Weaning Wednesday

I've lived in Ireland for 10 years this August and it never ceases to amaze me.

The love affair with mashed potatoes, well any form of potatoes really. If there was another potatoe shortage any time soon the Irish would need to ship in spuds by the tanker load to keep themselves fed.

Don't get me wrong, I'm partial to a bit of mashed potatoe, a few boiled spuds and of course Sunday roast isn't complete without roast potatoes. But the mountains of mashed potatoes they serve practically with every dinner is going a bit far.

What has this to do with weaning I hear you cry. I'll tell you.

It was easy to tell when Buddy was ready for weaning. We couldn't keep him fed. He was on the hungry baby formula anyway but the constant looking for bottles was getting a bit much.

Being my first I had no idea how to wean, when to wean, what he could and couldn't be given. Herself had weaned two already so was a bit of an expert. We started him on a small amount of baby porridge. He loved it. Then a bit of bread soaked till its mush in vegetable soup.

Things were going well. No need for aeroplane or train noises. I'd not stuck the spoon so far down his throat he gagged. He was eating it all and washing it down with some sugar free flavoured water.

Then a trip to Herself's mother.  All delighted, I told her the progress Buddy was making, all the wonderful foods he'd been trying and eating. You couldn't eat a banana around him, without mashing a bit up for him.

"Have you given him spuds?" She asked.
"Not yet" I said.
"Right, lets give him some"

Off she went, reappearing a few minutes later with a bowl of mashed potatoe mixed with a chicken cuppa soup. Well he hated it. Spat the first spoonful out, pushed the next away, and then whilst Nanny was wiping that up tipped the bowl onto the floor. Accidentally she thought. I saw the intent.

He didn't know there was more. She was soon back with a refill. This fared no better.

"He doesn't like it" I said
"Oh he'll soon get used to it. Just keep giving it to him."

Now that I have children and a lot of our friends and family have children, I've witnessed weaning a lot more. It seems that mashed spuds are one of the first foods given, and if the child doesn't like it. You just keep trying till they eat them.

#BabyPink seems a strong willed sort. I can't wait till her Nanny tries her on mashed spuds. It won't be just the floor that gets it if she doesn't like them.

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