first time weaning questions.

[Melly*]

Hi
I have a few questions really I know every child is different but would really appreciate some advice.
My lo is 6.5 months, exc bf and appears to have given up on solid food. We weaned at just 5.2 months and managed to move onto 3 homemade meals a day (2 icecubes veg, one fruit) per feed:

6.30 am milk
8am solids and more milk
12pm solids first milk after
3pm milk
5pm solids
6.30 milk...bed!

Since what i think was a growth spurt and a small cold she seems to be refusing food , not opening her mouth and crying in the chair. I dont think she is teething? She liked the fruit for a bit and i gave her some petit felouis however since finding out how much sugar is in them I have stopped offering!!!. Probably has a sweet tooth now oopsy.
Now she is feeding:
 
7am milk
8am offer solids, has some more milk
10.30 milk
12pm offer solids
1.30 milk
4pm milk
6.30pm milk...bed

The only way she was eating, was when i offered it before her milk but she then dropped her lunchtime milk feed, I assume this is too soon???
So she is off her vegetables and fruit, she also doesn't like more than one type mixed together,I have tried mixing pear to make it sweeter and no luck.
She will have a spoonful and that is it...almost trying it out and thinking eew no thanks mum!

Soo now she is 6 months how do i introduce things like chicken etc if one she isn't even interested and two cant move off of one type of vegetable or fruit? do i keep offering different things or go back to familiar carrot etc? She seems interested in natural yoghurt (is probiotic ok??)

I have tried to go down the blw route and she is popping things in her mouth toast and carrots etc. So should i carry on with this? at the moment there isn't much going in, i assume it takes a while! Can you mix blw with spoon feeding at the same meal or is that considered too confusing?
Sorry for all the questions.

Mel

[lilmonkey]

Hi Mel

It is more important to give them milk feeds than solids until one.  The introduction of solids is just to expose them to texture and taste.  So if your lo is not interested in trying various foods then it is ok, she will learn to like eating.  My dd was pretty much BLW as she hated purees.  With ds, he liked purees but stopped at around 6/7 mos.  Now he does BLW and I still feed him yogurt as it's the only thing he lets me feed him.  He wasn't very good at it at first but now he is very good with his pincher grip.  At each meal time, I offer him several choices on his tray and let him have a go at them.  If he seems disinterested in the offerings and is still hungry then I would offer yogurt (which he takes eagerly if he is hungry).  I don't think that it is confusing to do both.

[carly-g]

Hi Mel-

I wouldn't push the solids too hard right now.  It is not absolutely necessary to have three meals a day at 6 months.  DS didn't go to 3 meals until 7.5 months, and they were small meals.  I definitely wouldn't offer a meal that causes her to drop a milk feed, as they are supposed to get most of their nutrients from milk until close to a year.  

We mixed blw and purees and it worked great.  I know the blw ladies don't consider this true blw, but it worked for us.  As far as the meat goes, I would go slowly.  We just started meat at 8.5 months, once his eating schedule was strong.  

I would just continue offering meals, but don't press the issue.  Maybe just offer one meal a day for now, the build back up as her interest dictates.  She will eat, and you want it to be a good experience.  

Good luck!

Carly

[Freya'sMum]

We mixed blw and purees and it worked great.  I know the blw ladies don't consider this true blw, but it worked for us.

Carly

 

We 'BLW ladies' don't mind how you feed your lo, as long as it follows the BW philosophies! As a bit of a purist, I have been known to comment that if you combine self-feeding and spoon-feeding, you can't call it BLW, but that's just a name, it doesn't mean the two approaches can't be used together!

As the pps have said, milk is the primary source of nutrition until 12 months, so if your lo decreases their solid food intake, that's just fine - I'd keep offering solid foods routinely as before, but trust dd's instinct when she 'says' no.

With self-feeding, you wouldn't expect much to be going in, and if your dd's appetite is low at present, then that's probably a good thing - I'd persevere with the exclusive self-feeding and let her appetite increase gradually as her skills in eating do! In the meantime, I'd focus on including her in family mealtimes, and on the social/pleasurable/normalising side of eating, even if at first she does nothing but observe!

Don't forget that there is a BLW support thread stickied at the top of the main forum page, and a Finger Foods for Young Babies thread in Recipes, as well as the Famous Sausage Recipe which is a good meat starter food, especially for babies with no teeth!

Ax

[Melly*]

Thank you sooo much for all your advice, my stress levels are already falling!!! I think i felt like i should be weaning her at a set time and she should be eating solids now she has reached 6 months. It is quite daunting, so great to have some support. i will continue offering her finger foods i think and have a look at your links. Can i ask one last question, once people have started solids is this the time when people consider dropping the df? I'm currently trying to drop the 9pm df and then start on the 11pm one but should i stick with the 11pm one until she is eating more?? is this a question for the breast feeding forum?
Thank you again. Really helpful.
Mel

[carly-g]

I don't know about the DF since it never really worked for us.  I would post it on the BF forum, though.  Those ladies are awesome. 

I have to say, I love that DS takes finger foods.  I went to lunch with my cousin (who has twins my son's age) and she spent the entire lunch spooning mush into their mouths.  I put ds's lunch on his tray and got to eat myself!  I ended up taking over for her so that she could eat, too, while ds just watched and laughed!

[Melly*]

How lovely! I must admit she really enjoyed some toast this morning and I tried some porridge by Cow and gate before but she wasn't bothered we had to have a bath after it as there was porridge everywhere!! Hee hee. Thanks again.

[Melly*]

Just wanted to update you and say she has taken to eating finger foods really quite well. She has her meals seperate from her milk and is loving it!! She is making her chewing actions and trying all sorts. Thank you!

[carly-g]

 

[lilmonkey]

yay!