BLW in France

[flyingcloud]

Firstly - what is it in French?

Has anyone tried it? How did you paediatre react? How did others react?! Does anyone try it here?

I've got ages to go, DD is only 15 weeks. But I'm thinking of trying a mixed approach anyway, as she won't get the baby-led approach with the AM so I have no choice really.

Would love to read about your experiences.

Le sevrage dirigé par l'enfant??! Just made that one up.

The first person you'll have to convince, in my experience, is your DH, if he's French...Mine circles round DS when he's eating, waiting to clean up the slightest splatter. Drives me mad!

I've tried BLW in a very limited way, just with things like rice cakes and bits of veg off my plate - DS just drops them on the floor. But your DD might be really good at it and you'll be able to impress French people with her eating ability!

Dropping things on the floor is BLW though. Part of the first stage. It took ds2 a month really before I saw his poo change from a total bf poo to slightly thicker/with bits in.

If you're keen, just go for it.

I don't think you need to mention it to your ped.

Depends if they are v. interfering bossy hands-on or not though.

Ours was/is v. hands-off, at 6mths said ok go for it, he can have steak and chipsanything you like (actually DS2 did eat some of our fish and chips in the UK at 6.5 mths).

I can't see French people being v. shocked by it all - they often hand crusts of bread to babies.

Mind you my (French) SIL almost slapped DH this weekend when he tried to let her 9mth old eat a few cake crumbs that were left over

["NOOON... il ne mange pas encore les morceaux, il est trop petit, il faut y aller progressivement bla bla bla...]

Agree that DH will be horrified at food on floor/face/ etc.

Get one of those messy mats supposedly for painting (or a bit of oil-cloth) to put under the highchair, then you can just tip it all out the window.

OOH hadn't noticed it was you flyingcloud [duh]!

How are you? How is DD?

French forum about BLW here

Thank you all and thank you otherside for the link. Will investigate.

Hi jamais - your description of your SIL is exactly the same as an experience I had with my own SIL, just with a lump of bread (given by FIL) which is why I thought I might get funny reactions.

I know I will have to convince DH - mainly that she is not going to choke rather than the mess she is going to make. Problem with my DH is I am sure he would like the idea as I know how he thinks, but he needs to hear it from someone else - from me he'll assume it's just another crazy idea I picked up on MN .

DD is doing great - she's thriving and growing like a weed! She may just be too impatient (greedy?) to feed herself when she realises she can get food in faster when someone spoon feeds her!

Jamais, that rings a bell.

I remember when we were in France with dd at 11 months, buying her the odd pot of bledina baby food. It was always 1 stage less lumpy/more gloopy than anything suggested in the uk.