So. It happened. We weaned Hoot early. I think I was more bothered about it than The Man. She'd been very very slow to gain weight, both the Health Visitor and our GP were advising early weaning - as in beginning to introduce solid foods at 17 weeks, rather than wait till the WHO advised 6 months.
I thought. I read. I thought some more, and read many things about early weaning. I remembered that we weaned The Squid at 18 weeks, but that I'd been ok with that as he could sit up unaided and had no tongue thrust. He seemed ready, and we were (and still are) happy with that decision.
But Hoot was still so small at 17 weeks. Still fitting into 0-3 month clothing, and being drowned by the 3-6 months stuff. Not yet sitting unaided, and totally breastfed. I don't know if it was a strong desire in me to reach 6 months exclusively breastfed, or what, but I felt uncomfortable with the idea.
But Hoot made her own choice. At exactly 17 weeks, she ate her first solid food. Not the baby rice, or puréed apple, but the chicken noodles stolen right out of my bowl! Over the next week she ate anything she could get her hands on with gusto, from apples I was munching to attempting to steal my (cold) cup of tea.
So, here we are, at 6 months. Hoot is now on 3 'meals' a day. We began with purées mostly, and finger food alongside it. But now, she's ready and willing to feed herself. So the purées are (almost) all gone, and she eats what her big brother eats. She proving to be an independent little soul, refusing most spoonfuls of food unless she can hold the spoon herself, and often dragging the bowl towards herself so she can immerse her teeny hands into it.
