First food ideas please?

[supercherry]

I am planning on weaning my DS next week when he will be 26 weeks. He is sitting unaided for about 10 seconds and has been deserately trying to grab my food for about 2 weeks now so I think he's ready. I am really interested in the BLW idea but I'm also scared about the choking thing. So what do I do? Just make sure things like carrot batons are well- cooked? Can he have things like a piece of toast? And, what about things like porridge- I guess I will have to help him with that? For those of you who did BLW, what were your babies' first foods? Many thanks in advance!

[MrsBadger]

carrot as you suggest, also ripe pear / peach / nectarine (leave the skin on so it's easier to grip)
toast is fun but usu a bit beyond them as it's not easy to get bits off

re choking, the most important thing is to make sure he's sitting up really straight and to keep an eye on him. And remember gagging (where they make awful noises moving a bit of food from the back to the front of their mouth) isn';t dangerous, so don;t panic.

I take it you've seen Aitch's blog?

[MrsJamin]

Roasted Sweet potato sticks are a great first food, nicer than steamed carrot I think. Rice cakes were the first thing to be swallowed. Toast is great, just make sure that it doesn't have too much salt. On aitch's forum there is a recipe for porridge pancakes, which I'm going to try for a breakfast. The gagging thing is a little scary but you have to be positive and encouraging for your DC, otherwise they will get anxious too. You have to hold your nerve - Gill Rapley has said that BLW can be done with all babies, but not all parents as it is a little scary to begin with. But it has so many benefits, I'm loving it

[supercherry]

Yes I was reading it last night- just wanted to hear from some mums on here too. For those who use purees- do they sometimes cause gagging in babies also?

[nailpolish]

i used pancakes too

i spread the purees on the pancakes

i soemtimes spread it on toast too but tbh the toast never actually got eaten - it was sucked to death and was a mushy splodge in dd's fist by the end of it all



oh i LOVED weaning - it was great fun. its what i miss most about having a baby

[supercherry]

nailpolish- I can't tell you how excited I am!

[nailpolish]

thats so lovely i hope you have fun

if you want to try giving baby a spoon in his hand then go for it. nothing will probably get in ds's mouth but itll give you a laugh

although saying that porridge sticks to the spoon so that can work

i was a bit unsure about how to tackle blw - like you - (aitch didnt have a blog then!) so i just spread everything on pancakes/toast

[MrsBadger]

really runny smooth purees don't often cause gagging, but it'll often happen when a baby who's only had smooth purees is offered a slightly-textured one as they don't know what to do with the lumps.

[supercherry]

I bought a Munchkin from Asda a few days ago (a plastic ring with a mesh basket attached to put food in for baby so he can munch without the choking hazard) and have been filling with ice for DS which has been great in this hot weather. Would this be OK for BLW- or would we be cheating? Please bear in mind I am neurotic.

[nailpolish]

why would it be cheating?

[supercherry]

Well, I suppose he wouldn't be having anything lumpy as such because of the mesh.

[MrsBadger]

not so much cheating as a waste of time - imagine using one yourself!
(IMO only you understand)

[nailpolish]

i cannot picture what this munchkin is

can uyou link a pic?

[supercherry]

It is fab for ice cubes though Mrsbadger. Think it helps with teething too. Maybe not for the weaning though.

[supercherry]

I'll google it now and see if I can find it.

[MrsBadger]

am guessing similar to this

[nailpolish]

oh i seeeeeeeeee!

i thought it was a seat

lol

[nailpolish]

nah i would bother with that

he might get frustrated - they like to sink their gums into things properly

[supercherry]

Think this is the link www.munchkin.com/products/detail.html?section=prodCategories&pID=37 Hope this works- my computer skills aren't the best.

[nailpolish]

wouldnt bother i meant

[supercherry]

A seat, nailpolish! The website suggests putting meat in it and I agree that would be disgusting! But, for ice, it is fab DS gets annoyed when the ice has all melted- he also teeths on the ring side.
Anyway, back to the weaning- thanks for the first food ideas so far- any more?

[rebelmum1]

I recomend optimum nutrition for babies and toddlers you can get it on amazon.
here

Don't use jars they are not as nutritious as fresh food regardless of what the marketing tells you. Ok for an emergency.

[MrsBadger]

the huge advantage of blw is that you never need to use jars

if out and baby needs feeding you can give them a banana / a chip / the crust off your sandwich etc

ultimate convenience

[rebelmum1]

if not ultimate nutrition..

[MrsBadger]

oh I don't know... better for dc to inherit a happy relaxed attitude to food than to be 'optimally nourished' and anxious about it

better for me too

[nailpolish]

i used this book

i really liked it