Just when you think you’ve got this parenting lark sussed the little cherubs find another way to freak you out. R and G are really not enjoying weaning. Yes, these are the same babies that have been on hungrier baby milk since they were 3 weeks old and regularly down 9oz bottles. I was utterly convinced that they would take to food like ducks to the proverbial but I was wrong.
We left it until they were more than 5 months old and read enough on the subject to know to take it slowly, don’t rush it, one taste at a time, home cooked is best, etc. Four weeks in and the girls are still on one ‘meal’ a day that they really aren’t fussed about.
I started with good intentions. I went to M & S and bought lots of lovely fresh organic fruit and veg and spent an evening chopping, cooking, pureeing, decanting and freezing teeny little portions. I even labelled and dated the tiny tubs. I may as well have spent the evening doing my nails or knitting nappies or writing my journal for all the interest they have shown in food.
So far, they have tried baby rice, banana mashed with formula, mashed up rusk, sweet potato and carrot and all have been treated with the same contempt. The only thing that they showed any interest in was pureed apple and even then it was hard work getting them to have more than a little bit before they dribbled it all out. I got so tired of chucking my lovingly prepared home cooked food away that dh went out and bought a whole load of jars. R managed to throw up the meagre spoonfuls she deigned to eat today and G is still downing four 9oz bottles a day but not showing any interest in the mush. I’ve never seen two babies look so insulted by a tub of food.
Actually, they show a lot of interest in our food, but turn their noses up at the mush we offer them. We went to Nandos the other week, carefully timed so they were fed (milk) before we ate. They were snoozing in the buggy until the food arrived, at which point they pinged to life. Their eyes grew larger and larger with every chicken wing we ate. I swear they even stopped blinking. Then, they started miming chewing actions, which were swiftly accompanied by dribble. G cracked first and let out a wail of despair. To save the ears (and sanity) of our fellow diners I extracted her from the buggy and sat her on my lap. Eating wings with one hand is a skill we should all learn. R decided she was missing out so dh extracted her and we ate most of the meal juggling the girls and the food. At one point dh jokingly offered R a chip. It’s a good job he’s got quick(ish) reflexes because he had to whip it away before she chomped down on it. She would have happily had it if he’d let her.
I reckon they just want to get straight on with eating all the delights they’ve watched us chowing down on. We’re going to persevere with the mush, for what it’s worth but also introduce ‘baby led’ when they hit 6 months. I think R will really respond to it as she likes to be in control of what’s going on and G’s co-ordination is so good that she wants to hold her own bottle now so I can see them enjoying bits and pieces of ‘real’ food.
I’ll keep you posted.