What to feed when weaning your child

It can be very tempting to rush into the kitchen and start cooking exotic combinations of fruit and vegetables as a start to the amazing world of solid food, but in reality you should probably hold back on the purées you make to a single ingredient, which will mean you can establish how crowd pleasing each new kind of food is with your baby. There will be time for more extensive dishes later on.

Use organic fruit and vegetables where available as they will be additive-free and tasty. Home-made meals are much less expensive than store-bought jars, so it is worth investing a bit of time every few days cooking up some purées. You can always put them in the freezer and heat them during the course of the week.

First off, it might be best to give your baby half of his usual breast feed before trying his first taste of solids. That way, he won’t be too hungry, nor will he be too full. Try to pick a time when he is not too fractious and try to establish a routine by feeding him at the same time every day. To begin with, you might want to sit him on your lap.

In the beginning he will most likely only eat a teaspoon or so, you can offer him more, but when he loses focus it may be best to feed him the rest of his breast.

Children need to learn how to swallow, (hence the regurgitation anddribbling that turns yourself, him and the surrounding area into a large mess) so be patient. In the first couple of weeks, you should become accustomed to your lovingly home made fruit concoctions being unceremoniously spat out as your little one figures out how to chew.

If your child does not show interest in solid food, then may be to leave it for a bit longer before giving it another bash. Maintain the normal breast feeds and perhaps try something a bit simpler, formula and pudding rice or puréed potato for example. He might not like the strong taste of the weird new food that you are giving him. No matter what, your baby will gradually enjoy eating.

If you would like more tips on <a href="http://stopbreastfeeding.net/blog/introducing-solids-to-your-baby">introducing solids</a> or meal ideas for when you are weaning, please visit my <a href="http://stopbreastfeeding.net">blog</a>.

The Effects Of Stopping Breastfeeding

If you have been considering about stopping breastfeeding or are busy weaning your baby, you should know that there are a few side effects of this. Some of the drawbacks of weaning can be psychological, whilst there are also a few physical consequences. Understanding some of the side effects of stopping breastfeeding may put you in a better position to identify the signs, or even completely side step the side effects all together.

Tender breasts are quite frequent after having stopped breastfeeding. This is due to the fact that your body will continue to produce quantities of breast milk for your child. This will often end in engorgement within the breast tissue. This will usually clear up after a couple days, but if it continues for over two weeks you should contact your midwife for advice or medication.

If you remain feeling really full, you can express to alleviate some of the pressure. You must however avoid pumping as much as possible at this stage as it will provoke your body to produce extra milk.

Another effect of stopping breastfeeding is depression. While this does not happen to all moms, it can be quite frequent. The main attributing causes to post weaning depression is the change in hormones, also the change in the relationship between little one and mother. These changes can be quite taxing on everyone in the family, and often does not display any signs.

A great way to avoid depression after weaning is to take it slow. If at all reasonable do not go cold turkey. Slowly weaning baby down to three feeds, then two and finally one feed per day, maybe in the afternoon, will lower the shock of the new routine. Your body will have time to adapt to the hormonal differences and your mind will have time to acclimatise to how the relationship between you and baby is changing.

Something that is not irregular in mums who are stopping breastfeeding is insomnia. Not being able to sleep properly could also be related to the changes in your hormones akin to how depression after weaning is caused. As with depression after you start weaning, taking the weaning process gradual will help with the hormonal changes and hopefully limit the chance of having insomnia.

If you're not forced to stop breastfeeding cold turkey due to medication or another reason, you should hold out until both yourself and baby are ready to stop breastfeeding. Moving onto bottle before baby is ready makes for one unhappy little one. Remember to talk about anything you are not sure of with your doctor or other health professional as they will be able to give you advice more suited to your current situation. 

The best formula for your baby

The first choice in bottle milk for your little one should be a cow's milk based infant formula suited to his age. This is of course unless your health practitioner has advised you not to due to possible allergic reactions or another reason. Normally goats milk is not suited in a case of allergies either due to the fact that goats milk proteins are very similar to the ones contained in cow's milk. The amount of lactose is also around the same levels found in cow's milk. Goat milk and sheep contain much lower nutrient levels, below what is required for a young child, especially iron unless they have been artificially added. These types of milk have also not been approved for use within Europe. Should you consider these for any reason, you should consult with your doctor first.

It is very important to remember that other than breastfeeding, formula is the only alternative during the first 6 months of your babys life and it should be given for at least the first twelve months. It is not safe to feed a baby under twelve months old anything other than breast milk or formula. They are not able to digest the full fat milk adults would normally drink and does not contain enough nutrients for their growing bodies. Once they are passed six months though, you may begin introducing small amounts into any solids you may be cooking for them.

If you are looking at formula as an alternative to breastfeeding, you may become overwhelmed by the wide variety of options on the market. With all of the sales pitches and different promises each of the varieties have, it can become very difficult to single out the top brand for your child. There is however a silver lining. Due to the regulations around baby food, they are all in fact very very similar, with the most visible difference being in which direction the marketing company has taken and what nourishment information they want to focus on. If you are worried or feel your little one requires something a little bit more, do not hesitate to speak with your doctor for more input as they will probably have a favourite to recommend to you.

When it comes to powdered formula, the costs may well be quite a bit cheaper than buying cartons of the ready made competition. The major downside being the preparation time. You can buy powdered milk for a variety of ages, right from new born through to toddlers and even older so you will want to keep this in mind if you are new to instant formula. A very big plus side to ready-made carton milk formula is that it does not need heating. This may be great for times when you are out for a meal with friends and family or even the early morning feeds when you don't quite feel like fumbling around the kitchen in the dark heating up bottles.

If it is your first little one, it may be good to join a mothers group so that you are able to share between you what to use and what to avoid. Even for a second or 3rd time mom, the support of these groups can be amazing. You can speak to someone at your local clinic for information about baby groups in your area, or even at your doctors office.

Yours,
Mona Selinger