Weaning tips from the parents at HiPP

Shelly advises that new parents trust their instincts. “You know your baby best and will pick up on little signs that they’re ready. Take your time and keep calm – don’t stress if they refuse to eat something you’ve given them, or they make a complete mess. It’s all normal and part of the fun!”

Steph agrees, adding: “Try not to compare your baby’s progress with weaning with their little friends. As with all baby-related things, each baby develops differently. Some will take to weaning easily, whilst others will take a little longer. For the first 2 weeks of weaning I think Ella literally spat out everything I gave her and just played with the bits of veg that I gave her to try!” “It may feel daunting at first, but once they have tried a couple of things, it becomes really fun,” says Hannah. “Embrace the mess and let them hold pieces of fruit or veg. Broccoli was my little one’s favourite and seeing her face covered green was a moment of joy!”

“I felt a lot of pressure to do baby led weaning,” says Laura, who had heard from friends and social media that baby-led weaning (BLW) was ‘best’ for baby. “While I really wanted to do it, I felt nervous to let my daughter try BLW type solids for the first time. In the end, we eased into it with baby biscuits, a solid that she can hold onto and feed to herself, but which goes soft very quickly. This was a great start for us. Then, once our confidence built up a bit, we actually were both really happy doing a combination of BLW and purees. You just have to do what is right for you and your baby and ignore the societal pressures.”

Kirsten agrees: “You have to trust your instincts. Do what works for you and your baby, whether that’s BLW or purees, shop bought or home made.”

Lots of people start weaning with lunch, but there’s no hard and fast rule about the best time to start meals. Karen opted for breakfast because that’s what suited her family best. “I decided to start weaning at breakfast time as I knew it was the one time of the day that we were always at home so gave me the best chance of being consistent, and my little one was always in a good mood, not tired,” she says.

Laura shares a favourite bit of advice she was given. “Don’t play games in order to get your baby to eat their food – so no aeroplanes or tricking them to open their mouth so you can get a spoon in. If they want to eat let them, and if they don’t want it, don’t make them. This way they learn to listen to their hungry/full cues and create healthy eating habits for when they are older.” Steph adds, “One of the most helpful things I read about weaning is that you don’t need to spend half an hour feeding your baby – especially in the beginning. Ten or fifteen minutes is plenty.” You can always come back and try again later if your baby’s not interested.

Some people love weaning, and some people loathe it – there’s no right way to feel about it. But there are ways you can make it easier on yourself. Scott recommends, “Whatever veggies you have with your adult meal – steam them for baby. It makes them soft, plus they copy what you’re eating!”

Emma agrees that eating together helps your baby get used to the idea of mealtime, but adds "It’s also handy to have lots of on-the-go options for when you’re out and about or busy. Pots, snacks, and tray meals also help your baby try new things, whatever else you’ve got going on.” And above all, she says, “Accept that what works one day might not work the next. Don’t lose faith. Keep trying new textures and flavours.”