Baby Led Weaning Support Thread - Part 6!

[Peek-a-boo]

I think the idea is start with food shapes that he can pick up without help--things cut in stick shapes (french fry-like) or with a natural "handle" like broccoli.  I say "think" b/c DD's not quite six months yet, so we haven't actually started.

[monopod]

Hello! We started weaning via the BLW route last week when DS turned 6 months and so far so good. Thus far he's had pear and apple slices, rice cakes, whole plums, and a small piece of my cheese toastie this morning because he was looking at it with such purpose, lol. I'm planning to start him on steamed and roasted veg within the next few days (e.g. sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, potato, courgette). The verdict so far is that it is FUN and a real thrill to see him manipulating the food all by himself! It is, however, as everyone says, very very messy. Good thing I'm not a neatnik

I am wondering, though - I'm not sure how you progress to offering the same food as you are eating. Does that mean that you can't add any salt or sugar to your cooking anymore? What if you tend to have things like stir-fries, curries, stews etc. - basically things that don't lend themselves to finger food-style eating? Or is that when the mess *really* starts?

Any tips welcomed!

[lisi's mum]

I'm selective about the things Norah eats - we eat lots of very spicy stuff, and also I don't like her having salt or sugar. Sometimes when I'm cooking I can take a bit out for N before the dodgy ingredients go in, other times I just have to make her an alternative.

I've found that I tend to salt much less whilst cooking and then add it at the table. I'm also a bit selective based on mess levels - a soup is either a no no or off a spoon. You may find that the spoon's favour comes and goes - sometimes it's no problem, others (like now for us  ) she just bats it away which in end effect is even messier than had she tried feeding herself.

[Peek-a-boo]

DD will be six months tomorrow, but we fudged and started solids on Thursday as it was Thanksgiving it seemed fun to include her in the dinner.  We started DD with some yams cut into sticks and roasted in the oven and, goodness, she loved them!  She grabbed them and immediately started stuffing them into her mouth.

I have to say that I was sort of terrified.  I love the philosophy of this approach, but I'm so afraid that she's going to choke and die and it will be all my fault. 

I didn't think she was swallowing much until I saw her diaper the next day!  Little bits of yams all over in her poop.  Is that normal for food to pass through rather undigested?

I wish I wasn't so worried about allergies, etc, and could just start giving her stuff from our plates at every meal as she really enjoyed it and is now lunging for our plates, but I do worry, so, at least for a bit, trying to stick with the 4 day guideline between new foods. 

Hmm . . . what's the theme of this post . . . worry, worry, worry.  Silly me!

[lilac83]

Hi everyone!

I started solids (purees) with my DD about 1.5 weeks before she was 6 months. Lately she's refusing to eat a lot of the veggies and tonight actually gagged and puked with green beans. I'm thinking about starting BLW with her instead as she's constantly trying to get at what's on my plate. I've given her a slice of toast and she eats Gerber Biter Biscuits but that's as far as I've gone. I'm a bit worried about allergies (even though there are none in neither my family nor my husbands). How did you all start? Just with the basic fruits and veggies? Or did you give a bit of whatever you were having at dinner? Unfortunately neither my husband nor I are extremely healthy eaters so I don't know what I would feed her! Also, when is it okay to give yogurt/cheese products, wheat products and marinara sauces (remembering there's no allergies)?

[Peek-a-boo]

Katie--thank you for the link to that BLW blog.  Hilarious!! And very useful.

[monopod]

I'm selective about the things Norah eats - we eat lots of very spicy stuff, and also I don't like her having salt or sugar. Sometimes when I'm cooking I can take a bit out for N before the dodgy ingredients go in, other times I just have to make her an alternative.

I've found that I tend to salt much less whilst cooking and then add it at the table. I'm also a bit selective based on mess levels - a soup is either a no no or off a spoon. You may find that the spoon's favour comes and goes - sometimes it's no problem, others (like now for us  ) she just bats it away which in end effect is even messier than had she tried feeding herself.

lisi's mum - my DS decided to spoonfeed himself sweetcorn, carrot and pea puree on Friday! I wasn't going to do purees but we had a little sample container that I didn't want to waste, and he actually loved it! He couldn't get enough - sucked it off my fingers, plonked his entire face in the bowl, and grabbed the spoon from me and stuck it in his mouth. I was blown away by the unbearable cuteness I figure this was perfectly in line with the BLW philosophy despite the pureed nature of the goodies

[Meg's Mom]

marking my place...and wondering has anyone experienced regression on the textures your LO will eat?   all of a sudden my lo won't eat textured foods and couldn't get enough of the puree's i decided to try that we sitting in the back of the cupboard.

She was screaming at me and spitting out mac n cheese!  She hasn't had puree in months we jumped from puree to finger food w/ an influnce of BLW in mind.

[mini me]

Hiya! Just joining this thread as I have been posting on the 6-9mth finger food thread.
Artemis is almost 11mths old but we have figured that in regard to putting stuff in her mouth (food and toys) she is just downright lazy and can't be bothered!!!!! She has a great appetite now the weather has cooled off (had a slow start to solids) but she eats everything (except mango as I've not been brave enough to try it again after the last time ...covered herself, swingchair, half the room and walls with milk and mango 1 hr after enjoying it!!) W never did pureed stuff, I just mashed everything with a fork, and now her food is lumpy (whole peas, corn etc size)

She refuses a lot of food if it is not flavoursome, ie, she won't eat potato, carrot, broccoli, cougette, peas mashed together unless it has onion, garlic and herbs in it! Is this good? I thought so as it gives her a wider taste of flavours, but now we are having refusal of finger foods and I'm not sure if it's because she's not liking the blandness of it.

She will eat 1 mini ricecake, and then get bored and refuse anything else unless I spoonfeed her, 1 finger of toast and then nothing else, 1 tick of apple (her fav) and then nothing else. Have tried leaving her to get hungry, but she just goes to be at night and wakes in the nigth starving!!! Any ideas?

We also are quite strict on salt and sugar. All babyfood here in Greece has added sugar, so we live off boxes of stuff we bring back from UK!! C&G morning cereals - she loves these, and Boots mini ricecakes and Organix biscuits for snacks if we are out.

[mum101]

hi, joining in too with Leo, he's decided to do BLW as he refuses anything from a spoon, unless I hand it to him and he puts it in his mouth!

I wanted to make sure he was getting some iron, and we are happy with him eating meats, so I made up this meal and he loves it! And he can eat it fairly well.  I'm chuffed with this one!

Steak toasted sandwich.
2 pieces of wholemeal bread, spread pureed steak (that has been simmered in water), with added small amount of grated cheese, and enough pureed sweet potato to make it bind together. Flatten down the sandwich, then spray olive oil in fry pan and press the sandwich flat to toast it.

Then I flattened as much as possible (so he doesn't just end up eating 2 pieces of bread) and cut it up into about 8 pieces. Chucked them in the freezer, I give them to him frozen and they seem to melt/defrost in his mouth really well.!

Otherwise we have given him banana (split into 3 sections lengthways), raspberries (we grow them in our back yard.mmmmm), pear pieces, potato, cheese sticks, bread.

[huntersmummyinoz]

michelle, just quickly, hunter does the same thing regarding texture when teething. eg. he is actually letting me near him with a spoon at the moment now number 8 is cutting (usually only accepts dessert/yoghurt off spoons). he is even finding it hard to eat broccoli and carrots, etc that he has been eating for months, takes a bite but it hurts so he spits it out. i'm sure we'll be back to normal in a week or two tho. (amazing that he can handle the pain if its a gingerbread man or cheeseburger that he's eating )

[mini me]

LOL Kirry!! They are crafty from such a young age aren't they?!!

[Meg's Mom]

Thanks Kirry, that is what i thought but good to know that is it just due to teething.

[mini me]

Well, we were brave yesterday and I gave Artemis the spoon and some of her yoghurt in a bowl ... I got given a bib with sleeves and elasticated bits at the cuffs!! She ate about 7 spoons by herself, then the other hand discovered the cold, smooth texture of yoghurt, so the spoon got dropped and she spent the rest of the time smearing it all over her tray, headrest, me and her face!!! Still, she loved it! I'm all for her getting her hands mucky as i've seen too many kids who get upset if they touch something and get dirty.  ...But it was sooo much easier to do this a couple of months ago when it was hot weather and she would just sit there in only a nappy (followed by a splash in her paddling pool to clean up!) ... now I have to think about getting her clothes off without getting the house covered with food!! What do you other mums do about the mess (I don't want to be on top of her making her paranoid about being clean and not making a mess.)

[lisi's mum]

peel them off in the shower then hose her down :-)