Baby Led Weaning question

[Octopuscakes]

I like the idea of BLW, as DS is a lot more interested in the stuff we're eating than any mashed carrots etc. I make specially for him.

But what about the advice not to give the baby anything with salt or sugar added? I can't think of much that I cook that has not had a at least some salt added somewhere along the way (to the water when cooking veg, pasta, rice, potatoes; stock in sauces; seasoning etc.)

Do the Baby-led-weaners out there cook with no salt at all?

Also, general feeding question: even if you're not supposed to give your baby cow's milk at 6 months, are other dairy products ok?? cheese, yoghurt...

This is going back a few years now but yeah, I stopped adding salt in cooking when DD started eating our food. Me and DH added it to our own food at the table instead. Actually it was quite good for us because we got used to eating less salty food!

I don't add salt to my cooking anyway. I switched to baby stock cubes when I used them (though you can also get low salt ones) and go easy on things like soy sauce etc. You don't need salt in cooking water so it's probably good for you to get out of the habit! You can still add whatever herbs and spices you want.

And they can have cow's milk at 6 months, just not as a main drink. It's fine in foods or on cereal etc.

You quickly get used to no salt in the cooking. Adults can add some at the table.

Advice is not to give cow's milk as a drink before 12 months as it doesn't have sufficient nutrients. It's fine to use it in cooking or on cereal etc. and other dairy is fine, if your baby tolerates it.

Yep, we stopped adding salt to cooking, and cooking water. The only thing I miss is salt in pasta water. If I cook for grown up, it goes in. If I'm sharing with the boys, its saltless pasta.

The milk thing. I bf, so there was no formula in the house, and I didn't express, so we had cows milk, and anything dairy from 6 months. The only way they didn't have milk til nearly one was as a drink. So cows milk on cereal from the start.

I know people who have used ebm or formula for this tho, but am fairly sure that its only no cows milk as a drink (ie replacing bm or formula) before 1, not no dairy.

thanks all. goodbye salt&stock then.

It is ok to use some stock if you want. I cannot remember the details now but in a fit of pfb-ness with DD I did calculate how much salt she'd get from a portion of vegetable risotto made with stock made from Marigold low sodium vegetable bouillon powder (which they have in my local Sainsburys) and it was very very little indeed.

In fact the main sources of salt in your PFB's diet are likely to be bread, breakfast cereal, rich tea biscuits and cheese. But even these will be fine. They can have up to 1g a day safely, which is about 2 whole slices of bread (for the first few months they mainly lick fingers of toast and then fling them on the floor), or 8 weetabix or 10 rich tea biscuits. Whatever you do do not feed your baby 8 weetabix in a day. Horrendous idea.

Just make sure he stubs his fag out before you serve up the bacon butties and you should be fine.