BLW - Baby led weaning support thread

[Lu28]

Now I know that we're meant to let our LOs decide what they want to eat but all Aisling has wanted to eat today is fruit! There must be some way of encouraging her with her veg? I feel bad about just offering savoury food in case she ends up going to bed hungry!

 

[CountingDown]

Now I know that we're meant to let our LOs decide what they want to eat but all Aisling has wanted to eat today is fruit! There must be some way of encouraging her with her veg? I feel bad about just offering savoury food in case she ends up going to bed hungry!

I have the same worry, Olivia loves sweet items of food and only tends to pick savouries if it is the only taste I offer. x

 

[Babyshambelle]

You girls are fantastic I feel a bit more reassured that I don't *need* to be doing anything!! I might make a bit of a fruit think to spread on toast and few soups to freeze so we can have them when we are feeling lazy (and would probably have previously ordered a takeaway ) xxxx

 

[kirsten1985]

Good idea. I really ought to make some soups to freeze.

 

[faille]

Hmm I'm wondering if this sweet vs savoury is actually a "preferred taste" (can they have that yet?) or whether it is true that babies will eat what they are lacking in... which is why some days they seem to only want one kind of thing and then another day they won't touch it?

Can babies this young have favourite food as far as taste goes?
I don't recall seeing anything like that in the bible

 

[Lu28]

I'm not sure about ff babies but bf babies apparently do have a taste for sweet things because breastmilk is sweet. The veggies she does like tend to be carrot, butternut squash and sweet potato, again all the sweeter things...

How do you guys feed soup? I've been tempted to get some in the freezer but not sure how I'd give it to her without a spoon and it being very puree like!

 

[Lu28]

I'm full of questions today! How do you guys give things like spag bol? I'm just wondering how they're supposed to get it into their mouths? There's no way Aisling would just grab handfuls and shove them in, half the time she's a bit difficult with things like carrot if they're a bit slimy...

 

[CountingDown]

With spag bol I use pasta instead of spagetti and I load a spoon with the sauce, give it to her and let her go wild! I keep the pasta and the sauce seperate and dry the pasta on some kitchen roll so it isn't too slippery. Can end up very messy as you can imagine x

 

[faille]

With slimey stuff, Violet usually struggles to pick it up to begin with but after a few attemps she gets it.. Which is quite odd because when we first started, she couldn't even pick up a banana with the skin on, she'd chase it around the tray for half hour

But then because she's not eating properly yet (I dont have to worry about her being full), I just give her slimey stuff to practice with different textures as it doesn't matter if she doesn't manage to actually pick anything up.

I do try to offer something which I know she can pick up with it though, just in case she gets frustrated lol

 

[Kiree]

How do you guys feed soup? I've been tempted to get some in the freezer but not sure how I'd give it to her without a spoon and it being very puree like!

I made mine with lentils and dont add tons of water so its quite thick, almost like a paste. ok that sounds vile but you get what i mean!

we had the first attempt with it today, and i made some toast soldiers for dipping. i left some of them for him to pick up (though i knew dunking would be a miracle!) then spread some of the soup on some of them, then put some soup in a bowl and gave him a couple of pre-loaded spoonfuls to have a go with. well the spoon didnt last long and neither did the bowl. he managed to suck lots off his fingers, and suck the life out of the toast too so he did well.

heres the aftermath!

 

[kirsten1985]

Never done soup before, but she had some of the soya yoghurt this morning - so messy! There is still a fair bit up her nose but we are going swimming in an hour so.....

 

[purple_socks]

Can't remember where i read this so i can't add a link but apparently babies r naturally programmed to prefer sweet things...apparently everyone is.

It goes back to the whole hunter gather thing. Sweet foods r naturally higher in cals so we were designed to want these more and therefore seek them out. Unfortunally in this day and age its no longer 'needed'. we now have processed foods which r artificially sweetened so its all gone pete tong!

also heres a little tip i read from https://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/baby-finger-foods.html"Coat slippery foods, like banana or avocado, in finely crushed cereal powder or nutritious wheat germ - it makes them easier to pick up." i dunno if that'd work for saucey foods like spag bol?

 

[faille]

For slimey things like spag bol, let the spaghetti or pasta go cold and don't make the sauce too runny.

I think that's why Violet can pick it up so easy, because by time she has it, it's cold and sticky

 

[Suze]

Can I just jump in and ask if I were to begin weaning now and want to follow BLW what would I start with? I had wanted to, and may still do, hang on to 6 months but the HV reckons she's ready now

 

[faille]

Can I just jump in and ask if I were to begin weaning now and want to follow BLW what would I start with? I had wanted to, and may still do, hang on to 6 months but the HV reckons she's ready now

In all honesty hun, I would wait until as close to 6 months as possible. At 4.5months, she probably won't be able to sit in a high chair and they need to sit as upright as possible.

Have you read up on it at all? The book by Gill Rapley will the best place to start if you haven't. Don't feel pressurised by your HV to start early, babies really don't "need" solid food/weaning yet.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Can I just jump in and ask if I were to begin weaning now and want to follow BLW what would I start with? I had wanted to, and may still do, hang on to 6 months but the HV reckons she's ready now

In all honesty hun, I would wait until as close to 6 months as possible. At 4.5months, she probably won't be able to sit in a high chair and they need to sit as upright as possible.

Have you read up on it at all? The book by Gill Rapley will the best place to start if you haven't. Don't feel pressurised by your HV to start early, babies really don't "need" solid food/weaning yet.

agreed...

 

[Lu28]

Totally agree with the others suze. It's totally your decision when to begin weaning, not the HV's. I started giving Aisling finger foods to play with at just over 5 months which went well. How come you're thinking of weaning at the moment?

 

[Suze]

Thanks for your replies, I really don't want to wean now it's just I'm being led to believe that Ava is ready primarily due to low/no weight gain and the fact she's grabbing at my food (although she grabs at anything in my hand!). Otherwise there are no other signs ie. she seems to be satisfied after feeds and her sleeping has not changed. So I guess I'm just caught between circumstances that say do and those that say don't wean...and I obviously don't want her to be losing weight!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Suze, my friend is a BF supporter and says that early weaning for weight gain is not effective. Breastmilk or formula has more calories than any solid foods. And if you wean early you will prob find your LO takes less milk and that a whole new problem. But if you read the different threads in the weaning section you will see that others have different views.

 

[faille]

Thanks for your replies, I really don't want to wean now it's just I'm being led to believe that Ava is ready primarily due to low/no weight gain and the fact she's grabbing at my food (although she grabs at anything in my hand!). Otherwise there are no other signs ie. she seems to be satisfied after feeds and her sleeping has not changed. So I guess I'm just caught between circumstances that say do and those that say don't wean...and I obviously don't want her to be losing weight!

If weight gain is the issue why you're being pressured into weaning then I (personally) wouldn't do it for that reason.. Especially not BLW.

Babies don't eat anything for quite a while with BLW so there won't be any difference to her weight gain. As Claire said, milk contains a lot more calories than anything she'd be eating.

Obviously you need to do what's right for you but make sure you make up your own mind - I know some grandparents think they know best and try to push their views and so do some HVs. Don't let anyone force you to do something you're not comfortable with