BLW - Baby led weaning support thread

[kirsten1985]

Freya almost gained no weight at all between 3.5 - 6 months, she dropped a few centiles too. Slightly different though, she was born on 3rd centile or something, went up to 25th, and dropped to 9th and stayed on it.

I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, when Freya hit 6 months she started drinking about twice the amount of milk for some reason, Kian might up his milk when he's ready. Freya had gained well at her last weigh in and she is pretty much eating no solids yet! So it will be ok, as long as he's not loosing then he will be fine!

 

[aevenstar]

I'd say the same thing - Eleanor certainly doesn't follow a perfect line, and I was worried a few weeks ago as the HV seemed to be saying if she didn't get back on her line then I should wean early I took the view that she was obviously healthy, gaining weight and was fine, since not every baby will follow a perfect line anyway!
Stick with your instincts

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Ruby has dropped a line actually. She was born on the 50th and was on the 98th by 3 months and 99.6th by 5m. She's now the 91st, from what I understand weight can tail off at 5/6m. So sure it's fine

 

[JayleighAnn]

Halen was born just above the 25th but since 4 months has dropped to the 9th centile and stuck to it. My HV changes her mind all the time as to whether she's worried about it or not, but I'm not

He was 14lb 1oz on 5/11/09 and then he was 14lb 11oz on 3/12/09 so only a 10oz gain and she was not worried, but 3 weeks before he was weighed on 5/11 he was 13lb 0.5oz and she was worried?? I give up with her, she's crackers!

 

[faille]

wanted to ask u guys a question...i got Kian weighed yesterday and hes gained but since birth he's gaining slower than he's 'meant to'. He started on the 91st centile, at his next weigh in he was on the 75th, then the 50th and now he's betwen the 50th and 25th. I don't get him weight much because last time i went the HV was getting all funny abt him not follow one centile line. my thinking is i can see he's growing, he's gaining and not losing so does it matter that he's not following a set pattern?, i FOD and always offer him bigger bottles than he finishes os he's always got more there if he suddenly wants it so i know he's not starving and he's quite short so i've always thought he's just gaining at a rate that suits his build (i wondered if he was just born a bit of a fatty and is now evening out?) Anyway last visit we had more fussing abt the slow gain and suggestions that i should wean (this was from the the helper woman who weighed him rather than the HV tho...i just went to the drop in clinic and i didn't see a HV) at the time i just dismissed her because of all the things i metioned above...i generally trust Kian to know what he needs etc and i don't wanna start force feeding him and make him put on more weight than he really needs to just so he follows a 'line' but now i've had time to think abt t all the seeds of doubt r creeping in and i'm starting to worry! (this is y i didn't take him to get weighed often!) has anyone else experienced similarworries? i know with BLW it'll b a while b4 he actually starts eating so starting BLW early wont really change anything and i don't really see how i can make him have more milk...he makes it very clear when he doesn't want anymore! what to do

We have the opposite problem lol..
When born she was on 25th line or something (a very low one) and every time I get her weighed, she's moved up a line. Now she's on 91st!
She certainly doesn't follow a line, not even parralel to one. But nobody seems bothered??? I do worry though, I worry she's gaining way too much so I'm torn between "forcing" her to take less milk or just keep giving her what she wants.. I really don't know what to do either

I wish they didn't invent those stupid charts... Just because our LO's arent even remotely following a line on a page, it makes us feel like we're doing something "wrong" and makes us doubt not only ourselves but our LO's ability to know how much they want. I'm made to feel like I'm completely overfeeding her because I always always always get the third degree on what I'm feeding her

 

[tricky nicky]

ive made a start at blw with alfie
he likes apple toast biscotti tuna butties and little sausages so far.
not too keen on melon but will try him again
going to do some veggies this weekend.
was worried about the gagging at first but am ok with it now

 

[saraendepity]

:wave: hi nicky Alfie sounds like he's doin great!!!ok so i'm having a dilema girls.....

i just gave Daisy yoghurt and i decided to put some Melon in it (she went mental for it and had loads) but i just had a panic and thought it might curdle on her tummy?? what do you think...its kinda too late now anywaybut just so i'm a bit prepared...

and i have a confession too well cos i blended the Melon to go into the yog it kinda went a load runnier than expeted and it ws just running off the spoon and poor Bug was gettin more and more frustated cos she wanted more! so i ended up feeding her some - she was also so so sleepy cos she didnt have a nap before Dinner(she's sleeping now) so i think thas why she got so twisty ......?

lunch today was a raging success - we had Broccoli and Cauliflower cheese - Daisy absolutely loved it and actually picked quite a bit up herself!LOL hopefully this is the start of things to come? - fingers x'd feel a little (well a lot) guilty for feeding her the yog but she was opening her mouth for it and when she was done she as done...

 

[Pink_Witch]

ok i am beginning to think that this BLW isnt such a great idea after all........the ernmonster was sleeping and we ordered a curry, i had chicken korma and chapattis......it arrives......im starting to eat when *ding* erns eyes are open and he clocks my dinner!!! he was staring at it and making smacking noises with his lips so i gave him a piece of chapatti with some korma sauce on.......BAD BAD BAD idea....





HE LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!

he had korma sauce all round his mouth and everytime he had sucked all the sauce off he cried for more!!! then when i had finished i was eating my popadom and he was watching me intently.....i said to him your not having my popadom too

He is really starting to take more notice of everyone with food now, at lunchtime wills walked into the front room with a plate of cheese on toast and he didnt take his eyes off it!!!

 

[faille]

Lol Violet's like that Pink_Witch.. If she's asleep when I sit down to eat, it's guarenteed that she'll wake up before I've finished. So I've got into the habbit now of setting some food aside for her just in case because we cannot eat without her! She gives us this look which says 'how dare you eat without me!' and makes us feel so guilty lol.


Sara, I wouldn't worry about feeding her the yogurt. It's a one-off and it's not like she's going to automatically stop feeding herself now.. Just don't get into the habbit!!

 

[Lu28]

Ooh the brocolli and cauliflower cheese sounds gorgeous, I'll have to try it.

Great to see ~Alfie enjoying his food too, love seeing new BLWers!

Sara, don't worry about the yoghurt, it wouldn't have been nice for her to want it and not be able to get it because it was too runny.

I ended up talking to a lady at Rhyme Time today with a 5 month old baby and convinced her to buy the Bible! She says she does things based on her baby's cues so it sounded like her thing - glad I managed to recommend it without sounding like a know it all!

What do you guys say as your standard answer as to the benefits of BLW? Whenever I'm asked, my mind seems to go blank and I start muttering about avoiding bad food associations etc and I don't think I make any sense - I need a cheat sheet!

 

[TigerLady]

I have the same problem that Faille has with V -- Otter was born (a week early) on about the 90th centile (give or take) and has grown so fast that he now is well above the 100th! His head size is literally off the charts and only 6 inches smaller than his dad -- whose head is so big there is only ONE company that made helmet big enough for him.

I, too, worry that he is gaining too fast and is going to have obesity problems. But TBH, I have to trust he is doing what he needs. He is definitely a chunky baby, but happy and meeting his milestones just fine -- or even ahead. I admit that he isn't as mobile as he could be -- he CAN roll over, but just doesn't bother very often. I put it down to it being hard to move that chub around.

So, PS, I wouldn't worry about Kian. Every baby does their own thing. I always say as long as they are happy, healthy, and hitting milestones, then don't worry. Everything is fine until proven otherwise.

As for weaning early -- I would make that decision based on other things than weight gain. I weaned early because Otter wouldn't have it any other way and was beyond ready. Besides, even when eating purees, they don't get a load of stuff from it at first, so I doubt it will help Kian gain weight. Milk is more likely to put weight on him. Weaning early may actually slow the weight gain even further.

S, great news about the Broc & Cauliflower with Cheese! We had that the other night and Otter devoured it. I wouldn't worry about feeding her the once either. One time isn't going to make or break BLW!

 

[TigerLady]

As for people asking about BLW, I usually say a variety of things:

I'm too lazy to mess around making purees
It helps teach Otter better coordination
It helps him do things for himself, which he is eager to do
It allows him to be a part of family meals rather than having a spoon shoved in his face at a different time
It makes him feel like he is being a part of meals and allows him to mimic the adults around him -- which babies do with everything else so why not food???
It makes it less likely he will be a fussy eater
I don't have to fight with him to get him to eat like my friends that use purees (my one friend is forever complaining that she can't get her 8 months old to eat properly)
It helps him learn to know when he is done eating so helps with portion control
It encourages him to be adventurous and try new things

Umm.. that is all I can come up with off the top of my head... but I am sure there is more...

 

[Faerie]

Basically if people ask about BLW my main point is that I follow her lead with everything else so it makes sense to do that with weaning too. Plus then I'll throw in about being able to enjoy our meals at the same time rather than me sitting there feeding her whilst mine goes cold.

I've never known what Sofia was on that centile chart thingy. I know she's been plotted on it but no one's ever talked to me about it and I have no idea what it means - she was never even on the bottom line until recently, she sits on the bottom line. I've never given it a second thought, she puts on weight and is happy and healthy. My paed seems to have the same opinion. She's nearly 8 months and weighs just under 8kg.

Sara don't worrying about the spoon feeding. Actually the same thing has happened with us the last couple of days - I have no idea why, Sofia has never been spoon fed and usually it's a battle to get anything near her face but as soon as I dip the spoon in the yoghurt/compote for her she opens her mouth and cries when I put it in front of her. I've put it down to teething and tiredness.

 

[faille]

When people ask me pro's of BLW I kinda go a bit blank as well.. IMO there's not one big pro, it's lot of little ones and that's why it's so hard to remember things

But I just basically say it teaches them to eat and stop when they're ready to, not stop when we (adults) say they should.
It (hopefully) teaches them about good food relationships - especially where praise and punishment has no relation to food at all as it's completely up to them what they do and don't eat.
And it enables them to be part of meal times and not only feel included but learn/observe table manners.
I also usually remember things about coordination and pincer grip etc.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

The main 2 reasons I give are (as these are my favourite 2 reasons for doing BLW)

- You don't have to worry about working out whether they are ready to start weaning, they will pick up the food, put it to their mouths, chew and swallow when they are.

- No messing about going through different 'stages' of weaning, like puree, then lumps, then chopped etc, they go straight to trying all textures.

 

[saraendepity]

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGH

ok more problems !!! i'm having a nightmare timing when to offer bug solids....today we were up at quarter to 8 and she had a bf and bottle in bed i am lazy!LOL and then we got dressed etc and she had (a fair amount) of porridge at about 9-9.30 ish had a nap then another milk feed at 11.....at about 12 ish she started showing signs of being tired so i went to put her down and she decided she didnt wanna nap so i got her back up, had a little play then i offered her lunch - she then starts kicking off cos she's tired...... yesterday cos of her odd nap times she ended up having 'lunch' at about 2.30 (she would normally have a milk feed somewhere around 3 ish)so i was really woried that she would have filled herself up on 'food' rather than milk.........i no this isnt enirely to do with food and more nap times etc but i am at my wits end with this... i just know that if she wasnt tired and i could get her 'food' timings better she would be more interested and probably eat more i know its more about tasting foods and involving her with meals but i want her to enjoy being at the table for more than 5 mins !!!!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Sara we often have EXACTLY the same problems with Ruby!

We get up on a weekday at about 7, she has milk about 7.30, then breakfast at about 8.30 or a bit before. She starts getting tired any time between 9 and 10, this is a 30 min nap. If her nap has been early, then she will be too tired by 12.30ish to have solids at lunch. So I offer some toast at 11ish. If the nap has been nearer 10, then I can usually get away with offering her solids at lunch with me at about 12.30. Then she has a 1.5-2 hour nap. I'll offer her food for her 'tea' when I have a snack at about 4-5pm.
I don't even consider timing with milk feeds tbh.

At this stage, don't worry about her 'missing' a meal. I don't. If she's tired, she won't eat anyway. Better offering the food when she's happy and way more likely to be receptive. Offering food when she's tired is just the same as trying to get her to play when she's tired, it's all the same to them.

Not sure if this is a coincidence but Ruby ate well at all 3 meals yesterday, then refused her dreamfeed.

 

[Lu28]

I've been having problems with napping etc lately too, sometimes she's waking at 8am if she's had a bad night which throws everything off. I'm also not bothering to time the milk feeds specifically, she should be having one about now but she's in bed so I'll just give her some when she's up and we'll have dinner at 5.30pm as usual. I'm half thinking of starting to deliberately wake her at 7am again just so the day can get some kind of normality back but I'm enjoying the extra hour!

 

[sublime_ivy]

I need to moan, I was up 8 times last night with dex, he is ill again and is teething. arrrrgggghh. that is all.

 

[saraendepity]

oh no hun