BLW - Baby led weaning support thread

[indy and lara]

Hiya

I feel really cheeky asking for help here as I don't post these days but really hoping that your can help with all your expertise.

We have been BLW since 6 months and all was going well. Then over the last few weeks things are getting a lot tougher as Emma seems to have gone off so many foods. She used to love carrots and broccoli but will now not look at them unless they are 'hidden' in stews, etc. She is also starting to refuse more and more finger foods and really restricting her diet as a result, She seems to be off most fruit other than pear and banana now. She will happily eat things like chilli, mince, spag bol but wont eat a more 'finger food' type meal like roast, potatoes and veg.

Am really starting to worry that her diet does not contain enough fruit/ veg/ protein and worrying about what to do now. She is teething and I know this may be some of the problem but she has been for months now and this is more of a recent problem. Any help or suggestions would be happily taken on board. If this continues I will have to start pureeing and this feels like a step backwards after BLW for over 5 months.

Thanks
Lesley

 

[TigerLady]

Will she eat bread? You can always mash fruit or veg and spread it on bread. Otter seems to go in phases, too. He's currently on an anti-cooked veg kick. He'll eat cold and raw veg (like carrot slices, tomatoes, etc) but don't like them steamed or roasted anymore. He'll also eat them mashed with his fingers (like mashed potatoes) but won't touch a roasted one.

Bread and meat are by far his favorites right now.

I figure I'll keep offering and eventually he'll change up again.

 

[joeyjo]

I believe there is a stage where they get so pleased with having grasped pincer grips etc they just want small food all the time - G is currently doing this a bit. I try to offer 1 meal a day that I can predict he'll like & mix it up a bit on the others

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I agree with Joeyjo.
Ruby will only eat small pieces of food. (like bitesize) I just cut her food up, I don't see anything wrong with that. If I put big bits of food out, she tries to rip it up into pieces herself and ends up getting frustrated. She used to eat a lot more veg than she currently does, too. I'm sure she'll come back to it. She also will only eat tinned fruit, spits fresh out.
I think it's normal for them to have preferences, and to go through funny phases with certain foods.

 

[sun]

Hmmm - I tried Bun again today with some sweet potato and broccoli. He didn't have any interest in it at all! I don't know why, since he seems to pick up everything else and put it in his mouth! He also tried a bit of applesauce on a spoon, but got tired of dealing with the spoon.
I have been reading so much about BLW and it seems like other LOs just jump right in! Anyone else have a really slow start? Any advice on a good time to offer food? I have been offering after his milk feed, but maybe I should wait until he is hungry? I just don't think he knows that food = full tummy so would just be fussing for more milk.

Any advice??

 

[TigerLady]

When we started, I offered during "play" times. Not close to a meal on either side. Just sort of -- well, you are bored with your toys, so lets try some food.

Otter didn't do much with any of it at first. Sometimes he would ignore it completely, sometimes he would play with it for a minute or two, then ignore it, sometimes he would play with it for ages.

It also helps if you eat something when they do. Preferably the same thing they are eating. They tend to watch you and then mimic you at first. I found this very important until he figured out what food was.

 

[jenny82]

I have only just started out as well, but I'm offering his food pretty much half way in between feeds and he seems to enjoy it. If I was trying to offer milk at the same time, he would just get too distracted..

I also tried my LO with broccoli this morning for the first time, and he wasn't that keen either. He had it in his mouth about twice and just smooshed the rest of it up and chucked it at the dog lol

 

[craftymum]

I feel like things are going very slowly at the minute, some of you may remember that at the beginning I was having trouble fitting dinner in, well that is still happening, some nights is near impossible and I have tried switching lunch and dinner but it doesn't make a diffference. Jacob takes a bottle at 2:45pm and then he just seems to be such a little grumpy bum all afternoon and I can hardly put him down let alone try to prepare food, this evening I'd pre made some of his favourite food yesterday and it just needed reheated but he was so grumpy and tired that I had to just give up, give him a bottle at 5:15 and he was in bed fast asleep before 6. He's also going through a phase of screaming and getting so upset if I even walk into the kitchen, even if he's with someone else he just seems to want me to constantly play with him or carry him around so it's so hard to even get a chance to do any cooking and by the time he's in bed I'm just too shattered to do anything.
At lunchtimes this last few days too he just doesn't seem to be that interested either, I just don't know what to do, I just feel like everything has really taken a big slide backwards and that I'm failing at the weaning process.

 

[TigerLady]

CM, sounds like separation anxiety. He's at the right age for it. It will pass. In the meantime, do you have a sling you can put him in when you make his dinner? I've cooked with Otter in a sling many times when he wouldn't let me put him down, but I needed to get the cooking done!

 

[craftymum]

CM, sounds like separation anxiety. He's at the right age for it. It will pass. In the meantime, do you have a sling you can put him in when you make his dinner? I've cooked with Otter in a sling many times when he wouldn't let me put him down, but I needed to get the cooking done!

I don't have a sling, although I have been thinking about getting one but I'm lost on which type to get as I have bad neck and shoulders (whiplash injury) and Jacob is also a hefty 22lb or so

 

[jenny82]

I'm introducing a dinner meal this evening at half 5ish. Really wanted to give him mashed potatoes (correction: *I* really want mashed potatoes so hes stuck with them!). Take these are just given to him on a pre-loaded spoon??

Have also roasted some chicken fillets, but I guess I should wait another week or so before I give him those? Have loads of other veggies to offer anyway..

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

You don't have to give him a pre loaded spoon, you could just put some in front of him and see if he just wants to scoop it up with his hands? Ruby wouldn't do that but a lot of BLW babies do!

You could give chicken now he is practically 6m. When you do BLW there is no need to go through 'stages' introducing foods, or slowly building up to 3 meals a day unless you particularly want to.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Hmmm - I tried Bun again today with some sweet potato and broccoli. He didn't have any interest in it at all! I don't know why, since he seems to pick up everything else and put it in his mouth! He also tried a bit of applesauce on a spoon, but got tired of dealing with the spoon.
I have been reading so much about BLW and it seems like other LOs just jump right in! Anyone else have a really slow start? Any advice on a good time to offer food? I have been offering after his milk feed, but maybe I should wait until he is hungry? I just don't think he knows that food = full tummy so would just be fussing for more milk.

Any advice??

Ruby certainly didn't jump right in!
At the beginning she was not interested AT ALL.
She was 7.5 months before she really ate.
Definitely don't try him with food when he is hungry, he might just get frustrated because as you say, he doesn't know that food can fill him up, plus he hasn't learned to eat properly yet anyway.

 

[jenny82]

Cheers Claire - I'll set some strips of chicken down in front of him anyway and see how he gets on

Have put some sweet potato on to roast instead as OH didn't want mashed potatoes (grrrr!) but I'll remember that for next time.

 

[indy and lara]

Thanks for your support yesterday. Emma has had 2 slightly better days. Today so far she has had,
-cereal,
-refused rice cakes (I don't know why I perservere with these, she NEVER eats them!)
- Some home made coronation chicken and cucumber and then a small sandwich of the same,
- Innocent fruit squeezy
- Organix gingerbread man
- banana for snack.

A complete turn around from the last few days. Fishcakes tonight so hoping that she will keep on munching..... still not that keen on fruit/ veg but at least eating something again.
xx

 

[sun]

Tried Bun again today with some broccoli and sweet potato sticks, and some applesauce flavoured with a bit of cinnamon. He ate a bite of applesauce and played with the spoon for a bit, but wasn't interested in anything else. He just tries to chew on his bib or the high chair straps!
He can only handle a small amount of time in his highchair too - he starts crying after only 10min or so. Maybe I should try feeding him on my lap? We're going away for the long weekend tomorrow so I will hold off feeding him for a few days and start again on Monday! I always eat in front of him, but he hasn't shown much interest in what I eat either.. The first few times I tried food, he was into it and would try and pick it up/eat it but no more - he totally ignores it now!

xx

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Thanks for your support yesterday. Emma has had 2 slightly better days. Today so far she has had,
-cereal,
-refused rice cakes (I don't know why I perservere with these, she NEVER eats them!)
- Some home made coronation chicken and cucumber and then a small sandwich of the same,
- Innocent fruit squeezy
- Organix gingerbread man
- banana for snack.

A complete turn around from the last few days. Fishcakes tonight so hoping that she will keep on munching..... still not that keen on fruit/ veg but at least eating something again.
xx

Oh that's good!
At last, someone else's baby doesn't like rice cakes! Ruby doesn't eat them either. I thought she was the only one, haha

 

[sun]

Are rice cakes over there the same as here? They seem too crumbly to be able to eat easily - I find it almost impossible to spread anything on them!

These are the ones we have: https://www.lundberg.com/products/ricecakes.aspx

Edit: Maybe they just suck on them at first???

 

[florabean1981]

harry just sucks rice cakes to death... to date, I dont think he's actually 'eaten' any of them, but does seem to enjoy sucking them & smushing them in his hands & hair, lol.

Sun, Harry has only really started to get to grips with things over the last week or so. I was having to do a lot of pre-loaded spoons, but now he's decided spoons are boring & just wants to shove his hands in everything, which is fair enough.

I gave Harry some pasta tubes with some mince & a plum tomoatoe sauce- went down an absolute treat! He didn't eat the pasta as such, but sucked the sauce off & he definitely had a good go at the mince pieces & was licking his hands & maing 'fish lips' so I think he really enjoyed it & not one gag the whole time!

 

[sun]

harry just sucks rice cakes to death... to date, I dont think he's actually 'eaten' any of them, but does seem to enjoy sucking them & smushing them in his hands & hair, lol.

Sun, Harry has only really started to get to grips with things over the last week or so. I was having to do a lot of pre-loaded spoons, but now he's decided spoons are boring & just wants to shove his hands in everything, which is fair enough.

I gave Harry some pasta tubes with some mince & a plum tomoatoe sauce- went down an absolute treat! He didn't eat the pasta as such, but sucked the sauce off & he definitely had a good go at the mince pieces & was licking his hands & maing 'fish lips' so I think he really enjoyed it & not one gag the whole time!

That's so great!
it sounds like Harry is doing really well I still get stressed when Bun gags, but he doesn't eat enough to do it often LOL!

xx