Ok I'm preparing to be flamed, and I have no problem with baby led weaning, but it's been bugging me for a while now...
When talking about weaning, so many people I know in real life/people I see on here say they are doing 'a combination of purees and BLW'. Or they say 'we're doing BLW... but I spoon-feed him if we're having yoghurt/mashed potato/soup etc..'. Surely that is just weaning?? Do they think that other people only ever give purees and never give lumpy or finger food? That if you give any kind of finger food it is BLW?
With both DC I started off on purees for a week or 2, quickly moved up to mashed food and introduced finger foods as well, like steamed carrots, rice cakes, broccoli, toast etc, when they seemed ready for it. DD2 is 7 months and eats all sorts. I just call it food.
Whenever I hear someone talking about BLW I have to fight the urge to say 'in my day (only 2 years ago!) we just called it finger food...'
Ok, as you were, just needed to get that off my chest!
AIBU?
to think there isn't a difference between BLW and finger foods?
putthekettleon · 28/01/2011 11:26
Tee Is that what it is? I have ben wondering for ages - I thought I had deprived my son of something special 
YANBU. My DS was on purees from 4 months - hungrey baby but no teeth until 10 months. I felt I had deprived him of something as he was't BLW - as in I fed him. In fact he was - he wanted food he opened his mouth 
,
True about EBF too, but I think they mean no FF and think its also excludes expressing?? (could be wrong though)
YANBU If you spoonfeed puree/mash and offer finger foods it's traditional weaning.
If you just offer the baby food that they can pick up and put into their mouths, if they want it, that's BLW.
at 'sheep dip the baby'.
it involves a lot more MESS than a lot of parents are comfortable with
But is it still blw if you put a few chips down in front of the baby and see if they'll try them or does it have to be broccoli
well, I'm not sure - to me, BLW is about letting the child pick up their food, and play with it, and they lead the process of weaning by 'deciding' what to eat. Plus they learn to chew from the outset. DS refused to touch sloppy foods like yoghurt with his hands, or dippers, but happily took a loaded spoon from us and fed himself, so we did occasionally spoon feed him when we go impatient - and still do when he's tired but hungry for his yoghurt.
however, it was very different from the way my friends weaned, pureeing different vegs and fruit, and not introducing any finger foods until about 8 months - and they are still mashing or pureeing food for their DC at 16 months. I'm just far too lazy to do this, so DS gets what we're eating, sometimes cut into smaller pieces (as he has suddenly decided not to take bites out of things 
I'm blaming teething, but think he's just as lazy as his mother!). He feeds himself yoghurt, but we help with the bottom of the pot. Most other things he feeds himself, especially now he's mastered the fork.
It's worth a read of the BLW book by Gill Rapely to see what the differences are between the puree and BLW styles.
The best bit for me was that I could eat my meal whilst it was still hot, and in peace, and DS was kept busy exploring his carrot or lump of chicken or whatever :o which is less easy with purees!
I don't know if yabu or not, in conclusion :o
Oh ffs why are strikeouts not working? I did it right and everything 
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Yab a bit u imo.
As a pp said, to me BLW is when you embrace the whole idea of self feeding from the off. So I agree that a "mixture" of the parent feeding and the child self feeding is not really blw at all.
I did blw with my 2 youngest, which means self feeding from the outset with everything - I didn't spoonfeed them at all. Yes, it is (very) messy at times but I love the idea of it as they are fantastoc eaters and they seemed to be able to regulate their own appetite from day 1. It was great to see.
I actually find it quite amusing when people see my 1 year old "struggling" with the spoon and try to help him - he goes nuts, batting them away furiously and making a funny growling sound. It might look awkward to other people but he wants to be in control and is not afraid to make that known!
I didn't do blw with my older ones and I feel there is definitely a difference, however I do agree with you that many people seem to be jumping on the badwagon without being willing to commit to it fully because it's messy/takes them a while to eat or whatever.....
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