Traditional weaning V BLW

[Vici]

I have no idea what we are going to do.

I think we will go for TW with some finger food thrown in and if i'm honest it's prob because thats all i know about! Maybe i'll have to get a book and do some reading! Its all so bloody confusing!!

 

[JayleighAnn]

We BLW, we decided to do it this way as we believe he should be in control of what, and how, food goes into him, he know what he wants and if he doesn't want something, he won't eat it, I trust his judgement.

 

[louise1302]

i followed blw with Archie and its the best decision ive ever made, my older kids were TW and they did perfectly fine on it, had no problems and were more thasn healthy

however when i read about BLW and the benefits it made sense to me, ive never had a choking incident(touches wood) and archie can not feed himslef anything, even attempting spoon feeding himself.

im not bashing TW as i did it with my older kids but BLW to me had far more benefits

 

[purple_socks]

i find this thread really interesting...its interesting to read peoples reasons for weaning a certain way.

i think its a shame theres a divide between TW and BLW...same goes for the whole BF v FF... i don't really see y. i think its great that theres a variety of options so u can pick something that suits u. modern society is all abt options IMO: birthing options, feeding options, weaning options, cloth or disposible nappy options etc etc...the choice is a good thing!

i dunno abt these negative post from BLW in other thread...i personally haven't read any so can't comment. i do however feel the same as Lu28 in terms of feeling defensive of BLW because of misunderstandings abt it...Lu put it very well in her post so i wont bother to repeat it.

 

[anothersquish]

Im coming at this from a different point from many I think, a lot of people talking on this thread still have smaller babies/toddlers and made a concious decision over TLW or BLW (apart from maybe TL who said she let otter choose)
When my 5yr old was 4months I went along with "guidelines" at the time and tried offering him some food on a finger/spoon...he flatly refused. I tried several times over about 4 weeks and he just wouldnt take so I gave up, going against ALL advise from HV, GP, friends and family but I wasnt going to MAKE him eat if he didnt want too. I hadnt heard of BLW as its classed now so I just went along with what I felt was right for my little boy, it was what he was showing me he wanted and I was fine with that as long as he remained healthy.
He didnt actually start picking up food and putting it in his mouth until he was 7 months old. He gagged three times total but never choked on anything. I just allowed him several choices of food and let him pick out what he wanted when we all sat down for meals.
As a five year old he ALWAYS goes for the fruit and veg first, he is a very, very good and healthy eater with excellent table mannars (though I dont believe table mannars are linked to how you wean, its about general parenting!) he has never baulked at textures of food and will literally eat anything, he has no foods that he refuses. At school he is known as the least fussy eater and is 'used' to put next to other children in his class who are extremely picky as he positive eating habits rub off on them.
I cant say if he would still be this way if he were TLW, probably he would as its just simply the way hes been brought up and his general nature but I think its also a positive for BLW that shows progress outside of baby/toddler age and into the 'real world' of school etc where there are fixed menus and so on.
I intend to follow a similar pattern with this one and I am sure the eating habits of his older brother will rub off.
I dont get the animosity some TLW have towards BLW or vice versa, my sister TLW all her four and she weaned them from breast to formula earlier than I would have too AND she uses disposable nappies (well, I lie, she is part cloth with her youngest now...hehe) she has a completely different parenting style than I do yet neither of us criticise or belittle the other for our parenting choices. She respects mine and I respect hers, when I looked after her youngest I quite happily provided him with the pureed food he was used too, he enjoyed his food and his bottles and was a happy baby. Simlarly when she had my son when he was young she was happy to give him food the same way I did as she appreciated that it suited him and he was happy....
Sometimes there is too little respect over something so simple when there are much bigger issues out there to dispute methods of how to wean happy babies onto solids.

 

[Lu28]

 

[golcarlilly]

We BLW, we decided to do it this way as we believe he should be in control of what, and how, food goes into him, he know what he wants and if he doesn't want something, he won't eat it, I trust his judgement.

If Myles doesn't want something he just keeps his mouth shut or turns his head away so the choice for him is still there

 

[purple_socks]

anothersquish; thats really interesting

 

[JayleighAnn]

We BLW, we decided to do it this way as we believe he should be in control of what, and how, food goes into him, he know what he wants and if he doesn't want something, he won't eat it, I trust his judgement.

If Myles doesn't want something he just keeps his mouth shut or turns his head away so the choice for him is still there

I'm not saying there isn't a choice for TW'd babies. We just feel that Halen should be in complete control of how much he eats, how fast the food is put into his mouth etc.
I'm guessing that if he does that you don't continue to feed him whatever it is he doesn't like? I know quite a few mums who would ignore that and force the food down and that really gets my goat. We tried TW at 17 weeks for about 3 days, we didn't want to but my HV put pressure on us and I really doubted myself, Halen hated it, he wouldn't open his mouth for the food at all. My HV told me I should just force the spoon into his mouth or trick him to open his mouth!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Yeah I certainly don't think most TW mums force their babies to eat! Some do though. Maybe force isn;t the right word, but trick or cajole them into eating, the whole aeroplane thing, 'just one more spoon' etc, I have seen it done! And I have also seen babies Ruby's age being perfectly happy to be spoon fed. Ruby would not open her mouth for a spoon, so SHE chose BLW not me! Plus people have been doing BLW for years and years, it's only relatively recently people have been giving it a name.

 

[Mary Jo]

My mum tells me I started the weaning process myself (in 1974) - I just leaned forward in my high chair and grabbed a chocolate fairy cake off the table and started eating it while my mum was dealing with my 2 year old brother. And she wonders why I have such a hard time saying no to chocolate now...

 

[purple_socks]

I have no idea what we are going to do.

I think we will go for TW with some finger food thrown in and if i'm honest it's prob because thats all i know about! Maybe i'll have to get a book and do some reading! Its all so bloody confusing!!

it is isn't it?

I'd def recommend reading the gill rapley book on BLW if u wanna read some info on weaning. I got mine from amazon for abt £6. Even if u choose not to go down that route its still an interesting read. So far its been one of the best baby related books i've read.

 

[golcarlilly]

We BLW, we decided to do it this way as we believe he should be in control of what, and how, food goes into him, he know what he wants and if he doesn't want something, he won't eat it, I trust his judgement.

If Myles doesn't want something he just keeps his mouth shut or turns his head away so the choice for him is still there

I'm not saying there isn't a choice for TW'd babies. We just feel that Halen should be in complete control of how much he eats, how fast the food is put into his mouth etc.
I'm guessing that if he does that you don't continue to feed him whatever it is he doesn't like? I know quite a few mums who would ignore that and force the food down and that really gets my goat. We tried TW at 17 weeks for about 3 days, we didn't want to but my HV put pressure on us and I really doubted myself, Halen hated it, he wouldn't open his mouth for the food at all. My HV told me I should just force the spoon into his mouth or trick him to open his mouth!

OMG that is horrible!! what are these HV's on? personally I don't think any of them are much cop - at least the ones I have seen haven't helped me in the slightest in any topic I have broached with them, hence I don't go and see them or consult them anymore!! I would never force M to eat something if he didn't want to and to that end I suppose in a way I am part BLW - this lunchtime has been a prime example, he has liked everythiing we have given him so far except pureed apple but this lunch I tried avocado and then banana and he only had a couple of spoons of each pulling faces all the time so I just stopped, I will try again with them both in a couple of weeks since they are both strong distinctive flavours and he might just need to get used to them

 

[Lisa1302]

We BLW, we decided to do it this way as we believe he should be in control of what, and how, food goes into him, he know what he wants and if he doesn't want something, he won't eat it, I trust his judgement.

If Myles doesn't want something he just keeps his mouth shut or turns his head away so the choice for him is still there

I'm not saying there isn't a choice for TW'd babies. We just feel that Halen should be in complete control of how much he eats, how fast the food is put into his mouth etc.
I'm guessing that if he does that you don't continue to feed him whatever it is he doesn't like? I know quite a few mums who would ignore that and force the food down and that really gets my goat. We tried TW at 17 weeks for about 3 days, we didn't want to but my HV put pressure on us and I really doubted myself, Halen hated it, he wouldn't open his mouth for the food at all. My HV told me I should just force the spoon into his mouth or trick him to open his mouth!

What people seem to forget is that TW and BLW can just as easily be done wrong!

Many BLW's say that they don't like TW because of the apparent force feeding - well yes there are probably some that do - but the fact is that is NOT the correct way to spoon feed - so why use example of someone doing it wrong as a reason why its not a valid method?!

I know for a fact there are mothers who claim to BLW but get it completely wrong - they simply allow the baby to eat what it chooses whether that's good for them or not, and if it didn't eat for example broccoli they take that as meaning baby doesnt like it - so it isn't offered it again. Or after many attempts to give a baby something that's good for it they give up cos it gets thrown every time.

I have also recently seen a video of someone claiming to be BLW - in fact the baby picked it up in their hand and the mum shoved it in its mouth.

There is a chance that someone will be doing weaning wrong somewhere - but these are not the things people ought to be bringing up in a discussion about methods...because it is not the correct way to do it!

Also folk need to remember that BLW is simply the food the mother decides to give the baby - it is no healthier than TW as it depends what the mother offers the baby.

Done in the correct way there is not a huge difference in the 2 methods, babies are offered different foods, if they like it they eat it, if they don't like it they don't eat it. If they are full they stop, if the hungry they take more.

 

[purple_socks]

Done in the correct way there is not a huge difference in the 2 methods, babies are offered different foods, if they like it they eat it, if they don't like it they don't eat it. If they are full they stop, if the hungry they take more.

i dont think theres a huge difference in the 'healthiness' of both methods (like u have said both irely on parents offering healthy foods and listening to LO abt when to stop/preferences). but there is a huge difference in how babies develop skills for eating with each method.

With BLW they learn how to hold/move/handle food, what will and wont crumble etc, how to use/manage the gag reflex etc and they develop motor skills like the pincer grip and hand eye co-ordination by feeding themselves before they learn to associate hunger and food where as with TW its the opposit.

there is also a big difference in how BLWs and TWs progression is controlled. TW is controlled by a parent- milk feeds r dropped and more meals/snacks r added until the transition is made from predominantly milk to predominantly solids. With BLW u continue to offer the same amount of milk until LO naturally drops their own feeds (hence the 'baby led' name i guess) it usually takes a lot longer to 'transition' with BLW than TW.

i'm not saying either is write or wrong. i s'pose it depends what ur own personally aims (or reasons for weaning) r: that ur LO starts actually eat/digesting solids and starts learning that solids will fulfill hunger instead of milk or that they learn how to handle food while keeping milk as their main source of nutriants and calories.

I personally prefer that Kian remains having more milk and i am happy for him not to b eating 3 full meals a day for a long time because i think there r more nutriants/cals in a milk feed than there would b in the same volume of solids but i have friends who find the predictability of TW and the fact they r in control more suited to their life style each to their own. tis the same as some people finding a set rotuine useful and other people choosing to have more babyled schedule IMO. whatever works for u

 

[Lisa1302]

Done in the correct way there is not a huge difference in the 2 methods, babies are offered different foods, if they like it they eat it, if they don't like it they don't eat it. If they are full they stop, if the hungry they take more.

i dont think theres a huge difference in the 'healthiness' of both methods (like u have said both irely on parents offering healthy foods and listening to LO abt when to stop/preferences). but there is a huge difference in how babies develop skills for eating with each method.

With BLW they learn how to hold/move/handle food, what will and wont crumble etc, how to use/manage the gag reflex etc and they develop motor skills like the pincer grip and hand eye co-ordination by feeding themselves before they learn to associate hunger and food where as with TW its the opposit.

there is also a big difference in how BLWs and TWs progression is controlled. TW is controlled by a parent- milk feeds r dropped and more meals/snacks r added until the transition is made from predominantly milk to predominantly solids. With BLW u continue to offer the same amount of milk until LO naturally drops their own feeds (hence the 'baby led' name i guess) it usually takes a lot longer to 'transition' with BLW than TW.

i'm not saying either is write or wrong. i s'pose it depends what ur own personally aims (or reasons for weaning) r: that ur LO starts actually eat/digesting solids and starts learning that solids will fulfill hunger instead of milk or that they learn how to handle food while keeping milk as their main source of nutriants and calories.

I personally prefer that Kian remains having more milk and i am happy for him not to b eating 3 full meals a day for a long time because i think there r more nutriants/cals in a milk feed than there would b in the same volume of solids but i have friends who find the predictability of TW and the fact they r in control more suited to their life style each to their own. tis the same as some people finding a set rotuine useful and other people choosing to have more babyled schedule IMO. whatever works for u

i too have to disgaree with the TW part of dropping milk...I prefer her to have plenty, that's why she is still on 2 meals plus milk when she wants.

 

[faille]

Done in the correct way there is not a huge difference in the 2 methods, babies are offered different foods, if they like it they eat it, if they don't like it they don't eat it. If they are full they stop, if the hungry they take more.

You are missing out a lot of what BLW is about. It's not just about letting LO feed themself solid food and stop when they're full - a lot of it is to do with the psychology behind eating and eating behaviours, not just the physical action of "eating".

 

[Lisa1302]

Done in the correct way there is not a huge difference in the 2 methods, babies are offered different foods, if they like it they eat it, if they don't like it they don't eat it. If they are full they stop, if the hungry they take more.

You are missing out a lot of what BLW is about. It's not just about letting LO feed themself solid food and stop when they're full - a lot of it is to do with the psychology behind eating and eating behaviours, not just the physical action of "eating".

I know exactly what BLW is, I have read alot about it, obviously I am not going to write about it all, I just made those 2 points.

All I am saying is if done correctly BOTH methods will serve a baby well, they will end up well nourished and with a decent grounding for eating properly when they are older.

It really bugs me that some BLW people seem to think their method is more superior and ends up with a better baby somehow..and that TW babies are somehow lacking in what they learn - TW done correctly includes finger food - babies who are TW do not miss out on this important part of learning.

 

[faille]

Done in the correct way there is not a huge difference in the 2 methods, babies are offered different foods, if they like it they eat it, if they don't like it they don't eat it. If they are full they stop, if the hungry they take more.

You are missing out a lot of what BLW is about. It's not just about letting LO feed themself solid food and stop when they're full - a lot of it is to do with the psychology behind eating and eating behaviours, not just the physical action of "eating".

I know exactly what BLW is, I have read alot about it, obviously I am not going to write about it all, I just made those 2 points.

All I am saying is if done correctly BOTH methods will serve a baby well, they will end up well nourished and with a decent grounding for eating properly when they are older.

It really bugs me that some BLW people seem to think their method is more superior and ends up with a better baby somehow..and that TW babies are somehow lacking in what they learn - TW done correctly includes finger food - babies who are TW do not miss out on this important part of learning.

And it really bugs me when people put words into other peoples mouths.

 

[Lisa1302]

Done in the correct way there is not a huge difference in the 2 methods, babies are offered different foods, if they like it they eat it, if they don't like it they don't eat it. If they are full they stop, if the hungry they take more.

You are missing out a lot of what BLW is about. It's not just about letting LO feed themself solid food and stop when they're full - a lot of it is to do with the psychology behind eating and eating behaviours, not just the physical action of "eating".

I know exactly what BLW is, I have read alot about it, obviously I am not going to write about it all, I just made those 2 points.

All I am saying is if done correctly BOTH methods will serve a baby well, they will end up well nourished and with a decent grounding for eating properly when they are older.

It really bugs me that some BLW people seem to think their method is more superior and ends up with a better baby somehow..and that TW babies are somehow lacking in what they learn - TW done correctly includes finger food - babies who are TW do not miss out on this important part of learning.

And it really bugs me when people put words into other peoples mouths.

without wanting to start an argument - I haven't put words into your mouth - its a general comment - if you feel it applies to you as 'some' then so be it