Weaning week starts tomorrow and I realised while planning content to share with you lovely lot – I haven’t really talked about my weaning experience in any detail. You all know my love of food and desire to feed Logan & Kaia the best started the creation of Logan’s Plate. I’ve also touched on Logan loving the spoon, but Kaia not so much, but that’s it.
So here’s a little insight into my two very different weaning experiences. Spoiler alert, it’s not that exciting, but it does show that the same Mum and with the same initial approach can result in two very different outcomes. Which is common.
Let’s start with Kaia, the most recent weaning story…..
Kaia
Kaia started weaning just before she was 6 months. As with everything to do with the second/third child, milestones are reached just that little bit earlier than with your first. She sat at the table with us in her bumbo then her highchair from very early on. Getting her used to mealtimes, routines and excited by food was important and so much easier when you’re already sitting down to eat. Sometimes her milk feeds would clash with meals, so she was fed at the table.
It became increasingly obvious that she wanted in on the food action from around 51/2 months. She would grab, yell and smash until we eventually popped some bits onto her tray. My plan to wean Kaia was with both BLW and purees. I followed my plan, but Kaia had other ideas. She accepted both finger foods and purees, but she did not accept being spoon fed. She had to be fully in control of food and the spoon – my kitchen walls had to be repainted after a particular incident.
When weaning Logan, I had more time (in comparison to having two little ones) and less people to feed. It was simple to give him certain foods, in particular order and keep track of what he had tasted. With number two, being that regimented isn’t exactly compatible with day to day life. From the moment she was born, she had to fit into an existing routine.
Kaia was given a much wider variety of foods, in different forms a lot sooner than Logan. This might sound strange, because we did offer Logan a huge variety of tastes and textures right from the start, it’s the whole ethos behind my recipes for LP. However, where Logan would have been given paprika potato wedges or seasoned meat a month into weaning, Kaia would have been given them weeks into weaning.
I was also a lot more relaxed when out and about. I would happily give Kaia appropriate (sometimes not that appropriate) items from the menu in a restaurant. But with Logan I wouldn’t feel that comfortable and would always pack my own food or *GASP* use the occasional pouch (yes, I know, don’t judge me).
Kaia is a bit of a meat fiend and loves complex flavours, but is she a better eater than Logan? No not really, they both eat well (once they’re out of their picky phases), but they do have very different palates.
One thing is for sure, her determination to use a spoon independently was a clear sign of her personality.
Logan
Logan, my first weaning experience. I like to think I was ready, I certainly wasn’t worried about it. I’m a foodie, love to cook and was adamant I was going to raise future foodies. To be fair to myself, I haven’t done that badly.
When pregnant I dreamed of daily trips to the farmers market. I’d only cook the best of the best from scratch for every meal. In reality, most days I was too tired to get out of my pj’s. However, I did have my routine down for prepping meals.
Because I didn’t breastfeed, food became so much more than an experience, it became a way for me to pump as many nutrients as I could into my children.
As with Kaia, I did both BLW and purees with Logan. He though, embraced being spoon fed. He loved nothing more than to sit back and let me feed him. He would happily pick up finger foods, play with and then eat them. But would demand his hands be washed between bites – it was tiresome. He hated having dirty hands. He was the only child at messy play that refused to get messy. I recently found out Mike was the same as a child.
I made most of Logan’s meals. The times I gave him a pouch or jar, he wasn’t that keen. I discovered he was happy with the veggie ones, but not the ones that were meant to resemble meals. Of course he was ok with the veggie ones, they’re full of sugar! I remember one day my aunt and uncle came over and I had a ‘Sunday Roast’ jar. I gave Logan a spoonful to see what his reaction would be and he was very clear in his dislike of it. My uncle said “Of course he doesn’t like it, it’s Thursday.” That pretty much sums up Logan’s experience with pouches and jars.
Despite his love of being spoon fed and not so keen on getting his hands dirty, I kept giving him finger foods and different textures. Logan will now happily wolf down most things with his hands – again tiresome, but for different reasons. He also absolutely loves food. He goes into a trance sometimes when eating, he’s so caught up with what’s in his mouth.
Did he go through a ‘picky phase’? Yep. Did he come out of it? Yep. Will he eat everything put in front of him? He will always try it, but doesn’t always eat it. Was it easier to clean up after his meal times? Absolutely. Again, this was an indicator of his personality.
Same Mum, Two Different Experiences
So there you have it, an insight into my weaning journeys. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you do, kids will always have their own ideas and that’s ok – unless they’re being picky for no reason!
Logan and Kaia eat well, but both have their own taste buds and will not always like the same thing. Dinner time can be a challenge – read how I manage dinner time with different children’s needs here.
Remember, weaning should be a time of exploration and enjoyment. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. There’s a lot of conflicting info out there. Trust your gut and if you need to, do a weaning course for that extra bit of reassurance.
Over the course of weaning week, I’ll be sharing my favourite feeding accessories, recipes, common concerns, BLW vs Spoon Fed and more. If you don’t already, follow LP on Facebook and Instagram to get the info first.
Tijani x
