Weaning a baby with reflux

‘Weaning a reflux baby needs to be taken slowly, taking into account different foods, textures, and consistencies. Their lower oesophageal sphincter is not yet fully developed and so care needs to be taken not to aggravate the situation.’

And don’t I know it. I’m Hannah, social manager here at Itsy and right now I’m in the midst of weaning my seven month old son who’s recently been diagnosed with reflux. It’s been tough, I’m not going to lie, in fact it’s been tougher than tough. When scrolling through the internet for advice on what to offer him I’ve struggled, so here’s a few tips I’ve learnt along the way so far on what & how to serve, I genuinely hope it helps…

There are a good few foods that trigger a reaction in reflux babies (hands up if you’ve learnt the hard way) so here’s a few to avoid in the early days whilst getting to grips with solids:

• Tomatoes (honestly, stay clear)
• Apples
• Fruit juice
• Spicy foods
• Citrus fruit

You may also want to take the texture slowly, as well as the introduction of new foods. I’ve found the best success with offering the same dish at the same meal for around three days, then mixing it up slightly, for instance… Porridge, Porridge, Porridge with a choice of fruit. Toast, toast, toast with a little nut butter, etc etc. It sounds slow and gruelling, and difficult when you’re watching others enjoy their dinners so much, but I promise you we will get there one step at a time. KEEP GOING.

Pears & avocados have been great on our journey, both aiding in digestion, are low in acidity, and packed full of nutrients. Others that have gone down well are: Purees of root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, swede, parsnips and sweet potato, we’ve also tried these as finger foods too!

Other than that, try SMALL portions, offering your baby a loaded spoon so they can take it at their own pace, and USE A PLANNER. Write down everything they eat so that any struggles can be tracked and you know what to avoid in the future.

My heart goes out to any parent trying to make their way through this battle. One day it will seem a distant memory, I promise.