When does weaning twins get easier??

[thegirlinthesassyspace]

Hello - I am on week 5 of introducing my twins to solids. I keep having ups and downs about this new stage of their lives and have come to the conclusion that its one big stress! I was wondering if people have any advice or reassurance about this stage.
my twins are nearly 7 months old and both eat ok, but I find feeding time often involves lots of melt downs and stress.
I always have the puree prepared in advance so we don't waste time but my more demanding daughter has a melt-down because she has to wait her turn for each spoonful of food.
My other daughter needs more time to take her food - she is not as interested in food and would prefer to feed herself if she could, than take the spoon - she eventually ends up having a meltdown too as new things like porridge or slightly lumpier stuff e.g. bananas + avocado are not her cup of tea.
I know that weaning is all about going at your baby's pace. But what do I do when they have different preferences and paces?
Once they have each had a melt-down the best thing to do is to get them out of their high chairs as quick as poss. IThis a pain as I have to take them in turn to the livingroom where its more comfy (as opposed to the hard tiles in kitchen). They are pretty messy by then so I am trying to clean them up at the same time during the wailing, its just chaos.
I tried having the high chairs out in the garden, but it seemed to be too much for them as they are not used to the sunshine (even though they had hats and suntanlotion on) and got grumpy even more quickly.

I just can't imagine them ever feeding themselves or being more independent with food, I know this just takes time, but I think I am having a bad day with it all!
Any advice or feedback on what your experiences were like (even if not fun!) would be gratefully received.
Thank you
xx

[MultipleMama]

Have tried Food Mesh Feeders? These were a godsend when I just started weaning twin boys.

They are a pain to clean but less messy babies and they can "feed" themselves. I use these along side a bowl and spoon and feed them between feeding themselves as the mesh distracts them.

I took awhile for my boys to let me feed them, and they're still fussy eater only eat a few fruits and just a few veg.

[accessorizequeen]

Sounds really stressful for all of you. I used baby led weaning with my 2 as I could not face all that pureeing! From the start I gave them chunks of cooked veg, cheese, soft fruit or berries, noodles. They just took what they were interested in at their own pace. It might suit one of your girls at least? I had 2 other dc so the dts pretty much had what they did adapted a bit. If this is something that might appeal there is loads of advice on here.

[MultipleMama]

I tried led weaning with my dts, did not work at all but they had their first cubes of cheese the other day and it was a hit. My other 2 were far less fussy and pretty much ate what we did.

So, I agree with accessorizequeen there, might work.

[thegirlinthesassyspace]

Thanks for the advice, and for the link - I have ordered my mesh feeders!!

[DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep]

Erm, a lot older than that!! Mine are still a pain, having meltdowns its not what they want etc, if the other is given something different, or if my (very fussy) 2 year old has something different and they were 14 months yesterday!!

Seriously though, I did a mix of blw and spoon feeding. One of mine was spoon refusing from 7 months so became fully blw by his choice. I gave favourite fruits/ banana at any time in the meal. They'd still have savoury and it distracted them. One has been dairy free from 6 months, so developed a bit of an Ella's Kitchen habit as i often couldn't face sorting three different meals and the other twin ate dairy. Now both boys are dairy free, and the other is highly medicated for reflux and dairy egg and soya free for now. I was so worried the Ellas kitchen addict would be on it forever, but its passed in a pain free way in a few months, and now he rarely has pouches and both use spoons themselves well.

So, my point being:
-don't worry about using some pre prepared pouches, they'll still eat real food
-offer something they love to avoid a meltdown

• try not to worry too much what they eat. I've stressed and stressed with my boys and finally both are doing fine
  

-let them loose with spoons and finger foods from the beginning, makes it so much easier when their self-feeding improves!!

Good luck :)

[Jojay]

Another BLW fan here, it worked really well with my twins.

Even if you don't want to do full blown BLW, you might be able to spoon feed one twin at a time, and therefore go at their own pace, if the other is fiddling about with some finger food.

I hate the early days of weaning though. but it will get better. Mine were much better by 8-9 months but I always gave lots of finger food so they could keep themselves busy.

[BlueberryHill]

I did a mix of finger foods and spoons, I also learnt to do it double handed so a spoon in each hand. It is really hard work at times, I still find that at 3 years but try not to stress about it, they will eat.

Look at this period as a way of them trying new tastes, textures, learning new skills and it takes a bit of time to get used to it. I am still introducing DS1 aged 6 to new foods, some he likes and some he doesn't, so it doesn't all have to be squeezed into the first weaning stages.

[rednellie]

My two non id boys have very different tastes and eating styles. One is very delicate, picky and slow, the other eats at the speed of light and barely chews on anything. One likes pasta, the other likes potatoes.

We just vary between different foods, always have at least one thing everyone likes, and go with them feeding themselves. We started off just putting the food on the table (messy) and then introduced plates and recently (15 months) introduced spoons. They pick it all up and are much happier being in control. And I just couldn't spoon feed and deal with my decidedly fussy 3 year old dD!

[Theas18]

Food is for fun until they are one......

repeat and repeat till you have got it on the brain like an ear worm LOL

BLW with bits of appropriate food - banana cooked broccoli trees, toast etc and enough milk to support them nutritionally. Do not stress. they don't " need solids" they need tastes and sensations of food- textures and chewing etc

As for those scary mesh dummy things- just why? what do the do that soldier of toast doesn't?

[MultipleMama]

My dts don't like bread/toast. Dts1 has just popped his first teeth and the feeders are easy on his gums and refuses finger food (goes on the floor! Haha).

I tried everything before buying the mesh feeders. It was a last resort and they work.

I don't see the problem as long as they eat and progress.

[thegirlinthesassyspace]

Thanks all! I think I started off taking it too seriously-I cooked stuff according to karmel meal planner! Then stressed because suddenly it didn't go according to plan. My slow eater can sense when things are not going slowly enough (I now discovered she loves toast and so is back to feeling in control) and kicks off. The mesh things will be good for snacks when out and about I hope too. Trying to chill out! :-)
Xx

[mosuzu]

We did BLW with our twins, I can't even imagine the hassle and faff of puree feeding them. Try a BLW approach and relax, they will be getting everything they need from bf or ff at this point.

[mosuzu]

Mesh feeders? Why? Just give them sticks (think chunky chip sized) of fruit and food.

[toomuchpink]

Both myself and two sets of parents I know with twins all found the weaning stage hard and stressful. I did not do BLW, while one of my friends did, and we both found the first few weeks tough. I don't think it matters which you do - mine eat chunky food as well as any kids I know now and it was never a problem.
The only thing that makes weaning twins better really is time. I can't remember exactly how long to be honest, maybe another month or so. Eventually it gets that meal times are actually some of the easiest times, as long as they are well, because they are both contained and relatively happy.
My advice would be to try not to feel too stressed about it. Take each day as it comes and you will turn a corner in the not too distant future.
x

[thegirlinthesassyspace]

Thanks again- just checking in to say alls going ok now ( 8 weeks in). Finger foods are keeping both happy and they have got real good at shovelling in the old toast soldiers! Think I've got a pair of toast addicts :-)
Xx

[toomuchpink]

Glad it's going well.

[thegirlinthesassyspace]

Ugh my fussy twin has started refusing food again, after a period of relative calm. She just clamps her mouth shut tight unless I make her laugh then she accepts the spoon. But sometimes she just holds the food in her mouth like a squirrel for a while.
I think maybe her top front teeth are coming, as she got like this before and then suddenly her bottom teeth appeared.
Hopefully I'll just ride it out ( like everything elsr!).
It's frustrating as I thought we'd turned a corner.
Oh well!!!! :-P