Weaning on Holidays

Whilst we were in Hong Kong & Australia, I posted a bunch of stories about our weaning journey on holidays. I thought it might be useful to have an actual blog post on this so that its easy reference (for myself too)

Weaning on holidays takes a bit of pre-planning. I adopt a 90/10 rule. For majority of the time (90%), I prepare good nutritious food where I can control the sodium levels and make sure it is iron-rich and full of vitamins and minerals. However 10% of the time, I improvise (either ordering from the menu or bringing a random selection of food that may not necessarily have as much iron, vitamins or minerals).

1. On the Flight

We took several flights during our 6 week holiday. Our longest leg was 24 hours from Brisbane to London and our shortest leg was 1.5 hours from Sydney to Brisbane.

For the short-haul flights, I fed Dumpling as per our normal schedule. If possible, I made sure we ate before we took off. For example, we had a morning flight from Brisbane to Cairns, so we ate breakfast in a cafe at the airport. If we were flying during lunch, then I would give lunch to Dumpling on the flight. Our flight from Sydney to Brisbane was in the late afternoon, so I only provided some snacks.

For the long-haul flights, I prepared lots of food and snacks. Its always better to have more food than less, just in case of flight delay etc. The tricky part is working out when to serve food when crossing time zones. I always feel the airlines feed at odd times. For the first half of the flight, I would serve food based on the origin time zone. During the second half of the flight, I adjust the timezone to the destination time zone. For example, our 24 hour flight from Brisbane to London was a late flight with a 2 hour lay over in Hong Kong. As we already had dinner at home in Brisbane, I didn't feed him solids upon take off. I just breastfed him and let him sleep for the first leg of the journey as if it was night time. We landed in Hong Kong in the morning, so I fed him breakfast before landing. During the second leg of the journey, I fed him lunch shortly after take off and then "dinner" 4 hours later. I then switched to London time zone and fed him a "brunch" shortly before landing.

Here are some of the things I prepared for the flights:

- Muffins/ Puffins

- Pinwheels

- Sushi

- Sweet Potato Rusks

- Cucumber sticks

- Yogurt Pouches

- Rice Cakes

- Fruit: Bananas, Mandarin etc

Dumpling didn't eat very much on the flight as he was getting too distracted. I didn't worry too much. Afterall it is normal for anyone to sometimes lose appetites on flights.

2. Staying in a Hotel

Staying in a hotel is a bit tricky as there are no kitchen facilities to prepare meals. We stayed in a hotel in Hong Kong four 4 nights. The other challenge is that Hong Kong is not a very allergy-aware city. Everything seemed to have egg in it or produced in a factor that handles egg and nut products. I spent at least an hour in a supermarket trying to find food solutions for Dumpling. He ended up having a lot of rice cakes during the 4 days!

It is good to pack a little knife in the checked luggage, so it can be used to cut fruit and vege at the hotel to pack in lunchboxes. It is also a good idea to pack a lunchbox cooler. Dairy can go off easily in hot weather especially out and about. Pack lunch in a cooler, so it stays fresh until lunchtime.

Here are some ideas of lunchbox meals that can be prepared at the hotel:

- Spinach & Cream Cheese Sandwich

- Spinach & Avocado Sandwich

- Nut Butter Sandwich

- Canned Tuna/Salmon Sandwich

- Raw Vegetables i..e cucumbers, tomatoes

- Fruit

- Yogurt Pouches

Shopping List

- Fruit - Avocados, Bananas, Fruit in season

- Vegetables - Cucumber, Tomato, Spinach

- Protein - Nut Butter, Canned Tuna/ Salmon

- Carbohydrates - Bread, Rice Cakes

- Dairy - Yogurt Pouches, Cream Cheese, Laughing Cow, Baby Bell

The important thing to remember is that babies up until 1 still get a lot of nutrition from breast milk and formula. I ended up breastfeeding Dumpling much more than we did in London.

3. Staying in an apartment

Staying in an apartment definitely makes life so much easier when travelling! You can prepare foods just like at home!

I hate waste. So I only stocked up on basics that I know we would eat as well! For example pasta, quinoa etc).

Here are some ideas of meals:

- Mac & Cheese

- Banana Pancakes

- Sandwiches (as per above)

- Cooked Vegetables (sweet potato, corn on cob, potatoes, carrots)

- Raw Vegetables (cucumber, tomato)

- Fruit

- Yogurt Pouches

Shopping List

- Fruit - Avocados, Bananas, Fruit in season

- Vegetables - Cucumber, Tomatoes, Spinach, Corn, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Carrots

- Protein - Nut Butter, Canned Tuna/ Salmon

- Carbohydrates - Bread, Rice Cakes, Pasta, Flour

- Dairy - Yogurt Pouches, Cream Cheese, Shredded Cheddar & Mozzarella

4. Ordering at a Restaurant

The final option is to order at restaurant. If possible, do some research on the restaurant to see what is on the menu. Do not be afraid to ask for clarity of the menu or to modify the menu. For example check for any allergens, ask for no added salt, or to serve sauce on the side.

Pre-baby, I never used to ask any questions about the menu. Now that I have a baby with food allergies, I unapologetically ask questions. My main 3 questions:

1. Does this food have any "Insert allergen" (in our case, eggs and peanuts)

2. Do you use peanut oil? (Just because I've asked question 1, doesn't mean that we're completely allergy free. Often people don't realise that peanut oil has peanuts!

3. Can we have this dish with no added salt?

Here are some examples of meals we've ordered for Dumpling:

Buffet - This is honestly the easiest weaning solution ever! We went to two buffets in Hong Kong. I gave Dumpling some prawns, roast meats, cucumber sushi, tomato, cucumber, tomatoes, fruit etc.

Cafe/Bistro - Avocado on Toast, Plain Toast /Bread with spread served on side, side of cooked vegetables with no added salt.

Chinese - This is always a bit tricky as its many dishes are very saucy. Also it often contains egg and peanuts! We ordered a steamed fish and steamed vegetables with sauce and oil served on the side. We also gave Dumpling steamed rice and plain steamed buns.

Japanese - Cucumber Sushi Rolls (Kappamaki), Avocado Sushi Rolls, Vegetable Sushi Rolls, Plain Udon

Pizzeria - Keep it simple is the best idea! We ordered a Margherita for Dumpling with no added salt.

#weaning #weaningonholidays #blw #babyledweaning #babyfood #feedingbaby