"A baby's stomache can ONLY handle purees"

[daneuse27]

My daughter is not too far away from starting solid foods, which Im excited about! Im interested in BLW, but want to make purees too, so I'm thinking of doing a combination of both.

My mom however, suddenly has a phD in baby anatomy! She had a major go at me last night for even thinking about BLW (she doesnt know what that is) but insists that babies digestive system cant take anything that isnt pureed - everything "needs" to be pureed and blah, blah..

Just annoying when people think they know everything!
Im going to do what I decide, regardless of what she thinks.

Wht made you decide to BLW and which food did you start out with?

 

[patch2006uk]

That's why the Stone Age people invented blenders

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with purée. BLW is fab, and it really does encourage good appetite regulation and skills with hands and cutlery. My LO's fine motor skills are brilliant, and I do put it down to him self feeding and figuring out how to handle food from being 6 months old. He also eats very well, and uses a fork and spoon, and had done for the last year.

When babies were weaned at a few weeks old, then yes, things needed to be puréed. They physically couldn't chew or swallow at 10 weeks! By 6 months, they're more than capable of eating. So why not let them?

We started with steamed veg (carrots, courgettes) and bananas. We started at 23 weeks, though, so only fruit and veg initially. If you wait until 26 weeks, they can have anything! Chunky chilli con carne, pasta, toast, rice, noodles, meat. Anything.

 

[Rachel_C]

I'd just do BLW anyway (combining BLW and purees is just TW ). When she sees your LO tucking into a full meal, she won't have a leg to stand on!

My first LO's first food was a veggie spring roll she pinched at 24 weeks old (we were planning to wait until 26 weeks as per guidelines but she took that out of our hands!), then she had normal meals with me next day.

My second LO had spag bol for dinner at 26 weeks, then carried on with normal meals from then. Both were easily able to eat food straight away but it's also completely normal for kids not to be ready until quite a bit later. You still don't need to push purees.

 

[Lollycake]

As the others have said, most babies are more than capable of feeding themselves normal food at 6months.
Perhaps show her the BLW book?
Also, if you do purees too, it's not really 'baby led' anymore - traditional weaning is purees fed by adult plus self fed finger foods. BLW everything is self fed by baby. I highly recomend the book.

 

[daneuse27]

Ah, I see. The only reason I'm interested in purees as well is because she bought me a book of these really yummy looking recipes for purees, some f which I even want to eat myself; so I thought I'd blend some up for me and her
I dont care really if it isnt 'technically' perfect BLW, as long as she's getting the experience of feeding herself from day 1, rather than "ONLY purees" as my mom thinks it should be.
She's already gone and ordered 4 books from Chapters (canada book store) about purees! It just annoys me that she's probably going to tell me how to feed my daughter, I dont like that. Im the mom this time, I get to decide.

 

[patch2006uk]

So basically soup recipes? I'd give LO soup from 6 months, just preload the spoon for them or give them bread to dip in. The biggest thing with savoury purée is that they do tend to be bland, as you can't add salt. Whole food definitely has more taste. Sweet purée obviously doesn't need salt, but would you eat just a whole puréed apple on its own?

 

[daneuse27]

So basically soup recipes? I'd give LO soup from 6 months, just preload the spoon for them or give them bread to dip in. The biggest thing with savoury purée is that they do tend to be bland, as you can't add salt. Whole food definitely has more taste. Sweet purée obviously doesn't need salt, but would you eat just a whole puréed apple on its own?

Well, yes... I guess it is similar to soup, or a smoothie. The first food my mom gave us was pureed butternut squash. And the book she gave me talks about starting with blending asparagus, spinach or pear -by themselves, not together. So it would be closer to soup than to actual food. It also says I shouldnt combine foods (ie; banana and pear) until she's 8 months.

My dr. told me to introduce foods one at a time and stick for one day on the same food to make sure she has no allergy, etc. Im still not sure what i want to do. I may start with avocado slices maybe, or roasted apple? Im under-researched at the moment and will need to look for ideas.

 

[solitaire89]

My LOs first food was a chicken cheese and bacon toastie from M&S that she nicked out of my hands. Who was I to argue with what she wanted I would suggest a combination of puree and "whole" food - lets face it, we do eat sloppy foods as adults (yoghurt, porridge etc), so it seems just as silly to me to leave out pureed foods as it does to leave out "whole" foods.

 

[Kess]

The only foods we delayed introducing were peanuts and shellfish (LO has eczema so we were told he might be more prone to allergies), and honey (botulism risk), all of which we introduced at a year. I did wind up having to go back and introduce foods one by one when we realised he was reacting to something and we didn't know what, so I think next time I might be tempted to introduce foods a couple at a time a couple of days apart. But he handled meat, veg, curry, roast dinner, all sorts, right from the beginning. He didn't eat much for the first few weeks, and I got slightly concerned, but tbh I shouldn't have worried as he soon started and he is now such a great eater, everyone comments. And those early weeks were so good for his dexterity and for him getting used to textures etc.

 

[Lollycake]

My LOs first food was a chicken cheese and bacon toastie from M&S that she nicked out of my hands. Who was I to argue with what she wanted I would suggest a combination of puree and "whole" food - lets face it, we do eat sloppy foods as adults (yoghurt, porridge etc), so it seems just as silly to me to leave out pureed foods as it does to leave out "whole" foods.

My LO has yogurt, porridge, soup, mashed potatoes etc, but he feeds himself them on a pre-loaded spoon. I don't give him a pureed version of things I would eat whole though.

Tbh, esp in the first few months of weaning, I am way too lazy to cook things specially for him if they're likely to just end up on the floor!

 

[Rachel_C]

BLW doesn't suggest you avoid mashed, sloppy or pureed foods that you would eat yourself. The whole point is to give LO 'real' food, food that a normal human would eat If you're having stewed apples and custard, you give it to LO too. Mashed potatoes or mashed carrot and swede? Give it to LO! Soup? Yep, give it to LO. You just don't spoon feed them or make anything as a puree specially.

 

[patch2006uk]

So basically soup recipes? I'd give LO soup from 6 months, just preload the spoon for them or give them bread to dip in. The biggest thing with savoury purée is that they do tend to be bland, as you can't add salt. Whole food definitely has more taste. Sweet purée obviously doesn't need salt, but would you eat just a whole puréed apple on its own?

Well, yes... I guess it is similar to soup, or a smoothie. The first food my mom gave us was pureed butternut squash. And the book she gave me talks about starting with blending asparagus, spinach or pear -by themselves, not together. So it would be closer to soup than to actual food. It also says I shouldnt combine foods (ie; banana and pear) until she's 8 months.

My dr. told me to introduce foods one at a time and stick for one day on the same food to make sure she has no allergy, etc. Im still not sure what i want to do. I may start with avocado slices maybe, or roasted apple? Im under-researched at the moment and will need to look for ideas.

That's very outdated advice tbh. There's no need to introduce one food at a time, or to keep food separate until 8 months. If you eat a healthy diet already, it really is as simple as cut down on the salt and chuck some in your LO's direction

 

[daneuse27]

So basically soup recipes? I'd give LO soup from 6 months, just preload the spoon for them or give them bread to dip in. The biggest thing with savoury purée is that they do tend to be bland, as you can't add salt. Whole food definitely has more taste. Sweet purée obviously doesn't need salt, but would you eat just a whole puréed apple on its own?

Well, yes... I guess it is similar to soup, or a smoothie. The first food my mom gave us was pureed butternut squash. And the book she gave me talks about starting with blending asparagus, spinach or pear -by themselves, not together. So it would be closer to soup than to actual food. It also says I shouldnt combine foods (ie; banana and pear) until she's 8 months.

My dr. told me to introduce foods one at a time and stick for one day on the same food to make sure she has no allergy, etc. Im still not sure what i want to do. I may start with avocado slices maybe, or roasted apple? Im under-researched at the moment and will need to look for ideas.

That's very outdated advice tbh. There's no need to introduce one food at a time, or to keep food separate until 8 months. If you eat a healthy diet already, it really is as simple as cut down on the salt and chuck some in your LO's direction

I was thinking that seemed a bit boring
Today I almost gave her a piece of my sweet potato crisp Id made in the ovan, just to see what shed do. She just gave me a wtf look and put her fingers in her mouth, so I assume she wasnt keen.
Another day maybe!

 

[Macmad]

So basically soup recipes? I'd give LO soup from 6 months, just preload the spoon for them or give them bread to dip in. The biggest thing with savoury purée is that they do tend to be bland, as you can't add salt. Whole food definitely has more taste. Sweet purée obviously doesn't need salt, but would you eat just a whole puréed apple on its own?

Well, yes... I guess it is similar to soup, or a smoothie. The first food my mom gave us was pureed butternut squash. And the book she gave me talks about starting with blending asparagus, spinach or pear -by themselves, not together. So it would be closer to soup than to actual food. It also says I shouldnt combine foods (ie; banana and pear) until she's 8 months.

My dr. told me to introduce foods one at a time and stick for one day on the same food to make sure she has no allergy, etc. Im still not sure what i want to do. I may start with avocado slices maybe, or roasted apple? Im under-researched at the moment and will need to look for ideas.

That's very outdated advice tbh. There's no need to introduce one food at a time, or to keep food separate until 8 months. If you eat a healthy diet already, it really is as simple as cut down on the salt and chuck some in your LO's direction

I was thinking that seemed a bit boring
Today I almost gave her a piece of my sweet potato crisp Id made in the ovan, just to see what shed do. She just gave me a wtf look and put her fingers in her mouth, so I assume she wasnt keen.
Another day maybe!

BLW isn't recommended until 6 months. By then they should be able to pick up the food themselves. It's great for their co ordination skills, hand-eye etc. I'd get the Gill Rapley BLW cookbook, gives you an idea of what to do and some great recipes.

 

[NaturalMomma]

Science and history does not agree with her

We do BLW because it makes sense. Babies dont need food until they decide they're ready (which is part of BLW), and if you give purees baby isn't getting the exact taste, nutrition has been depleated in the process, and baby/child does not learn textures and it will make it harder for them to try new foods when they're older.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Well, technically, that statement has some truth....but that's why we chew! Which leads onto it being rather pointless to do the chewing for a 6 month old baby (by pureeing their meals) who is perfectly capable of doing it herself.

 

[Rachel_C]

BLW isn't recommended until 6 months. By then they should be able to pick up the food themselves. It's great for their co ordination skills, hand-eye etc. I'd get the Gill Rapley BLW cookbook, gives you an idea of what to do and some great recipes.

I wouldn't say that's entirely true. There is a general acceptance, supported by research and guidance from health bodies, that most babies aren't ready for solids until 6 months but with BLW you don't set any rules because you're baby led. It wouldn't be baby led to hold off until bang on 26 weeks if LO was actually ready a week or two earlier. I wouldn't have any real qualms about sitting a 5 month old on my lap at the table while I ate - if they did decide to pick up food and eat it, so be it. I get your point with regard to giving food to baby though - that's very different and is bypassing all of the natural protection of being baby led. I wouldn't ever give a baby some food in their hand

 

[MLC20]

I started BLW just short of 6 months. My DD loves it as she can be independent. I have introduced foods one at a time still though as I have a few allergies and so just wanted to make sure she didn't react to anything. She eats a wide variety now although she hates using a spoon all of a sudden, I think it's because she can't stuff as much food in with a spoon. She eats massive meals for a lo but, I trust she knows what she needs and she will leave anything she doesn't want (or throws it on the floor). 8 months this weekend and enjoying her food.

 

[Macmad]

BLW isn't recommended until 6 months. By then they should be able to pick up the food themselves. It's great for their co ordination skills, hand-eye etc. I'd get the Gill Rapley BLW cookbook, gives you an idea of what to do and some great recipes.

I wouldn't say that's entirely true. There is a general acceptance, supported by research and guidance from health bodies, that most babies aren't ready for solids until 6 months but with BLW you don't set any rules because you're baby led. It wouldn't be baby led to hold off until bang on 26 weeks if LO was actually ready a week or two earlier. I wouldn't have any real qualms about sitting a 5 month old on my lap at the table while I ate - if they did decide to pick up food and eat it, so be it. I get your point with regard to giving food to baby though - that's very different and is bypassing all of the natural protection of being baby led. I wouldn't ever give a baby some food in their hand

I wasn't suggesting it was set in stone just pointing out that a baby at 4 months and a bit probably wouldn't be interested in food if you handed it up them, hence why I said recommendation is 6 months.

 

[Lauki]

I started out with TW. So purees with finger foods. By about 9 months I was so sick of eating cold dinner myself that I just let her get on with it. Best decision I've ever made! Now at 19 months she eats everything herself, with cutlery or without.
I have friends who still spoonfeed their kids the same age, it would just drive me insane!

Yes in the beginning it's messy and not a lot might end up in their mouths, but they get the hang of it quite quickly! And then it's fantastic! I never have to worry about her anymore and we can all have warm dinner .