you should do what you can while your here and I want to make a difference this includes teaching my daughter the importance of helping others and remembering how privileged we are. I mean my family is not rich, far from it but we have food in our bellies and a roof over our head. More than that we have luxuries such as TV, phones and more. So many people in the world are fighting for basic human rights. We are so lucky in what we have. It is so important to help people less fortunate than you and also just help each other in general, kindness makes the world go down. This goes for animal charities and environmental organisations too. At the moment I barely have time to read a page of a book so unfortunately I haven't been able to volunteer but in the future I want to free up some time to maybe hold an event to raise money for a mental health charity, volunteer at an animal shelter, give blood, serve food to the homeless. I may not have money to give to charities every week but I certainly can make time to offer my help. Something I would encourage everyone to put on there list of goals, Make a difference. Change the future. 

8. Learn to drive/pass theory

This is not that high up on my list of goals as so much other things come before it for me. But before I am 30 I would like to at least pass my theory test if not pass my actual driving test. For myself it isn't a must but I would like to have a car and be able to drive so that as Ella-Grace gets older if she needs taken places or picked up I will be able to go and get her. Reece will probably learn to drive before me as that is higher on his priority list so I might be able to put this one on hold. As I say, never to old to do anything. But yeah this is a small goal for me. 

9. Start writing a novel

MY DREAM! Ever since I was younger and I used to go on my Dad's big computer, writing short stories for fun. I have always had the dream of being an author or writing books. Over my teenage years I kind of lost this dream as I didn't know how to achieve it and it is not something really encouraged schools- my school at least. But as I have gotten back into my writing, my dream has resurfaced and before I turn 30 I would like to at least of started thinking of writing my novel. 

The day I can walk into my local bookstore and see my book on the shelves will be a MASSIVE accomplishment for me. Reece said he would bet money on me getting a book published haha so here's hoping. 

10. Start a YouTube channel

This would mean buying a good camera and freeing up time to edit but yes I would love to follow in some of my inspirations footsteps (Zoella, Pointless Blog ect. ) and make my own YouTube Channel, Vlogging. This would not only promote my blog but I would also be getting my voice out there hopefully inspiring and helping more people and bringing me more opportunities. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this as I feel like reading and writing is some what of a lost art with most people preferring a movie to a book or dodging the book shop and downloading a book onto their kindle instead of enjoying a paperback book. I enjoy encouraging the art of writing through my blog instead of being another thing for someone to watch. But that does not mean to say I don't agree with all those other things, watching a movie and you tube videos I love, I just think its good to get a bit of everything. So yes I would love to start vlogging but who knows when that will be. I'm sure my blog will be the first place you will find out when this happens, if it ever does. 

Thanks for reading...

So there they are, all my hopes and dreams! Lets see how many I will achieve in the timescale I have set myself. Thanks so much for reading as usual and thank you for all the positive feedback on my last blog post (All Things Mental Health), always nice to hear from readers. What are some of your goals? Do we share any goals? What have you achieved in the past year? Comment below! Don't forget to follow me on all my social media for cute baby pics, mum life truths and day to day inspirational messages that will hopefully put a smile on your face! Till next time. 

Stay Happy Everyone :)!

From Bottle To Baby Food: Our Weaning Story So Far

Back to the baby…

Hello lovely readers! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, today I am going back to the baby, my baby Ella-Grace. By this I mean the past few blog post’s although related to Ella-Grace (when you’re a mum everything in your life is to do with your baby right?) they have not been focused on her or her development entirely. She turns 6 months tomorrow (gone so quick!) so I will be doing a full blog post on everything to do with my darling daughter (feeding, sleep, development ect.) but before that this blog post will be on weaning. Something I know a lot of the mum’s that read my blog’s have been waiting for me to write. So I will just get straight into it shall I? Happy reading!

Feeding so far…

I have done previous posts on Ella-Grace’s feeding (you can find all my posts on my homepage) and if you want to read them first you can but if not here is the low down. I breastfed Ella-Grace for 8 weeks and had to stop due to her not keeping my breastmilk down, losing weight and what we later found out to be a lactose intolerance. From then we got prescribed a lacto-free formula to give her. When she turned 4 months old we started slowly weaning her onto solid food. Letting her lead us to what she was ready for (not full blown baby led weaning but we let her show us what she did and didn’t want to try and how much food she could take if that makes sense?).

Ella-Grace's Meal Plan...

Before I get into how we started Ella-Grace on solid foods and what we gave her etc. I thought it would be good to write down exactly what her meal plan is at the moment (at 6 months old) for anyone who might want to know. I know a lot of my fellow mum readers like to read my experiences as they are going through the same thing so I thought writing down her meal plan might help or interest some of you, so here it is. 

7.00am- 240ml/8 ounces Aptamil Lacto-Free Formula 

8.30am- Breakfast: Weetabix (1xbiscuit mixed with 90ml/3 ounces of formula) 

                               1 x Orangix Fruitpot

11.30am- 240ml/8 ounces Aptamil Lacto-Free Formula 

2.00pm- Lunch: 2x Organic Fruitpot 

                          2x Kiddylicious Wafers

5.00pm- Supper: Homemade Mashed Veg

                           1x Organix Fruitpot 

                           1x Kiddylicious Wafer

7.00pm- 240ml/8 ounces Aptamil Lacto-Free Formula 

-We also try to give Ella-Grace water from her sippy cup with every solid meal....this is a working progress haha- 

Why 4 months old….

Now I know this can be a touchy subject. I actually didn’t know that until I seen on Facebook people getting very angry at a mother in the media over starting her baby on baby rice at 4 months old. This being exactly what we chose to do with Ella-Grace and personally I don’t see what is wrong with it, in fact I see it as a good thing. I understand everyone has their own opinion though so if you disagree or did something different with your child I respect that, every baby is different please comment below what you did I love to discuss different parenting decisions. However if you are going to comment negative things or be disrespectful (which I know the people in my little kindness community wouldn’t do) then please just exit this blog here. Cause that is not my vibe.

Anyway, back to what I was saying, why 4 months old? Well partly due to influence of those around me who I knew started their babies at 4 months and they were all perfectly happy and healthy children. Also because I felt that if she was going to be fussy with eating solids the earlier you start (within reason) the longer you have to get them used to taking solid food meaning you wouldn’t feel like they weren’t getting what they need when they are older. Lastly I knew my style of parenting if I had tried her with the baby rice in the morning and she didn’t want to take it I would know she wasn’t ready and stop. I would never force her to be weaned early. But in Ella-Grace’s case she took to solid food like a duck to water and at literally just 6 months she is doing really well.

The start- 4 months old…

A few days after Ella-Grace turned 4 months old we decided to start her with baby rice. From what I researched it is good to start slow instead of a lot at once as in start weaning one meal a day such as breakfast then the bottles/breastfeeding the rest of the day then eventually adding lunch etc. Which was my plan already so it just reinforced what I already thought. So we bought baby rice, our hope was to get a kind of porridge we could make with her formula (for example banana or some kind of fruit porridge) but with her being lactose intolerant and Reece and I preferring to use plant-based milk anyway such as rice or soy milk (let me know if you would like to hear more about this) it was difficult to find a porridge for 4 months that did not contain cows milk. So baby rice is what we went for. I know people say ‘it has no nutritional value’ but adding the formula to it she is already on... it then has nutritional value and the main thing for us was it helps her get used to solids.

So yes we tried her with baby rice. At first she was a bit curious as to what the spoon actually was so we let her hold it and kind of explore it for a minute then put some baby rice on the spoon placed it near her mouth and as I said she took to it really well. Not quite understanding it was food I guess just something new and trying to suck it off the spoon to start with but she ate a good amount of mouthfuls, we were very proud (and it was THE cutest thing I’d ever seen). I could of cried.. well okay I did cry haha. 

About two weeks after her first experience with food she was doing well having the baby rice for breakfast in the morning and bottles the rest of the day and we felt she was ready to try something else. We decided fruit would be best. We then purchased organic fruit pots- blended apple, banana and pear. And again she took to this at breakfast (along with her baby rice-very hungry baby) very well. So that was breakfast established we also tried to give her a fruit pot at lunch but she didn't take that so well so we pulled it back to the one meal. This being what I mean when I say I am trying to let her lead us, I feel we have a good bond and although she cannot tell me with words what she does and doesn't want or is and isn't ready for I feel I can communicate with her in other ways and I just know. Any other mums or dads feel this way? Like you just know your baby and feel you can communicate with them almost? I am probably sounding crazy haha but it seems to be working so far. So yeah by this point we we had breakfast down and bottles the rest of the time, then she turned 5 months old and we tried something new. 

5 months- Introducing Veg and Establishing 3 meals...

I feel that in Ella-Grace's 6 month of life (so from when she turned 5 months old) she progressed so much with everything. Will go into everything in her 6 month review soon but as in food I will go through this now. So we tried her again with fruit at lunch she still wasn't really loving it at that time of day so we pulled that back and decided maybe a meal at the start and the end of the day (before her last bottle) would make more sense to her. We started off tryng her with a brand of baby food called 'Babease' organic and meat and dairy free, perfect for our little angel and after getting used to the new taste in the first few mouthfuls she again took to that very well. We used this brand for about a week at supper time until my dad- Ella-Grace's Granddad (or as we call him Pops)- kindly bought us the same hand blender he had which works a charm for making pureed veg for Ella-Grace (link below to the blender I use). I firstly pureed carrots and butternut-squash and from there just pureed any veg I had in the flat and stored it in the freezer in small storage pots I purchased for weaning her (again all links below). That was her then having baby rice and a fruit pot for breakfast, bottles through the day and veg puree followed by a fruit pot at night. From this she advanced in her food very quickly as she now had got the hang of being spoon fed and understood that a bowl and spoon as well as a bottle meant food. So whenever we put anything on a spoon she was eager to try. Meaning not long after establishing breakfast and supper it almost came natural to her to take food at lunch time (fruit pots) then bottles in between then followed by trying wafers. Wafers are technically 6 months plus but with her being advanced in her food and on the packet saying you can offer them to younger babies AROUND 6 months we decided to try her- this being the most recent food we have tried her on which again she took to very well we think biting something has helped her teething also. All this leading to her meal plan above. And that's you all caught up! 

The Hardest Things About Weaning So Far... 

I know I have made her weaning sound all nice and dandy, no problems but of course their has been difficulties and bumps in the road. I would like to meet the baby who doesn't have them. Although we have had an easy time as in Ella-Grace hasn't been super fussy in trying the food or spitting it out ect. we have had other hard times with her weaning. 

1. Wanting only her fruit pot. 

For a while she loved her veg and don't get me wrong if Chef Mummy gets the veg combination right she can't get enough of it but recently she has gotten her head around her routine. Meaning she knows veg is followed by sweet fruit pot, so she tends to get a bit fussy with the veg putting her face to the side after a few mouthfuls knowing I will give her fruit. But I persist as I know she can and will eat it until she does eat it. Unless she got really upset then obviously it would be for a different reason but as I have said I feel like I just know when it comes to her food habits. So yeah somedays she eats her supper as normal some days she tries to out smart me and get the fruit pot first/instead, this can be a little difficult. 

2. Refusing water 

We have almost resolved this problem not as I always add either coconut water or normal water into her food and we have not replaced her sippy cup with a free-flow one instead of the one we have that she actually has to suck to get water out of but yeah this is still a bit of a challenge. Although she has taken to solid food really well giving her water to drink with her solid food has been difficult. Even when offered in a normal bottle that she drinks milk from she seems to refuse water (maybe doesn't like the taste I am not sure), not matter at what point we offer it to her- before or after the meal for example- it doesn't matter she just refuses it unfortunately. Because of her bottles and obviously all her food having some water in it she has never become dehydrated but has had a cough due to a bit of a dry throat. This as I said now improving but yeah was a frustrating problem. 

3. Biting too much wafer 

This is a recent difficulty that has cropped up. Well I don't know if it is a difficulty or if I am just over protective/scared but when feeding herself wafers she tends to bite off too much, I then while the part she bit off is still partly out of her mouth take it out and break into a smaller part before I place it back in her mouth for her. Part of me thinks I shouldn't be doing this as I don't want her to be put off feeding herself obviously and I know Reece is a lot more chilled about this than me. I panic. But I always think I would rather her take longer to feed herself than risk her choking. Maybe this is more of my problem than Ella-Grace's haha. I guess I need to find the balance. 

4.Wanting to eat too fast

This has always been a problem but one that is getting better slowly. Obviously when a baby drink a bottle or from the breast they can just keep drinking until they want to stop but when being spoon fed you need to take the spoon away put more food on it and give it back to them to have more. Ella-Grace thought when we took the spoon away from her we were in turn taking food away from her so she would get upset. Now she understands we will give her food again but she wants us to be faster. I am actually giggling imagining her face she just sits with her mouth open until the spoon comes back with more food haha. Tiny bit impatient which can make her frustrated but she does still take the food so its not a massive problem just sad seeing her get worked up. Getting better though so that's good.   

Feeling Confident...

I know everyone weans their baby differently. At different stages, with different foods ect. Of course all babies are different the same things would never work for all babies of course. Because of this I know a lot of parents can find weaning stressful and worry whether or not they are doing it right, whether or not their baby is getting enough and you know, all the endless worries. Googling 'Weaning' 1000 times. But I personally feel quite confident in the way our daughter is being weaned and what our plan is for her future diet. I encourage other parents to be confident with what they want for their babies, remember that you know your baby best and don't let other people's comments make you doubt yourself. If you want reassurance please reach out to a medical professional they will be the best people to help you. 

I spent a lot of time recently being anxious over what we were feeding Ella-Grace and whether or not she was gaining enough weight, getting the right nutrients ect. My self-doubt being increased as a lot of people disagreed with the fact we have chose to not give Ella-Grace meat and that we choose a plant-based form of milk, butter, cheese ect. Almost leading to me changing my mind (which is extreme as that would be a massive lifestyle change for me and what I had wanted for my daughter). Thankfully I spoke to those who support me and most importantly my health visitor who reassured me what I was doing and what I wanted for Ella-Grace is perfectly healthy, full of nutrients and that she is/ will continue to thrive. Gaining a KILO over a month of solid food. I am not going to go into the ins and out's of why we don't eat meat (Me not at all, Reece occasionally)/choose plan-based milk and why we want that for Ella-Grace as I just see it as a choice we have made just as eating meat is a choice however if you would like to hear about that let me know and I would be more than happy to write about it. I will say that we see this as the best option for our daughter and the health visitor more than supported us. 

So yes even with choosing a controversial (even though it shouldn't be) choice for our daughter I am feeling confident in her weaning so far. Confidence is key especially when it comes to parenting as so many things put you down.

If anyone would like to talk about weaning or anything I am more than happy to reply to your message (when I can). Remember your doing a great job!

What next?...

Well weetabix is something we have tried recently and is now what she gets for breakfast instead of baby rice, that transition was easy and I am glad as this has increased the nutritional value of her breakfast. Today as I am writing this we have tried hummus along with some veg at lunchtime (which we are now hoping for her to have every lunch along with her fruit pot). As for the future I am hoping to begin putting more in her puree's or what are more like mashed up veg now- more texture. Would like to add rice, maybe tomato, chickpeas, butter beans and more. After being told by the health visitor that she can have everything we have as long as it is blended/mashed into smaller pieces and softer textures the world is full of possibilities. I adore to cook so Ella-Grace girl you are in for some gourmet meals haha.  

Ella-Grace's Favourites...

Our little girl has taken to all her food well but some things she can't get enough of. These are the things that seem to be her favourites at the moment. 

1. All things blueberry 

This includes wafers and fruit pots. Both of those things her favourite flavour seems to be blueberry. 

2. Sweetcorn

Whenever I make a puree that includes sweetcorn she doesn't try to avoid it for her fruit pot she loves it.

3. Breakfast time

I don't know if this is her favourite food of the day but her breakfast is definitely her favourite time to eat. Either a morning person, loves weetabix or both. 

Links...

Here all all the links I promised through out the post. All the food I have tried Ella-Grace with and more. 

Babease baby food

Organix Fruit Pots

Braun Hand Blender

Clevamama Storage Pots

Till Next Time...

So that was quite a long post! I haven't done a long in depth one about Ella-Grace or what a parent has to go though in a while and I wanted to get all the detail in for you so that's why I have made it so long. Well done and thank you if you got to the end haha. 

Till next time don't forget to follow my social media for blog notifications and cute baby pics (links on homepage), check out my other blog posts if you haven't already and if you want to give my articles on baby gaga a read (latest one linked below). 

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Thank you for reading and thank you for being part of this kindness community I am trying to build. This will always be a place that loves and supports you! What is your babies weaning story? What age did you start weaning? What's their favourite food? Please comment below. I would love to know. Till next time my lovelies. 

Stay Happy Everyone :)!