Baby-Led Weaning Support Thread #2

[Lippy Chick]

Alison, thank you, I did think you would give us some help on this one.  That's kind of what I think too.  She'll get the hang of it, she's not going to be 21 and sitting eating with her fingers, I tell myself this with every new difficulty we face (not that this is one).  A fork does sound like it would be more natural for her, than a spoon.

Seemed to like roasted parsnip, however, they were quite tough on the outside, she did get into them, but I think we'll steam them next time.  She ate a whole finger of toast today for lunch, she didn't want any more after that. 

Pauline

[VickyB20]

Thanks Alison!
xx

[lyndsy_p]

Thanks Alison!

[Freya'sMum]

Pleasure!

Ax

[Lippy Chick]

Just to let you all know, I have sent off an e-mail to the Baby-friendly initiative, hoping it will get to Gill Rapley.  There are no specific e-mail addresses on the site, so have sent it to general enquiries FAO: Gill Rapley.  So we'll see what happens on that one.  Let me know if you want to see what I wrote, not sure whether it's a good idea to put on here, might send it privately to your e-mail addresses if you ask, if that's OK.  Let me know what you think about this.

Pauline

[Freya'sMum]

How about PMing it to those who supported the idea a few pages back?

Ax

[Lippy Chick]

Thanks Alison, will do.  But tomorrow, bed time.

[DJs mummy]

I'm an avid lurker and just needed to ask a question 

Hannah seems to be going through a really tough stage at the moment where she will hardly eat anything we offer her.  Most days she won't eat anything from a spoon which I'm fine with.  But the problem is she won't really eat much in the form of finger foods.  Most thinhgs she puts in her mouth, sucks it for a bit and then spits it out. 

My question is how much do you think this is due to her not having any teeth yet?  My feeling is that it's probably not even related.  Do any of your LOs eat really well even without any teeth?  I keep trying her with things and when she refuses it I just blame it on the fact that she has no teeth, but I'm starting to think that's not the issue.

Today she had porridge for breakfast.  For lunch she ate about an inch square of cheese on toast, a smallish piece of pear and 2 segments of tangerine (she LOVES tangerine and happily 'chews' on it.  For dinner she refused everything and I ended up spoon feeding her some weetabix. 

I think I'm waffling now.  I guess I just want to hear whether all your LOs have teeth already and did you notice that made a difference to how/what they could eat.

[lyndsy_p]

Sorry Hazel, I am no help. Graesha has 2 teeth and is working on her 3rd. Remember though, she won't starve herself. Are her milk feeds still good?

Lyndsy

[Bryony]

Hi Hazel 

Katie only got two teeth recently - and I don't thnk it made that much difference TBH.  She is slightly better at eating crunchy things like breadsticks now - as she can use her teeth to bite bits off - but for most things I haven't noticed any difference.  Katie has phases of not being interested in food - and phases of being quite keen. 

What time are you feeding Hannah in relation to milk feeds? 

Bryony

[DJs mummy]

She has a bottle at 7am and then breakfast at 8/8.30.
Lunch at 12 and then bottle at 1pm
Dinner at 5pm and then bottle at 6/6.30pm.

I've almost given up trying to get her to have a snack mid morning and mid afternoon as she just doesn't seem intereted in the slightest.  But then that means she's going at least 4 hours without eating anything.  Surely that's too long.

She used to eat quite a few things (bread, banana, cheese, broccoli, wafer thin ham, pear, grated apple) which she now won't touch.  Is this normal too?  I'm trying so hard not to get stressed about it but when your baby doesn't really eat anything all day it's so hard not to worry.  I think what makes it worse is that she is the absolute opposite of her brother who would literally eat anything within reaching distance so i guess I'm constantly comparing her to him.  I think Daniel was about 13 months old when he first turned something down (tuna).  Up til then he had literally eating everything offered   How can 2 siblings be sooo different?

Thanks for your help.

[Lippy Chick]

Hi Hazel,

Alice doesn't have any teeth and it doesn't seem to make a difference to her eating.  She has soft things, avocado, toast, pears, roasted veg, steamed veg, etc.  Just keep persisting, it will kick in.  When little bits fell out of Alice's mouth, I would put them back in with my finger and she would swallow those.  I think that helped her realise that it was OK to swallow them.  After a few days of that she started eating properly.  That was only last Monday.  Today she had a couple of slices of avocado for breakfast.  Such a healthy girl, way healthier than me.

Alice went off bananas and now likes them; did like sweet potato, then went off it and now loves it again; did like carrot and now doesn't.  So I think if there's something she's gone off just don't give it for a couple of weeks and try again.  Try not to stress about it too much, it will happen, just keep offering the food.

Pauline

[VickyB20]

I tried a new recipe this evening - it was actually a modification of a recipe that came with the pack of avocados I bought recently!

REALLY easy and quick to make.  Put two pieces of bread under the grill.  Meanwhile, take half an avocado and mash it up with a fork.  Mix in some grated cheese and some pepper too if you like.  When one side of the bread is toasted, spread on the avocado & cheese mix and then grill for a few minutes.

Ella and the boys all loved it.  I had a slice too and it was yummy.  (I used a whole avocado on four pieces of bread.)  I'll definitely do it again.  I've had trouble getting avocado into my three and it's soooo nutritious that I'm delighted to have found that this works!  Ella helped me mash up the avocado and we cut it into fun shapes too so she was very excited about eating it.  We called it "Green goo on toast"!

We've had a few really rough nights with Brynley.  He's been struggling so much with teeth and waking at least every 2 hours.  Nothing has really settled him - just time.  Three teeth have cut in the last 48 hours so I'm hoping he's through the worst of it... for now at least.  He's been off his food with it, not surprisingly, but ate well today so hopefully we've turned a corner.

Pauline - sounds like Alice has really got the hang of eating!!

Vicky
x

[Bryony]

Oh Vicky - poor Brynley, all those teeth at once!

Wow that green goo on toast sounds lovely, must try that. I tried something similar the other day with mashed advocado on toast and Katie ATE it. A fruit - and she ATE it!!!   

Tonight she had an enormous pile of chilli con carne. I didn't think she would like it but she ate THE LOT picking up each bit of minced beef, each kidney bean and each piece of onion and pepper one by one.

Bryony

[DJs mummy]

I definitely find encouragement when I read this thread - so many of your LOs seem to really know how to eat!
Here we are at the end of day 4 of no eating   Maybe the odd segment of tangerine or a couple of peas.  but that is about it.  I don't know what else I can try now.  She is still taking 3 bottles of milk (about 7oz in each) so at least that's the main thing.  But it is just sooo disheartening watching her just shove everything on the floor.  That includes all the soft stuff too, that doesn't require any chewing at all.  It's like she's on a complete food strike.
Hmmmm, I wonder how long it will last...