Baby Led Weaning Support Thread - Part 6!

[waffler]

What about for the interim u put bit size pieces in his bowl so he won't get anything bigger? Then he may get used to bigger pieces gradually?

[Manueli]

Thanks Ladies. We started cutting everything that is harder into really thin slices (like apple, pear, etc.). That reduces the choking a bit. I also finally got around and learned about first aid for little babies, very helpful.

[Whatbit]

I'm joining in here to find out more!  DS started solids recently and I've been offering purees of various consistencies- letting him grab the spoon and shove it in his mouth, etc.  What do you guys do regarding the allergy recommendations out there for offering one new food at a time for 3-5 days or so to make sure there are no reactions?  Also, are you just offering whatever you're having for dinner in a slightly different format (eg. no sauces/ extra spices)?  I'm new to this concept but would like to offer DS a more hands-on approach to his food but still keep safe, IYKWIM.  I'm going to give DS banana tomorrow for the first time and was thinking of just letting him go at it as it's a soft/safe food... Thanks!! 

[First Time Mom]

I do stick with the 3 day rule and only offer a new food every 3 days (or even less). If you offer more than that and they have a reaction it's much tougher to figure out what they reacted to.

For dinner, we like to have ds sit with us at the table in his highchair, I really feed him his solids much earlier on his own but I do give him a little something to play with and nibble at. It keeps him busy and makes him feel like he's part of us. 99% of the time I do a steamed veggie with our dinners so I usually steam up a few extra pieces of one of the items for him (I don't add butter or salt or anything). He's getting pretty good at picking up and eating the steamed veggies.

Caution on the banana, I've read about a number of los gagging on banana as it is one of those foods that they just really mush up and can potentially take in too much of in one mouth full. With both my dd and ds I pureed the banana initially, then cut up in very small pieces later on. Banana can also be constipating- with my ds it really bothered his tummy and we actuallys stopped banana after 2 days.

[Whatbit]

Thanks!  I have him on some other non-constipating foods like pear so I think he'll be fine as long as I only give him the banana at breakfast and th others foods throughout the day.  I think I'll mash the banana and just see if he wants to pick at it with his hands if he wants to- don't need any excitement from choking over here!!  Thanks for your advice.  I'll stick with the 3 day rule for now.  There aren't any allergies in my family or in DH's but I don't want to have any here either!!

[Mrs Coops]

We never did the three day rule, sometimes she had three new foods at one meal with no problems! We never puréed anything so her body digested it as it developed! Banana was also her first ever solid, we handed her half a small banana, she mashed it in her hand and stuffed it in her mouth, no choking. It's quite slimy so just slithered down her throat, if we gave it chopped up or in slices it was too slippery for her to pick up!

[Whatbit]

DS liked the taste of the banana but didn't seem too sure about the texture.  I gave him some and he just held it in his fist and looked me   I mashed some as well and fed him and he did end up putting some in his mouth on his own... a little bit of gagging, but I think that's because it's the first real 'texture' he's had because his cereal is really smooth and the pears I made, even though they're not totally smooth, mush really easy in comparison.  Anyways, we'll keep trying it over the next few days and then add something new.  He eats squash already so I might try steaming some fat sticks and offer him that next... 

[*Liz*]

Banana is a slimy old thing for them really - J was always rubbish with it until he was old enough to hold a big chunk and nibble it. HATED it mushed up though. These days he prefers to have the whole banana (skin and all) to bite as he pleased.

We did really struggle to get J to pick up anything slimy (so all fruits and veggies) and still do sometimes. He really isn't keen on getting his hands dirty.

J's first successful fingers food was toast fingers. He did gag a few times but nothing major.

[Mrs Coops]

Liz I have a pig for a daughter, she eats everything except egg! Not sure if it's because of BLW or if she would always have been a good 'eater'! I am a very fussy eater and love watching her tuck into everything I hate! I am hoping number two will be as good.

[*Liz*]

Whereas my very picky eater WILL eat egg - how bizarre!!

Jacob doesn't like mucky hands full stop (he will stop painting and ask you to clean his hands, or fuss with a piece of toast to get the crumbs off even if they are teeny) I assume this is a personality thing really.

I'm pretty sure I will do a pure BLW approach with number 2 as well as I am quite convinced of its benefits having ended up doing a mixture with DS1.

[heidiruthie]

re. bananas, samuel only just started grabbing the entire thing and eating it without gagging a few days ago. he now does really well with taking a large bite, mashing it up a bit, then spitting out what he can't swallow into his hand. really gross, but it works! also, i think someone on this board recommended this to me months ago, but a great idea to enable them to pick up smaller pieces of banana is to coat the pieces in baby rice cereal first. it keeps the stickiness factor down. bananas naturally split into thirds down the center, so i would cut the banana in half, separate it into 3 long pieces, then coat those pieces in cereal. worked great for us!!

[Mrs Coops]

Liz, having had such a success with S I am afraid I have become very anti puree! The book by Gill Rapley really convinced me it's the only way to wean! We've never bought any baby food of any kind, all weaning spoons were given away! I'm sure the big company's that make baby food would fight BLW and find some way to make it seem bad or unnatural!
 The only problem we have ever had is knowing when she's finished, now she can talk we have to figure out what she REALLY wants. At the moment she asks for all the fruit she can see in the fruit bowl only to not eat it, but have a screaming fit when we say no! Toddlers are such a joy!

[Jiinx]

speaking of big bites - is it harder to digest, you think? My lo is doing great with picking half sized grapes, gumming soft potatoes and turnips - however without any teeth, she gums off big pieces sometimes and swallows them without a problem. Could this cause stomach discomfort or difficulty in digestion? She cries after eating sometimes..but I'm not sure what she's having a reaction to..

[Mrs Coops]

Jiinx, we gave DD massive chunks of potato when she was 7 months old, she just got stuck in as it broke up naturally! She ate grapes and dried apricots cut in half, she loved them but they always came out the other end completely undigested! It never caused her any discomfort. We keep trying grapes every so often but they are the one item that her digestive system hasn't got to grips with yet!

We never gave her apple as it always seemed too hard. Then one day I was sat on the floor playing with her while I ate an apple, she crawled over took it off me and started eating! She must have been about 10 months old and had four teeth, 2top and two bottom incisors. By giving her the whole apple there was no risk of choking as she couldn't bite big chunks!

[Whatbit]

bananas naturally split into thirds down the center, so i would cut the banana in half, separate it into 3 long pieces, then coat those pieces in cereal. worked great for us!!

heidiruthie- great tip about the cereal!  I tried it this morning for DS's banana and he had a much easier time holding it!!!  Thanks!