Hi everyone! I'm Jazz, the Content & Community Manager at Team Tots (currently on maternity leave!) and proud mama to my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Bluebelle, and nine-month-old son, Drew.
One of the questions I get asked most is: What’s the biggest difference between having one and two children?
My answer is usually the same: With your first, everything feels so big, and you romanticise every moment, while also feeling incredibly overwhelmed, constantly Googling and overthinking every little detail. The second time around? You just get on with it. Partly because when you’re running around after a toddler with a baby in your arms, there’s simply no time to overthink, but because you trust your instincts so much more. All those lessons I learnt with my first, gives me so much more confidence with how I navigate milestones with my second.
Take starting solids: Straight away I knew that there were things I was going to do exactly the same, and also differently, in order to make our weaning journey that little bit easier. Read on to find out the things I’ve stuck with, and what I am changing the second time around…
SAME - Starting weaning when showing all the signs of readiness
It’s recommended that you wait until your baby is showing clear signs of readiness before you give your baby solids, which usually appear together around 6 months of age. You can find the signs on the NHS website here. Both of my children showed all these signs at 5 months - so, whilst that is earlier than the 6 months recommendation, because all the signs were in place - I felt confident, informed and trusting of my gut instinct to know they were both ready. I then took it very slow - introducing small amounts of food once a day, with no pressure or expectation, then slowly introducing the allergens and a broader range of food. Four months into weaning and we are still taking things slow! We’ll build up to three ‘proper’ meals in our own time.
Remember: This is my journey - always consult your pediatrician, health visitor or medical professional if you are unsure if your baby is ready to start weaning.
DIFFERENT - Relying more on Pots for Tots meals and snacksWith one child, I certainly had more time to make meals at home from scratch - something I wanted to do! I used Pots for Tots meals and snacks every now and then with my daughter, but now, not a day goes by where I’m not pulling something out of the freezer for my son! Because let’s be honest, I don’t have the time or energy to ‘do it all’. And that’s okay.
The snack packs are especially handy - I tend to choose one or two bites, such as the Annabel Karmel Fish Pie Bites and Cheese & Veggie Frittatas, pop those in the microwave and serve them up alongside other foods. The shape and texture of the bites are ideal for self feeding, and also easily mashable, so I can serve up smaller bits to encourage Drew to work on his pincer grip, or feed him with a spoon or fork myself.The meals are also the perfect size for both of my children to share - the Med Veg Orzo and Simple Mild Chicken Korma always go down a treat! You can see some of the meals I’ve recently served to my children here.
DIFFERENT - not falling for BLW vs Spoon Fed
Quite early on into my weaning journey the first time around, I realised I didn’t have to be team one or the other. You can do baby-led weaning and spoon feeding. Most people do both. And that’s fine!
I did feel a little pressure to lead with just baby-led-weaning, but it did make me feel a little anxious with some food types. I also knew that I didn’t just want to spoon feed my children thin purees with no texture - so I met in the middle! A mix of BLW and also spoon feeding mashed food and softer textures. I let both children go to town on getting super messy when we were at home or it’s about to be bathtime, but then I do some of the feeding myself when we were out and about.
Remember: Every baby is different, and sometimes you’ll find one way of feeding your tot works better in certain scenarios and with certain types of food.
If you’ve started your weaning journey for the second (or third, or fourth!) time, I’d love to know what you’re sticking to, and switching up. Let me know in the comments!
Love, Jazz x
