Baby Lead Weaning Support Thread - Part 7

[timmysmommy]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!!  I really haven't offered him anything other than fruit, steamed veggies, and cooked meat, so I think we may be trying lots of new food this trip.  I went to go to the grocery this morning- as I still wasn't over the stomach flu yesterday, and my truck wouldn't start.  The battery is dead   We leave this afternoon so I guess I'll have to try the grocery tonight.  I need to buy some mush since we are going to stay at mil's house for 2 days    I'll keep you all posted!

[olkan]

Hello!

I'm new to BLW, DD was weaned on purees and she loved it from day one, so I never actually looked around at the time. DS is 6 months old, so I tried the same thing but he rejects everything. I tried marrow, squash, sweet potato, apple and he ate one spoon, made a really disliking face and then refused to open his mouth again. With DD still a great eater, I was quite puzzled and started to think about BLW as DS is interested in food and tries to grab the spoon off me and put it in his mouth, but just dislikes purees. I gave him a thick aspargus today and he chewed on it for ages. So I think I'm going to give it a try. I have my first questions:
- shall I steam things like apples or pears - they are quite hard?
- how do I give berries like blueberries or grapes? I'm just scared he'll the put the whole thing in his mouth?
- how do I give runny things - DD LOVES soups and cereal, so we are having a lot of those, and we don't eat bread. Could I help him with the spoon with just the watery part of the soup (not chunks of vegetables)?
- I love spices and I taught DD to eat them from quite an early age, she's obviously not having chillies, but I do add pepper and other spices. Shall I cook without anything?

Just a general concern: DD took a while to learn to self feed, but she is totally independent now and is a VERY clean eater. She asks for a napkin and cleans herself and she hates to be dirty. We don't have bibs any more at home. I always thought that's because I'd always clean her right away when spoon feeding her or when she had finger foods, just taught her a habit. I can't imagine her getting hands into puree or mashed potato really. It was important for me to teach her food is not to be played with, and we eat neatly. So I guess I will need to brace myself to see DS getting hands into yogurt or cottage cheese)... but more importantly, if he does that, that teaches him dirty and messy is ok, will he ever develop a feeling having food all over him is not nice?

Any other first starter tips? I want to start tomorrow and see how we go from there.
TIA!

[Whatbit]

- shall I steam things like apples or pears - they are quite hard?

I did at the beginning when I offered wedges.  ALso, whole soft pears or peeled apples are great once they have tteth because they really can't get big chunks off.

how do I give berries like blueberries or grapes? I'm just scared he'll the put the whole thing in his mouth?

I give blueberries whole as they are really soft and just mush up.  I always cut grapes (seedless ones) in half.  DS LOVES them!

- how do I give runny things - DD LOVES soups and cereal, so we are having a lot of those, and we don't eat bread. Could I help him with the spoon with just the watery part of the soup (not chunks of vegetables)?

I often strain soup to get rid of some of the liquid and just give him a bowl of the chunks and give him a spoon to use, which he now uses a bit, but when he was younger he just used his hands.  For soups that are totally smooth (cream of potatoe or the like), I put it in a small cup and he drinks it like a smoothie.

I love spices and I taught DD to eat them from quite an early age, she's obviously not having chillies, but I do add pepper and other spices. Shall I cook without anything?

I introduced spices early too but did it as if they were new foods, so every couple of days (I know some people on here do that and others don't so i't smore of personal preference thing) to make sure they were ok.  Now he eats sooo many different flavours; it's fabulous!  Just watch salt and you're good to go.

So I guess I will need to brace myself to see DS getting hands into yogurt or cottage cheese)... but more importantly, if he does that, that teaches him dirty and messy is ok, will he ever develop a feeling having food all over him is not nice?

Yes, BLW does end to be very messy, but my DS was taught early on that food is not to be played with.  He doesn't throw food on the floor andrarely drops any there by accident.  He's now eats out of bowls and cups and plates and is gettign very good with utensils.  If he starts wo play with his food, I knwo that he's finished and take him to get cleaned up right away.  It also really depends on personality.  Soem kids are just really clean and others are messier.  Be patient with it all!
Good luck tomorrow!!  My only major suggestion is to make sure the food are all in nioce sticks or chunks that are easy to hold on to and that they are soft, but not to the point that sqeezing a bit will make them fall apart- that can be frustrating for your LO at the beginning.  It does take a bit of time for them to get the hang of things but you'll be so impressed in a month so so by how much progress your LO has made!!  have fun!

[~Sarah~]

Hey guys I have a quick question:

We are on 3 x day solids for quite some time and that is great.  The problem is I don't think she is nursing enough.  I know this is BL, but she down to only 3 BF a day and only the first in the morning seems to be a full feed.  We were doing BF first in am then food first and BF second.  I turned lunch around to BF first to see if whe would take more but it does not seem to be making a difference.

Also, should I be giving her water with her solids?  She is EBF

WWYD


Olkan-  The mess only lasted here for about the first month or so.  Now I can't even get a cute messy baby pic bc she eats everything so cleanly...even pasta with red sauce!!  She too can feed herself with a loaded spoon for some of the runnier stuff.  Throwing a table cloth or spread garbage bags under the high chair to catch what falls at first, or if you have a baby booster seat you can set on a table works great.

DD eats all of our food including spices...and that includes hot chiles.  I made Pasole last night and she loved it!!  I was worried it might be too hot but not for my little firecracker.  The only thing I change is I cook with a lot less salt which is good for all of us.
Otherwise I think PP covered everything I do as well.

[olkan]

Thanks Ladies  all make sense. We're on for 2 days now, DS already had steamed broccoli and cauliflower, chicken, rice cracker, pasta, steamed pear, banana, melon and cereal. He really liked broccoli and chicken, disliked banana, and didn't want to touch the cereal - struggled to get handle of the rest. Choked on the pear though, but my husband was so cool telling how he put him face down and patted his back, that I reckon it wasn't too bad and probably DS could have managed without help, but DH is just such a yellow-belly in this respect. Anyway I think this is all good, DS is very interested in trying things, and the faces he's making are sooooo funny that the whole BLW is worth doing just for that iykwim

I have one more question - with so many different things DS is bound to try in a short timeframe, how do I isolate potential allergic reaction cause? DD hadn't been allergic until 2.5, but DS had just one spoon of steamed carrot and his butt went all red right away, so I know he might have some allergies.

Also, I work full time and DS is getting expressed BM in a bottle while I'm away - does it make any difference? It's just that all articles specifically state that BLW is for EBF babies, and no data as to how it works on bottle-fed. He's getting a bottle of EBM during the day, wondered what is the problem with the bottle if any?

[bug_blues70]

Hey Olkan - I bottlefeed and do BLW. Just make sure he still gets the right amount of EBM (what is it, 20oz per day?) and it shouldn't be a problem.

Sarah - I give Ellen water with her meals b/c I myself can't stand to eat without drinking and I don't want to give her juice. I don't think it makes a difference if LO is bottle fed or breast fed as far as water goes. IMO, it's not really for the hydration so much as the being able to wash your food down, kwim?

[*Ali*]

I definitely give water with solids. Like Megan says to wash the food down but also so Cadan can practise drinking from a cup and get use to having drinks with meals. I think, certainly in the later months, they do need extra fluids for hydration. Especially if she is already only BFing 3x per day. The WHO's recommended level is at least 4x day until at least 10mo. That is a long time to go without a drink if she isn't having water too I think.
We do BF at 7.30, 13.30 and 7.15 and solids 9.00, 11.00 (snack), 14.30 and 18.00 roughly depending on whether we do 1 or 2 naps.
 

[~Sarah~]

Thanks ladies
What I have done today bc I still did not like the idea of her nursing so little, was I had to express some bm and I gave it to her in her sippy and she drank it all down with a big smile on her face.  I think the main problem is she is spirited and can't be bothered to sit and nurse when there are so many other things to do.  Even if I sit and nurse her in her room, she will just keep sitting up and talking and trying to jump out of my arms.  I took it as she was not hungry for the milk and did not want it.
I don't pump a ton about 3-4oz, but I think I will try this and see how it goes.  With her being MSPI I want her to nurse for quite some time and I will pump for sippy drinking so i guess why not just start now!!  It really is no different than supplementing with a bottle I suppose.

[*Ali*]

That is a really good amount for her to be taking from a sippy at such a young age Sarah. Cadan is very distracted and eats best when I nurse him immediately upon waking for the day and from naps in a dim room with just the two of us in there. Otherwise forget it!

Cadan helped himself to a wasabi pea and liked it! Pulled a funny face though. Wish I had had the camera handy.

[bakershaker]

That's great Sarah that she is taking that much from a sippy. I need to work on the sippy cup! Baker was off bottles at 11 months and on a sippy...and I don't see Myla going in that direction. She has no clue what to do with her sippy cups, We've tried every single one!
  To cute about the wasabi pea:)

[~Sarah~]

Have you tried the straw type sippy?  Playtex makes nice ones!  They are nice bc both my kids seemed to get the idea of sucking through a straw, but Ryan only figured out a regular sippy a few months ago.  Also, bc you don't tip like the other sippy, it is easy to transition to an open cup.  Now at 20mo Ry uses mainly an open top cup except in the mrning when he gets a big cup of milk.  I think bc they do not do the BIG tipping action Ry figured out the cup quick.

[sianie]

Hi all!

We do the same...E has water with his meals, apart from breakfast when he sometimes has some of DD's fruit smoothie which he loves!

Well E has been feeding a bit better so I'm feeling a bit more positive! He's been eating what we eat generally (varying amounts depending on what it is!). I'm really conscious of salt amounts & use herbs & spices as much as possible.....I think LO's can have max of 1g of salt a day? How much (if any) do you add to your cooking, find it really hard to know!

[bakershaker]

Baker could only ever use the straw ones till he was about 18 months and fiqured out the tipping of the other ones. But Myla can't fiqure out the straw part either! If I lay her down with a sippy cup she will drink from it, but that kind of defeats the purpose of her using it with a meal...oh well..I will just keep trying and introduce it at every meal..eventually she should pick it up and fiqure it out..I hope! Maybe I could try a big kid cup with no lid...she would maybe get that? Hmmm....

[~Sarah~]

I have been giving El a big kid cup about once a day. She kind of gets it and then just plays and let's water roll out of her mouth.

Well TMI, but I think the problem was me not El.  I think AF was mucking up my supply.  El likes a fast flow and if it is not coming quick enough she just stops BFing.  Today we seem to be back on track with 4 BFs.

Salt and sugar wise I am not sure.  8 don't do the best of limiting either.  This is my rule of thumb, if I use canned veggies or something out of a box that I know has salt I add none (unless it is a huge pot of soup and then I just put a tiny touch on the meat) then if it is just fresh ingredients I use just a bit for a little flavor and add some on mine after.  I use about 1/4 the amount I used to use when cooking.
I am not a believer that sugar is evil as long as it is in moderation.  I also don't want it to become "the forbidden fruit" that they seek out somewhere else.  So elise has already had a crumb of homade cookie and I let Ry have one for a special treat or special snack.  Sometmes just because 8 will let Ry have graham cracker sticks as part of his lunch.

[sianie]

Sarah, I do the same with soups & stews! And I agree about sugar...if you don't allow it it comes back to bite you when they get a bit older & start going to birthday parties etc which are always a sugar fest!!