to only give purees to 8mo DS

[ElectrifiedTrack]

DS was weaned at 5mo and started on finger foods at 7. Had a lot of gags (every other day), the odd cough and splutter. Then last week he was tucking into some veg strips and started to choke. Badly. He was silent, growing purple, eyes bulging for a good 30 secs-1 min while I did very strong back blows (TG for reading up on this), then finally brought it up. It scared the living shit out of me.

Since then I have only given him lumpy purees and the odd baby biscuit/those dissolvable puffs etc. I really really can't go back to finger foods. Not at the moment. I feel I know my child and he just isn't ready. Is this going to harm him? I really honestly just cannot steel my nerves and get back on the finger foods yet.

[scarletfingernail]

Your DS sounds like mine was. I ended up pureeing then mashing everything til he was about 1. Every time he tried any finger foods it ended in disaster and I became a nervous wreck. So we stopped and gave it a bit more time before re-introducing.

He's almost 4 now. He eats a very good diet, feeds himself and uses cutlery. If you saw him eating with his BLW friend of the same age you wouldn't see any difference between them. His speech is just fine too.

DD is 6 months and we're just starting weaning. I'm hoping to get her to eat more finger foods, just for easiness, but I won't stress if she doesn't manage.

[BridgetBidet]

My son is 8 months old too. Is it just me or is this baby led weaning shit turning into some kind of weaning fascism? Like you're some kind of bad mother if you don't do it?

It's just another marketed theory, to be honest it makes me cross there's becoming this snobbery about mothers must do it and tut, tutting at purees.

10 years ago BLW didn't exist. 10 year olds aren't fed purees` cos they weren't baby led weaned.

[valiumredhead]

Quite bridget!

[YoullScreamAboutItOneDay]

BLW isn't turning into weaning fascism. It's actually recommended to add finger foods for all babies. Finger foods and purees isn't BLW (or any other label). It's just bog standard government weaning guidance.

But I know what you mean. There are always people who want to feel that their parenting choices are superior. Whether it is weaning, bf, sleep training, access to refined sugar, baby swimming... the list is endless.

[Mrsjay]

erm I think so bridget you have to it THIS way THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE
, well no not really all babies are different weaning is different for every baby and as long as a baby is getting fed and food then puree dont puree it is all ok, and as had been said before most grown ups can chew food

[YoullScreamAboutItOneDay]

Yeah, but you get a totally distorted view of it on MN. People who post on threads about this stuff have views on this stuff. In RL 99% of the people you meet couldn't give a stuff about how you wean your baby. And the ones that do are normally first time mums going out of their mind at the boredom and tedium of being at home with a newborn (or was that just me first time round? It all seems soooooo important)

[ihavenofuckingclue]

10 year olds aren't fed purees` cos they weren't baby led weaned.

Did anyone say that?

[valiumredhead]

Err yes they said that if you leave it too long he may reject it and he needs to learn to chew.

He is 8 months old - he'll learn to chew when he's good and ready imo.

[valiumredhead]

Sorry YOU said that ihave

[YoullScreamAboutItOneDay]

Just to be clear what I said (was on phone and perhaps my comment was too brief and open to misunderstanding), when I said "you would not want to create a real fear for you or food issues for him by leaving it toooo long" I was talking about the danger of it becoming a major hurdle to reintroduce them - like the time I refused to drive for a year after an accident and doing it then became this huge thing.

You do see the odd child (didn't Tanya Byron do a series a few years ago) where an incident results in no lumps or finger foods for a very extended periods, and introducing lumps to a child well into their second year is generally thought to be more difficult. I'm not talking about 8 months or 10 or 12. I'm talking about 18 months olds or 2 year olds still on smooth purees.

[GhoulWithADragonTattoo]

My DD is 4.5 and we had a weaning talk at the hospital and it was all about purees. They did mention given easy to eat finger foods as well such as chopped banana, breadsticks and carrot batons, but the main thing was purees. I hadn't even heard of BLW until I came on MN well after DD was weaned. With DS I just did purees supplemented with the odd finger food same as DD. If it ain't broke and all that... In your shoes OP I honestly wouldn't worry too much and would go for gradually lumpier purees and v soft finger food such as bananas.

[KenLeeeeeee]

The key to Baby Led Weaning is following your baby's cues anyway, so if he's not ready for chewing food yet, then he's not ready! Don't stress about it. Go at a pace you're all happy with rather than what you feel others think you should be giving him.

[jungletoes]

I weaned my two dds way before blw became the preferred method. My two(teenagers) eat a real variety of different foods and will try anything new. Oh, and of course they don't have everything pureed!

[valiumredhead]

Ooooooo back in my day you had to mash bananas as they swelled in the throat if they got caught and were hard to shoot out if you had to do all that back patting business!

[Lesbeadiva]

What everyone else said. Also chewing ability is linked to speech too isn't it?
I never did blw, just gradually made foods lumpier. Mine did gag a little at times too. It is scary when they choke. YANBU. Just add texture too.

[EdgarAllanPond]

BLW = giving finger food = as old as the hills.

weaning with purees does not mean you don't give them odd bits of toast etc.

[EdgarAllanPond]

yanbu to feed your baby however you wish though.

[ElectrifiedTrack]

Thank you all, right that's settled, we are taking a step back for now.

Sorry to be thick, but when some of you have said adding lumpier foods, could anyone give me some ideas? he is having some lumps and texture eg baby pasta (though he seems to gulp it down whole rather than chew), mashed sweet potato with mince (mince gets a quick whizz in the blender), lightly pureed chicken...so do I just do this but make it gradually less blended?

[Mrsjay]

so do I just do this but make it gradually less blended?

simple answer is yes
following BLW or any sort of baby advice is fine but as long as parents realise these rules are not set in stone and can bend a little ,

[YoullScreamAboutItOneDay]

Basically just blend less. With stuff like veg, you can move from blending, to mash with a fork. That makes more of a thick mush than a puree. Then just mash a bit less as time goes on.

[valiumredhead]

Mash with a fork OP or a potato masher if it's something like potato - don't whizz.

[Mrsjay]

[BridgetBidet]

Sorry, what I meant was that 10 year olds weren't BLW and they're not still eating purees because they weren't BLW but put it wrong because my baby woke up and I finished typing too quickly.

Of course introducing finger foods is done at some point, but there is a mindset now of 'You must BLW' and if you give even one puree then 'You're not properly doing BLW'.

Honestly it seems to have become some kind of badge of honour if your 6 month old can eat a chicken leg on the bone but if you say you've given your baby a mashed banana and you actually put it on a SPOON people will look at you like you've just said you give them crack for breakfast.

[Kalisi]

I was all over BLW for my DS. Worked a treat. I don't see how that makes me pretentious or "new age" I wouldn't dream of commenting ( or even notice) on the way others choose to wean, as far as I'm concerned it was easier for me to do it that way, they all have to eat ATEOTD.
OP, gagging is ok, choking is not. Your baby is only 8 months, if you want to go back to purees for a bit noone worthwhile will judge you even stuck up BLWers like me

[ElectrifiedTrack]

YY! At a parent group I went to at my local health centre, a little girl about same age as DS was looking at him being fed watery banana, fascinated. "Ooh she's never seen a spoon, that's why she's so interested" said her mother to me True story!!