12 Month Baby Food and Weaning Update

How is my baby a 1 year old?! The past year has flown by and been full of so many things. I’ve learnt so much becoming a mum and have so much I want to share – it’s just finding the time which is tough in between working, spending time with my little family and life admin including cleaning the house (fun!). If I’m being honest, fore front of my mind these past few months has been Rory’s eating. 

There always seems to be something I’m worrying about (standard day in being a mum!) and most recently its Rory’s weight. Rory’s weight gain in the past few months has been up and down which for any parent is a concern. After your baby turns 6 months, its suggested that you weigh your child every 2 months for this exact reason. Unfortunately since November he’s had 4, yes you read that right, 4 tummy bugs which had an impact on his eating (thanks nursery!). Along with teething and these tummy bugs he’s had several weeks where he just wasn’t interested in food. I carried on offering food and of course milk but seeing your baby refusing food or spitting it out/ throwing it away can cause you lots of stress and worry. Luckily, since Rory started nursery, his appetite has increased in between tummy bugs and he’s been eating really well. Thank goodness!

Another thing I need to remind myself is he has become extremely mobile. Going from sitting at 6 months to crawling at speed from a to b and pulling himself up on everything and sofa surfing. This is of course going to mean he is burning a LOT more energy than before.

It’s also important to look at your babies weight in relation to their height rather than just fixating on weight. So when looking at Rory he’s fairly in proportion. I arranged a Health Visitor weigh in as part of his 1 year developmental check and they weren’t concerned at all. Their opinion is that he’s hitting his milestones and his weight/ height are probably where they should be and not be concerned.

I’ve previously shared my thoughts on starting weaning here and things I found useful. I can’t believe that was in October when Rory was 7 months old! 

Rory has a suspected egg allergy which means he can’t have quick cooked eggs such as scrambled eggs/ pancakes etc. but can have eggs cooked for longer in the oven. We have finally been referred to a dietician on the NHS but I’ve been told this can take 6-12 months to come through. In the meantime, we’ve reached out to a private dietician which I know we’re extremely lucky to be able to do. A friend has been working with her on her baby’s milk allergy and I’ve reached out for a consultation. I’m looking forward to the meeting and seeing what we can do to help Rory.

Since Rory has turned 1, I’m wanting to bring our breastfeeding journey to an end. Considering all the issues we had at the beginning of our journey (see here), I can’t believe we’ve nearly made it to the 1 year mark. If I’m being honest, I’ve been wanting to stop for a while now. Rory went through a biting phase and I literally had bleeding nipples and the pain of feeding was worse than those new born days. Rory hasn’t accepted a bottle since he was about 4 months old which has meant I’ve had to exclusively breastfeed him. It’s been an amazing experience and I feel like it’s the right time to bring it to an end. He now only has a feed when he wakes up and at bedtime. 

As Rory won’t take a bottle, we’ve been trying him on a cup (and at nursery) which he accepted for a couple weeks and since then has outright refused to drink breastmilk, formula or cow’s milk. I spent a very long time stressing about this, but then read somewhere that this isn’t uncommon and as long as little one’s are getting enough dairy/ calcium in their diet elsewhere it’s all ok. I spoke to the Health Visitor about this and it’s absolutely fine. One of the ways we try and get dairy in, is through his breakfast. He’ll usually have readybrek made with cow’s milk and then I try and give him some cheese with a meal and some yogurt with mushed fruit as a snack.

The little man has also started refusing to eat fruit as is with the exception of banana… he’ll pop it in his mouth and then push it out with a disgusted look on his face (*face palm*). However, he’ll be more than happy to have fruit if it’s mushed up with yogurt or in his porridge. The little monkey!

All of these things can cause stress and they definitely have for me! It’s just worth knowing you’re not alone and everything will be ok. As our little ones get older they start pushing boundaries which is absolutely normal and a sign they’re developing perfectly normally. As mum’s we need to stop being so hard on ourselves which I know is easier said than done.  

It’s always worth reaching out to your Health Visitor or doctor if you’re worried at all. The Health Visitor put my mind completely at rest and was really supportive and encouraging.

I thought it would be useful to share some bits and pieces I’ve found.

Useful links:

How often should your baby be weighed

Avoiding egg and alternatives

Advice on getting in extra calories

Faltering growth

Turning 1

Solid Starts – fantastic guidance about introducing all different types of food/ picky eating and guidance.

Meal inspiration:

Charlotte Stirling-Reed: Instagram and Blog

The Children’s Dietician

Styled snapshots

Baby Led Weaning Cookbook

Annabel Karmel

My First Meals

Cookbook’s:

What Mummy Makes – my absolute favourite! She has a great Instagram too.

Wean in 15

I’ll do a round up soon of some of my favourite snacks and meal ideas as I always love seeing what others are giving for little one’s meal inspo!

Until next time,
Cathers xx

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