Non UPF baby led weaning ideas

Where’s the time going? Maybe it’s a cliché to say it, but time really does fly when you have kids. Monty is 6 months this week and we’ve started giving him some solids – and some mush.

This is my third time weaning a baby, and I’ve always loved this stage (so has the dog…)

With Ida, I had the Wean in 15 book. I home cooked everything. If it could be pureed it was being pureed. I followed all the rules. Ida was picky from the get go.

With Martha, I was more open to pouches and just giving her stuff we were having. She loved food (still does!) She used to eat entire pieces of pasta whole. It was amazing watching how much she loved it and how open to trying things she was.

This time, I got the books out again. I pinned my Ella’s Kitchen wall chart to the door. I planned on working my way through purees.

However. This little man has different ideas.

He wants to do it ALL himself. This is making my third experience very messy. And I’m having to remind myself how to cook things safely for baby led weaning… I’m not saying purees are out, I’ll keep trying different textures. But I’m not about holding his arms down while I force feed him soupy parsnips. I want him to feel free to explore food and hopefully have a positive experience around it.

I want to keep baby led weaning as non UPF as possible. 100% if I can, at least at first.

If you want to do a non UPF baby led weaning approach, let me fill you in on a few meal ideas. My brain is fried half the time with things I need to remember/ do (Ida always needs £1 for something at school). This list is as much for you as it is for me, a reminder of non UPF baby led weaning ideas.

He’s only very little at the moment and is no where near eating whole meals, but he’s putting things in his mouth and swallowing – looking pretty shocked about the whole situation sometimes too!

Non UPF baby led weaning kit

• Nom Nom reusable food pouches
• Coverall bib (It’s a messy situation)
• Ikea high chair (It’s the best one. Easy to clean and so cheap.)
• Ikea baby insert (I got this on vented. You blow it up and it holds the babe in a little better when they’re little)
• Silicone spoon (Make sure it is not metal or super hard, they hit themselves in the face with it so much at first.)
• Bowl that suctions to the highchair or 100% of the dinner will be on the floor

Non UPF baby led weaning meal ideas

I won’t pigeon hole meals into breakfast lunch and dinner because why can’t you have broccoli for breakfast or porridge for dinner? It’s all marketing’s fault. We are big fans of Brinner in this house!

• Broccoli over cooked and cut into big chunks. It has such a good shape, almost like a rattle
• Sweetcorn and courgette frittas
• Homemade pizza base cut into fingers with peanut butter or hummus
• Homemade hummus (no salt)
• Greek yoghurt
• Greek yoghurt and mashed banana / fruit
• Boiled pear cut into slices
• Omlette fingers
• Banana pancakes
• Homemade American pancakes (no sugar)
• Porridge and fruit
• Eggy bread
• Cucumber sticks
• VERY soft carrot sticks
• Boiled pepper sticks with skin removed
• Grapes cut in 1/4 or more!
• Banana (push your finger down the centre and it creates three perfect slices that aren’t slippy!)
• Sweet potato / squash slices (boiled, extremely mushy!)
• Corn on the cob (Waitrose do them cut into four so they’re perfect for non UPF baby led weaning, and frozen too!)

Everything should be mushy when pushed gently between your forefinger and thumb. It’s normal for a bit of gagging and face pulling. Something that always stuck with me from a baby weaning class I did was “If they go blue they need help from you.” It’s okay for them to cough and splutter a little, no noise is not good.

Always stay with your baby when they’re eating, and watch them. The NHS writes this on gagging / choking:

“Choking is different from gagging. Your baby may gag when you introduce solid foods.

This is because they’re learning how to deal with solid foods and regulate the amount of food they can manage to chew and swallow at one time.

If your baby is gagging:

they might retch to bring the food forward in their mouth or vomit”

their eyes may water

they might push their tongue forward (or out of their mouth)”

Weaning a baby is quite an emotional time. While they’ll still need milk, it’s the first real sign of them growing up and separating themselves from you. Be kind to yourself. Take your time. If your baby isn’t ready at 6 months (or you aren’t), don’t worry, wait!