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!

If it helps, it turns out I thought I was doing mixed feeding, but turns out I'm doing BLW. He nabs the spoon off me so I load another one. Often he ends up with both.

I'm too busy to even read up on it.

@Londonforestmum what else have you got going on in your life? Plenty of other things to worry about.

I'll bet you were always a high achiever, high flying career as pr normal on MN. And now on mat leave or a SAHM and turning parenting into a full time career job because your brain needs something to focus on

Listen to those of us with older children and/or multiples. It doesn't matter.

People talk about it a lot.

You need to find new people to talk to.

Doesn't bother me, know what people mean and are talking about. It's probably the same people that don't like the phrase EBF if you've ever given your child a bottle ever, even if it's one a week when out.

I also have a friend who's 'mostly vegetarian' - only vegetarian at home and at restaurants, but eats meat if at someone else's house and they're cooking.

I'm not sure you have the authority to deem your interpretation correct, and everyone elses wrong.

The only place I see people be bothered about stuff like this is on the mum pages on tiktok

I think it doesn’t matter at all what you call it. A decade on and I can’t remember what we did or called it so I just wouldn’t worry about it.

Your pedantic and over invested.
Most humans learn to eat.

Now go along and get a hobby to occupy that mind of yours.

Who cares. Yabu and Abit strange to get worked up by this. And yes think it's ok to do both. Whatever works on the day.

Are you one of those who tells mums their babies are not technically ebf, actually, because they have expressed milk in a bottle 🙄

Also, 'mostly vegan' or 'mostly vegetarian' are just as fine as 'mostly blw'.

Someone could be vegan except for eating eggs laid by her own chickens, which she knows have a great life. That would count as mostly vegan surely.

Equally, someone who tends to not eat meat for environment reasons might be ok eating it if it's the only thing available, or if they are round a friends house.

BLW is a very British concept.

Got to travel the planet with mine. Baby grabs food and squeezes, sucks the stuff out from between their fingers. Tough foods may require some chewing by mum first.

I think BLW is a load of bollocks. Attempted it and my kids would, because they’re 6/7 months old and have zero concept of limits or safety, simply shove the whole of whatever they were holding into their mouths, before retching and me inevitably scooping it out.

Total fad for try-hard parents who would rather look like they’re doing things the ‘hippy, wholesome, baby lead’ way than limit their baby’s risk of choking

I agree. My son played with a spoon from 4 months old, went baby led, and then fed himself either with his hands or with a spoon (eg porridge). It was messy. But it means at 4 he is now totally confident with his gag reflex, can handle all kinds of foods, and is comfortable telling us when he’s full.

Let me guess - PFB under 12 months old? Honestly no one gives a shit. By the time they are 5 they will be eating haribo off the village hall floor at birthday parties.

Whereas 4 year olds who started on purées regularly binge eat, vomit and eat only dry cereal do they..? 😂

youre definitely doing it all better than everyone else OP

HTH

Yep. Total performative, competitive parenting from sad people tbh

Preloaded spoon is not BLW, surely.

That’s the point. Babies gag reflexes are closer to the tip of their tongues. The more comfortable they are with testing this the less likely they are to choke later on as the gag reflex receeds closer to their windpipes. Babies who go through blw are three times less likely to choke.

You're quite right, we need some kind of accreditation system and inspection regime.

Op, it really doesn't matter. Baby led weaning is a term someone came up with to sell books. You give your kid food and they eat it.

Both of my children refused to eat at all until they were probably about 1, my youngest hated anything that wasn't puréed or really soft for far too long. Still by the time they were 4, like most children I assume they had well developed gag reflexes, ate a very normal diet (trying new foods and all) and certainly tell me they're full (they still don't eat much!)

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230728-baby-led-weaning-what-are-the-risks-and-benefits

My ks2 child can also handle all kinds of food and is comfortable telling me when he’s full (and more often when he’s not!) and I couldn’t tell you whether he was BLW traditional weaned or anything else because I can’t remember really. He just liked eating.

but then I’m also totally comfortable with the concept of being mostly vegetarian.

I did BLW with my second (oldest was under 2 so youngest had to just get on with it). She's 4 and INCREDIBLY fussy, contrary to what the Blw books clain she would be - i need a refund 🤣

Seriously it doesnt matter, the all end up wanting mcds anyway