To think most people don't understand baby led weaning

[Londonforestmum]

I hear so often people say they are doing a mixture of baby led weaning and spoon feeding. I'm not saying one is better than the other, but this is 'traditional weaning', which always advised finger food from 6 months as well as purées. It's not doing a bit of both. BLW means you let your child feed themselves all the time. To say you're doing a bit of both is like saying you're a bit of a vegetarian because you eat some plant based foods alongside meat?

BLW also doesn't mean children don't use a spoon, you can use a spoon straight from the start but you just preload it for them and then let them hold it / put it in (or somewhere near lol) their mouths.

I think maybe people feel under pressure to do BLW but don't want to so they say they're doing a bit of it. There is nothing wrong with doing traditional weaning (purées and finger food) though!

Most people have more important things going on in their lives than stopping to think what the name of their children’s weaning “philosophy” is. What the hell even is that!?

Modern parenthood is overly complicated by ideological idiots and this thread proves that

Again not saying either is better. For me it wasn't about a specific outcome (ie making DS less fussy / better eater) it was just that at the time it was much easier, more fun and have always hated the idea of other people not trusting your own appetite/trying to dictate how much you eat so letting him crack on himself while I ate my own dinner was more appealing. Had I been with his dad I'm sure I'd have been doing the purée making/spoon feeding stuff, but honestly just didn't have the time! But I hope I wouldn't have called it 'doing a bit of both'.

This is reminding me of that Baby Led Weaning cookbook which makes all sorts of claims about how babies who are exclusively BLW eat a wider range of foods FOREVER. A bit like the Baby Sensory class leaflets claiming your baby will be cleverer if you spend £15 a week for them to roll under a parachute.

Ok but how do I articulate that I only spoon fed until 8-9 months then introduced solids and finger food, if that is neither traditional weaning or BLW?

Does it matter what it's called or what its "philosophy" <pause to realign eyeballs after massive eye roll> is?
Is this because other naughty mummies say they're doing BLW but, but...
They're not! I am! And I want to feel superior about it.
Because it reads a bit that way.

There are wars, people with cancer, children living in poverty etc. Go get worked about that. Whether a baby gets help eating their yoghurt is sp unbelievably unimportant.

That's traditional weaning.

I don't care how people feed their children. I just think it sounds silly to say you're doing a bit of both. It's not important, just slightly irritating. It's like constantly hearing people saying that they are doing a bit of being a vegetarian.

No one else thinks like you. So, maybe think about that

Jesus, can people just feed their children and shut up about it

I’m a vegetarian. I don’t get annoyed by people who mistakenly claim they are too. Honestly, why does this matter? You still haven’t been able to articulate this. Does it make ANY difference at all? No. Life’s too short.

😂😂😂

My sister is in the thick of weaning her first (my youngest is 2) I literally couldn't give a fuck about all the shit she goes on about. Including not using a microwave cos it's unhealthy blah blah

Oh god who cares. I'm not sure why we need these labels to begin with - a it some sort of superiority thing?

Is this one of those exclusive club type mentalities over a feeding choice? I get how some parents get into that sort of thing to fair as it's a really all consuming stage of parenting.

That’s what I’ve been calling it… but accordingly the OP we’re wrong, and so I’m waiting to find out what I should have been saying 😂

I just think it sounds silly to say you're doing a bit of both

Much more silly to be as invested as you about it, if you ask me.

My health visitor told me to do BLW with my eldest DD. Two years later she told me to do BLW plus some spoon feeding with DD2. DD1 didn’t take well to solids so after trying BLW I found I did have to spoon feed at times, (but family foods, no purées, because I was too lazy to make them). I questioned why the advice had changed, and she told me that some children had been malnourished from BLW. Which, to be fair, DD1 would have been if I hadn’t realised that she needed more help with food. I think being really rigid about anything with children is unhelpful and to encourage others to do the same is also unhelpful.

People shouldn't feel under pressure to do BLW. I think the benefits are mainly for the parents anyway! It's much much easier. Purées and spoon feeding are basically unnecessary (unless developmental problems) so if you fancy spending time making purées and spoon feeding your child, alongside finger foods go for it! Just don't feel under pressure to say you're doing a bit of both!?

A 'weaning philosophy' is something that you'll probably look back and cringe about 😂

There's a huge difference between 'mostly blw' and 'traditional weaning'. I was in the 'mostly blw' camp that you deny exists! It meant that at home that feed themselves visually everything. When out, we would usually seek out finger food options. But we weren't doing loaded spoons, and if out and there was a free pouch available (as often there is), we'd sometimes use it.

For me, life is too short to clean up yogurt catapults from the ceiling. It didn't mean we were shovelling in her mouth, more, holding the spoon in front of her mouth and she would choose whether to take it or not.

Traditional weaning' would have had my eldest having a blended Christmas lunch at 6m, with maybe a melty biscuit to suck. Not a full Christmas dinner including turkey and beef.

You’re the only person under pressure to make a big deal out of this. And you keep ignoring posters asking you why this is even relevant to literally, anything.

You aren't wrong. I don't know why it confuses people so. But you also won't care after the weaning stage (unless you work in this area, I suppose)

Making purees isn't exactly difficult - just blitz a couple of spoons of whatever you're having for dinner.

It's not easier for the parents when it comes to things like yoghurt or porridge though. Much easier to spoon feed those. And downright antisocial to take a BLW approach to those kinds of foods outside your own home.

Most people are just rolling with the punches.

Why does it matter what you call it? My eldest was born in 1985, the last 1997, their peers were all fed differently. They all use cutlery and eat a wide range of foods. All that matters is that a child's teeth are protected, the rest just comes out in the wash.