Blw questions

[Motherofking]

My baby has always been difficult to spoon feed and always wanted finger foods . I considered doing blw but was encouraged not to by the hv. However he's now 9 months and he's refusing to open his mouth so I gave up trying to feed him and gave him finger foods for his meals and he's been enjoying it and seems alot happier, it's been stress free for both of us . Only thing I've been doing is giving him a yogurt or fruit pot after meals which is the only two things he will let me feed him . I have a few questions to ask because I'm lost and need guidance but don't feel comfortable contacting the hv.

1. Firstly I am worried about his intake when it comes to certain nutrients especially iron . Today I gave him vegetables , macaroni and chicken . He ate well but only had a small amount of the chicken compared to everything else . Is this small amount still beneficial for his iron intake or should I get him multivitamins ?
2. I don't know when he's full. I put the food on his tray as he's eating but he keeps on and on. He didn't stop eating till the food was done . Im not sure if he was full or if he was still hungry but gave him a yogurt afterwards just incade. Usually when he used to spoon fed he will shut his mouth or stop eating but as he's feeding himself I'm not sure what cues to look for to show me he's full.

Sorry for the long post . Hopefully someone can answer my queries

[Calmestofallthechickens]

My DD is 10 months and we give a multivitamin daily, as then if she’s a bit hit and miss with what she eats, she’s still getting vitamins (and they need a vitamin D supplement anyway unless drinking more than 400ml formula daily).

I tend to work on the basis of plating up a balanced, slightly generous portion of food, and she can eat as much of it/whichever bits she wants.

This is on the basis that BLW is meant to include them learning a bit of self regulation, so I’m not going to try and control it too much.

[MySocalledLoaf]

It’s a pain supplementing a baby’s iron as it’s yet another thing you have to make them consume (the supplements are liquid and don’t taste amazing) so I would definitely try doing it through diet if possible. Look up food high in iron. Lentils, eggs, sweet potatoes.
If you are giving a yoghurt after every meal he won’t be absorbing any iron as dairy stops iron being absorbed. He needs vitamin c to absorb it so the fruit is the better bet. Give yoghurts as snacks isolated from other foods.
Let him decide if he wants to keep eating. He’ll cry if he’s still hungry. Maybe weigh typical foods in the bowls you have for him to get an idea of how much to put in the bowl as a portion. But he sounds like he’s doing well.
My son was anaemic and it was very clear from looking at him. If you don’t see signs and he’s eager to eat you are probably doing fine, just shift the yoghurts.

[Calmestofallthechickens]

Also my DD’s signal that she is full is that she starts throwing the food in the floor rather than eating it.

[Thatwentbadly]

If he is still eating then he is still hungry.

If he is breastfeed or on less than 17oz of formula a day then he needs to start taking a multivitamin from now until he is 6 years old.

[BunnyRuddington]

Agree that giving yoghurt will stop him absorbing any iron.

This guide is pretty good as it gives sample menus and advice on portion sizes and getting a balance of nutrients. You'll probably need from page 39.

[Cormoran]

Many interpret BLW as finger food whereas the concept is self-feeding in the same way a Breast-feed baby will suck until satiated. Could it be the food he can self feed is actually nicer and more tasty?

I am not sure following the guide listed above will help because they have weird food combination , such as a rice dish with a side of pasta p.58, ( rice and pasta in the same meal????) and overall the food seems quite unpleasant.
If you want him to have more chicken, start with the chicken only on his plate, and only add the pasta or veggies once he has finished. In this way, you know exactly how much he has eaten