TW combined with BLW advice needed.. UPDATE Pg 2

[Smanderson]

Ladies, my DS is 7 months this week and I have been weaning early due to reflux doctors recommendations. We got off to an ok start with porridge and blended foods but he now refuses to be spoon fed. Since he turned 6 months I started trying giving him finger food along side blended foods as I was told you must give blended as well...

He literally screams whenever I try to spoon feed but quite enjoys sucking on foods and takes little nibbles out of finger food but he won't have much at all. I don't know if I should just give him finger food and do fully BLW but I'm worried he would be hungry, I guess he doesn't take much anyhow so maybe nothing much would change for him except not getting upset.

He is also taking around 35 oz milk a day. I have been told by a few friends they have been advised to reduce the milk feeds so baby takes more food but their babies are the same age as mine and I always thought milk was supposed to be the main source of nutrition/calories till 12 months.....I'm so confused I don't know what to do for the best! Please help? X

 

[ChelliBelle]

I'm new to BLW, but have read loads about it before starting. Al I can say is that my little girl barely eats anything, but enjoys playing and tasting, which I believe is how it starts, but then things start changing.

I allow my girl to lead how much milk she wants, she lets me know if she is hungry and I agree, I think the milk feeds are priority nutrition. The solids are a bonus so to speak while they are learning to eat. So I just follow her guide.

My LO only really shows interest in breakfast, so i'm using that time for solids. It's baby led so I think it's completely normal when BLW that at 7 monthslittle solids are eaten, although all babies differ i'm sure I read around 9-10 months is when they really pay attention to it actually becoming food.

If your LO still enjoys milk feeds, and isn't losing weight I would say don't worry

 

[Smanderson]

Thanks Chellibelle, your right, as long as he's taking milk I shouldn't worry...it's hard not to though lol! I find I hear how other babies are eating loads and it makes me panic but hopefully he will start eating better by 9/10 months then! Thanks for your advice xxx

 

[MindUtopia]

If he's happy to feed himself, then I'd just let him at it and keep up the milk on demand. You shouldn't reduce milk to get him to eat solids. That's terrible advice. As he starts to eat more, he'll reduce the amount of milk he wants on his own. To give you an idea, my daughter has only ever done BLW, no spoonfeeding at all, and she has never taken more than about 25oz of milk a day, though that's reduced to closer to about 22oz now that she's 9 months and having a snack in addition to 3 meals. They know what they need and will let you know. Sounds like you're doing exactly what you should be so don't worry!

 

[Smanderson]

Thanks Mindutopia I'm so relieved to hear I don't need to reduce his milk, he really does love his milk now and it seems to comfort him. I will move him to BLW I think, he really does love feeding himself and i really do need to trust him. Your right they do know what they need, I just need to trust him and trust I'm doing the right thing, thank you! Xxx

 

[sillysapling]

You do not need to also spoon-feed. You can if you want- but you don't need to.
You should give as much milk as the baby wants and only decrease milk if your baby is taking in enough solids that he no longer needs that much milk.
I know some parents whose babies didn't start solids until after they were a year old (if your baby does this- obviously you have to stay on formula/breastmilk until he's eating enough solids to replace it). Babies develop at different rates.

Is it possible he's teething or sick? After getting his first 2 teeth, my baby suddenly went wild for solids. Then he either had tooth troubles or caught a cold or both and suddenly just had ZERO interest in solids. That passed, and he's back to his normal growing interest in solids.

 

[eulmh82]

My lo was eight and a half mths before he enjoyed food. He didn't reduce his milk til then either and my hvs were saying reduce it but he wanted it so I gave it him. You know your baby if reducing their milk would leave them screaming then don't do it. It is a tough situation if your lo won't be spoon fed as to start with they don't take much when they feed themselves. But personally I would advise go with your baby. I promise by the time they're twenty mths ... Like my lo they'll be eating lots and not be on bottles at all.

 

[Smanderson]

Thanks Sillysapling, he just got his top teeth in so maybe that's it? I didn't even think if it cos they came through so fast but when I think of it he went off his food when the bottom ones came in. Hope he gets back on the food fast, I will be trying finger foods for now. I agree I won't reduce his milk I'll let him do it naturally, I feed in demand so it's the best way I think...it didn't sit right with me the thought of reducing it especially as he wakes in the night for milk still.

Eukmh82 Thanks Hun, it's hard to ignore HV isn't it but your right I have to go with what's right for my baby and do things his way. He would absolutely throw a wobbler for his milk, crazy as he has bad reflux which is now under control but I used to have to constantly offer the bottle just to get any milk in him when he was small. I'll keep trying him at every meal time and hopefully he will take some food soon xxx

 

[Solitaire]

My son has just turned 7months also this week and he's still not showing much interest in food.
Last week I thought I'd try porridge in morning and spoon it him, only this week has he actually started taking it and swallowing it and opening his mouth for me.
Sometimes he picks the finger foods up and sometimes he doesn't. If he picks something up and sucks it as soon as he gets a piece on his tongue he kicks off until he's managed to get it out and then he won't pick anything up after that.
I've not reduced his milk feeds, I just give him milk when he wants it.
He's still no teeth yet.
It's harder than I expected

 

[Babybear85]

How longhas he been resisting thesspoon feeding my little boy is 7 months and all last week he refused spoon foods. He then came down with a cold and is teething he would chew on finger foods still but I wonder if that was because st soothed his gums

 

[Smanderson]

Solitaire my DS does the freak out with any lump of food on his tongue, he loves sucking the food and is now taking bites but doesn't like swallowing the food. This weaning business is more stressful than I thought it would be I can't wait for him to get in the swing of finger food so he can go fully BLW

Babybear I think you might be right he's had a cold which is going now and he's been teething so maybe that's it...he's been better the last couple of days hopefully he will keep getting better

 

[Smanderson]

Hi ladies, here's our update! We saw a dietitian due to his reflux and she told me not to offer his bottle as long as I was (up to an hour, an old habit from when he was snacking on the bottle due to reflux) and said he didn't need as much milk as he was having, she said to offer breakfast first in the morning as he still has a bottle in the night and be more strict with feed timings.

Well, I followed her advice and he's drinking a bottle less a day but taking some of it in his porridge in the mornings. He's been eating brilliantly, I'm not sure if this is also improving because he is over his cold and maybe teething has calmed down a little. He seems to be enjoying meal times but he's still mainly sucking the finger foods and panics when he gets a lump...not sure how to help him understand how to swallow though xxx

 

[sillysapling]

Does he eat finger foods while you're eating as well? That may help. If he's watching you putting food in your mouth, chewing it, and then sees that none of it comes back out- it might help him realize that that's how you're supposed to deal with food.

It took our kiddo quite a few tries to figure out to swallow anything. I baked up home made teething biscuits and, while he loves to chew them, most of it came out. We honestly gave it mostly so that we could eat in peace without him trying to steal our food before we'd try spoon-feeding something that he would swallow... One nice thing about that- we noticed that after the first few times with the biscuit, he started "chewing" the purees, so he definitely started getting the idea of "food is chewed then swallowed", he's just still figuring out how to deal with solid foods.
Today he seemed to swallow more- but that's just a seems.

It also may just take time- their gag reflex is farther up when they're younger (not sure when it goes farther back into the mouth) to help prevent choking, so maybe he's just freaking out because he gags- which will go down as he grows up. As he gets better at chewing, he might learn how much to chew it before swallowing and also how to use his tongue to move it around so he can swallow it comfortably.