[jenbob]

Hi all,

I am going to be weaning my twins in about a month, or when they show signs of needing to be weaned. I am really anxious about it and haven't got a clue!  I know you start with baby rice and pear/carrot/courgette puree but which feeds are best to do it at? I feed them at 7am 11am, 3pm and 7pm (lewis has one feed in the night at about 3am). Have any other twin mums got any tips or advice they could pass on please!?? I just don't know what I'm going to do if they play me up with it....it's hard enough dealng with both of their reflux problem.

Thanks alot
Jen xx

 

[Cuthbert]

Hi Jen!

I found with my two that they weren't ready for weaning at the same time. Daniel, who was heavier, was ready at 4 month whereas Charlotte wasn't. So I started with Daniel with baby rice and then a couple of weeks later with Charlotte. She wouldn't/couldn't swallow the baby rice so we quickly moved on to carrot, squash, apple or pear, which went down much better. For the first few weeks I fed them separately because she was so much more awkward to feed than he was. And once they were having their feeds together, we had to sometimes bribe one with a little milk while the other one was having a spoonful or two. I started with the lunchtime feed, after a couple of weeks added the breakfast feed and finally added a meal at teatime. They still had milk first thing in the morning and last thing before bed.

I found having highchairs that reclined invaluable because I could use them from before Daniel and Charlotte could sit up so we moved to those quite early on.

Good luck with it all. I absolutely dreaded it but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I expected.

Jules

 

[bfbc]

My twins are now just over 9 months and no teeth between them !!  Ben had reflux and I found that weaning made such a difference and he very rarely throws up now.

I started with the lunchtime feed - they both hated baby rice so I really started with carrot, sweet potato, apple and pear mixed in with their milk.  I then moved on to breakfast and they both loved organic baby porridge especially if I added a bit of fruit puree (and later a mashed banana) - they still eat this now and I alternate with ready brek and weetabix as the baby porridge works out really expensive for what you get and the amount they eat.

I know everyone raves about Annabel Karmel but I bought Lorraine Kelly's 'Baby and Toddler Eating Plan' from asda for a couple of quid and the receipes in there are easy and there are also eating plans for different stages. 

My two still have their morning and night time bottle as well as a small one before their naps but I'm going to cut one of these out soon. 

Eve xx

 

[Cuthbert]

You reminded me, Eve. I found Annabel Karmel useful when they were little and on simple purees. But her recipes for older babies and toddlers can be quite complicated (I really didn't have time to skin and chop my own tomatoes, for example). I found the Lorraine Kelly book much easier to use and my two preferred the recipes as well.

Jules

 

[bfbc]

Hi Jules

I know what you mean...my two love cheesy lentil savoury and basically apart from chopping an onion you just throw everything into a saucepan for 30 - 40 mins and leave it. It also keeps really well for the next day.  Other favs are the fruity custard and banana rice pudding.  I was doing well the other day and reluctantly and suspiciously they ate the baby's shepherds pie and for tea I tried cheesy baked potatoes.  Ben ate the last mouthful of his tea , gagged and the whole lot came up including some of the shepherds pie from lunch !!  He smiled through it all but it was an early bath for him that night !!! 

Eve xxx

 

[Danni]

Im also watching this thread cos Ill be weaning Daisy too in the next 2 weeks.
Crickey; time is flying! Please more tips this way.
She is 5.5 months!
Danni

 

[bfbc]

Danni

I've only ever used 1 bowl and 1 spoon to feed. They were both in bouncy chairs to start with and I just used to go back and forth from one to the other.  If I fed them in their bouncy chairs in the living room I had to turn the TV off as it was just too much of a distraction for them - especially the adverts !!

Ben would try anything but Carys would always look as though I was trying to poison her as unfortunately she has a very sweet tooth and only tolerates savoury because she knows the sweet stuff comes after.

Keep plenty of muslim handy as the food gets everywhere - they always manage to hit the spoon if they're flapping their arms and they also used to stuff their fingers in their mouths making sure they covered their hands in food which then end up on the chairs, their clothes, their hair, the floor etc.  I used to give Ben a plastic spoon to hold but it would either get thrown on the floor or he would push it too hard into his mouth and gag on it !!

Hope that helps a bit and good luck.  It's fun really.

Eve   

 

[Danni]

thank you
Her actual age is 5.5 months but just over 3.5 corrected. should I wait until she is at least 7months actual, 5 months corrected? I was hoping to ask my HV this question but I did not make it to the clinic last week as my dd and was a bit poorly so I did not attend. The paeds just said wean her at 6months I forgot to ask about the actual and corrected age at the time.
She eats well even when sick and looks longingly if I put food in my mouth!8 weeks premature.
Danni

 

[bfbc]

Danni

My twins were born at 34 weeks - so 6 weeks early - I actually started weaning them when they were about four and a half months (uncorrected).  I asked one HV and she said use their actual age whilst another said corrected age !!  I don't think there are any hard and fast rules.  You are the best judge of when she seems ready.  I would say that the looking at you longingly when you are eating is a pretty good sign that she is ready to have a go.  If she isn't ready for it she will soon let you know.

Eve xx

 

[Cuthbert]

I may be wrong but I think that the Bliss recommendation is to wean them by their actual age rather than corrected age.

Jules

 

[ck6]

my twins are now nearly 7 ... prob sounds awful but i had one bowl of food and one  spoon ... fed one then the other, they looked like baby birds.... they never got ill from sharing a spoon.... by then seem to put everything in their mouth anyway!!!! and it saved one crying while feeding the other... btw i thought you had  to use the corrected date..maybe wrong  xx

 

[mcmak]

Jen,

I've just sent you an email and explained what I did with my two, but I forgot to say, I started giving them baby rice with the 6pm (7pm in your case) feed, they weren't too keen on just the baby rice so I mixed it with carrot and that seemed to do the trick, they dont really take it at first though, the first few weeks are spent getting them used to the different tastes and texture.

Good luck honey, the best thing to do is relax and enjoy it, you being nervouse or uptight about it will only make all three of you unhappy.

Kathryn xxx

 

[Flakey]

Hi Jen

I started weening my two at just over 5 months. I was a bit nervous but they loved it. It's fascinating to see the look of concentration on their face when they try something new and try and decide if they like it or if they are gonna spit it straight back out again. Buy loads of bibs cos you're gonna need them.

I bought the Annabel Karmel book which was brilliant. My big problem was working out how to feed two babies with one pair of hands. I started trying to feed them both together but they both screamed cos I was taking too long. Now I feed them one after the other, starting with Scarlet cos she can smell her dinner a mile off whilst Phoebe enjoys a quick go in the door bouncer whilst she is waiting her turn.

Good luck.
Flakey x