As you may know, we have recently started weaning N. Unlike with J, we have been much more relaxed about it this time and we haven’t hit any obstacles yet! In fact, I’m finding it much less stressful and much more fun this time around.

I think as a first time parent it is going to be one of those things that worries you from the off, from even starting to think about weaning. The when, how, what? We tried weaning J earlier than he was ready so I panicked that he wasn’t getting enough food, but really he just wasn’t showing all of the signs, and we did it just because we were ‘supposed to’. With N I just knew when he was ready so it has been easy this time, really.

When you start to think about weaning though, there is so much help out there for you. Organix have just released The Little Book Of Weaning which is free to download. This book has been written with the help of four mums just like me & you – who are also experts in their own fields, but they have been there with the anxiety and questions – so it really is a great help.

The Little Book of Weaning has various chapters on deciding when your baby is ready, how to approach it, discovering new foods, top tips, and a handy guide on what & when to introduce different foods. If you feel overwhelmed and are looking for somewhere to start, then this is it.

We decided to baby led wean from the beginning with N, but we have fed him a couple of foods from a spoon (though he tries to do it himself!). It was an easy decision for us to take this time but some parents struggle to choose between BLW and traditional weaning. Organix believe that there is no need to choose if you don’t wish to:

“Rather than feeling that you have to decide between traditional weaning or BLW, why not combine the two then you’ll get the best of both worlds? You can start off with puree, then when you feel ready pop some finger foods in front of your baby so they can squash, squeeze and taste the finger food.”

As this is the second time I’ve been through the weaning journey, here are my top five tips for you:

• let baby take the lead. They will let you know when they’re ready, and you will know when they show you.
• easier said than done, but try not to worry if it looks like they are choking. They are just practicing their gag reflex which happens to be further forward than ours.
• give them a spoon to hold (or play with!) from the beginning – even if they don’t use it, it’s great practice!
• don’t worry about how much they’re eating. It’s mainly just fun up until one year old whilst they are mainly having milk.
• following on from above – don’t worry about mess! It’s fun for us parents too!

*PR collaboration