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In partnership with baby product experts Graco, we recently went live with a fascinating guest, Children’s Dietician Lucy Upton. Whether you’re a first-time parent, or a parent to multiple kids, weaning can be a daunting task – but our video contains lots of helpful hints and tips about how to approach weaning as a positive journey.
Click here to watch our Instagram Live with Graco
The live focused on discussing the pain points parents face often with children’s nutrition, in particular the challenges we often face when starting to wean our little ones.
We started discussing how to know when your baby is ready for weaning – helping to dispel some of the old wives’ tales, and instead look at the developmental cues parents need to look for. One of the hot topics that often appears controversial across social media is the decision between baby-led weaning and purees. Is there really one-size-fits-all when it comes to weaning? Mother&Baby and Graco have been actively listening to real parents to discover what's worrying them about nutrition for their little ones.
The Graco One Family Campaign
We also talked about the Graco One Family Campaign, which is exploring some of the challenges faced by families today, with a different theme each month. From financial planning, weaning and nutrition, to managing your mental health, Graco partners with experts to offer advice alongside parents Fab and Ell – who are sharing their personal experiences with their twin boys, Noah and Ari, on Instagram and YouTube.
For the latest phase of the campaign, Graco surveyed parents and found nearly half of respondents said they felt anxious or worried when their child refused to eat, and nearly 90 per cent of parents expressed some level of worry about the ingredients in baby food. Nearly a quarter of parents shared that they’re unsure about what’s actually in the food they’re buying.
The cost of healthy eating is a definite worry for parents these days, with 44 per cent of parents surveyed believing feeding their baby a healthier diet is more expensive.
The One Family Campaign has also found that 84 per cent of parents surveyed said that becoming a parent made the nutritional value of food more important to them – so we know how feeding and mealtimes is a massive consideration for parents every day.
Important points to think about when you’re starting weaning:
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Developmental cues that signal weaning readiness
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Important physical developments
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Not worrying about volumes of food being eaten
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Focusing on texture
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Choosing the right highchair
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Buying suitable cutlery
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Remember that eating is a social experience
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Remember there are no goals or end dates to weaning
Myth-busting around weaning
Lucy discussed some of the myths around weaning, including the phrase “Eating before one is just for fun” – how important it is to trust your instincts even in those early weeks and months, rather than delay finding support because we think it doesn’t matter before they turn one year old.
We also talked about the power of giving your baby what you’re eating too – sharing meals makes a big difference to the time you’ve spent cooking and preparing food. This comes with worries about salt or other ingredients that aren’t suitable, but adapting your food for them is usually possible rather than making multiple meals.
Common weaning worries
Parents often worry about the mess of weaning, and we delved into how to make weaning more manageable for parents, including the gadgets and purchases that can make it more of a positive experience for everyone.
Lucy also covered the topic of allergies, and how to introduce food to babies with existing allergies, and also how to manage the fear of developing allergies such as to peanuts.
Other fascinating discussion points for you to enjoy in our video include the importance of subtle progress, the mental load of weaning and feeding, how to trust your instincts and block out societal pressures, mealtime strategies, and helpful meal ideas for busy parents.
Hopefully you found lots of helpful tips around weaning, including the power of chucking everything in one pan, and making a frittata out of eggs and random leftovers in the fridge!
Watch the Instagram Live with Graco here
For more information about Graco’s One Family Campaign visit the website here. One Family – Real Parenting Moments with Fab & Ell