BLW - Baby led weaning support thread

[PepsiChic]

hivechild - I'm glad the bowl is working!! I kind of hesitate to recommend it cuz I always think maybe ours is really sticky and others not. Ours is really ridiculous and drives me mad by sticking to everything I set it down on. Oh hey! I just noticed you're in Boston - I'm there every summer

Yay! Glad the bowl is working! I found an online UK supplier but haven't ordered it yet. Think I might now

It was well worth the buy. After trying a few times to pull it off Ronan doesn't even bother now. He was happy eating off his tray for ages but he started getting really fussy about wanting to eat off a plate or out of a bowl and to use cutlery all the time, so the bowl made it a lot easier. I wish they made plates with the suction base like that as well.

what about something like this?

https://www.babyant.com/boon-saucer-stay-put-plate-boon.html

the idea is no edges so cant be picked up,

this one seems ok but i think the mat might be easy to get up if it gets bent slightly:

https://www.babyant.com/mate-stay-put-mat-and-plate-skip-hop.html

 

[sun]

Oh yeah? Work or holidays? We should catch up this summer!

Oh sorry! Just noticed this!!! We are there on holidays - my father gets a house in the Cape every summer so we go to Boston then stay with him for a week or so.
We love it!!

Nice! Did you still go with Bun last year when he was still wee? I imagine it'll be a whole different, but really fun, holiday now that he's a bit older.

littlepne - Great to hear that your LO is doing so well. It's funny how it all sort of just clicks and falls into place one day, isn't it?

We were there last August - Bun was fine with it but was a little young. He was scared of the ocean I'm just worried about the drive this time as he has much less patience for sitting in the car - just so nice to have our own car there! I'm guessing he'll really like it this time around though - lots of dogs and kites for him to chase!!

 

[hivechild]

what about something like this?

https://www.babyant.com/boon-saucer-stay-put-plate-boon.html

the idea is no edges so cant be picked up,

this one seems ok but i think the mat might be easy to get up if it gets bent slightly:

https://www.babyant.com/mate-stay-put-mat-and-plate-skip-hop.html

I considered getting that boon plate but he's pretty industrious and single minded when he sets to wanting to do something so I'm not sure he wouldn't somehow figure out how to get it up still. I guess there'd be only one way to find out!

We were there last August - Bun was fine with it but was a little young. He was scared of the ocean I'm just worried about the drive this time as he has much less patience for sitting in the car - just so nice to have our own car there! I'm guessing he'll really like it this time around though - lots of dogs and kites for him to chase!!

Hopefully the drive won't be as bad as all that in the end. I always expect the worst so anything less than that feels like I've come out ahead!

As for dogs and kites, what more could a boy want? We were at a friend's this afternoon and there were about 10 dogs running around in her back yard in the snow. Ronan was beside himself watching them all play. He loves dogs!

 

[littlepne]

LO polished off a whole plum (minus stone of course)! She has never eaten all of something before! I kept checking around the high chair in case she'd stashed it somewhere but it was definitely all gone!

What was even better was that my Mum was round - she is very much coming round to the BLW style of thinking - even though she says she couldn't have dealt with the mess herself

The strangest things make me proud!

 

[sun]

littlepne - It's funny when people say they can't handle the mess!! The TW babies I know all make a huge mess too!

Hivechild - Bun loves dogs too! Cats even more though since we have one... Funny about trips - OH and I always stress about the what-ifs and Bun always does so much better than we thought he would!! He just goes with the flow!! xx

 

[littlepne]

littlepne - It's funny when people say they can't handle the mess!! The TW babies I know all make a huge mess too!

That's what I thought - surely it's messy whenever a baby learns to feed themselves!

They do Messy Play sessions at our local children's centre - we do ours at mealtimes! Plus, I'm no longer jealous of people who's babies have hair - bald babies are easier to clean up!

DH would love a dog, I'm not as keen - but LO has made friends with next doors kitten who likes to sit on our windowsill

 

[amygwen]

Hey ladies. I'm sure this question has been asked a million times before but, what about choking? I've given Kenny like a piece of toast and he will bite on it so obviously it will get soaking wet and I always rip off the piece that's soaked because I'm so nervous he will get that big chunk and choke on it. And like if you give them veggies are they small enough so they can swallow easily? Or a whole piece of veg? Thanks!

 

[sun]

amygwen - Choking is actually really rare, but gagging is really common. When babies are young their gag reflex is further forward in their mouth so they will gag easily before food could get far enough down to actually choke them. It is so so hard though not to panic when they start gagging on food - I used to sit on my hands so I wouldn't start rooting around in his mouth for the food (which actually increases the chances of choking since you can push the food too far down for them). I also took a baby CPR class so I felt a little more in control. But it is amazing how quickly they learn to manipulate the food!!

To answer your question about the veg and toast, I would give Bun the whole slice of toast and whole piece of fruit/veg. Some things he could not handle at first were raw veg, apples, and meat (unless it was mince) but other babies can handle these things. I mostly gave him his food whole or in big chunks though - it was easier for him to manipulate. Now he can eat anything (even though he still only has a few teeth) and eats raw fruits/veg whole.

xxx

Edit: I did cut hazards like grapes in half before offering them to him though!!

 

[rainbows_x]

Hi

We started with BLW yesterday and I am not totally sure I am doing things right, so wanted to check.

She had banana today, me broke some up and gave her the other half to hold herself, she loved it, licking it, gumming it and swallowing

I was wondering what other types of food I can give her, we are thinking carrots, broccoli, avocados etc. But what about other things, like toast, breadsticks, mashed potato? I have no idea what I should be offering her.

Also, this may be a bit silly as it is BLW after all, but how often should I be offering food?

 

[sun]

When I started out I only fed Bun 1x/day as he wasn't really eating - more playing and getting used to it. We did 2 meals a day for months and it wasn't until he was eating those meals well that we added in a snack. Now he has 3 meals +1 snack, but the snack is very recent. I would judge by how well your LO starts eating and how much patience she has for it! An easy way is to just have her eat with you at every meal - she can sample some of what you are eating and test out the taste/texture/etc.

It's BLW so you can offer them everything you are eating!! Actually I see you are weaning early, so I might stay away from foods that are not recommended until 6 months of age - but anything else. And after 6 months you can offer everything you normally eat!! Bun's favourites at first were toast (easier for them to eat toast than bread - less gummy) roasted sweet potato, and rice balls (also vegetable sushi rolls). He had trouble with raw veg, some raw fruit (apple), and any meat that wasn't mince - so I would slice or prep those things in ways that made it easier for him to eat. Lots of babies love yoghurt too (on a pre-loaded spoon). Try it all!! Good luck - it's lots of fun!! xxx

 

[joeyjo]

I did the complete opposite to sun in terms of offering food! I started a few weeks early and just offered bits if fruit/veg when it was convenien. But from 6months I made sure I offered at least 3 times a day and gave pretty much exactly what I was having. I went with the more opportunities he has the more likely he is to pick it up. He didn't eat at every meal and if he clearly wasn't interested I let him down again - for a while breakfast was by far the most reliable meal.

 

[hivechild]

For the first few months, I just sat Ronan down and shared meals with him for any meal that he was awake for and in a good mood. Some days it was one, other days it was three, and on occasion, none. It wasn't until we were well into it that I made a point of organizing mealtimes so that he was sitting down for 3 meals a day.

 

[PepsiChic]

i tend to eat dinner late with my husband/roommate, but try to make an effort to sit with him for breakfast (i dont eat but pretend to) and lunch. he has for dinner, what we had the night before.

 

[bunnyg82]

Hello everyone! Can I join in? My son has recently started showing signs he's ready for weaning and we've always been certain we were going down the BLW route. We started last Saturday with our son on our lap and giving him a banana and some cucumber to hold (I let him take it out of my hand and then see what he did with it) - with everything we've given him, either by letting him take it off us or putting it down on the tray to grab himself, he's put to his mouth, but he seems so disgusted with it all! Maybe less so with the sweet pepper, carrot and sweet potato but he seems to know now what is food and what's a toy and as soon as he picks up food he has this look on his face like "urghhh I don't want to put this in my mouth" - although he always does! Anyway, I have seen the very odd bit of food in his poo, but all in all I don't think he's eating any of it. Now, I know this is normal, but I am starting to get a bit of a crisis of confidence with our choice! We've had so much pressure from everyone else ("ooooh I really don't think I could do it, I'd be so worried they weren't getting enough") that it is rubbing off on me! I even went out today and bought a puree pouch!

I want to believe this is going to be ok and trust my instincts, but with no support, it's making it difficult!
I was thinking maybe trying to pre-load a spoon of puree for maybe one meal a day, or popping the puree on toast, so he can get it off of there.
Arghhh, I just don't know what to do for the best!!

I don't think that recent article helped (about the problems with delaying weaning) as it's just fuelled the non-believers!

When I was at my inlaws yesterday, they kept dropping all these subtle hints about iron - obviously thinking my son isn't getting enough! I wish I had said about his delayed cord clamping as a response (although I am sure they'd think I am mad)- but I didn't think about it until after I left!

 

[hivechild]

The disgusted face is so normal for new tastes, even with things they decide they love and can't get enough of 5 minutes later. It's such early days for your LO yet and there's plenty of time yet for him to get it.

As for that article, it's nothing more than an opinion piece with no new or original research involved and it's been refuted by Unicef, the WHO and many other organizations and individuals worldwide. It's actually disgusting the damage media sensationalism like this causes.

Also, i use(d) purees for fruit spread on toast and rice cakes and mixed into yogurt or cereal on occasion for a little variety in flavor (p reloading spoons or letting him just eat it with his hands). I wouldn't personally preload puree straight up myself though.

Keep confident and before you know it, your LO will be digging in like a pro!

 

[sun]

Agree about the disgusted face - Bun still does it with things that have a strong flavour, even if he likes them! He loves pickles and hot pickled veggies, but you should see his face while he's eating them

I also used to puree veg as a toast or rice cake topper (also a great one is hummus or bean spread) or as a sauce for pasta. I would also make my pureed veg soups really thick so he could scoop it up before he started using a spoon (or occasionally drinking it like a dog )

 

[PepsiChic]

yes babys certainly pull some funny faces when first trying out foods...

https://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/pepsichicxxx/th_funnyface-carrotsandbroccoli2.jpg

click for video ^

 

[bambino156]

yes babys certainly pull some funny faces when first trying out foods...

https://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/pepsichicxxx/th_funnyface-carrotsandbroccoli2.jpg

click for video ^

Barry's doing really well there! My lo has now decided she doesn't like broccoli or carrots, she liked them in the beginning. Did Barry ever go through a stage of putting the food in his mouth moving it around a bit and then pushing it out of his mouth in bits? This seems to be where we're at right now!

 

[PepsiChic]

yes babys certainly pull some funny faces when first trying out foods...

https://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c301/pepsichicxxx/th_funnyface-carrotsandbroccoli2.jpg

click for video ^

Barry's doing really well there! My lo has now decided she doesn't like broccoli or carrots, she liked them in the beginning. Did Barry ever go through a stage of putting the food in his mouth moving it around a bit and then pushing it out of his mouth in bits? This seems to be where we're at right now!

barry just started with BLW in that video, that was about a week in ater the gagging stopped. he still loves carrots, but seems to prefer them dipped in cream cheese, same with brocoli, you might wanna try it, cream cheese goes on everything, pasta, toast, rice cakes and veggies!

and yes he did that stage, munching everything into bits then pushing it all out his mouth. now hes started pushing half out and swallowing the other half.

 

[Blob]

Rainbows I'm also starting early my LO kept eating everything off my plate so I gave in. Just now I just put her in the highchair and put bits of what we're eating on it so she just tastes it... last night she had mash as thats what we had and toast this morning with her sister. I think she more likes to gum it than anything else though But you can see her properly chewing it around her mouth I think I will just watch her to see how much she needs, she's not really a 'hungry' baby just more nosey and wants to eat what her sister is eating?

BTW this is her eating I know she's early but hey ho babies are all different.