Is it possible?

[history_girls]

Hi there

I really should't be in here yet but I am devoting today to reading about weaning in preparation. My LO is a fairly big girl who likes her milk and everyone around keeps saying she'll be on solids soon. I really want to try and make 6 months ( I was on solids at 2 months and have had stomach problems so want to give LO the best start) OH supports me but our mothers aren't convinced.

My dilemma is that I would like to try BLW but i am not sure I can. I would be really grateful if people would give me their thoughts and experiences to see if I could make BLW work.

The problems:

at 6 months and one day old I have to go back to work so there are issues:
I will have to find a child minder who will do BLW
In the morning I will be quite rushed - dog to walk, baby ane me to get ready etc... will i have time?
My OH dosen't get home until 6.30 and i heard eating together is really important - is this too late for her tea?

and the biggy..... will she make it to 6 months on milk only?

Thanks xx

 

[purple_socks]

personally i don't think size is an indicator of 'readyness' for solids. different babies r different builds but that doesn't mean their insides r any more developed. i think weaning based on size/ weifght is an old fashioned thing (which might b y ur mother and MIL r saying she sound b on solids soon). i know in my MILs day they weaned at a certain weight. babies can survive fine on milk alone for more than a year according to the world health thingy m'jig so don't feel bad for not weaning early on the advice of mIL etc.

theres a really big growth spurt at around 4/5 months where they want loads of milk and sometimes start waking in the night. its commonly the time when people start weaning becuase they believe solid food will help but from everything i've found when researching it the best thing for LO during a growth spurt is more milk because it contains a much greater amount of fat, cals and nurtriants. the same volume of puree would prob 'fill them up' but not provide as much good stuffas milk.

i dunno abt child minders doing BLW. i would have thought u'd b able to find one...or at least one prepared to read the gil rapley BLW book and start doing it (which btw i'd def recommend reading if ur considering BLW. its availible on amazon)

i personally think BLW is a million times easier than 'normal' weaning. its less time consuming because firstly u don't have to bother with any purees, mushing or pre preparing food just 4 LO. U give them anything ur having. and u don't have to sit and spoon feed them. U just give them something while ur eating and they get on with it themselves. I don't think u need to worry if u don't have time 4 breakfast... i know lots of people skip a meal if their LO is napping or their LO has breakfast while they're having a snack later in the day. Because they r still getting all their nurtrients from milk the food is more of a toy/ experiment at first so they wont b hungry if they miss a meal. where as with normal weaning each meal is important because u cut back on milk.

my OH doesn;t get back in time to have dinner with us either. Its important to sit with ur LO and let them see u eating but i don;t think it has to b all of u. U could sit down and have ur dinner with LO and ur OH can eat later or if u want to eat with ur OH u could have a snack with LO so they feel as though ur having dinner together than eat ur dinner when LO is in bed. My LO currently joins in on meal times minus the food (so he sits there with a spoon and cup to play with until he's 6 months) so if i wanna eat later with OH or if we want to have something naughty that Kian shouldn't have i'll have a staged dinner (just a snack sized something) with Kian so he still gets the chance to learn from that. And we all eat together at weekends....the gil rapley book explains all this sort of thing much better.

as for making it to six months u might b better asking in the blw support thread how the ladies in there found the wait and if they have any tipes etc. There r things like hungry baby formula or adding in deam feeds etc

good luck x

 

[faille]

Size of baby doesnt indicate whether they need weaning earlier / later etc. Milk is enough for any baby, whatever their size, until as close to 6m as poss - the amount they need is the only thing that differs.

Finding a childminder who supports and knows about BLW may depend on where you live? I know our local surestart clinics are actively promoting BLW so I assume some childminders round here might also know about it.

When you first start, start with the meal you have most time doing - you haven't got to do 3 meals a day to start with - it just helps if they're given as many opportunities to eat as possible but times and what meals are not set in stone! I have breakfast at about 7.30/8am but Violet isn't up then so she has hers after milk, milk at 8/8.30am and then her breakfast at about 10am.

My inlaws will be looking after V when I go back to work and after picking her up, we wont be getting in until about 6.30pm. By time dinner is cooked, it'll be about 7pm but she doesn't go to bed until between 8.30-9pm anyway so it's not that much of a problem for us (as she gets older and gets hungrier, we'll start offering a small snack around 4.30/5pm). Not ideal but you've just to work with what you've got. You can only do your best x

 

[TigerLady]

Both these ladies have given you wonderful input!

Just wanted to let you know my experience.

I have a GIANT baby... seriously, off the charts. He is 5.5 months old and weighs at least 25 lbs. He wears clothes for 12-24 month olds. He has always been big and grown fast so I got the same thing -- "He'll be needing solids soon!!" Ermm.. no, he won't. And what's more... He'll tell ME when he needs them, not me (or anyone else) telling him.

My aim was to make it to 6 months and then do BLW. We exclusively BF.

Well, he told me, in no uncertain terms, he was ready to try solids at about 4.5 months. I put him off as long as I could... then let him lead the way on that. We do BLW, but very carefully before 6 months (as opposed to diving in totally). He gets veggies or fruit with dinner only about 4-5 times per week. I just make sure I make something appropriate for him that he has while DH and I eat and have more. If that makes sense.

So far, it is working fine. He doesn't eat much yet, so is still 99% on breastmilk only -- and still thriving no problem.

As for childcare -- my LO has been in daycare since about 4 months old as I have to work full time. I had a hellava time convincing them to BLW. I was a bit concerned about it for a bit, tbh. Thankfully, they finally came around. I go there on my lunch hour to nurse anyway, and they finally agreed to let me show them how I do it and they will take over from there.

So, starting at 6 months or so, I will go eat lunch with him BLW style. I have full confidence that after about a week, they will see how simple it is and be willing to take over.

BLWing is more common in the UK and you might be able to find a carer that is familiar with it more easily.

In either case.... start with getting the book!! Totally important!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Yeah the others have said it all really. We do BLW, and my baby was over 21lb by the time we reached 6 months, and she didn't really start eating anything significant until 7 months. She was fine on just milk up until then, no extra feeds were needed or anything, her hungriest time was actually at about 3-4 months when she was on 5 x 9oz of hungry baby milk a day, but this dropped off.

If your baby is sleeping through the night she may or may not start waking again in the night between 3 and 5 months, that is very common and is not an indication that she needs solids.

Watching you eat is not an indication either, that is a big myth! I would get the BLW book by Gill Rapley, it dispelled all the myths I had been told and gave the me confidence that starting BLW at 6 months was the best decision for my LO.

We eat dinner too late for LO (at about 8pm, Ruby is asleep by 7.30pm latest and couldn't possibly stay up any later) so I have a snack with her at about 5pm. I think the most important things about BLW is that you are offering them 'normal' food, and that they are feeding themselves, and that you sit at the table with them.

I can't help about the childminder sorry, Ruby will be a year before she goes so it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[history_girls]

Thanks girls for such brilliant advice - it's all about confidence isn't it? We will wait and see and give it a go. I'm more determined than ever to try and keep to milk as long as possible.

Off to amazon to buy that book!!

 

[faille]

Thanks girls for such brilliant advice - it's all about confidence isn't it? We will wait and see and give it a go. I'm more determined than ever to try and keep to milk as long as possible.

Off to amazon to buy that book!!

It is a lot about confidence.. Confidence in your LO and being able to trust them as that's what it's all about basically. Confidence in your decisions when everyone around you says they need weaning at 4 months (talking older generation here) and that they can't have "real" food beause they'll "choke" etc. Even after doing BLW for 3 months (started at 5.5months old), we still get the "that food isn't suitable" speach.... Erm sorry but I think I know what my baby can handle better than someone who's only seen her eat a handful times at the start!

Sorry.... turned into a rant
But yes, you have to believe in yourself, your baby and the ideas and theories behind BLW so confidence is key. But trust me, once you see it in action, that won't ever be a problem!

Glad you ordered the book (or what is known as the bible lol), it's a great read and the best starting place.

 

[NIfirsttimer]

confidence is DEFO the key! i was pretty scared at the start, but after a few weeks of doing it properly, ive seen that theres nothing to be afraid of after all, and shes doing fab!
i too have a big baby, 21.5lb at not quite 6months yet.. i got the 'she needs weaning' thing all the time lol.
ive been successful in finding a childminder who will BLW, i saw a few who wouldnt even entertain it, but this lady has done it with her own son, and is more than up for it! there is a 2 yr old there too, so its great becasuse they can both eat the same meals so i guess it helps her too!
we didnt make it to 6 months either, but i tried to fend it off for as long as i could, and we made it to 5months 2 weeks... had some SERIOUS growth spurts within that time, Ruby was only 6lb born, and 6th centile, shes now 99th!!
the book is great, ive read it lots of times now im sure.. i read it once cover to cover, and now i tend to 'dip in' and read a page or 2 again every now & then!
good luck!!

 

[NIfirsttimer]

confidence is DEFO the key! i was pretty scared at the start, but after a few weeks of doing it properly, ive seen that theres nothing to be afraid of after all, and shes doing fab!
i too have a big baby, 21.5lb at not quite 6months yet.. i got the 'she needs weaning' thing all the time lol.
ive been successful in finding a childminder who will BLW, i saw a few who wouldnt even entertain it, but this lady has done it with her own son, and is more than up for it! there is a 2 yr old there too, so its great becasuse they can both eat the same meals so i guess it helps her too!
we didnt make it to 6 months either, but i tried to fend it off for as long as i could, and we made it to 5months 2 weeks... had some SERIOUS growth spurts within that time, Ruby was only 6lb born, and 6th centile, shes now 99th!!
the book is great, ive read it lots of times now im sure.. i read it once cover to cover, and now i tend to 'dip in' and read a page or 2 again every now & then!
good luck!!