BLW - Baby led weaning support thread

[Mum2b_Claire]

As to how you know your baby's 'finished' cues - they seem to change all the time! Throwing all the food off the high chair tray never seemed to be one of Rowan's: she tended to do this early on in BLW, at the beginning of the meal, when we'd given her too many things at once and she couldn't cope. When she'd actually finished, she'd pick the surplus food up a piece at a time and drop it carefully over the side! Nowadays she has more sophisticated ways of telling us she's finished: either she picks pieces up and tries to feed them to whoever's feeding her (she finds this deeply amusing), or she leans back and places her hands behind her head, thereby restyling her hair with whatever her hands are covered in.

Ruby is exactly the same on all counts!!

 

[Shiv]

I love the idea of babies finishing their meals and then reaching their arms up behind their heads, giving a big content, full sigh. Just like us adults!

 

[sun]

Yikes!
Bun is almost 6 months old so I will have to start paying attention to signs he is ready to wean. sniff! I am actually really dreading it because of my crazy fear of him choking, but I'm also so sad that he is getting older and I won't be breastfeeding my little baby anymore! I have let him play with steamed sweet potato and carrot once a few days back and it is scary! He just shoves the entire thing right into the back of his mouth! Then I worry because he chomps down and has a bunch of large pieces in his mouth that he doesn't know what to do with! Then he starts with a combo of chewing and sucking - so I keep thinking he will suck the pieces into his throat! Maybe it is too early to try him with it? I can't really tell if he's ready, as he puts everything in his mouth!

xx

 

[MrsD]

I'm so keen to do BLW but I feel like I've failed before I've even started

My LO has always woken for night feeds but recently he's been waking to feed 4 or 5 times a night and I'm shattered, I spent the last two feeds in the early hours of this morning in tears due to sheer exhaustion.

So this morning I gave my son some blitzed up banana and he loved it I was hoping he would not be interested. He's going to be 5 months next week but I think that's too early for finger food?

Has anyone got any tips - how did you cope with the waking before the 6 months? Is 5 months to early for finger food?

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I'm so keen to do BLW but I feel like I've failed before I've even started

My LO has always woken for night feeds but recently he's been waking to feed 4 or 5 times a night and I'm shattered, I spent the last two feeds in the early hours of this morning in tears due to sheer exhaustion.

So this morning I gave my son some blitzed up banana and he loved it I was hoping he would not be interested. He's going to be 5 months next week but I think that's too early for finger food?

Has anyone got any tips - how did you cope with the waking before the 6 months? Is 5 months to early for finger food?

Hugs. That must be so hard. Ruby was at her hungriest at your LO's age but her hunger tailed off shortly after. She didn't wake in the night though.

It's worth knowing that eating solids will not stop your baby waking in the night for milk, especially during the massive 4 month growth spurt!

A few babies are ready for weaning at 5 months, is he sitting up unaided or very close to it? If so it'd be fine to start BLW.

 

[dom]

I'm so keen to do BLW but I feel like I've failed before I've even started

My LO has always woken for night feeds but recently he's been waking to feed 4 or 5 times a night and I'm shattered, I spent the last two feeds in the early hours of this morning in tears due to sheer exhaustion.

So this morning I gave my son some blitzed up banana and he loved it I was hoping he would not be interested. He's going to be 5 months next week but I think that's too early for finger food?

Has anyone got any tips - how did you cope with the waking before the 6 months? Is 5 months to early for finger food?

Aw hun, I feel for you Gabriella was a fantastic sleeper, sleeping right through from 8 weeks old. However once we hit the 4 month growth spurt she started waking during the night, and at 5 months old she was waking 4 times per night - with an active 5 year old its hard!!

I posted in here asking about starting her early like you're thinking of doing, however the lovely ladies in here informed me that milk has a lot more calaries in than other foods, and so weaning her early wouldnt help her to sleep through the night at all. What she wanted was more of mummys milk, not "adult" food.

i started her on a few bits about 1.5 weeks before she was 6 calander months, however she has been poorly for the last week so its been put on hold. She is now 6 months and 1 week old, and we are down to just waking once per night - she goes from 7pm - 3am - wakes for a short feed, then sleeps through to 7am again.


Probably not much help, but just want to give you a big hug xx

 

[MrsD]

Thanks for your help and support ladies, think it's just been a rough few days thankfully it's the weekend so my oh can help out during the day so I can prepare myself for the nights! In my heart of hearts I know it'stoo early so I'm going to try my best to hold off.

thanks again xx

 

[Poppy7]

Hi ladies,

I haven't popped in here for a while but hello to you all Elliott is still enjoying discovering food. We are taking things very slowly (as he is not 6 months old yet) but he has been enjoying the experience so far.

Things are definitely being digested....!! I sometimes worry that I started too early but as you have all told me, it's baby led and Elliott is certainly leading me! I now can't eat anything without him reaching out and making his "I want some" noise lol!

Today we enjoyed an avocado sandwich together and he loved it!!! Another favourite is chicken!

We had our first "sick" incident yesterday. Elliott absolutely adores pears but finds them slippery to hold. Yesterday I cut some fingers of pears for him but left the skin on the back. He was biting off lovely chunks and mushing them up. I can only guess that the skin was nearly swallowed and was too hard (pear skin can be quite hard) and he projectile vomited 3 times. He was not bothered at all...I panicked but all was fine! This is proof that there gag reflex is fantastic and the body will rid of any food it does not want!

Anway, can someone just reassure me that I'm not doing him any harm offering food things at this age (I started doing so when LO was 5 months 1 week old). I think he's fine and I'm just letting him enjoy himself (which he is immensely) it's just some people are making me feel bad about it. When he turns 6 months I will be more regimental with food times but right now he probably gets offered food every day but not a lot and I let him go at his own pace.

 

[triplemom]

Poppy7, that is wonderful that your baby is doing great on BLW, I think every baby is unique, so if Elliot was ready before 6 months, it won't be bad for him.

My baby isn't ready and she is 7 1/2 months, She just plays with the food, she don't want to eat, not even try...

Somebody had experience the same with your babies?

Today I offered some ground meat, cauliflower, peach and a biscuit....well She just touched some and tasted the biscuit, she was sited for about 15 min, then She got upset, and started to cry... She doesn't like to be there with the food in front of her.

Two days ago I gave her peach puree in pre loaded spoon and She loved it, I think she likes the spoon and She knows how to use it... but is this BLW too?, I thought She had to grab the food and eat it, not with a pre loaded spoon.

I need some opinions on this, Do you think I have to follow her cues? and give her just purees in pre loaded spoons???

 

[Maffie]

Yikes!
Bun is almost 6 months old so I will have to start paying attention to signs he is ready to wean. sniff! I am actually really dreading it because of my crazy fear of him choking, but I'm also so sad that he is getting older and I won't be breastfeeding my little baby anymore! I have let him play with steamed sweet potato and carrot once a few days back and it is scary! He just shoves the entire thing right into the back of his mouth! Then I worry because he chomps down and has a bunch of large pieces in his mouth that he doesn't know what to do with! Then he starts with a combo of chewing and sucking - so I keep thinking he will suck the pieces into his throat! Maybe it is too early to try him with it? I can't really tell if he's ready, as he puts everything in his mouth!

xx

hi you dont have to stop breast feeding just cos you are blw, I feed noah 10 times a day, food is more something to play and explore, your milk will still provide what baby needs.

 

[Racheldigger]

What she said...

Rowan's been BLW since just before 6 months: she's now 13 months and still breastfeeding. I didn't even notice a drop in frequency until she was 12 months and started the regular meals at her nursery.

 

[craftymum]

I'm thinking of trying Jacob on some salmon and maybe beef in the next few days, any ideas on how I should serve these up - I've been a vegetarian since my teens so not too clued up on cooking meats or fish.

 

[sun]

Racheldigger and Maffie - I know I will still be breastfeeding once I start weaning - it just makes me sad to end the exclusive bf! Kind of like the end of an era... sniff!
My little guy is growing so fast! I'm just weird I think - everyone else seems to get so excited about weaning...

Craftymum - I can't help with the meat since I'm also veg... But can I ask why you want to feed your LO meat & fish if you don't eat it?? Nothing against it, just wondering as I wasn't planning on feeding meat unless we are somewhere (like MIL's place) where it's being served.

xx

 

[craftymum]

Racheldigger and Maffie - I know I will still be breastfeeding once I start weaning - it just makes me sad to end the exclusive bf! Kind of like the end of an era... sniff!
My little guy is growing so fast! I'm just weird I think - everyone else seems to get so excited about weaning...

Craftymum - I can't help with the meat since I'm also veg... But can I ask why you want to feed your LO meat & fish if you don't eat it?? Nothing against it, just wondering as I wasn't planning on feeding meat unless we are somewhere (like MIL's place) where it's being served.

xx

My hubby eats it so I'm just wanting to give Jacob the option of trying all types of food and working out what he likes himself.

 

[Mary Jo]

Craftymum, salmon falls apart really easy and Adam finds it extremely frustrating, so I would either make it into a fish pie (to eat off a pre-loaded spoon) or fish cakes or fish fingers, something he can hold and not just immediately scatter everywhere. It's the opposite with beef, it's easy to cook so it's just too hard for them to manage (though sucking it is great even if they cannot bite any off); Adam manages soft roast beef, or stewed/braised, better than a grilled steak, for example. Best of all is minced beef, I make cottage pie, chilli and lasagne a lot, and he loves it.

 

[Shiv]

hi everyone, something odd happened today.
Sophia has been enjoying 3 meals a day for a while now and every now and again a snack.
Today however she has barely had any milk. at about 3pm she started getting grumpy and after all the usual tricks (changing nappy, water,play) she didn't cheer up so I thought she was maybe hungry and wanted some milk. So I offered her a breastfeed, but she just wasn't bothered. She was still in a grump so I thought I would try her with a snack which she woolfed down!
So she chose solid food over a breast feed I mean I know they stop milk feeds during the day eventually but to actually refuse milk but eat solid?
I also got the impression she would have kept on eating if I had kept on offering food. DO you think she was actually hungry? I am a bit confused?
Which leads me on to my next question regarding snacks. I struggled to know what to give, she had already had plenty of fruit, bread, cheese etc so I just am unsure what to give as snacks? And how much is a suitable amount?


An I agree with MJ regarding beef and salmon, fish caskes work well, or salmon and pasta so that the salmon sticks to the pasta in little pieces (can use creme fraiche or cream cheese as a sauce), an mince works well again with pasta to stick to.

 

[Mary Jo]

Shiv, re snacks, other than fruit, I rely pretty heavily on ricecakes (spread with butterm creme fraiche or cream cheese) and breadsticks. He's also had Soreen malt loaf. I need to make something like scones, I think, and other baked goods that I can control the salt, because it's weighing on my mind a bit - I think Adam would eat more bready type foods but I try not to offer them too much because they aren't home-made.

 

[Shiv]

sorry me again!
Sophia just cleared her tray! I mean she ate everything! even the petit pois peas! (first time she has managed peas!) and the first time she has actually cleared her "plate" (apart from the additional bit of pasta I gave her to make sure she was full!) But boy did she eat a lot.

DO you trust that your baby WILL stop eating when they are full? I find it hard to believe that a baby could eat so much! i don't want her to get fat!

 

[Shiv]

Oh and MJ you are right, we should bake more for snacks. i have some recipes for spinach and cheese muffins and leek and ham muffins that i could share if anyone is interested!

 

[Mary Jo]

Shiv, I think you have to trust her, I don't know when people start eating for emotional reaosns but it's some time beyond 8 months! If she is eating it, it's safe to say she needs it! I trust that overall Adam is getting what he needs. Some days he eats loads, I am amazed that someone so little can put it all away! Other days he eats a small amount and then cries and doesn't want more. And I have really noticed how much more he eats when he's skipped a bottle or only had a small amount of milk, and conversely, how he will sometimes guzzle his whole 7oz of milk when he's had a nibble/snacky small solid meal. It's balancing out, I am certain of that. He tends to have a decent breakfast, lunch can either be devoured with gusto or ignored almost completely, and dinner really depends on how lunch was and how tired he is - he can eat what I would consider to be half a normal adult's portion, which seems a lot for someone who is a fraction of a normal adult in size.

What I am still working out is how much of what I judge to be his appetite is really his preferences - or is it a coincidence that he has his really hungry days on the days we have potatoes, and his picky/snacky days on the days we have pasta? It is tempting to give potatoes every day but I live in hope he'll decide pasta is yummy.

They're growing and developing so so quickly... and Adam is so active now, he barely sits down, all he wants to do is cruise the furniture, it's hardly surprising he's got a bottomless pit of a tummy sometimes!