Weaning...urgh, where to start?

Weaning, it's one of those moments of parenthood that seem to last a lifetime when you're in it but when you look back it was exactly that, just another moment, milestone...whatever you want to call it.  

Penny is 9 months old so currently on some milk and some solids - weaning hell basically.  Firstly there's the planning - where will we be when she's due to feed and is milk better?  OK, easier, or can we take food?  i.e. can we make a mess there because, let's face it, one of the most annoying things about weaning is the mess.  Not just the mess that your baby gets in but that you end up in and everything around you, highchair, walls, floor, ceiling...how did it get there??  

We started at about 6 months and do a mix of baby led - basically chucking some food in front of them and letting them work it out by picking it up and having a munch and eating with a spoon from her bowl.  Our go to for baby led is fruit and veg cut into sticks or the puff style organic crisp things that you can get anywhere.  She loves both and neither are too messy.  With bowl food/feeding, first of all the bowl is a minefield.  When Brae was born I bought some pretty bamboo plates and bowls that stick to the surface which were great, but...there's always a but, as soon as the rubber rim has come off once, it's impossible to get in back on again so I've fallen out of love with them.  I find it easier, at this stage, for me to hold the bowl and not even have it in front of her as she has the urge to either stick her hands in it or launch it.  Fun.

Looking around for advice was not the one for me either.   As with most things 'motherhood', everyone is different and every baby is different.  The NHS suggest that you try to eat together as much as possible.  Err, that's not a go-er for me...  How do I eat when I'm feeding her too?  I'd need at least 3 hands and she'd just grab what I was trying to eat anyway.  Plus, she eats way more regularly than me too (obviously) so all round, not something that's worked in this house.  Then there are the books and tutorials on how to make your own grub for them.  Well-meaning friends have lent me their recipe books but I've never been a fan of the kitchen and making, blending food etc is not something I'm interested in - don't judge...  So, Penny usually has some of what we are having within reason, she's not quite ready for her Vindaloo yet, but she does love eggs, beans, sweet potatoes, fish etc and that makes sense to me as that's what she'll be eating later in life anyway.  Then there are pouches.  Oh, I do love a pouch, yes I do.  They are amazing when you are on the go and there are thousands available.  I was even introduced to the little spoons that screw on to the end of the pouches which have been a lifesaver when we've been out.  Again, don't judge it until you've tried mumma!

Overall, Penny is a good eater and it's not been too traumatic but do I sometimes wish we were a few months down the line when she's a bit more self sufficient?  Hell yeah!  How's it going for you if you're mid weaning or if those days are behind you, what worked and what didn't?

Ky x