WIBU - telling friend she's feeding her baby 'wrong'

[BarryMcguigan]

A friend I have drifted apart from (old work colleague no hard feelings or issues) has put up a pic of her just turned 6 months old sat in high chair with a big pile of blueberries- not cut in half or squashed. (I'm her instagram)

WIBU to private message saying it's best practice to cut them in half or is that really twatty of me?! I know she is going down the BLW route which I also did but the oic made me a bit nervous. My LO has done really well with BLW and I have no anxiety about this method at all - but followed best practice for grapes / blueberries etc.

High chair comment ^^ anyone?

See my DS is 8 and I missed the whole thing about cutting grapes in half so I never did. He used to eat punnets and punnets of them (not all at once). It was only when a friend had a baby a few years later that I realised it was a 'thing'. Not saying I was right or maybe I was just lucky?
Would never have occurred to me to cut up anything except into bite-sized chunks - especially not blueberries

Spines can't cope with a high chair?? WTF will they come up with next? :o

Also, Aibu to think you’re not supposed to put baby in high chair till 10 months?! Their spines aren’t strong enough? Supposed to feed on lap till then I thought...

What utter nonsense.

Aibu to think you’re not supposed to put baby in high chair till 10 months?! Their spines aren’t strong enough? Supposed to feed on lap till then I thought...

Absolute rot.
My 6 month old can sit up completely unaided. Am I supposed to be lying him back down each time he gets up?

Babies are absolutely fine in high chairs from six months, as long as they aren't still in completely floppy baby stage to the PP who mentioned it. I've never fed a child on my lap (except for milk). It's supported sitting.

Also, Aibu to think you’re not supposed to put baby in high chair till 10 months?! Their spines aren’t strong enough? Supposed to feed on lap till then I thought...

Absolute nonsense. Maybe people trying to tell other parents what to do should make sure they're definitely correct first.

Wow! Okay, thanks for answering my question... which btw was an actual question as I wasn’t sure... some people are so bloody rude!!

My eldest was walking at ten months. If I couldn't strap him in a high chair from the moment he got mobile at six months, I'd never have kept him still long enough to eat anything!

10 months for a highchair! Wherever did that come from?

Blueberries were definitely mentioned as a choking risk on the last paediatric first aid course I did (st John's ambulance) and the health visitor on a recent weaning advice session mentioned that they should be squashed or chopped for babies just starting to eat finger foods.

Exactly. Blueberries are mentioned in the NHS safe guide to weaning as ‘any small round fruit’. Just goes to show a lot of people don’t really read official materials when they start weaning which is shocking.

when we put breathing tubes into babies the internal diameter of the tube is 3.5 to 5 mm in the first year of life. so yes a big blueberry could potentially get lodged in it

@Zaphodsotherhead I recall a HV telling me (some yrs ago now) that sitting positions in Bumbos (baby seats) and some high chairs is dangerous for baby’s back as the sitting position can tilt their pelvis.... which is why I asked if others thought the same? I must admit, I thought it was strange seeing as high chairs are flat (seated part).

Why do some ppl have to get so arsey when they respond to a question? Thanks for your response anyway.

I have never cut up blueberries and both of mine were BLW from 6 months. I've never squished food either. Blueberries and peas are quite squishy and are no more likely to be a choking hazard than anything else. They are quite different from grapes, for instance (I do cut those in half as they are firm).

@TrendyNorthLondonTeen Imagine if the baby does choke, and nobody had warned the Mum of the dangers? That's the reason.

Well thanks to this thread I've just learnt that I shouldn't be giving my DS a whole apple which is a shame cos he loves them!

Just goes to show a lot of people don’t really read official materials when they start weaning which is shocking

No. People are capable of distinguishing between the biggest risks (because they are called out specifically on these sites, grapes and cherry tomatoes) and general covering themselves.

when dd was v young I used to squeeze them enough to split the skin, especially the ones you get this time of year are huge.

I always cut up blueberries for my 9 month old. Have done since he started weaning. I'd rather not take the risk of him choking. I would've messaged her in a jokey way like a PP said but I get why you didn't either.

I personally smash blueberries before serving. A lot of fruit is larger than it used to be (strawberries the size of plums, for example!) because it is bred that way to reduce labor costs when picking. Some blueberries are quite large. In any case, most 6mo will not have the motor skills for really small things as pincer grip does not usually develop for a couple more months--I would say that if a round firm fruit is big enough for them to pick up, it could potentially be a choking hazard.

It's not just about size.

One of the reasons why grapes are so dangerous is because they're taut and have such a smooth skin, creating a tight seal when mixed with saliva and swallowed whole.

Never heard of cutting up blueberries. They are not grapes. MYOB

And high chairs are fine from 6m.

Very handy for blw as good can go straight into the tray.

@herculepoirot2 why not?

Blueberries??? Why on earth would you cut bluebetties up? Grapes I understand. But blueberries squish. My friend is a pead consultant in great Ormand street. He always says good has to be an inhalable size. Grapes can and are. Blueberries are rarely the correct size.

I think it’s twatty.