Baby Led Weaning Support Thread - Part 9

[rugbykaf]

Thanks guys,

They're both coming on really well.  They make you so proud don't they, it's amazing seeing how quickly they progress.  Don't we have some clever wee babes 
 

[amayzie]

i'm going to be starting next week with solids and think i'll go down the BLW route... (i figure if i don't like it then i can always change- so what's there really to lose!!) SOOO excited!! I bought a giant splash mat months ago ready for the impending mess... some questions!

With breast feeding- i as hoping to be able to drop back to 1 feed per day by 12 months.. then continue with that till 2 (all things being equal)... does this seem to fit with how others are going with BLW and BF?

Any tips for eating at other people's houses? I go to girlfriends houses once a week and 2 of then particularly are pretty precious neat people.. we're coming into summer so i could start feeding him in the back yard and hose im off after ... but that seems a little extreme... Any helpful hints?

I've started my LO on sips of water from an open cup as i'm keen to have him have an open cup as much as possible- hopefully exclusively at home (i've clearly just started and only have one child- i know!)- any tips? Is it possible? Is it easier with a cup with handles or one without? He pretty rarely has a bottle so isn't already holding that himself...

He he- had to laugh.. was so excited reading all the posts about BLW that i almost forgot to give DS his dream feed!! Mummy fail!!

Also- sooo glad i already have my own bundle as otherwise all of these BEAUTIFUL pics would make me very clucky!! I thought the little guy in the white suit was pretty cute but then the twins are great!! I love the one in the back hasn't quite worked it out yet!! They are all too cute!!

[snowbird]

Hi Katy,

Only taken LJ to my mum's so far and that wasn't really a problem.  Could you choose your foods carefully so that LO can't make too much mess? i.e. LJ is not bad with carrot sticks but made a heap of mess when I gave her mashed banana on toast the other day.  Also, could you take a mat or a towel to put down to pick up the mess.  Have you told these friends about lbw and that you're doing it? From what I've read, in a few months they'll have messy eaters whilst your LO is munching away happily with hardly any mess lol!

I've started on the open cup - the doily cup! LJ is great with it and I'm so proud! I would never have thought a baby of 7 months could drink out of an open cup like that. I do help her but she grabs the handles and helps to tip it up and we don't have many spillages.  I'd say handles every time!  I'm just sticking with water for now so am not worried about her using it in other people's houses.  Hopefully be the time I add juice (IF lol!) we'll have no mess at all.

BW forum does that too you - easy to get carried away!

Update on LJ - had a terrible night with her waking and I think she's got cramping. Poor little thing! I feel so helpless! Took her to doctors this morning and they think it's a tummy bug.  She's been upset this morning but cheered up when she woke from her nap (on me - I might add!).  She never sleeps on me!!!!! That said, she was happier in the day yesterday and then in pain from 6 onwards   Fingers crossed!! Did get a bit of calpol into her by putting it in her milk.  That may well be helping! No solids for us at the mo anyway! Did actually mean LJ, but to be fair I've only had biscuits myself since brekkie.  Mmm - must work on that! xx

[Papaya]

Hi Katy! Welcome to the BLW adventure

I found the mess to be much less than I expected, but it does go in phases around here. After about a month she had great control and could eat with very little mess - but if she's especially tired, teething etc, she might still have a meal when she throws as much as she eats. Some foods are messier than others, and I think that's child dependent to a certain extent, so you'll soon figure out what are the safest bets to bring along/choose if you're going somewhere where you're really concerned about it. Pelican bibs are great for catching dropped food, and you can teach your LO to fish bits of food out of it again (which is incredibly cute). And hey, maybe your friends will be so impressed with his eating skills that they won't mind so much
 
12 months seems a little early to me to be dropping down to one feed per day, if you want to keep going for a while yet? We're still on four atm, I'm thinking by 12 months we'll be on 3, maybe moving to 2.

We introduced an open cup before a sippy cup, about 4 months, so that we could give F expressed milk - she never took a bottle. We used a sippy cup without the lid, so with handles. Now she generally has the lid on as it's easier for her to do on her own - but she can still drink out of an open cup with a bit of help, handy if we forget hers! I think it'd be a quite a while before she'd be able to manage it completely herself though.

Sorry to hear that LJ's still not well, snowbird. Don't forget to take care of yourself too

[creations]

what I found worked at other people's houses in the early days.  I'd sit LO on my knee with a large muslin square wrapped around his waist and tied at the back (plus a bib).  The muslin completely covered us both and acted as a good catch-all for crumbs and dropped food.  I generally paid lots of attention (well you do when they eat anyway don't you) and caught most bits of food as they dropped.  At the end of eating the muslin can be kind of folded over to keep all the bits in.  After a while I did this with him sitting on the floor, it looks a little funny but it does prevent the entire carpet getting covered in crumbs or wet mess.
It's amazing how quickly they become less messy though.  There are days now that DS (10 months) eats in his highchair I don't even need to wash it! (but I still do!)

Even in his high chair I put a muslin around DS waist and tuck it around his legs so any dropped food doesn't mess up or stain his trousers, then bib on top (I have ones with long sleeves for really messy stuff like porridge and regular ones for other food).  This way his clothes stay immaculate almost all the time.  We did get a red collar with a bowl of summer berries which were particularly juicy because the juice ran down his chin and then neck and kind of under the bib iyswim.  Also make sure you put the bib/muslin/whatever you use on the TOP of the highchair straps to prevent them getting messed up.

[rugbykaf]

Wow Creations, the muslin is a great idea.  Sometimes its the simple things! 

Thats the only thing about BLW I'm struggling with - the mess and extra washing.  We have an old house that is never really very warm so I can't really strip them down and as you can imagine they create a fair amount of washing as it is!!!

We're due to go round to a friends for lunch in the next couple of weeks so I was thinking of taking their bumbos (YKWIM?  Those little moulded seats with trays).  I was also thinking of taking a sheet or something but a couple of muslins should do the trick - I've got millions of muslins!!!

Kath

[Papaya]

yeah, we do that with the muslin too, especially when she's sitting on my knee! Forgot about that. We're lucky it's so warm here so F often eats in just a singlet and nappy. If she's really messy after lunch, we sometimes just dunk her in a bucket of water

[creations]

As for the amount of laundry - well - I often use the same muslin all day for solid food time at home.  yes it gets a bit mucky but it's only there to protect his clothes.  Then I use a separate one for food out and about, another for milk feeds and about 4 at once for his naps (his lovie is a muslin too).  I never ever have enough muslins which I think is why I keep one going on his high chair all day!

[snowbird]

Here her - what did people do before them? Lol!

LJ seems much better now altho she has a cold now and is very rattley - bless her! Thanks for all your support and well wishes xx

[beckygatt]

Sophia is 6 months now and has recovered from her cold, so I'm trying to start feeding her properly now. This morning I tried to give her scrambled egg and toast - what a mess!! . It was a bit too squishy for her to manage though. Any ideas how I can make it easier? Don't have too many ideas for bfast apart from toast...

[Papaya]

Maybe try boiled egg instead? The pieces are easier to pick up.

[beckygatt]

Oh good point! Why didn't I think of that? . I also thought about french toast though I've never made it before

[Papaya]

Yeah, F likes french toast. I add herbs to the egg before dipping the bread. Or try adding mashed banana and cinnamon, yum.

[Khalam's Mama]

omlette make quite thick is good to hold too.

[amayzie]

Breakfast ideas from the book (they have a page): (I'm not sure if you had the book or not!)

- Fresh fruit
- Homemade porridge, while cooking you can add: stewed or grated apples or pears, blackberried or blueberries, raisins, dried apricots, dates, cranberries or figs. Fruit puree, freshly ground nuts or sunflower seeds, straberries or a little molasses can be added at the table. Although porridge is usually made from oats it can also be made with rice flakes, millet flakes and quinoa flakes
-Live full fat- natural yoghurt ith fresh fruit
Scrambled egg (well cooked
- Cereal with or without milk. Cereals such as mini wheats, malted wheats, cornflakes and rice krispies are suitable for babies because they don't have high levels of sugar and salt (wheetbix can be pcked up easily if moistened with just a small amount of milk
- toast, oat cakes or rice cakes spread ith nut butter
- baked beans on toast
- cheese on toast