BLW - some advice please

[suzi2]

Sort of scared to start this thread after reading some of the recent ones!

Basically, we did BLW with DS (now 22 months) as he was pretty much phobic about spoons! Everyone thought we were nuts and I've spent the last 16 months defending my decisions to everyone I've met. Everytime he doesn't eat something I get comments about how their child was fed purees and eats everything etc etc.

Anyway, DD is now 4 months and we'll (all being well) be doing the same with her as it's an approach that worked well for us. The thing is I go to a PN group run by my HV and next week they're talking about weaning. I just know that she's going to ask the second time mums about weaning and I just know I'm going to have a hard time justifying all this again... and possibly never be invited to the other mums for coffee for looking like a freak! So I thought that perhaps if I went armed with some info and FAQs or something it might help me explain? My new HV is quite open minded so I think she might be interested. But she has already hinted that it'll all be puree ideas, how many cubes to feed, how to start at 4 months (as she doesn't think most babies can make it to 6).

Sorry this is long winded! Anyone got any good links (I'm lazy and knackered!) or know any good responses so I don't either end up with my back up, being preachy or being weird...

[NineUnlikelyTales]

If I were you I wouldn't go next week

[NineUnlikelyTales]

Sorry, that wasn't very helpful was it? What I meant was that if the HV is so 'traditional' in her approach and you are already anxious about having to justify yourself - which you don't have to do at all BTW, then it might be better to avoid the situation. Unless you think your HV is open minded enough not to pooh-pooh your experiences, in which case you might make a few BLW converts or at least open up the possibility that it doesn't have to be just purees.

Maybe you could sound her out in advance and get a feel for whether you are likely to be wasting your breath?

[Wallace]

I never call it "Baby Led Weaning" outside of MN(for fear of looking like a freak!0. I just say something about only giving ds2 finger food.

Something you could say is to mention how easy it is when you leave weaning til 6 monhts because then you don't need to bother with purees and mush because by that age they are beginning to be able to feed themdelves finger food.

[Wallace]

btw i had a diffeent HV to usual today, and I just happened to mention to her that I only give ds 2 finger food. And she looked a bit concerned and said "Well, it doesn't seem to have done him any harm..." She had just weighed him - he is over 26lbs at the age of 10 months!

[suzi2]

Wallace - I'm the same. I tell people we went to finger foods (not BLW) because we 'had to' due to being weird about the spoon.

NineUnlikelyTales - I think she'll be fairly receptive to the idea. It's also one of the few opportunities I have to meet other mums so I'm reluctant to miss it. But I think I might have to keep it zipped a bit.

[elsieanjoanne]

Just tell them she your dd an its what you feel is best for you an your dd good luck, many ppl will be judjmental as its a new thing to them an they dont know about it or dont know enough!

[suzi2]

Thankfully she never really asked much. I just said that we went straight to finger foods. She did spout a LOAD of nonsense about the time to wean was when they were 12lbs, very few babies can manage to 6 months as most need something before then, the sign to watch for is when they start waking, it's important that they're on 3 meals a day by 7 months for nutrients. etc etc. I kept [zipped] very well . I could have challenged her I suppose, but the other mums were all taking it in and agreeing (as most have started weaning) so I think it would have been pointless.

[ruddynorah]

you might be surprised you know. i went along to a weaning 'talk' by the HVs when dd was 17 weeks. i thought it would be all about puree and it wasn't. the HV talked about blw (didn't call it that though!). however, of the 10 or so mums in the group i was the only one who hadn't already started weaning my 17 week old.

[suzi2]

That's great ruddynorah - is that HV good in other ways too? We need to breed from her lol. TBH, I fully expected this HV to be a bit more up to date with her info. She's the one I thought was reliable! When we were leaving, one of my friends who has a 17wk old DD and was hoping to wait until about 6 months said "oh, she's almost 14lbs now so maybe we should be doing it". aaarrrghghgh!

[NeverEndingPileOfLaundry]

Suzi2 - I am going to a weaning talk next week as well. I am aiming to get my currently 20 week old DD to 6 months before I start weaning. Having lurked on a few weaning threads the BLW approach appeals to me (if nothing else I am lazy and purees seem like alot of work!!)

I suspect that the talk I am going to will be all about cubes as well, but am going along out of interest to see what they have to say. If anyone were to talk about 'finger foods' I would be interested, so try not to worry. There are probably others out there too.

[Habbibu]

"She did spout a LOAD of nonsense about the time to wean was when they were 12lbs". Good God - just checked red book, and we'd have been weaning at 4 WEEKS, in that case (in fact, N was 12lb 6 1/2 oz at that point, so probably late, according to your HV). That's pretty scary, actually...