Baby Led Weaning Support Thread #11

[*Ali*]

Continued from http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=224254.0

Please continue chatting here.

[londonlady]

Yep we sometimes double bib too.

If only it were appropriate to dress your baby in a waterproof suit for feeds  - Sofia has taken to rubbing food in her hair.... I am forever finding sticky patches behind her ear. Yuck!!

[anna*]

Yah we had to cut short tea the othe day cuz Aud rubbed risotto on her eyes.

[beckygatt]

I used to use a plastic long sleeve bib from mothercare at the beginning and sometimes a pelican bib too! Also a plastic sheet on the floor which I could just dust outside after. The mess quickly got better, though it never felt it would in the beginning! Now she hardly makes any mess at all, though she does like to run her grubby hands in her hair!

[dburseth]

I'm finding he's getting messier!

I like long sleeves shirts and/or a nylon/plastic bib with a pouch. I find when too much is getting to the floor or he's messing around with his food he's full though and I shut it down.  We use a spoon for mushy stuff. 

Rice is the worst because it smears when you wipe the floor and you can't really sweep it And its hard to keep on a spoon. Wild rice worked better and I cooked it with more water so they were popped open and soft.  He had good luck picking it up with his hands.

Our cat is the cleaner upper here.  C was on the floor with a piece of bread this morning and he held it up to the cat's mouth (he was lurking waiting for scraps) to share...so cute!   

[londonlady]

Yeah I feel like Sofia is getting messier. When she's finished eating she very quickly starts rapidly flicking her fingers through whatever is on the tray and it goes everywhere. She loves squishing stuff in her hands and always wants to touch anything that comes at her on the spoon (yoghurt etc.) I think that's probably the downside of BLW - she feels she has to have her hands on everything whether it's finger food or not... 

[beckygatt]

Yes Sophia throws everything over once she's full. She's now got used to eating yoghurt off a spoon but at first used to just stick her fingers in it!

[*Ali*]

Not always practical but if you can let rice dry it is easy to sweep up.

Those waterproof coverall aprons ment for painting that you can get from Ikea etc. Would be good.

Colby had chicken fajitas this evening minus the spicy flavouring.

[Fiver]

Wow, Anna, sounds like Audrey is having an amazing time!!  Good start!  We have a plastic backed picnic rug and I used to put that under D's chair with the plastic side uppermost so that whatever was dropped was easily cleaned up.  Also, as she has the Fisher Price booster seat, we started with that on the floor rather than on a chair so there wasn't lots of spatter if things did drop.  We also started weaning in the summer when it was warmer, so she was just stripped down to her nappy and could then either be wiped up or chucked in the bath

So D is getting a lot better with a spoon (for yoghurt) and I'm wondering if some of her refusal to eat certain foods is that she wants to be able to use a fork or something, but hasn't quite got the skills there to do it at the right speed yet.

[dburseth]

I've been doing "picnic" lunches on the floor with C on an old sheet, then I just shake it outside and throw it in the wash. I'll use it a few times the same day (just fold it different) for snacks or lunch.  Its fun for  both of us Not all food is picnic friendly unfortuneately but I find the highchair set up and clean up very tedious day in and day out.

Its funny how they need to touch and taste everything. When I'm reading a touch and feel book with C he touches it with his hand then he has to put his face to it. I'm not sure if he's trying to taste it or feel it with his cheek 

[Buttonbobs]

Hi all, my LO and I are just starting out with BLW. I had intended to do a but of a combination thing with some purée & finger foods too, but DD really hates having the spoon put in her mouth & it tends to make we sick. I still let her try the purées but with her holding the spoon herself, messy but more fun! DD is turning six months next week so I'm keeping things very relaxed at the moment & only giving her bits to try once a day. I'm interested to find out if others started giving more than one "meal" of finger foods straight away at six months or if you followed a more steady introduction with one meal a day to being with? Best wishes xx

[*Ali*]

Welcome buttonbobs. We just started with giving lo food at each of our 3 meals a day right from the start. We started at 25wo and I'm pretty sure that nothing but the odd suck went down for at least a week or two. Because they get off to such a slow start with blw I think it is fine to offer at each sitting right from the start. There is certainly nothing in the info leaflet I got from the NHS HVs saying to start with one meal a day anymore. Hth.

[beckygatt]

Hi buttonbobs. I started out with bfast and dinner, giving her a bit of whatever we or DD1 were having. I added lunch soon after.

[anna*]

Hi Buttonbobs - we did the same as Ali - just started giving her bits of whatever we're having, 3 x per day. Although because she's still having so little, if I just can't be bothered, or if we're on the go for one meal or whatever, I don't worry about it.

[amayzie]

It's always very upsetting to hamish when he rubs food in his eyes!! And is worse as he then keeps rubbing trying to get rid of it!!

Also- we deal with the mess by organising our day so that he has a shower with me after his breakfast, a dry/brush off lunch, and a bath after dinner.