Find out the best thing a parent can do for their baby
THREE in 10 parents feared their child was ‘behind’ when weaning – because they would spit things out, throw food or refuse to self-feed.
According to a survey of 500 parents who have started solid foods with their kids in the last five years, 32% of them couldn’t resist comparing their mealtime routines to others’.
Of those worried that their child was lagging behind, 48% did so because their child would scream while they were fed, and 47% claimed that their youngster hardly ever swallowed food.
Others said their children simply refused to put solids in their mouth (46 per cent), would rather have milk (42 per cent) and wouldn’t try new things (40 per cent).
According to the study, which was commissioned by Aldi, 45% of parents said that the entire weaning process was thrilling, but the same amount said that it was stressful.
“Weaning may be intimidating and stressful for thousands of parents,” said Lucy Upton, a leading children’s nutritionist who has teamed up with the supermarket to provide parents with easy-to-follow advice and inexpensive recipes to help them on their weaning journey.
“But the truth is, most of the pressure they feel comes from external factors, like comparing ourselves with others or trying to take on lots of conflicting advice – and it’s rarely anything to do with our children.
“The best thing parents can do is keep it simple – trust your instincts and focus on what works best for you and your baby, not anyone else.”
Forty percent felt under pressure to maintain a rigid feeding schedule, despite sixty-three percent saying they loved watching their baby grow and trying different foods.
A third (34 per cent) felt they had to feed their child a certain number of new foods, with the average parent introducing four ingredients a week.
Others wrote out a list of foods to work through (33 percent) or created weekly meal plans (46%).
The research also found one in four (26 per cent) didn’t feel confident when weaning, and as a result, half (51 per cent) questioned if what they were doing was right.
Fourty-four percent of parents thought they had to encourage their infant to self-feed or give them three meals a day after comparing themselves to other parents.
Finding appropriate meals (38 percent) and figuring out how much to feed their child (41 percent) were two other typical challenges.
And 39 per cent worried about giving their baby enough variety of flavours, with 37 per cent not knowing what foods to introduce first and 33 per cent left confused by conflicting advice.
Lucy Upton added: “The weaning journey can be both exciting and intimidating for parents.
“We want to demonstrate how you can make a range of nutritious, well-balanced foods using a few basic, reasonably priced ingredients, allowing young children to experiment with flavors, textures, and sensations at their own pace.”
In hindsight, 37 per cent of parents wished they had been more relaxed about the weaning process, even though, at the time, 28 per cent felt very unprepared for it.
Overall, 39 per cent of the parents polled, via OnePoll, found the milestone difficult, just behind teething (43 per cent) and potty training (41 per cent).
Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: “Weaning is an exciting milestone, but for many, it can also feel overwhelming – especially with the pressure of getting it ‘right’.
“That’s why we’ll always do what we can to support parents every step of the way.
“By partnering with Lucy to offer expert-backed recipes, we hope to make it simpler for families to feed their little ones with confidence – without compromising on great value and quality.”
