Food, glorious food! Everywhere you go in your daily life food is staring you in the face, from adverts on television, social media, and radio, to shops selling food items at every corner. Many adults have a complex relationship with food because of learned behaviours as a child or as a result of a past trauma that they turned to or away from food. It is a comfort in times of stress and the Achilles heel many of us can’t resist indulging in. So it stands to reason that weaning babies to solid foods is an important milestone that, when done effectively, sets up a child to have a good relationship with food, ideally, for life.
I say it a lot but babies really are a blank canvas when they start weaning. They will learn to eat whatever you offer them. They don’t know what are healthy foods, high-fat foods, sugary foods, or what makes a balanced diet. They will simply learn from you.
This is why I believe that as you approach the weaning stage it is important to take a few minutes and think about your own relationship with food:
- What does your diet look like?
- Are there certain textures, flavours or smells you don’t like?
- Could it use a bit of an overhaul? (now may be a good time and motivator to make changes!)
- Do you eat lots of convenience foods but wished you could eat fresher foods/more veggies or fruit?
- Do you eat regularly or do you eat on the run?
Getting into good habits right from the start of weaning will help you and your little one in the long run so you don’t pass any particular food issues you may have on to them and also means they can work out their own taste preferences.
When you start weaning a baby onto solid foods, the fun part is the exploration. Feeling the textures, smelling the smells, looking at the colours, listening to the sounds (the squishing, the crunching, so many noises before, during and after eating!), such a sensory experience. As we grow up many of us lose the ability to see food as exciting and enjoyable! When children get old enough, getting them involved in choosing, making and meals, baking etc helps cement the fact that food can be fun not just functional.
Food also makes a great toy! Yes really! Using different foods helps to take away some of the fear and unknown around it, helps build the excitement and is great for a babies cognitive developement as well. Some children don’t take to weaning straight away for one reason or another so doing messy food play can help build that positive relationship with food. Crunching rice krispies, painting with pasta shapes, using mash potato like play dough, feeding dolls etc all engage the senses and there is no pressure on the child to actually eat it. Educational, edible and fun all at the same time!
Variety is the spice of life as they saying goes. This is definitely true for the weaning process. The more variety you can give them the better. Babies will learn to eat the foods you offer, they will naturally choose sweeter foods, if you offer them, so don’t offer them! Offering lots of different veggies, both pureed or whole for baby-led, means that their taste buds adapt to the savoury flavours. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Babies need to be offered a new food up to 15 times before they will accept it and eat it so persevere and keep offering.
The other reason to expand the food base as wide as possible is that when your baby hits the toddler stage and starts becoming more picky about the foods they want, you will have a bigger choice to start with.
The ‘where’ is another consideration in the early days of weaning. In order to learn to listen to their bodies, babies need to focus on the food they are eating. This should be done in the same place every time they eat so that they know if they get put into their highchair, at the table, in a specific place that a meal is coming, this is where we eat, no distractions. Feeding babies in walking rings, jolly jumpers, play mats or anywhere other than at a place designated for food gives your baby the message that food doesn’t need to be focused on, it is something that happens wherever they are (this is for main meals specifically, not snacks in the early days).
When there are lots of distractions, baby won’t learn to recognise signs they are full and they won’t be able to concentrate on what they are eating. So minimise distractions, turn off screens and sit with your little one so they know mealtimes are social events.
Children learn by observation. There is a reason why just before you are about to start weaning, your baby will grab everything out of your hands and try to eat it! It’s because they watch you putting food into your mouth, chewing and swallowing. So capitalise on this. When your baby eats, you should ideally also have a snack or light meal (depending on the time of the day), they will learn so much more by copying you than anything else.
Transitioning from milk feeds to solid foods can be daunting for both parent and baby but it is about more than just the food element. It is about building a long-term positive relationship with the whole process of eating, the social side it represents, the food choices, the eating area, so much to consider when your baby is approaching weaning age. I like to think of it like being taught how to drive (even though it was a long long time ago!!), when you are learning, your driving instructor teaches you the best way to drive, the things to think about, exploring different road and how to do it effectively. Once you pass your test then you can decide which habits you will continue with, you are more relaxed and settle into driving your way. If you only ever drove from A to B without driving down new roads or have an accident along the way then you will be worried about going on different roads, anxious about driving and probably avoid it altogether. I see weaning as the same process, I know it is a little strange but bear with me! When babies are learning to take solid foods, you are the ‘driving instructor’. You are teaching the good habits, the best way to do things (and there is no 1 best way thats the beauty of it!) and offering a variety of flavours and foods. If you only ever offer the same foods in the same way then that is what your baby will learn (the going from A to B only). They will be reluctant to explore new flavours or texture, however if you explore a variety of foods during this wonderful learning stage then they will embrace the undiscovered (exploring new roads!) and once they are able to choose for themselves they can decide what foods and flavours they like and want.
We all want our children to have a healthy relationship with food, opt for healthy snacks, eat their fruit and veggies and generally make positive choices when it comes to mealtimes. Starting off well is easier than trying to change thoughts and behaviours later on, so take the time in the beginning.
If you need any help with the weaning stage, whether you are just starting out, in the thick of it or out the otherside but struggling with a particular issue, why not book a free 30 minute call with me to chat about what is going on and how I can help you? The Weaning Queen on Calendly, otherwise have you joined my free Facebook group Wonderful World of Weaning! Here I give regular tips on how to make weaning easier, recipe ideas, making life simple as a busy mum and much more.
Weaning should be fun for all, let me help you make it that way!
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