Weaning advice

Unless they can sit up independently I would highly advise to just do purees and avoid solids until thet can sit independently regardless of how good there head control is because risk of choking is much higher if they can't sit unassisted. We have started weaning for reflux as well. Once a day around lunch time don't do later then like 3pm as it can upset there tummy and u don't want to have them have an upset tummy at bed time. Do 1 food a day offer a few spoons, do it just before bottle so they are hungry enough to eat. Don't give more then like 6 spoonfuls altho it is recommended if it's first time do 1-2 spoons but honestly how r they gonna experience anything with that but it's u2u. U won't be giving them actual meals until about 7-8 months as they won't be able to eat that much. Until u have tried them that food alone don't mix foods. For example try carrot puree alone and sweet potato puree alone and then once they've had them both alone u can then try a puree that has both in it

When ur doing allergens make sure u only give them that 1 food for 3 days to rule out as an allergen don't give them anything else beside that 1 allergen and milk otherwise if they have an allergic reaction and they have tried multiple foods over the course of a few days u won't no which one is the allergen. Try it for 3 days because they don't always have a reaction immediately sometimes it can present a few days later. If on day 2 they get a rash or something then give it to them cautiously over the course of 5 days instead of 3. A rash could just be there body adjusting to it not an actual allergy unless they start having swelling in mouth and face and there breathing changes then stop immediately and seek help. Multiple days of exposure can help them get over the allergy if they have a minor reaction like a rash. Obviously no one can stop u from doing soilds if that's what u choose but just be aware of the high risks if they can't sit independently

If u very eager on doing baby led weaning but don't want to risk solids quite yet u can put the purees on the spoon and give them the spoon to feed themselves this is still baby led as they are doing the work and exploring at there own pace, alternatively u could put a little in a bowl and let them dip their fingers in and let them explore that way. They recommendu try vegetables first because fruit is very sweet and if u start with sweet theu might only want sweet and it will be harder to get them to have vegetables. Also gagging is good its a reflex and nothing to be worried about it cant hurt them, coughing, going pale and blue lips is choking and thats dangerous. Never take ur eyes off ur baby when feeding because more often then not they silent choke rather then actual coughing and choke. Sorry that was a lot I hope it makes sense and helps x

I did an NCT weaning workshop last week and they recommend starting with one meal a day for a few weeks then slowly increasing to 3 meals by 8/9 months They also recommended starting with simple one/few ingredient meals (regardless or blw or purees) and then moving on to more complex ones, introducing one allergen at a time

https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/weaning/ Great resource for you. Veg led weaning is still what's recommended by the experts.