The Time for Weaning is Approaching... Now What?!

I am a chronic over-researcher. So, when Nola was approaching 6 months, I researched everywhere I could to learn about the weaning process. I was swamped with information from the internet, social media and friends. Having now been through the process, I thought it would be helpful to blog about tips for parents heading into the weaning phase of their children’s lives.

Plan

I decided to follow a plan for the first month of weaning so that I had a plan to work from that had proven successes. Charlotte Stirling-Reed’s book; ‘How to Wean your Baby’ explained everything there is to know about weaning in a succinct and informative way. She then provided a month-long plan which takes the baby through tasting individual vegetables to adding in some more complex flavours and combinations. Although following the plan can feel quite intense, I LOVED this book. The book takes you through a mix of mostly baby-led weaning, where children can hold food and feed themselves and also the inclusion of some purees. I credit Charlotte’s plan with helping Nola become the great eater that she is today.

Social Media

On my weaning journey, I have found some really helpful social media accounts that have helped either inform me about weaning or given me some great ideas for recipes. Some of these include:

@zaynesplate - Simone has really helpful posts on her grid and in her stories. She guides you through the process from the start and demonstrates the process using her son. Simone has some great recipes on her page and more in her book.

@the.toddler.diet - This is a great account for recipe inspiration for breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

What to Buy

When I was looking at what I needed to buy for weaning, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t over-buying things that I didn’t necessarily need. To get you started, I would advise buying:

Soft fork and Spoon
Plate
Bowl
Bib
Open Cup

I created our silicone weaning sets because they really are all you need at the beginning so this is the perfect set to start you on your weaning journey. I’ve explained some of the pieces included to help:

Fork and Spoon - Our cutlery is made out of silicone which makes it soft, bendy and most importantly safe for your child. This allows children to explore the use of cutlery without the potential harm a hard plastic or metal piece of cutlery could cause.
Plate - I designed our suction plates to be square so that they could sit as close to the child as possible. This means that children can be encouraged to pick up food and explore food themselves which supports baby-led weaning.
Bowl - Our suction bowls are the perfect size for children. They have a raised edge so that you or your child is able to scoop against the edge to get the perfect amount of food.
Bib - Our adjustable silicone bibs are wipe-clean. The bib will catch any food that your child drops and is really helpful at the beginning when not a lot goes straight in their mouths! I started with a cover-all bib but it wasn't good on it's own to catch food. I changed to a silicone bib and Nola always used what was left in the bib as her second course!
Open cup - Our sets don’t include a cup as this is something I have personally changed quite a lot. I would suggest that you find a small, open cup that they can use at mealtimes.

Hopefully this has been of some use to you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you have any requests for future blog posts: customercare@thetonaltot.co.uk.

Rebecca

The Tonal Tot

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