BLW - Baby led weaning support thread

[tokyo_c]

Thanks to you both! I was expecting it to go slowly and am totally on board with the whole philosophy but still have it in the back of my mind that she "should" be eating a certain amount (who knows how much that is) just because of traditional weaning having been prevalent for so long! The whole reason I decided to do it this way was it seems much more relaxed but now I'm getting worked up about it because of the puking. Will try to be more chilled out

 

[membas#1]

started BLW tonight...officially I guess. LO will be 6 months next week. we don't have her chair yet but we just used the bumbo and a tray for her. she did okay--i was nervous about gagging, which she did do...

here's what i made for her--steamed sweet potato, steamed zucchini and steamed cucumber. next time i'll leave the cucumber raw i think.

so the potato went first...of course she broke off a rather large piece into her mouth...i did grab the part that was sticking out of her mouth--instinct i guess. should i just let her bite off those big chunks? it is cooked soft but she can pick it up--but she can squish it pretty easily....she did keep some in her mouth but then started spitting it out...doubt she swallowed any but she was "chewing" and eventually after spitting lots, she started swallowing, just don't think anything was left to swallow she continued to eat the potato on and off...so i think she liked them.

next was the cucumber...it basically ended up as mush everywhere, which was fine..she mostly sucked the juice/water out of it since they have so much water naturally. again she ended up with a large big in her mouth that she bit off herself...this makes me so nervous...i took it out. i know i'm probably not supposed to--she kept some in there and gagged a bit and spit it out...but then kept trying...so she wasn't opposed to the flavors.

she never really picked up and ate the zucchini, which was fine...

so--did we do okay? should i leave those big chunks and let her deal with them? i made DH be right there too cuz i knew i'd be nervous...and i was. she let me know when she was done by arching her back and throwing the food on the floor. i signed finished for her and we took a bath. she's been reaching for our plates now for a month and she's has been watching us eat dinner her whole life practically. she drinks water from a shot glass if we hold it for her (it's the best size for her) and she gets very excited to do so...so i know she's ready for this...so nerve wracking though...

tips for next time? i think we'll start off just a few times a week right now so DH and i can both be home...

 

[Natsku]

Sounds like she did great, love that 4th pic! I don't grab anything out of Maria's mouth, if she bites off too big a chunk she spits it out eventually.

Water from a shot glass, poor girl...why don't you give her whiskey?

Look forward to the weaning poop - I smell one right now eww

 

[membas#1]

thought about whiskey--i mean wouldn't she sleep better with that? decided water would be a better start we use bigger glasses too but the water just isn't controlled as well with those...and we spill lots. we are trying to bypass "sippy" cups and teach to just drink out of a glass/cup. we'll see. right now it's just to appease her...she doesn't need the water but grabs at ours and she does actually like to drink the water...i put breastmilk in the shot glass for her and she took a couple sips of it that way...it's pretty cute

 

[Natsku]

Maria loves water too, she'd happily drink it all day long if I let her.

 

[Skywalkersmum]

I BLW my 2 youngest children and found it so much easier than pureeing ( which I did with my eldest 2)
The one thing I will say though is don't worry if your child is getting older and doesn't seem interested in food.My son was 8.5/ 9 months before he tried anything but after that there was no stopping him.
There is a saying I heard somewhere online.....food before one is just for fun

 

[tokyo_c]

I know we aren't supposed to worry that they're not actually eating much but I can't help feeling a bit dejected. We're a month in and still around 95% gets pushed back out again. I have seen evidence in her nappy that she's swallowed some but the amount is minuscule. Anyone reading, how long did it take for your LO to start swallowing properly?

 

[minkymoo]

Tokyo - I get you and unfortunately I have fallen off the wagon after just over 2 months in. I have started giving DD a little bit of mashed food via spoon just so I know she is getting something. I've waited as long as my anxiety can take but as she's 98th centile I figure she needs some food inside her, like a big man would, iykwim?

She still has finger food for every meal though but it just gets played with really and then chucked. She started off sooo well.

I'm not encouraging you to do this but just to let you know you're not alone x

 

[Dragonfly]

Still havnt my one eating yet. I give him toast yesterday took a bite and threw up. I just feel I will never get him eating now. He wont even take anything off a spoon anyway before someone else says to me I should be forcing mush in to him.

 

[Tacey]

Alice didn't eat much at all until 10 months. Then she had a breakthrough, but still ate far less than other toddlers until well after she was 1. She's quite big (75th centile) and has never wavered from her line, plus she's clearly active and healthy. I just trust she eats what she needs, although it's taken time to feel comfortable!

 

[blondey]

Minky, I love the way you just compared Noo to a big man

On the other hand we had the break through. LO wasn't swallowing anything. Even stuff on a spoon and put in her mouth was spat straight back out. Not because she didn't want it, but I think it was because she didn't know what to do with it. I was getting really disheartened too and I had all these feelings come flooding back about failing at BFing as I felt I was failing again.

A few months on she is swallowing more and more now and we are finding less and less down by the side of her in her high chair.

Do what rights for you hun. If you decide to move to TW then no one will think any less. But it can get better.

xx

 

[Natsku]

Still havnt my one eating yet. I give him toast yesterday took a bite and threw up. I just feel I will never get him eating now. He wont even take anything off a spoon anyway before someone else says to me I should be forcing mush in to him.

My friend's baby didn't start eating til around 10 months (and that was with TW) - some babies just don't want proper food til later on cos milk is yummy. I think there was someone on BnB who didn't start weaning her son til a year old as well.

 

[Dragonfly]

whats TW?

 

[Natsku]

Traditional Weaning -spoon feeding. So even with spoon feeding her baby didn't eat til 10 months (I always thought that with spoon feeding they would all eat when you start it )

 

[tokyo_c]

Thanks for the replies! She's quite good with a spoon and can get it into her mouth, so I might try some mashed sweet potato or pumpkin and see if she manages any of that.

Minkymoo - does she seem to be swallowing what you're giving her? And does she let you feed her ok? I tried feeding my LO porridge but she was adamant she was going to do it herself!

 

[tokyo_c]

Dragonfly I'm on the mobile version of TW site so can't see how old your LO is but was it the first time he had toast? My daughter had trouble with it the first few times as it made her gag and throw up but she can manage it no problem now. Not that she actually manages to swallow much of it but she doesn't gag anymore!

 

[Dragonfly]

I started blw at 6 months but he threw up every time he got a taste of something then wouldnt eat. He is 10 months and 2 weeks old. I started on veg and fruit simple things. Then realised he wasnt ready but now he is at all our plates so I gave him things like toast. He throws everything away and odd time nibbles but gags. My hv keeps saying he has to eat I do not know what she expects me to do force feed him?i have toddler who was spoon fed at 6 months now he wont eat and is like a stick, very fussy. I didnt know about blw then.

 

[Natsku]

I think its a case of just being patient and keep offering food, he'll eat eventually. Milk is still the main food anyway so it doesn't matter if he doesn't eat now. Do you let him take food from your plates? He might be more likely to eat if he's choosing it rather than being offered something, just a thought.

 

[minkymoo]

Nat might be onto something there because Noo will ignore her food and then 5 minutes later start smiling at mine so I give her a piece of whatever and she'll have a go whilst crawling about on the floor. 90% uneaten still but at least it's something.

Tokyo - she will have a go at everything, it's just she actually consume such small amounts and I just worry when I read about other babies eating a whole piece of toast etc. She does chew very well though. Today she has had half a plum (demolished), 3 porridge fingers of which she ate a quarter of 1, followed by yoghurt which I smooshed the porridge finger into (LOL). Sometimes she helps with the spoon, sometimes wants me to do it. Lunch she is currently having a crackerbread, some crisp things, the other half of the plum and a piece of banana. She's had a corner of the cracker and a quarter of the plum and is now kicking off because she's fed up. When I give her mashed spoon food she will pretty much eat around half a large jar quantity. I despair. I don't think it's a lack of appetite and more laziness/lack of concentration.

 

[Natsku]

Maria ALWAYS wants the food we're eating. Even if she's already eaten hers (and even if its the same thing) she tries and grabs our plates/bowls to get our food