Any mums in Germany with product advice?

[annary]

Hello, Im a Swedish mum (who grew up in Australia) married to an Englishman. I need help with products and the advise on the back of packets! Going mad with confusion!! Dankeschön, tack, and thanks A

[mena]

Hi annary,

I live in Germany and have started solids. What do you exactly need help with?

From what I understand, it is about jarred food, ye? The best brands are Hipp and Alnatura, being this last one only organic food. Hipp has some products that are organic and mark this on the front of the jars. These two brands usually do no add sugars, salt, conservatives, etc and especially Hipp tastes very nice. As for cereals, I'm buying the Alnatura ones, the ones that are not mixed with anything, since they're the purest you can buy. Pricewise, both cost the same, I think.

Anything else?
Where do you live? I'm in Frankfurt/Main. Feel free to PM if you want.

[annary]

Wow! How great! I live in Frankfurt too. I am starting solids and I just got information overlaod from lots of different people. What I wanted to know was when mums on the site talk about cereals, is that the same as riesflocken for example. Today I gave by 6 month old a bowl of reisflocvken mixed with some Humana folgemilch instead of hos 11 am bottle. he loved it and now I am going to givr him frücarrotten for lunch.
My doctor wants me to drop 2 bottles as he is a big boy.  So i guess im needing a bit of guidance as to how I can safely drop those two bottles. It feels great to know there are women familiar with these methods so close by. Maybe we could meet up?I promise Im no axe murderer. X

[Shdef]

We live in Germany, too...

my advice:

Buy Hipp Bio Allergenarm or the cheaper version Milasan Bio. They are both organic and not supported by Nestle. Bebivita is cheap, too but not organic.

For cereal we use Milupa 7 Korn. Very good. One tip... if you have ROSSMAN near (a drugstore) you can buy the food from babydream bio and all their products are brilliant (also good results from Stiftung Warentest). Nappies are okay, the changing mats are great, swimnappies are good, follow-on-milk is good and so are the jars

HTH

Steffi

[mena]

Wow Steffie! I'm stuck with a DM close by and never thought of going anywhere else! I'll have to try Rossman's jarred food.

Annary, yes, Reisflocken are the same than rice cereal. I don't use Humana Folgemilch, I use Beba 2, which I suppose it's the same. Fruhkarroten are the best, since they're sweet and I've found that DS LOVES THEM WITH A PASSION either cold or warm, and you can mix them with anything. 

The advice here in Germany, as to waht to give babies is different from the UK (I know this because of this site!). So what you're gonna read here, it's going to be different from what people will tell you in this country. For instance, I was recently told by a midwife not to give DS any diary products until the age of 1. However, everyone here on BW has started their LOs on those products. I've given my DS butter on his veggies and I haven't had a problem. I want to start with yogurt soon. And his pediatrician hasn't told me not to do that. am I making myself clear? Another conflicting advice: in Germany babies start solids with fruhkarroten. IN the UK they don't recommend carrots for babies under 8 mo. It's just differetn.

I'd say follow your docs advice, your mother instincts and also listen to what the ladies have to say here. I mean, if a baby in the UK can have diary, ours can have it, too (unless told otherwise by doc or allergies history, that is!). Paul's doc also told me to drop 2 bottles from one day to the other.... and when I finally did, he started eating better and draining his bottles again. If you send me your feed schedule maybe I can give you a hand with it? Otherwise we can meet up 

Where in Frankfurt do you live? I'm in Bornheim. 

HTH

[Shdef]

You are SOOOOO right mena! So very different. We live in the UK and in Germany so it is quite hard. We don't give him ordinary cow's milk or cheese or yoghurt before DS is 1. But my ped said that if neither the mother or the father had asthma, heyfever or eczema you can give dairy from 6 months onwards. DH does so we are careful. It is okay to give the dairy that is in the jars and cereals because it is usually follow-on-formula anyway...

[annary]

Hi All! Thanks for all the very very helpful advice! Jimena, you kindly asked me to post my feeding schedule re dropping bottles. So here goes. This is what I have been doing as of this week-
(previously 5 bottles of 180 mls.7am, 11am, 3 pm, 7.00 pm and DF 11 pm)

Bottle 150mls 7.00 am
Cereal (reisflocken 2 to 3 spoons ,with pear fruit purree mixed in with 100 mls of milk, water in sippy cup 9.00 am
Veges 1/2 jar (...maybe a bit less) of frukarrotten 120 mls of milk 12.30 pm
Bottle 150 mls 4.00 pm
Bottle 180 mls 7.00-7.30 pm
DF 10.30-11.00 giving between 120-150 mls.......

Is this too drastic a change, My little one has been pretty unsettled, but I also figure that it is a normal reaction.

I appreciate any feedback. Like, should i give him a brei as lst bottle hoping that he wont need the dream feed....?
I live in Sachsenhausen.
Many many thanks in advance.Anna

[mena]

Hi Annary,

I actually have more or less the same feeding routine for Paul, but we don't give the DF anymore, we stopped about 2 weeks ago.

I have a couple of questions. Do you give your LO a bottle of 120 mls after his veggies?
What do you mean by unsettled?
How old is your LO?

The only change I would make is to drop the 12:30 milk and just leave him with veggies and water then. Then give his normal 180 mls bottle at 4 and then at 7. Leave morning bottle & breakfast like that.
The only way I knew Paul was ready to drop the DF, was just to not give it to him one night and see if he woke up at night wanting food. He didn't thank God. But I also started introducing a third meal at 6pm (just a tiny bit of fruit puree) and then his last bottle at 7. This did the trick.. If you do it this way (and your LO likes it), you'll be giving him only 3 bottles of 180 mls a day, and 3 solid meals (or 2 1/2) and hopefully enough calories to keep him through the night!

Hope that helps!!!!
I'll PM you to arrange to meet up, is that ok?

[annary]

Hi Mena! So sorry not to have got back to you! I have been in the Schwarzwald with the family for two weeks of incommunicado! I would love to meet up when I get back from holidays. Yesterday we arrived in France (so the grandparents can baby worship).
Thank you so much for the feeding advice. I tried to post a personal message to you and it didnt go through. Ill try again. See zou soon In Frankfurt.