"give half a milk feed then solids...."

[Liz79]

How does this work? DS generally only takes one boob. Had thought you give 1 boob, solids, then other boob. Do I take him off before he is finished then put puree in then back to boob? What if he doesn't then take more boob? Will it affect my supply Do I let him finish on the breast then offer puree a bit later? I don't want to wean him, it seems so complicated. I can't believe he is coming up 6m already :(

I've weaned 2 DC and did BLW with both of them, I just gave a full BF and offered a bit of what I was having to eat after. Some was eaten, some was thrown on the floor and much fun was had by all.

BLW is very good for preserving milk supply, as I'm sure you know, milk should be the main source of calories until 1 year old..

Yes I tried BLW with DC1 but had a wobble when nothing went in (esp as she was tiny and dropped 2 centiles, although did wait til 6m)

DS on the other hand is a BIG boy and 24 weeks now. I feel so proud that he will ahve been exclusively BF for 6m (which as we all know is impossible for big babies). However I do not fancy exclusively bf him for 8m which I think is what would happen with BLW. I have decided Annabel Karmel is for us this time :)I am just starting to think about it and get ready. Must dig out ice cube trays...

Well, good luck, I'm sure it's fun however you choose to do it! Someone is bound to be along with some more useful advice soon

Congratulations on BF exclusively to six months. 'tis no mean feat.

I just gave my DS a full feed then some solid food about an hour after.

We did a mixture of purees and bits for him to pick up.

As annoying as Annabel Karmel is some of her recipes are quite good and very easy when you are looking for inspiration. Ds was most impressed with the fruity chicken type things and beef and sweet potato... I didn't use her fruit and veg purees cos we just made that bit up as we went along, the recipes for older babies and toddlers are good enough for adapting, I am a bit unimaginitive.

I was a bit meh when I got the book as a gift, but as long as I ignore a lot of her blethers and attempts to sell you branded ice cube trays and toddler ready meals I am ok! Also the 'meal planner things' look a bit daunting so I ignored them too.

Started with one 'meal' a day at 6 months (I waited as long as possible too!) and gradually got to three, think he was about 8 months by then. His milk feeds gradually diminished too, he is down to 2-3 a day at one year old and I have just followed him.

Good luck with the blender....

This is Annabel Karmel advice, is that right? It's out of date ... she is following the old idea that you replace milk feeds with solids. Nowadays the advice is that milk (breastmilk or formula) should be the main source of nutrition until they are about 12 months old. This is because we now know that for a 6-mo baby, solids are less calorific and harder to digest!

The Baby-Led Weaning book is brilliant, it explains all this and how to do it - very much less stressful than Annabel Karmel approach too IMHO. The best thing is that you don't have to make any changes at all to BF, just carry on exactly as you are doing now, offer solids in between feeds and the baby will make the transition at his own pace (which is often far slower than you expect, be warned!).

A helpful leaflet here

Kellymom has some good info here.

Because solids are supposed to be a complement to milk (milk should be the main form of nutrition till 12 months) it's a good idea to offer milk before meals - about 30 mins or so beforehand works well.

Whether you spoon feed or not, the idea is that you let the baby reduce the feeds themselves and I agree, it could take longer than you expect.

It took 2 months before my DS noticably reduced his milk feeds and although we do BLW, he was eating 3 big meals a day pretty much as soon as we started at 6 months. Now at 9 months he only has one feed fewer than he had before, IIRC.

As your baby gradually eats more solid food, the amount of milk he takes will start to decrease. So that will gradually decrease your supply, as it should. I don't think the timing matters too much, do what suits you. Personally I offer milk and solid food at separate times.

I think that I just started with lunch - a bit of baby porridge - and took it from there. I've always BF on demand and i didn't time it or anything, I just did it at lunchtime.

I usually teh porridge for a bit then give them a bash with some pureed fruit then onto a mix of finger foods and purees, usually just bits of what I'm having unless it's unsuitable.

I'd be led by the baby - still BF on demand but offer a spot of lunch and take it from there. Give them a bit of what you're having if they ask, that sort of thing.

it'll be fine

sorry to hijack,i want to both blw and purees as mentioned above by 1 of the posts, does that mean i start with 2 meals a day from begining? Am thinking that wont be harmful as ds wont eat much from the finger foods bit initially but just wondering if that makes sense...

muslimah28 - I think most people who give finger foods alongside purees just provide both at the same meal.

I give DS a mixture of finger foods and purees according to what happens to be around. Avocado cut into strips makes great finger food, but if it's too ripe and goes squishy I'll mash it up. We load the spoons and DS takes them off us and feeds himself. Apples are often too hard so I cook them and make a puree. Don't worry about set meals to start with. Carry on with the milk feeds as normal but just try to offer something at least once a day. Sometimes DS gets a meal with us, sometimes just a snack - we'll sit and eat a breadstick or some strawberries together. It's more about learning about food than actually eating any to start with!

All the above is what I thought. But when I went to see HV when DS was around 6.5 months she looked at me like I was a moron.

She said that I should be dropping feeds from this stage as he eats food.