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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Baby Led Weaning and Tummy Time

110 replies

BeKindToYourKnees · 05/08/2013 12:57

These terms irritate the hell out of me!

When DD was a baby, I gave her a mixture of finger food and spoon-fed her. She ate the food (or not, depending on how hungry she was/whether she liked it). When she was a bit bigger I gave her a spoon too, eventually she learnt to eat with it. Is this "baby led weaning"?

Maybe I'm missing something, but surely everyone does the same? Why is it called this?

And as for "tummy time".... I really don't get it. Confused

Please enlighten me!

OP posts:
maja00 · 05/08/2013 14:11

The eating bit is baby led/controlled - obviously the buying and preparing is adult led.

Wishihadabs · 05/08/2013 14:11

To understand why blw needed a name, I think you need to have had a baby in 2000-2004. It was so prescriptive , the texture of the food (totally smooth, semi smooth, mashed, mashed with lumps, chopped) and the order to induce them in vegetables before fruit root veg then green, chicken before fish special pasta the list goes on.

To us the idea that you could just hand them some food seemed revolutionary. My dsis had a baby last year and she is still very much mashed/pureed special food this dn is now 1 !

maja00 · 05/08/2013 14:12

Maybe "exclusive self-feeding" is more accurate than "baby led weaning"?

noblegiraffe · 05/08/2013 14:12

I thought tummy time was to prevent babies getting flat heads and having to wear those helmet things since the back to sleep campaign meant they spent a lot of time on their back.

Baby led weaning is a godsend. I have no intention of fannying around pureeing stuff, or buying grim looking baby food and now I've got a name that validates my laziness.

Original poster
BeKindToYourKnees · 05/08/2013 14:13

Voodika Grin That's my point, it's just what people do. It doesn't need to be called anything.

But can now see the reason for the term BLW, a book called "How to feed your baby like everyone else" isn't going to be a great money-spinner.

OP posts:
maja00 · 05/08/2013 14:16

Most people don't do BLW though so "How to feed your baby like everyone else" is a bit of a lie.

Agree with Wishihadabs about the Annabel Karmel/Gina Ford style "Day 1: x puree at 11am/Day 2: y puree at 5pm (and buy our branded ice cube trays they're essential" approach to weaning.

Wishihadabs · 05/08/2013 14:17

On the subject of tummy time as a population we are acquiring gross motor skills (sitting/standing/crawling) later. This is largely because babies are not put down to play in their cots /playpen or on mats as much as they were, when their mothers were busy doing the unremitting manual labour that running a house in the 60's required. They now spend much more time in car seats/buggies or bouncers which is not encouraging their gross motor development to the same extent. Therefore the concept of tummytime was introduced. The secret is to start it in the first weeks so they get used to it well before 6 weeks.

Hamwidgeandcheps · 05/08/2013 14:19

*weeps at 'potty poo fun hour'

I am of the dump it on the highchair persuasion. I would call it blw. I can't fathom this purée business. Yick.

Some parents keep a baby constantly on their backs in the carseat/cot etc. they need to be reminded about tummy time.

Mostly yanbu. But.....smart trikes? I could start a thread about those - it's just a flimsy pushchair!!!!!!

Wishihadabs · 05/08/2013 14:21

Wtf is a smart trike ?

FobblyWoof · 05/08/2013 14:22

I don't mind the terminology too much.

To be honest if I was a hcp having to repeat myself all day long to different parents I'd probably say tummy time instead of putting baby on their tummy etc. It just saves time in the long run.

I don't think the slogans, expressions etc are designed to be patronising so I don't take it as such when people say them to me (apart from the hcp's who are patronising in the first place). I can, however, understand why some people feel this way.

PollyIndia · 05/08/2013 14:22

The idea of purees always revolted me (liquidised meat, bleugh!) so that was what made me decide not to do them and as I waited until he could basically eat everything except salt or sugar, the rest just followed fairly naturally. I love food and I want my baby to as well. Those liquidy ella's pouches look and smell rank. Never tasted them to be fair though.

Lanceolate · 05/08/2013 14:24

BLW isn't what you did from your description.

wigglesrock · 05/08/2013 14:25

My eldest is 8 and it was my Mum who always put her on her tummy - as soon as she saw dd1 - she would whip her nappy off and stick her on her tummy. She nearly burst with excitement when she realised it was an actual thing Smile

YouTheCat · 05/08/2013 14:27

Omg! I didn't do tummy time and now my 18 year old twins have terrible floppy heads and necks. Grin

Why does everything have to have a name?

Original poster
BeKindToYourKnees · 05/08/2013 14:27

If giving her a choice of food when she was hungry, but not making her eat when she wasn't, I would say that was BLW

OP posts:
maja00 · 05/08/2013 14:29

It's not BLW as the term is usually understood. A bit of spoon feeding and a bit of finger food is just traditional weaning.

YouTheCat · 05/08/2013 14:31

And what is wrong with traditional weaning? Hmm

I think people (especially mothers) get unnecessarily stressed about all these things - weaning, feeding, nappies. And do you know what? None of it makes the slightest bit of difference to whether your child grows up well.

noblegiraffe · 05/08/2013 14:31

If you are putting a spoon in your baby's mouth, that's not baby-led weaning, however much they refuse more or nom it down. With blw, the baby is the only person to put things in their mouth.

maja00 · 05/08/2013 14:32

What makes you feel there's something wrong with traditional weaning YouTheCat?

Lanceolate · 05/08/2013 14:33

Nothing wrong with it youthecat, but starting a thread suggesting it's a new name for something people were all doing anyway is inaccurate.

BLW is not spoon feeding.

YouTheCat · 05/08/2013 14:33

I don't think there is anything wrong with any kind of weaning. People should just do what suits them and their families best without all this silly angst.

Lanceolate · 05/08/2013 14:34

Suggesting BLW

maja00 · 05/08/2013 14:35

Exactly YouTheCat - there's nothing wrong with particular methods, they are just different and suit different parents/babies.

maja00 · 05/08/2013 14:36

Bit unnecessary to accuse the OP of "silly angst" though - I think she is genuinely looking to understand more!

OrangeOpalFruit · 05/08/2013 14:36

What I can't stand about the way some people do blw is the amount of food that gets wasted. I've seen mothers in cafes handing over piece after piece of broccoli which get sucked on for a second then chucked on the floor. That cannot be a good way of teaching your child to eat.