Baby Led Weaning Support Thread - Part 10

[*Ali*]

Erica have you tried avocado just in crescent shapes?
I tried a little banana porridge today with breast milk. I put the first spoon in his mouth so he'd get the taste but then gave the loaded spoon to him. He wasn't overly keen I suppose but it all disappeared and not all of it was down his front so I guess some got eaten. Hehe.

[amayzie]

yeah ali- that's pretty much how you judge... that and looking at the poo hmm... nice! I've become very good at judging how much food is on the floor..

[Zoey]

Banana was terrifying.  He took a HUGE bite, I mean cheeks filled, like a chipmunk.  Then gag, gag, loud gag - and out some came.  It was ok and I let him continue, but then he did it again so I took it away.  I'm sure that isn't right, but I just couldn't deal!

THEN, I was changing him at naptime, and was brushing his teeth, and found a piece of banana stuck to the roof of his mouth, about the size of a thumb print.  I'm so glad I found it. 

All in all this really seems to be working for Wyatt, I hope I can calm down some.

<3

[amayzie]

Great zoey! I discovered a check of the mouth ever once in a while after a meal is always good! Hamish takes big mouthfuls too- but i really think the gag reflex is a teaching method- it's how we learn to take smaller bites, or at least how we learn to not put so much in our mouths!! Is that wyatt in the avatar? If so- he certainly has a big mouth ;P !! Soo happy!!

[Zoey]

Rofl he sure does!!  He had just pulled up for the first time and was yelling -he was so pleased! 

You're so right about the gag and learning.  I gotta chill!

[katie80]

Hi Zoey - Banana is really difficult, I've found, because it's so easy for them to get big chunks and then break the rest in pieces as they grab it.  G has done the same every time I've given him one: gets a big hunk in, gags and mushes it around, some comes out, and he swallows some.  But, then the rest isn't big enough for him to continue and he gets frustrated. 

creations - You're right about the bigger size pieces.  I finally realized all my sticks were too small.  I cooked a chicken in the crock pot this weekend to make some stock and had onions, carrots, and celery in with it.  After I strained it, I looked at the carrot pieces and thought, why in the world am I going to throw these out or use them for something else, let's give them a try.  They were much bigger, and G had much more success.

[Zoey]

That's brilliant Katie!

[eshea]

Zoey, I'm nervous about choking and gagging like you.  I gave Connor a hard boiled egg today with cheese and tomato sauce.  It was mushed in a bowl but still had some decent sized pieces of egg white.  He was so dramatic with the gagging.  It was cleary  his way of telling me that he didn't care of the texture.  Once I mashed it up a bit more he was quite happy with it!

Ali, we do like avocado (I give it to him in chunks but should start crescents) and he likes banana semi-circles.  I did some squash squares the other day that were good and he handled well.  I never thought about the larger pieces being better.  Is that because they have to mush them up more with their gums?

I've been feeling so lazy with preparing Connor's food lately.  I am not nearly as good at introducing new things as I was with my daughter - I think because life is just so busy now.  I should be braver about giving him what we're eating. 

[amayzie]

Erica- if you are preparing stuff for your other little one you should be able to give most of it to your guy- how old is he again? He's a fraction older than my guy isn't he? I think that the message in the BLW book is that if they can manage it in their hands then they should be ready to have it in their mouths (excepting of course choking hazards like nuts, other hard small foods, object). So- if your guy can pick up a blueberry then he should be able to manage it. Wheras if he can't and you pop it into his mouth for him then he may not be. Also- when they have the foods in their hands they get a bit of warning about what the texture is... (you know that bit already of course..) The bigger pieces can be better as they have to sort of gnaw a bit off i guess and then they are less likely to slip the whole thing in. Remember you can always give Connor his food and just offer him a small amount of the other food you are already preparing for your DD- for a test/experiment on his part. Then you dont have to worry about the amounts he's getting from the other foods at least..

Make sense? It sort of only sideways addresses your questions i think!!

[*Ali*]

I thought the bigger pieces were so they could hold it and bite or suck it rather that just shove it in and not be deciding themselves how big it should be.

I steamed a load of butternut squash and sweet potato today and will try it tomorrow.

[amayzie]

Also the bigger pieces are because the little babies (6 months) don't have the ability to eat the food in the palm of their hands, or reposition the foods.. so you need a 'handle' on the foods...

[eshea]

Sure Katy, that makes sense.  He's good with his fine pinchers already - cheerios, stuck-to-tray avocado, blueberry halves, etc.  I'll see about making some larger steamed items.  My laziness about them is that they don't seem to freeze as nicely, and preparing for him at the same time as my daughter just get to be a chore.  However, he could probably eat more of what we all have so I just need to go for it!  Connor is 9mths and handful of days.  My daughter will be 4 in April. 

[amayzie]

Yeah- freezing is tricky- I often lay out the stuff i want to freeze on a tray in the freezer and then once it;s frozen put it in a bag- stops it all sticking together...

[*Ali*]

Erica, what I often do is whatever veg we have for dinner after Lo is in bed I keep a few pieces in the fridge overnight and give it to him the next day. I imagine you have meat and veg with your dinner you can save for him.

[eshea]

I did that tonight, Ali.  We all eat at the same time and tonight was pasta with roasted veg.  I pulled out the veggies I wanted him to try before I mixed the dish for us (with some salt, balsamic v, and garlic).  He was pretty happy with the squares of squash.  I get worried about salt and then I start to think that if I'm this worried about him I should also worry about myself!!  Things certainly aren't overly salted, but we don't eat them "naked" as frequently as perhaps we should. 

Yesterday I made a boiled egg and mixed it with a cheesy tomato sauce.  He thought it was great until he got a bit that didn't have the egg white quite so mushed.  He is so dramatic with his gagging - must be a texture thing still.  I smushed it a bit more and he was happy to finish it off.  Perhaps I'm rushing him too much with the textures. My DD is just such a great eater (and always has been), I want to replicate!