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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Boots Parenting Mag article on weaning...

34 replies

HiccupsAllDay · 09/06/2010 18:21

My DH got it for me and I flicked curiously to the weaning article as we were discussing it at LLL meeting yesterday. OMG it made my eyebrows raise and I consider myself to be fairly laid back about things; I quote

"As soon as your baby turns six months, she's ready for more than just milk, it's time to move on to the messy business of mushy foods"

"Kit yourself out... and a blender to puree them"

"try offering your baby her first solids when she's just hungry, rather than ravenous - perhaps before her milk feed"

"Scoop a little on to the spoon, encourage your baby to open her mouth, then gently guide in the spoon, almost wiping the food on to her lips... be prepared for some strange reactions... if she continues to turn her nose up, try something different."

there is also some small print at the bottom that says

"*If you decide to stop breastfeeding, it may be difficult to start again, and you should consider the financial implications"

now I've had no sleep for the past 3 days and my brain isn't functioning right but from what I understand about BLW (which I thought was the 'way to do it these days') this is total tosh! Has anyone else read this and am I alone by being slightly bewildered?

OP posts:

withorwithoutyou · 09/06/2010 18:23

BLW isn't "the way to do it these days", it's one way to of doing it.

Another way is starting with purees.

helyg · 09/06/2010 18:27

BLW wouldn't sell mixers/baby food jars etc which Boots magazine is trying to push market.

That is exactly how I started with my eldest (except you were allowed to do it at 4 months back then...)

Tillyscoutsmum · 09/06/2010 18:29

Not sure what issue is. I know at lot of people who have recently started weaning and have never heard of BLW. Its far from the norm ime

BosomsByTheSea · 09/06/2010 18:35

you don't need any special equipment or special (expensive) purees for BLW - are you surprised Boots don't mention it?!

Original poster

HiccupsAllDay · 09/06/2010 18:59

I know, it's obviously a marketing thing but it makes me a little cross sad. Tilly I know I'm probably making something out of nothing (I did warn you I've had no sleep!) I weaned both my other dds before 6 months in bouncy chairs with purees (homemade though) and thought that was the right thing to do - it was on hv advice.

Withorwithoutyou I didn't mean it to come across that way, I hadn't heard of BLW until 4 months ago, so even if it has been around a long time its all new to me, and something that I embrace whole heartedly, just seems a shame that it isn't in the media.

I don't want to cause a stink with this thread I was just was a bit

OP posts:

SerialMom · 09/06/2010 19:02

No one in the real world has heard of BLW. They use a mixture of purees and finger food. At least where I live anyway. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with weaning this way.

BLW is just a diferent way of weaning which is only popular in the mumsnet bubble.

Original poster

HiccupsAllDay · 09/06/2010 19:06

I was actually given a really useful booklet at clinic covering weaning and it IS BLW, nothing like this article. Just another example of mixed messages I suppose.

OP posts:

PotPourri · 09/06/2010 19:11

Not sure what the big deal is here.

I weaned my first this way, no probs. 2nd didnt like puree and pinched her sisters sandwich at 5 months (scoffed it!) so had the same as her sister from then on. 3rd had a kinda mixture - normally what we wer having, oftrn pureed. 4th I expect will be the same.

BLW sounds nice if you have endless time and resources (pfb possibly), but I think a mixed approach is a sensible and practical way to get the baby used to differnt tastes and textures.

Original poster

HiccupsAllDay · 09/06/2010 19:14

I suppose it's the marketing slant being put on it that is annoying me 'as soon as your baby is 6 months' and the list of equipment you will need to buy, presumably from Boots...

OP posts:

Tillyscoutsmum · 09/06/2010 19:26

Sorry OP - didn't mean to sound snippy - it was just bedtime and the dc's were running riot

I've just started BLW DS and think its great but everyone I have spoken to in rl looks at me like I'm slightly insane. I have managed to convert a couple of people though

The Sainsburys one was worse btw - it referred to buying purees etc. and implied very forcefully that it should be from 4 months

BosomsByTheSea · 09/06/2010 20:22

potpourri, blw is the opposite of what you suggest. Baby has what family has (as long as it isn't loaded with salt). Don't see what is pfb about that. A lot less faff than what you did with your 1st and 3rd, pureeing what you had.

It's not all or nothing - there's no rule that says lo can't have yoghurt because they can't scoop it themselves.

helyg · 09/06/2010 20:31

I BLW my definitely-not-precious-as-I-didn't-have-the-time 3rd born. It was much easier than purees. But that was 4 years ago, and I don't think the ways of BLW are any more widespread or well known now than they were then (ie everyone looks at you as though you are insane).

Morloth · 09/06/2010 21:05

There is no money to be made from women breastfeeding and doing BLW. So of course a large corporation is going to push something else.

I found BLW much easier than my friend's who were doing purées - though we did use the occasional jar/freezer cube. Just gave him what we were having.

cory · 09/06/2010 21:12

I didn't find I needed any special equipment in the old puree days- beyond a fork and we had one of those.

PotPourri · 09/06/2010 21:36

My hv told me blw was where you offer lots of different foods and let the baby choose what they eat - so lay out lots of little bits at one time - a total faff. I am fully behind just gg what we are eating

Original poster

HiccupsAllDay · 10/06/2010 08:25

tilly I didn't think you were being snippy! My main exposure to BLW has been through La Leche but as I've said my hv gave me a booklet about it so it must be becoming more widespread (?). Everyone I know who has done it say it's MUCH easier and far less faff, so will def be giving it a go this time.

OP posts:

Morloth · 10/06/2010 08:45

PotPourri "so lay out lots of little bits at one time"

That way lies madness...

MathsMadMummy · 10/06/2010 08:56

I don't really see the big deal. Pureeing is still the norm, which is fine if you want to do it.

I only do BLW with DS because I was too lazy to puree everything!

FlightofFancy · 10/06/2010 09:24

Agree that the Sainsburys one is worse - not sure if it was the same article, or something else in the mag, but there was a series of little quotes from 'customers' on bf - inc a husband saying something like "I'm really glad my wife breastfed, but babies shouldn't be breastfed past 6 months" - can't quote it exactly as I threw the mag away in irritation!

I suppose it depends if people realise these mags are basically a way for the retailer to sell more stuff, or if they take them as gospel...

WoTmania · 10/06/2010 09:38

Serialmom - I had heard about, and all my friends were doing, BLW long before I came on mumsnet. I also know plenty of people who have heard of it in RL. They also promote it at my local surestart.

OP - this bit really annoyed me:
"try offering your baby her first solids when she's just hungry, rather than ravenous - perhaps before her milk feed"

How to ruin BF in one easy step surely?

bluecardi · 10/06/2010 09:44

I've started this week giving my dd solids. In the evening she has some spoons of porridge. She's in my arms & I spoon feed her. Then she has a bf & a short sleep in my armswhilst everyone else is having their dinner.

Bubbles1066 · 10/06/2010 10:57

They are just trying to sell babyfood. No need to get upset - see it for what it is. It's a free magazine designed to flog as much as possible

needsharesinduracell · 10/06/2010 11:03

Don't really get why you were shocked and sad tbh. It's not as if they are advocating weaning at 4 months or anything. Most people do purees or similar so the article reflect the most common method of weaning and also enables Boots to market stuff, which is the whole point of the magazine.

What's to be shocked and sad about?

cupofcoffee · 10/06/2010 11:09

Well TBH I didn't look at the Tesco 3-6 month mag for very long before it went in the bin. If I had paid too much attention to it i would probably be rushing off to buy all the essential Annabel Karmel stuff and starting to wean 5 month old dd now.

wasabipeanut · 10/06/2010 11:15

serialmom I would dispute that BLW is only popular in the "mumsnet bubble." My HV told me that this was now the approach that they recommend to weaning. (DD is just coming up to 5 months so a few weeks to wait but we were just chatting about it).

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