Righto, Aitch here. I have NO IDEA what this is going to look like on the page but since an interesting expressing chat has broken out out the main page I thought I would give it a bit more prominence by cutting and pasting it to here as I'm sure it is a subject a lot of people will be interested in.

So if you wouldn't mind posting any further thoughts at the bottom of this in the usual 'leave comment' style, that would be great, as I think it was getting a bit buried on the other. Fingers crossed it works...

"Re: Welcome to Baby Led Weaning - two friends, two babies, no spoons...
by The Momma on Wed 16 Aug 2006 21:49 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
So great to find information about baby-led weaning. My local authority is promoting baby-led weaning. My little one is four months old and I can't wait for her to experience real food not mush!!! Going back to work when she is eight months old. Worried how much expressed milk I will have to send her to nursery with. Will I have to install a milking shed in my back garden??? How much milk feed will she need then? Any idea???????

Re: Re: Welcome to Baby Led Weaning - two friends, two babies, no spoons...
by Aitch on Wed 16 Aug 2006 22:02 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
Don't panic, you'll be fine. I believe what people do is breastfeed in the morning and in the evenings and a lot of babies manage fine with water and solids during the day. so while you might still want to send in some expressed breast milk it shouldn't be too much.
i formula feed and i am with the baby all day but even i have noticed that she drinks much, much less milk during the day now that she has water and finger foods.
what's your local authority, by the way?

Clever Authority
by The Momma on Thu 17 Aug 2006 09:26 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
Ta for quick reply. Authority is Staffordshire Moorlands. Went to Weaning talk already to go forth and buy pots, ice cube trays, plastiuc spoons, etc and came out elated!!! BLW is whet everyone should be doing. Trying to spread the word to my Stoke-on-Trent minded friends. One has held off shoveling baby rice down her child's throat until she sees me today for a rehash of the talk!!! Health Visitor use UNICEF/Gill R info to deliver and gave handout.
Glad to hear I won't have to give nursery loads of milk. Guess I will have to see how much milk having in four months!!
When should I be putting my little babe in high chair at table with us? Any tips on best chair to buy? Talk suggested when she could sit up by self.

Re: Clever Authority
by Aitch on Thu 17 Aug 2006 11:04 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
might i direct you to Top Tips: Buying a Highchair...?
personally, i can't recommend the white plastic one from Ikea too highly. it costs £11.99 but i'd buy it again at five times the price.

Re: Re: Clever Authority
by Morv on Thu 17 Aug 2006 21:13 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
just to agree with Aitch the IKEA white plastic one is great its cheap and easy to clean. Boomer was in one from pretty much bang on six months, and it was actually in the swedish monster foodhall. Also having used a variety of highchairs in various restraunts the IKEA one is the best for younger babies as they don't loll about. but i've also seen much bigger kids in them too.

Re: Re: Welcome to Baby Led Weaning - two friends, two babies, no spoons...
by JennT on Thu 17 Aug 2006 21:26 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
Hi Momma
My little one is 7 months old now and I have been back at work 3 weeks. I work Wed Thur Fri and am out of the house from 8-7. I express three times at work and only manage to get 9-10oz at the moment. I send her to nursery with 2 bottles of the expressed milk from the day before and a small bottle of formula. Everything I express on Friday I store until the following Wednesday. I use a small lager fridge to keep it cool at work. I thought it would be very difficult to carry on feeding while at work but haven't found it too bad....Good luck
Jenn

Work and Expressing
by The Momma on Fri 18 Aug 2006 10:30 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
Hi JennT
Do express each morning and have a freezer fridge drawer full of milk!!! Him without the mammories feeds her on a Sat and Sun evening while I cook us yummy food!!! Get between 1 1/2 and 5 Fl ozs in ten minutes. Using a Avent ISIS hand pump at the moment. Is it worth me buying electric pump? If so, which is good? Will it be any quicker? Only got 1 1/5 ozs this am. Hardly seemed worth getting the pump out the steriliser for!!!!

Re: Work and Expressing
by JennT on Fri 18 Aug 2006 20:07 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
Hi Momma,
I only manage to get 3-4oz each time but I have never managed to get much unless I'm engorged. I have an Isis hand pump but bought an Ameda Lactaline and love it. It's much quicker as it's a double pump, and you don't have loads of bits to sterilise (2 bits per boob). I only sterilise it once a day and just give it a good hot wash in between. It's light, portable and quiet. I PROMISE I DON'T WORK FOR THEM!
JennT

Re: Re: Work and Expressing
by Aitch on Fri 18 Aug 2006 21:14 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
And for the record, I've tried the medela mini electric and the ameda lactaline and the ameda one, while at least twice the price, is infinitely better. Can't tell you how important it is to get a quiet breast pump....

Expressing Pump
by The Momma on Sun 20 Aug 2006 09:58 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
Hi expressing Mothers-
Thanks for advice about electric pumps. Will look at Amelia Lactaline. Quiet pump sounds good - do not want my whole work place to know what I'm up to!!!!!
Guess I'll be off to IKEA next week to check out their high chair. Will I be able to hold myself back from buying yet another set of three scissoors or plastic children's plates??? Am on no pay from Sept so I'd better!
IKEA sell cheap shower curtains for protecting floor and also seem to remember buying blue wipeable cover for floor for £2 a while ago.

Re: Re: Re: Welcome to Baby Led Weaning - two friends, two babies, no spoons...
by Janie on Sat 19 Aug 2006 22:22 BST |  Profile |  Permanent Link
Hi Jenn,
I am starting to express so i can leave my 6 month daughter for a whole day and was just wondering .. if you express 3 times in one day at work, do you have to sterilize the pump each time (or do you hand express?) I am getting quite confused on the best way to do it which is viable when out and about. The whole sterilizing thing phases me out as up until now I've only breastfeed.
Jane"




Okay, that's the cut and pasted bit (just think of it as one long enormous comment post) so now we can reply to each other in the normal way. Thanks for your co-operation, I just didn't want this interesting discussion to get lost in the depths of the Main Page comments,
much obliged,
Aitch.