Weaning the Second Time Around

At five and a half months, we made the decision to start weaning Archie.  For several reasons this felt like the right time, and we decided to go for a similar approach as we had with Dylan - a mixture of traditional and baby led weaning.

I was apprehensive about starting the weaning process. My little baby would suddenly be eating real food and it marked the beginning of his independance from me.  For 9 months I grew this little baby in my tummy and then for the next 5, I fed him.  For fourteen months, I was his only source of sustenance and nutrition, and suddenly I would be sharing this role.  Suddenly I am not the only one who can feed him and it is rather strange to let go of this.  

Archie's weaning began whilst we were in hospital and as there are very limited facilities there, it mean for the first few days he had baby rice and later on some puree.  Unlike his brother, he wasn't so sure about the new tastes and seemed to still prefer his milk, but he has slowly come round to the new routine and seems to be enjoying his meals more and more.  

Breadsticks are a big hit as is banana.  He likes the apple or strawberry and apple purees, although he isn't so sure about the spoon yet! We were sent some tommee tippee spoons which have a super flexible end and he seemed to prefer these as he could have a little chew on them too.  They also sent us some lovely little pots which are just the right size for storing mini breadsticks in the nappy bag! They are also perfect for storing and heating homemade purees in.

We are taking our cues from Archie, and have been moving more towards baby led weaning over the last couple of weeks as he seems much happier with this and is proving quite adept at feeding himself.  He prefers savoury food and devoured a chilli con carne with rice as fast as his brother could!

As his appetite for solids has increased, I am starting to see the number of milk feeds decreasing and as much as I miss the dependance, it is much easier to go out, knowing that I don't need to stop and feed him quite so often.  His hunger can be appeased with a snack until I find somewhere to sit down and I can have a bit of a lie in at the weekend as the bloke doesn't need to bring him up for milk quite so much.

Archie is putting weight on again now and mealtimes are adding more of a routine into his day.  Although I miss the easy days of a purely milk diet, it is lovely to watch the boys sharing a sandwich at lunch time.

Disclaimer:  We were sent some Tommee Tippee Weaning bits free of charge 

but all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

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6 Months In

Half a year has passed since Archie entered the world and things have certainly changed.  Whilst I still have a lot to learn, I feel like I have the 'mother of two' thing pretty sorted (for now at least).

This month has been full of change and Archie seems to have grown up almost overnight.  As well as competently rolling all over the place (and quite often across the room), the little man is now sitting unaided.  He loves to play on his tummy but since he found his balance, he is happiest on his bottom and I tend to put a V cushion behind him to soften any falls.  He loves his new view point and watching the world go by.

We have also started weaning, and after an uninterested start, Archie is now incredibly interested in food and desperate to get at anything we are eating.  We started with a mixed approach but are finding that he much prefers the baby led style.  He has moved quickly and this week we are introducing the third meal.  His favourite food is breadsticks and he seems to prefer vegetables to fruit so far

Archie has moved out of the crib next to my bed and is now comfortably settled in his very own room.  He is out of the moses basket and so has his day time naps up there as well if we are in.  He seems quite happy in his cot and as much as I miss him being right there next to me, it is also lovely to reclaim our bedroom and not spend my evening creeping around by phone-torch light.

Generally Archie is a pretty happy little chap.  He loves having his nappy off and is the most smiley when he is naked.  He is definitely teething now and we don't leave the house without our trusty companion Sophie le Giraffe.  He is still comfortably fitting in his 6-9 month clothes but I don't think it will be too long before we are reaching for the next size up.  He is still such a mummy's boy and happiest in my arms. 

Despite the introduction of solids, he still wants to breastfeed often and nights usually include a 3am and 5am feed, with him generally coming into our bed for the second as he won't settle back in his cot.  Sometimes he still adds in a 12pm feed too but not as often anymore.

This month has been the most difficult with both the boys and Dylan seems to be struggling with the concept of gentle.  Sometimes I think he is just over excited, but other times I think he lashes out for attention.  Most of the time he just wants to talk or play with 'Bubba' and he loves blowing raspberrys on his tummy to make him laugh.  I remember very clearly what it was like to have a younger brother, and I am not expecting it to be plain sailing but I am hoping this is just a little phase.

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