Baby-Led Weaning Support Thread #1

[Bryony]

Hi Pauline - I'm also UK! 

Glad your HV is a bit more progressive than mine - mine was horrified that I was not spoon-feeding...     But yes I think BLW is great - it's wonderful seeing Katie learn to feed herself. She's not yet eating much, but she is getting so much better at picking it up, putting it in her mouth and then swallowing what gets into her mouth.  And I love the fact that we sit down and eat our meals together and I get to eat mine too rather than feeding Katie 

In terms of sterilising - I don't bother sterilising anything.  I'm BF so I don't have to worry about bottles in any case - and I figure that by now Katie is picking up everything (toys, grass, worms...) and putting it in her mouth so sterilising the stuff her food touches feels a bit mad. Our HVs say that everything *should* be sterilised - my personal decision is not to.

Re the colours of food - I hadn't heard of that. I think the first thing Katie actually ate was broccolli - it just depends what they find easy to pick up and fancy eating. I tend to give Katie whatever we are eating (providing it isn't inappropriate in terms of salt content, nuts, sugar content etc) and she can choose to eat it, ignore it, or play with it...

I am sure you will enjoy!

Bryony

[Cathy_D]

Pauline - Welcome!!

We're in the UK too, and I've never heard the thing about colours. Then again, I've got a HV who hasn't heard of BLW, and am already convinced that there is absoltuely no consistency in any of the advice people get given in different places!!  My understanding of BLW is that, aside from avoiding the really obvious risk-foods (honey, peanuts etc), you just offer them whatever you think sensible and see what they go for.

On sterilization, I don't see any need to sterilize 'food' related things for her since EVERYTHING she can lift goes in her mouth at the moment... toys, clothes, other people's fingers (!) none of which are sterile.

According to my HV, the only thing we need to worry about sterilising at this age is bottles/teats/anything in contact with milk. I believe that this is because it is such a nutritious liqud that nasties bug and germ type things grow in it very happily!  

Anyway - after lurking here for AGES I think the time has come to actually start DD on solids - DH is on holiday this next week so will be at home with us, and since he is bound to miss lots of her 'firsts' I thought it would be nice to share this one with him. And he will be on hand if we have any choking (sorry, I mean gagging!!) to deal with    She's only 2 weeks off 6 months, and is showing much interest in food, and enjoys sitting in her high chair watching my eat, whilst chewing her own spoon!!  So, now seems the time!  Wish us luck ...

[Lippy Chick]

Hi and thanks for the welcome.

Interesting what you say about sterilising, I think I'm probably with you, we don't sterilise any of her toys and she sucks away on her muslin etc. 

My HV told me that she did BLW with her children (who are 20 and 14) and she used to work in a different area before working in my local GP surgery (she just started the week Alice was born) and suggested it to all the parents in that clinic.  I'm going to ask to meet up with her and have a proper chat about it when we get back from our hols.  I really like my HV, she seems so sensible and well read, she seems to know a lot about a variety of different things.  We get on really well.

We haven't bought a high chair yet, can people suggest any which would be good for BLW.  By the looks of things we're going to need a mat for the floor as well.

Cathy, will be very interested to see how you get on, what you start with and how it goes etc.

[Bryony]

Pauline - wow, sounds great! 

In terms of high chairs, we have the Tripp Trapp which doesn't have a tray and so goes right up to our table. It was expensive but I absolutely LOVE it (it looks like a proper piece of furniture, is easy to clean, and will last her till she's a grown-up), and so does Katie. I'm at my parents'  house this week and so we have a booster seat, and it's really highlighted to me how much better Katie's posture is in the Tripp Trapp.  We also have a TinyDiner mat which goes on the table, which I put Katie's food on to stop it sliding around, and it has a little tray to catch food that slides off the table or out of Katie's mouth. And yes, a wipe-clean mat or an old shower curtain on the floor if you have carpets!

Bryony

[Lippy Chick]

Bryony.  Thanks for the info on high chairs, I'll have a look at that one. 

I bought wee freezer trays with lids (the beaba ones) and will probably not use them, I also bought wee plates and will probably use them, purely because I have them now.  I like your shower curtain idea, we do indeed have carpets and so will need something on them.  Thankfully they're not new or anything and will probably be preplacing them in a few years time anyway. 

I've sent round an e-mail to friends today asking if any of them have done BLW.  It has certainly prompted a lively discussion.  Mostly aimed around "will they get enough to eat?" and "what if they choke?" "will it turn them into snackers?".  I don't really have issues with any of these.  Also friends with children a bit younger than Alice are interested in how I get on.

About the sterilising.  I bought a doidy cup (on the recommendation of my HV) and have been sterilising it every time I want to give her water in it.  Hence, I haven't really used it very much.  When I do, she does seem to like it, so if I don't sterilise it, I'll probably use it after each meal and really get her used to it.

[Corinne's Mommy]

Miki- I'm also guilty of loading up a spoon full of food and handing it to my lo!  I want her to be able to eat oatmeal a yogurt- although it makes quite a mess!  I tried putting the spoon in her mouth but she wouldn't open her mouth unless she was holding it.  We're creating some independent little ones!

Bryony- I'm sure you can find a safety feeder somewhere online- I know Target.com carries it as part of the "sassy feeding gift set" but it includes a lot more than the feeder (they call it a teething feeder) and the kit is $19.99.  I wanted to ask you about the kinds of foods you feed Katie.....she's about Corinne age and I'm in need of some new ideas! What are Katie's favorites?

Cathy-I started Corinne about the same time- 2 weeks shy of six months.  It will be fun to hear how your lo takes to solid food!

Ashlee

[Bryony]

Ashlee - I'd love to hear what Corinne's favourites are too!  Katie's are cheese on toast, broccoli, cauliflower, rusks, bread and butter, toast, rice cakes..  - bit of a carb addict like her mum    She hasn't really managed to eat any other fruits or veg as she doesn't seem to like touching anything wet and slimy.  She touches it, pulls a yuck face and then ignores it.

Cathy - I made those rusks you posted the recipe for! They worked out fine, although they are more like crispbread rolls (good to knaw on) rather than Farleys rusks (which dissolve easily in the mouth).  I had to add a lot more flour than the recipe said to make the dough dry enough to knead. Maybe I added too much milk by mistake...  Katie enjoys sucking and chewing on them, but I don't think any of it makes it tummy-wards!  So thanks for posting this.

Bryony x


Bryony

[Corinne's Mommy]

Bryony- I tired toast tonight and Corinne loved it!  She smashed it all over her tray first and then ate it in pieces.  I think we'll add some cheese soon.  Corinne's absolute favorite is pears- but in the safety feeder.  She also loves peaches, nectarine (also in the feeder) orange melon, sweet potatoes, avocado spread on wheat pita or rice cake, and today she ate plum and loved it!  It's the perfect size fruit for little hands.  I just cut it in half, peeled it and she was able to pick it up really well.  We've tried a lot of other foods that she's not interested in- or that she has gags on.  I know I should keep trying those foods, but I enjoy trying new things with her.   I'm still waiting three days in between news foods (for the most part) which seems to take forever.  I'm anxious for the day when we can just give her what we're eating- then we'll be forced to eat much healthier!

[Aly Mac]

Hi everyone,  you find that you will end up cleaning up constantly anyway so in a way things are always clean for them!

I gave L some torteline last night - she loved it. Ate 6 piecs and got quite cranky when I tried to break it in pieces for her... mind you she also had tummy ache (I think that's what the crying for 2hrs was.  ) so maybe the tomatoe sauce on it was not a great idea.  I want to try and make some next time, so I can put veges and things in there for her.

Glad everyone is going so well.!! we have clever bubs don't we (comes from the clever mums I reckon !)

[Bryony]

Ashlee - sounds good!  I still haven't found a UK source of the safety feeder... but Katie is gettig a bit better at pickiing things up so hopefully she will soon be able to eat fruits...  glad Corinne loved the toast!

Bryony x

[DJs mummy]

Bryony - I have seen a safe mesh feeder thing in Babies R Us I'm sure.

I still lurk on here.  Hannah seems to be wanting to go more down the BLW route these days (down right refusing anything on a spoon right now) so I'm desperately trying to find things I can give her. What do you all give for breakfast?

[Bryony]

Oh thanks Hazel! I will see if they have it on line.  Breakfast - we do toast, or rusks - have also tried weetabix with a bit of EBM...  usually also offer some fruit but Katie struggles to pick it up.

Bryony

[DJs mummy]

Have you tried Katie with apple?  I don't even steam it or anything.  Just cut a chunk and she gnaws on it for ages.  It's not that slimy or slippy so she can usually keep hold of it long enough.

Here's a link to a mesh feeder thing:
http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.aspx/BruHome/BruFeeding/BruFeedingMunchkin/390275

[Bryony]

Hazel - thanks so much, I think I will order one!  Yes have tried apple - she can now pick it up but doesn't seem interested - it goes straight onto the floor...!  Obviously she is telling me she doesn't need any vitamin C right now...

Bx

[Lippy Chick]

Sorry for not replying, we haven't had access to our computer for the past couple of days.

This has probably already been dealt with, but when do you give them the solids?  In the BW book it suggests milk first then solids (actually it says to do solids first then milk in one section and then the other way round in another section), if I'm feeding her milk (formula) at e.g. 7am and she goes back to sleep at 9am, when is best to give her solids? 

Has anyone found that their babies are becoming snackers as a result of this way of feeding? 

We're off on holiday for a week tomorrow, so will probably be back on line in a week.