Baby-led Weaning Support Thread Part 3

[VickyB20]

Pauline - I found the eating out thing has become much, much easier in the last few weeks.  With a good 'catchy' bib and a little bit of planning, it isn't too bad.  Sandwiches are good (cream cheese are my favourite for eating out because the cheese kind of sticks the bread together!).  I tend to have a packet of dried apple pieces and a packet of kiddy cheese biscuits in my bad in case they're hungry when we're out and about.  Not ideal or the 'perfect' food I'd like to give them, but ok once in a while to fill a hole!
Each of these tricky stages is relatively short lived.
xx

[grahamsmama]

Sometimes I'll give Meghan a bottle with drinkable yogurt in it and call that a "meal" when we're out.  She does well at restaurants, but if we're in a store or at the doctor's or something and it's time to eat I give her freeze dried fruits and cereal (Cheerios, rice puffs or rice chex).

[Freya'sMum]

Milk first I reckon for a while yet Pauline the milk feeds do become a sort of mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack at around 10 months, a routine like the one Vicky poster above (the quantity doesn't change dramatically it just becomes smaller than the solid food quantity which is ever increasing)...

...as for the eating on the move, this is the bonus of BLW, they can have a picnic whereas spoonfed babies can't - mini ricecakes are an easy healthy option, and the fresh apple rings (just store in a little water in a watertight container so they don't go brown), grape quarters, babybels or just cubes/sticks of mild cheddar, cucumber middle sticks (the skin tends to be a bit of a challenge), raw mushroom, tinned peach/apricot sliced and dried on kitchen towel (bit slippy otherwise).

Just pop whatever you're taking in a little airtight pot, keep in the hood of the buggy as you wander along and pop a few bits onto the tray

Ax

[Cathy_D]

Pauline,

I know how you feel!!  We had a while when I felt like I couldn't do anything in the day other than 'maintain' Anna - milk feeds, solid food and nappy changes!  It is starting to improve, though ...Even though the routine hasn't changed much she is getting faster at eating and I am getting smarter at mean planning, and preparing things in advance, so that we can 'eat and go' more swiftly than we used to.

We have a milk feed immediately on waking, and solids later - generally just before the next sleep. So we can generally be changed, fed and out of the house within 45 minutes of her waking up. Giving us a bit less than 2 hours to be out and then get back for milk and sleep again.  She refuses to sleep anywhere except at home, so I keep the milk feeds as close to sleeps as possible, to maximise the block of time when we can be out.

I sort of feel like I'm cheating if I give her 'snacks' when out, but as others have said, it's not as if it is all she easts every day. So I think maybe I need to stop thinking of them as 'instead of a meal' and consider them to be a mobile meal!

[lyndsy_p]

Pauline baby mum mums are rice rusks, like a surf board shaped rice cracker. Graesha loves them!

Cathy...love the term "mobile meal"!

Alison...I know I'm trying to measure here, but how much solids "should" a 8 month LO have. I have been sooooo focused on milk that I think she may eat less for her age. She is drinking at least 28oz of BM for sure.

Lyndsy

[lovedtodeath]

Pauline and Lyndsey, a link for you... how much solids how often? not exaclty babywhispering friendly, but take the info and adapt as needed.

And another one: solid foods

The way I look at your problem is this Pauline, the Babywhispering technique is as good as it helps me and my family. If it makes things harder then it is time to adapt. I had the same situation, and now I always let Jake nurse and nap whenever he wants if I am running errands. I carry him in the babycarrier and he is happy, I am happy, my life is easier. He still takes 2 hour naps in bed when he is at home. His eating solids is all over the place, and I cannot count on them to keep him full, so sometimes he nurses once or twice more in a day. But the routines and techniques in the book and on these forums are invaluable, and I am so glad I have the knowledge at my disposal!

He is 7 and a half months now! Where did the time go? Has 2 teeth, working on five more (they are halfway out, took a picture it is sooo cute!) and trying to walk and crawl (not sure which he wants to do, but he is so chubby I think walking won't work). It is a magical age! Enjoy the good parts  don't stress about your routine so much.

[jaylabliss]

Just want to say "loved to death" that is great advice!! I really need to hear that every so often!!! 

[Lippy Chick]

Lyndsy,  I think the alternative here must be rice cakes, they sound similar.

Thanks Lovedtodeath.  Haven't read the links yet, but will when I get time.  We're not getting much sleep at the moment as Alice is waking at all hours of the night since Saturday.  Think it's linked to separation anxiety.  Great!!!  So just feeling a bit tired at the moment too, which compounds different situations.  I normally do feel fairly relaxed about everything and do realise that all stages will pass.

I do know what Lyndsy is saying about amounts of solids, because I sometimes feel Alice isn't eating enough for her age, but she is gaining weight at the same rate, so she must be fine.  One thing the HV suggested, was to give finger foods and then when she looks like she's finished, give her some yoghurt because giving something else will make her eat more.  She has done that yesterday and today and has eaten a bit more. Don't want to get into a situation like before when she was holding out for the petit filous.  So far, so good.  I also gave it to her on the spoon today, she moved the spoon from one hand to the other and kept it the right way round.  Then put it on her tray and she ate a bit more.

Thanks all for your support, help and advice.

Pauline

[lilmonkey]

Marking my spot.  Hope to join you ladies soon.

[lovedtodeath]

Some links (I hope you can see these and those in the link)

BLW

Baby Led Weaning

Maybe you could be more specific on which links you needed, and let us know if you can see these. 

Jaylabliss, thanks so much. I am on an attachment parenting forum and this one, and some times I feel like I don't belong on either one, so the encouragement is appreciated! Incidently, I told the attachment parenting mommies about a couple of Tracy's techniques and they were very grateful, they thought the only option was CIO, or be a martyr. So now I feel so much better in both forums 

[lyndsy_p]

According to those links, lovedtodeath my Grae is eating tonnes....Makes me feel better! She has been hungry at 6am instead of 7am 2 days in a row now. Must be the increased mobility as she is crawling and pulling up on everything.

Lyndsy

[Lippy Chick]

Lyndsy,

To maybe get more into Grae you could try giving her more than one food, of course, you may already do this.  Tonight we gave Alice sweet potato and as we were having oven chips, we gave her some of those too.  When she seemed finished with the sweet potato we gave her an oven chip and she ate half of that.  Not much agreed, but it is a bit more than she would've eaten had we not offered something different.

Pauline

[lyndsy_p]

Yes Pauline...we do this to keep her interested as well. If all else fails, we pull out the avocado...she loves that.

[lovedtodeath]

Baby mum mum's are rusks, or teething biscuits made with rice flour

[lovedtodeath]

Well, I thought Jake would not eat food because he was constipated. After a poo he ate good for one day and now he is back to not eating. He wants to grab my food but will only taste it, if even that, and will not eat the food I give him. (A lot of my food gags him, or is not appropriate, like a powdered sugar donut) He still tries to eat paper though and threw up three times to get paper towel out of his throat.  I am sure he knows what is good for him to eat. Meanwhile he is nursing even more and I am trying to follow his cues but I am starting to stress over it and want to do a strict schedule for a few days to get him straightened out. All of this after my great response to Pauline  I guess I am just in a different mood now. We are leaving for Disney World and I was hoping he would be eating more food now so Daddy could take him more and I could spend more time with Emily. Well, I ordered some RTF formula nursettes, so at least we will have those, I have been warned that I will have leaking and or clogged ducts if I use them though. I need encouragement.