Weaning Twins
Weaning Twins is no different from weaning a singleton baby except you will be performing a rather amusing juggling act! You will need a bigger seating area, there is likely to be more mess and twice the amount of dirty bibs to clean! Such fun!
Some parents may be more particular than others over how you feed them in terms of them sharing and this will be determined by the age at which you wean. Realistically, and certainly in the beginning you won’t be using separate spoons or using two separate bowls because it just doesn’t make any sense. The twins are likely to be holding a spoon each whilst you use another to actually get the food in! Once your twins have grasped the concept, then of course separate bowls and separate spoons will be needed plus you will need a good indicator of who is eating what.
The advice for weaning has changed in recent years because we know more about when babies are ready for solid foods and the effects of giving solid foods too early. The current advice from the Government is not to wean before 6 months. Giving solid foods to a baby before he or she can cope with them can increase the risk of infection and allergies.
By six months babies are physically ready to start eating solid foods. They can sit up with support and they are able to move food around their mouths. They are often interested in food at this time. Their digestive and immune systems are stronger.
If your babies seem to be feeding more frequently or appear to be hungry after their usual feeds and you do want to introduce solid foods before six months, make sure you check with your health visitor or GP first. A useful site for information is www.eatwell.gov.uk.
| Suitable Foods for Babies under 6 Months | Unsuitable Foods for Babies Under 6 Months |
| Baby Rice | Wheat |
| Vegetable Puree; Carrot, Potato, Parsnip | Gluten |
| Fruit Puree; Banana, Pear, Apple, Mango | Eggs |
| Fish | |
| Shellfish | |
| Liver | |
| Soft and unpasteurised Cheese |
Tips for Weaning Twins
- Be prepared by purchasing weaning spoons. You can purchase spoons that change colour if the food is too hot as an extra precaution.
- Purchase or borrow one of the Annabel Karmel Weaning Books.
- Choose a relaxed and happy time of day to start weaning.
- Take it slowly and follow your babies’ pace. If your babies’ don’t seem impressed then leave it for a few days and try again.
- Prepare only a tiny amount at first rather than heating large amounts that then go to waste.
- Always test the temperature of heated food prior to giving to your baby.
- Always stay with your babies’ to make sure they do not choke whilst eating.
- Do not force feed. Babies know when they’ve had enough to eat.
- Allow them to hold the spoons; it’s a good sign if they show an interest in feeding themselves.
- Offer a wide variety of foods.
How to Get Started
Weaning is really a stage by stage process. The first thing you should do is purchase a few baby weaning spoons. There are some that change colour if the food on the spoon is too hot. Obviously, you will test the food yourself prior to feeding it to your babies but the spoons act as an extra precautionary measure. You can also purchase weaning bowls and containers and of course any clean bowl or plastic container you have already in your kitchen will be fine to start with. If you intend on cooking your own baby food it’s useful to purchase some ice cube trays for batch cooking and freezing.
You need to choose a relaxed time of day to begin with and it may be best to allow the babies to sit in chairs that are already familiar to them; bouncy chairs, bumbo seats, or perhaps their car seats.
Start with a teaspoon of baby rice mixed with your babies’ regular milk. Offer it to your babies before or after a feed or even in the middle if that works better for you. If your babies are really hungry and have been crying for their milk attempting to give them a teaspoon of baby rice isn’t going to go down too well. The key is to start when everyone is happy and relaxed.
These first few attempts really are about getting your babies used to feeding from a spoon. If they want to hold it, let them. Don’t worry about the mess it’s all part of the fun!
Twins Tips: Dribble On Bibs
The Next Stage
Once you have decided which highchairs to purchase (see our highchair recommendations) and you have your twins comfortably seated and ready for feeding you can begin very gradually increasing the amount of solid food you give, either before, during, or after the milk feed. Follow your baby’s appetite so they dictate their pace. You can move gradually from giving solid food once a day to two or three times a day.
Although the advice is to avoid cow’s milk until your twins are a year old, you can give full fat cows milk products. Yoghurts, fromage frais and cheese sauces are all good solid foods to introduce to your twins.
As you begin to add different foods to your babies’ diets you will find you are able to use many of the foods that you are already cooking for yourself. Just mash or puree the foods and give to your little ones. Remember; do not add salt, sugar or honey. Using your own food is cheaper than buying baby foods and you can prepare large quantities and freeze them for use at your convenience.
More Solids
You need to provide your babies with all the vitamins and minerals they need so make sure you offer your twins a range of different foods. They will still be having a minimum of 500-600ml of breast or formula milk a day.
Try to include two or three servings a day of starchy foods such as potatoes, yams, rice or bread. Fruit and vegetables make good finger foods and should be included with each meal. Your babies should have one serving of soft cooked meat, fish, egg, tofu or pulses such as beans or lentils a day. Red meat such as beef, lamb and pork is an excellent source of iron. Eggs (as long as well cooked) are a quick, nutritious and cheap source of protein.
As your twins develop offer foods of a thicker consistency or with a lumpy texture. This helps them learn to chew even if they don’t have teeth yet. Toasted soldiers of bread, cubes of cheese and banana are all good starting points. Don’t get into the habit of giving them too many biscuits or rusks because they will get too used to sweet snacks.
Fitting in with the Family
As your twins become increasingly used to eating solid foods, they should be learning to fit in with the family by eating three meals a day, plus breast or formula milk as the main drink (around 500 – 600ml a day) plus fruit and other healthy snacks between meals.
Send a Valentines
