Assalamualaikum and Hi,
Today's post is about weaning..I've started to wean Adam when he was 5 and a half months old..He really enjoys eating..except when he had a fever 2 weeks ago, dia makan sikit je but still makan..:-)..
Adam sangat senang terima semua makanan yg mummy introduced kat dia..Memudahkan mummy yg sentiasa nak cepat..:-)..
Sedikit sejarah pemakanan Adam:
- Dari hari pertama, apabila midwife letak dia atas dada mummy beberapa saat selepas dilahirkan, dia terus boleh 'latch on' dgn betul and menyusu..That was a very magical and memorable moment in my life.:-).
- He demanded milk every one hour and this caused mummy to not have enough sleep. I lost a lot of blood when delivering him and this really made me feel like zombie..hehe..so he was fully breastfed for 1 month..I was impressed that he gained from 3.21kg to 5.38kg after 1 month giving him my liquid gold.:-).
- Then I introduced formula milk to him after having mixed feeling about this (as I intended to fully breastfeed him until 6 months old). That was a few weeks before I started my study and I was not strong enough to feed him every one hour. I need enough rest before I started going to the university. With mixed feeling, I searched about all the formula milk brands available in the UK and decided to choose the best one i.e. Aptamil. I was afraid that he wont accept the formula milk after being breastfed since birth but alhamdulillah, he accepted the formula milk well..:-)..He is not a fussy baby I must say..
- Then at 5.5 months old, I started to wean him. Alhamdulillah, he loves to eat!..he shows his interest in every food I gave him..:-)..
I started by buying a book and a weaning set by Annabel Karmel, a child nutrition expert in the UK. This book helps me a lot in preparing foods for Adam..it has recipes and charts on what to give to your baby from the very first time you wean him. Although the charts are just a suggestion by Annabel, but it is very helpful for a first time mum like me. I did modify some of the ingredients a little bit depending on what I have in the fridge...haha..
Annabel Karmel weaning set
I also bought a Beaba Babycook...This is really a godsend for me...:-)..It can be used as a steamer to steam the fruits/vegetables/meats to make them tender. It can blend the steamed food into puree. We have full control of the consistency of the puree. For stage 2 weaning, just blend the food for just a short time. It also has the function to reheat and defrost food..I can prepare 3 different foods in 2 hours with the help of this machine..:-)..
Beaba Babycook in action
So far I have made various kinds of food for him..Carrot puree, apple puree, pear puree, sweet potato puree, banana puree, butternut squash+carrot+potato puree and broccoli+cauliflower+carrot puree...All of them except the banana puree were made in big batches to be stored in the freezer...Banana puree can easily be made just by mashing a banana in a bowl with a fork or masher..I'll write an entry about some recipes later on..:-)..
Carrot puree
A happy baby!
Since I'm unable to fully breastfeed Adam (I'll try my best to fully breastfeed Adam's adik later on insyaAllah), I decided to prepare all his food by myself (kind of menebus kesilapan..hehe)..However, I'll consider to use over the shelves commercial baby foods for travelling. By opting to cook your baby's food by yourself, you're helping him to be a better eater. Baby who eats commercial foods tends to be a fussy eater and the commercial foods taste quite bland due to being made in bulk quantity..
However, what you choose to give your child is really up to you, depending on your budget and ability. Every people is different and every baby is different too. It doesn't make you love your child less or turning you into a bad parent by giving your baby formula milk and commercial food. You know your child best!..
Okay, that's all for now. Till next time for the 2nd stage weaning when Adam is 7 months old..:-).
