Baby Led Weaning Support Thread - Part 6!

[~Karen~]

Hi gals (and guys)!  DS2 is 5 months old now so not long now till the fun on weaning begins again!  Want to give BLW a bit of a go this time so will give the thread a read back and then might be asking a few questions! 

[inoella]

Welcome Karen! We're having lots of fun with BLW.    Really just starting to take off now at almost 9 months but each LO is different! 

Today DD tried corn on the cob - sooooooooooooooo cute! She loved it.

Her favorite thing is still avocado.  Is it possible to over do it with that?  Just wondering...

[Mrs Coops]

Jaci go with the obsessions before you know it she won't touch it again! Two weeks ago DD couldn't eat enough peppers, raw or cooked. I always had to have pre dinner nibbles so she could graze on them as I cooked. Won't touch them now, go figure? Cherry tomatoes are top now!

[inoella]

Marsha - too funny! Avacado's been a fave for a while now but everything else comes and goes. She gobbled up a bunch of peas tonight after passing on them every other time.

[Mrs Coops]

We've had to hide the fruit during certain obsessions, bananas were referred to as 'the yellow fruit' and oranges were o's, otherwise she would go mad if she didn't get them! During one car journey (where she slept for most of it) she ate five tiny oranges

[Manueli]

LOL, we used to do that with my sister (who is 10 years younger than me). We would just read banana from back to front (ananab).

[Whatbit]

FOund out DS likes grapefruit.  I don't even really like grapefruit!  DS has had a really good variety of foods now I can plan meals for DH and myself that DS can also eat, or make a slightly different version for him that is chunkier or has omitted salt or whatever.  Last night we had skillet lasagna and just before adding the sauce I took some out for DS and just put in diced tomatoes for him vs. the spaghetti sauce in ours.  He had a lovely messy time and the ricotta cheese seemed to make it easier for him to pick up the corn I added.

[anielasmommy]

i always just give Aniela whatever im eating. i dont modify it at all. she gets salt too but i also eat exceptionally healthy meals and am on her diet for elimination anyways. i dont worry about a little salt for flavoring. if she were eating processed or ready made meals it would be different but all we eat are homemade and organic whole foods

[*Ali*]

Be careful though Kami as babies can only handle 1g salt per day or it can damage their kidneys. And a gram is such a small amount, just a pinch really. You would be surprised how many foods naturally have salt/sodium in that you wouldn't expect. Even vegetables.

[anielasmommy]

WOW i never knew that! you would think they would tell you something like that at the pead before you start solids!!!

[*Ali*]

We get given a text book here in UK but it is left to us to read it along with the many leaflets they give us

[Manueli]

We have a food guide in Canada where they tell you how much salt babies can eat, but my pead didn't mention anything either (not even the food guide). You should also be careful since 1g salt is (I believe) 0.4g sodium and most foods have the sodium and not salt content stated on the side of the box.

[*Ali*]

Yes I think you're right Manuela. It is all very confusing. I understand how some parents get confused. This news story is rather scary - I was actually thinking of buying some Ready Brek. Although I would have checked the packet first and seen it was not good for babies :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/404667.stm

Anyway I'm getting us slightly off topic so getting back on, I was keen to do BLW but when it comes to it I always think "oh no I better puree that or he'll choke". I have fed him beans whole (baked beans with the sauce washed off from my lunch - just a few) and he was Ok squashing them with his little gums. What else do you think is safest for a paranoid mummy to feed as a first finger food? He also has plain oat cakes and rusks but tends to just suck it and then throw it on the floor when it gets soggy. I gave him a piece of banana the other day and he looked at it all over his little hand and burst into tears! Could just have been coincidence.  Strange because he doesn't seem to mind getting the purees on his hands (and everywhere else).

[Whatbit]

steamed sticks of butternut squash or sweet potato smush up really nice but are also good for LOs to hold onto.

[Mrs Coops]

Yes that news story is worrying but what on earth were they thinking feeding him what they did at three months old?

I never worried about the salt content in fresh fruit or veg as it would only be trace amounts and you certainly can't quantify it! I just manually calculated what she had in what we cooked or bought. It certainly opened my eyes to how much salt there is in some foods. She loved crumpets, it was only after she bolted her first (and last) one down I checked the packet and discovered there was 1.1g of salt PER crumpet, I was horrified!

Broccoli is a fab first finger food, and pretty much gag free as they gum at the florets (best not overcooked or it just falls apart) so don't really take off chunks. Cucumber and tomato wedges are good, especially freezing cold if they're teething. Cauliflower is also good as well!

Did you 'feed' him baked beans or let him play?

BLW is all about letting them pick it up and eat it. Or you hand them foods that are a little slippery! If you're worried about choking keep him sat in your lap while he feeds then you can solve any issues if they arise. DD only ever 'choked' on cooked carrots, and she dealt with it herself. All other issues were gagging, not choking! But they do make it sound dramatic!