advice please

[leighbaby]

I've read the BLW book and started BLW last Tuesday. I thought BLW was going to be the way forward for us, as LO won't let me put a spoon in his mouth! I know it is still early days, but LO doesn't seem to eat much. His nappies are more grim, but only sometimes.

Today the HV told me to put him on 3 meals a day because he is 6 months already...so I (attempted to) give him dinner as well as breakfast and lunch (attempts) but he didn't really eat anything so I gave in and let him chew on a rusk - of which he ate most!!

What foods other than sweet potato, courgette and banana have you found to be easier for a baby to eat ? (no teeth!) he has had all sorts of foods this last week and a bit, but only gets anywhere with super soft mushy stuff.

Also, does anyone use albidec (sp?)?! (a supplement?)

Thanks if you have read this - it is long and boring!!

Edit: I'm actually finding it really stressfull - the mess, preping and cleaning. I myself have a rubbish diet, so thinking of healthy lunches/breakfasts is a nightmare and we eat dinner after LO has gone to bed.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Hi Don't worry, it's really early days. We're doing BLW, Ruby is 7 months in a week and eats almost nothing. She is not interested in food at all. She is fine!

 

[Kayleigh09]

Hunny, you need to do what you feel is best. I only just put summer up to 3 meals a day as we're thinking it could be a reason for her waking in the night but new 'routine' i have for her isnt going to too brilliantly. We kind of fell into demand feeding really which was working well, sometimes she would eat 3 hourly and other times she would eat 4 hourly depending on when she napped etc. She's now not eating very well at all, i'm hoping its down to teething! I think it probably is as she's flushed and i can feel raised teeth like lumps on her gums.

anyways, back to you lol

I dont know anything about BLW and personally wouldnt do it myself but then my baby started weaning well. You could try practically anything can be sucked and will dissolve over time. Cucumber will kind of dissolve as its mainly water, Not sure what happens to carrot but its hard enough for big pieces not to break off and choke baby.

You need to do what you feel is right and comfortable with. You also need to work baby around you not the other way around. No offence to other parents who work themselves around their babies but i start as i mean to go on and i dont plan on having a toddler running rings around me telling when when i can eat etc. Summer has learnt now that she will get attention when we can give it and she has to otherwise entertain herself if we are busy.

Hope my post helps a little and doesnt get anyone's backs up and i mean no offence to you of course just passing on my parenting methods

 

[faille]

Don't worry, at 6months, they still get everything they need from milk so you really don't need to worry about how much he is "eating".

BLW is all about letting LO take control of everything and the more opportunities you give of playing and exploring food, the faster he will develop the necessary skills to actually start eating.

We've been doing BLW roughly a month and Violet has only just started eating but it's still nowhere near how much a baby on puree would have. But she still has a lot of milk, is never hungry, sleeps 12hrs and is very content.

We just literaly give her bits of our breakfast/lunch/dinner. I give her food everytime that I have food. If she just plays with it, fair enough, she's not hungry.. if she eats it then bonus. But either way, it's still learning for her.

And if you don't have a healthy diet then maybe now is the time to change.
My diet wasn't brilliant before BLW but now it's much better. My opinion is how can I expect my LO to eat healthy if I don't..? After all, all they want to do is copy us lol

 

[Angel2Fire]

I tried BLW for a little while, but decided it wasn't for us, for similar reasons.

However I do let Chaise sit in his highchair and "feed" himself once a day, but he doesn't eat much.. and nowhere near enough to fill him up, as puree and mash do.

I bought some fruit bars which are supposed to be sweets but its just a strip of fruit stuff. Chaise LOVES them. He doesn;t have teeth either, but can manage to mash up most stuff.
When he's in his highchair I give him things like rice cakes, banana, cucumber, red pepper, pasta spirals... anything soft and easy for him to pick up. I've also started giving him biscuits, and he's really good at mashing them up.
Also, I always do it just as he's starting to get hungry, cus otherwise he's just not interested. Then I leave him until he gets grouchy and give him some mash and a bottle

I hope it works out for you hun.

 

[leighbaby]

Thank you ladies. I'm going to keep going, but maybe give LO mushy spoon food once a day. I am also going to write a meal plan for the whole of next week and stick to it. I already do a dinner plan for the week - but I don't want to pass on my bad eating habits to LO. I don't think milk bottles are an appropriate breakfast for a 6 month old, nor are doughnuts for lunch...and that is just the tip of the iceberg!

 

[mumtosam]

Sam is 6 and a half months and still mainly plays with his food! He enjoys meal times though and is taking enough milk so I am not worried. I just wish others (MIL) would stop telling me I should be giving him purees as he will choke!! He has started to actually eat a bit more in the last few days but some times he is just not bothered.

 

[faille]

Thank you ladies. I'm going to keep going, but maybe give LO mushy spoon food once a day. I am also going to write a meal plan for the whole of next week and stick to it. I already do a dinner plan for the week - but I don't want to pass on my bad eating habits to LO. I don't think milk bottles are an appropriate breakfast for a 6 month old, nor are doughnuts for lunch...and that is just the tip of the iceberg!

I give Violet rice krispies mixed with yogurt for her breakfast and I'll load the spoon for her but let her put the spoon in her mouth herself. It's definately the meal she eats the most at so you could always do something like that if you're honestly worried about the intake of food.

If we have something like mince for dinner then I'll do the spoon thing again but always make sure she's putting it in her mouth herself.

But it really doesn't take long for them to be able to just crush things with their gums.. Violet has only just started getting her first tooth cut through in the last few days but she's been able to get chunks of apple off for a couple of weeks now, with just her gums.

The more you give them, the more they'll learn.. So maybe give something "challenging" at each meal but also something soft (like banana or cucumber) so there's something else to go to if they do get frustrated.

Just remember though, they can't learn if they're not given the opportunity! I honestly think BLW is worth it if you have the patience to stick with it.. And it's sooo rewarding when you do start seeing them eat

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Edit: I'm actually finding it really stressfull - the mess, preping and cleaning. I myself have a rubbish diet, so thinking of healthy lunches/breakfasts is a nightmare and we eat dinner after LO has gone to bed.

I know what you mean, really I do...but I think all of those issues are there with spoon feeding too. The puree stage doesn't last forever and you'll be having to think of healthy 'normal' meals for LO eventually.

We eat dinner after LO has gone to bed, too - OH needs picking up at 6.30pm, by which time Ruby is really tired and ready for bed, so we put her to bed as soon as we get back, then I cook dinner. In an ideal world OH wouldn't need picking up but he does, so we accept Ruby can't eat dinner with us so I have a small snack late afternoon before she gets too tired and offer Ruby some too.

 

[butrfly]

LO gets puree (brown rice porridge with fruits &/or veggies - i make it from scratch) and self feeds. i load the spoon and give it to him. at the end of the meal, however, he has the spoon & the bowl on him. i also let him tell me when he's had enough. when it looks like he has had enough (looks bored, refuses food) i stop and pack away. i never force food on him.

i think that at 6 months it's all about getting acquainted with food & tools we use to eat - not to replace milk feedings. i think he'll do that in his own time.

 

[angelstardust]

Regardless of what (and how) you are feeding your baby, the first year (weaning age till 1yr) is all about playing with food, not so much eating the food. Unless there is a real medical reason why you baby needs food, in which case you would already be speaking to a consultant.

Is there a reason you are using abidec? They are only of use to babies who have a need for them (pre term, ill health etc). They are more trouble than they are worth and I found them a nightmare to give (pre term baby). A healthy full term baby won't need them if they are getting lots of milk.

 

[leighbaby]

Regardless of what (and how) you are feeding your baby, the first year (weaning age till 1yr) is all about playing with food, not so much eating the food. Unless there is a real medical reason why you baby needs food, in which case you would already be speaking to a consultant.

Is there a reason you are using abidec? They are only of use to babies who have a need for them (pre term, ill health etc). They are more trouble than they are worth and I found them a nightmare to give (pre term baby). A healthy full term baby won't need them if they are getting lots of milk.

On Thursday I took LO to be weighed and the HV said that because he is BF and not FF, he would need supplements. I know that this is probably tosh, but I really don't want to risk stunting his growth etc - I suppose I am easy prey to all that salesman jazz iykwim?!