Someone explain baby led weaning to me

[lexyloub]

Ds is 20 weeks he's only just gone onto hungry baby milk he has 5 6oz bottles a day and sleeps through the night. Hes always followed the 9th centile growth line. He's a very content baby and I don't think he's ready for food just yet.

When I had my older dc it was all baby rice leading to purees then introducing lumps around 7m. This worked very well with my older dc although they were hungrier babies and we're on the baby rice well before now.

I'm happy to do it this way again but I'm interested to know more about blw. At the moment ds is not stable sat up in a highchair, I used to feed older dcs in a bouncer chair to begin with.

How will I know when he's ready and how do I start? Hv said I need to start this at 6m but what if he's not ready. At the moment he's very content with his milk I can't see that in only 4 weeks time he'll be ready for food or can it change that quickly?

Any advice welcome
Thanks

[VeryPunny]

BLW evangelists do my nut in. It's as if purees didn't exist before Braun hand blenders and that all prehistoric cave mums were carefully leaving piles of steamed greens and strips of mammoth within arm's reach of their babies, and therefore, purees must be up there with formula as the spawn of Satan and the quickest way to get your child to be obese.

IIRC the "evidence" for BLW is a single study of 20 babies. Can't even remember what they purported to show.

That said I did mostly BLW with both of mine, with the exception of yogurt which was shovelled in,but I am quite lazy. I do love a good kitchen gadget though.

[umiaisha]

Agree art&co. I particularly hate seeing this when eating out. Also don't like it when a baby/toddler is just fed from the adults plate.

I have used one of those bowls with the suction pads. Of course the food still ends up all over the place!

[qumquat]

I loved baby led weaning because I hate cooking and I hate spending money. Blw meant I only ever had to cook one meal (mine without salt) and I never spent a penny on Ella's Kitchen etc. it also meant dd and I could eat together, I didn't have to alternate feeding her and feeding myself. dd is 18 months now and a pro with a spoon or fork. Nothing wrong with spoon feeding of course, but it seemed like unnecessary faff to me.

[CultureSucksDownWords]

I don't know anyone who has done BLW that hasn't taught their child to use cutlery. I'm not sure how anyone has got the idea that spoon feeding is meant to teach them how to use cutlery whereas BLW does not?!

As with every one else that I know, I gave a spoon & fork to my DS at around 10 months ish. He learnt to use cutlery fairly quickly and is a tidy eater with good table manners. This is true of all the other babies I know who were weaned using a BLW approach.

[lexyloub]

Thanks for the advice guys I think a mix of both Is the way forward for me I'm glad it doesn't need to be one or the other. I had a vanilla slice yesterday and gave him the tiniest bit of custard he absolutely loved it couldn't get enough I've noticed he's started to watch us eat licking his lips so maybe he's more ready than I thought I'll try and last a few more weeks yet though.

[mrsmugoo]

I didn't do one strict method out of a book - I offered things on a spoon (yoghurt, porridge etc..) and things for him to eat himself (sandwich fingers, crackers, soft veggies etc...)

I found it great to do both as my DS is happy to bite and chew food but isn't too independent to accept me spoon feeding him sloppier messier food so everyone's a winner.

[downgraded]

It's just such obvious bollocks isn't it?

Ever tried force feeding a baby purée with a spoon once they've decided they're full? Hahaha can you heckers like

Plus not teaching children how to use cutlery simply breeds kids with appalling table manners.

[gutzgutz]

I think one of the theories with BLW is that they learn to regulate their intake and stop when they are full naturally rather than when the bowl is empty. Also supposed to make them less fussy. Having done a mix with both children I would say this is rubbish! Depends on the child. DS1 was an incredibly good eater and now is a pretty fussy almost 5 year old and DS2 would eat al day if I let him and again is fussy at 2.5 (copies his brother no doubt).


Also depends on your tolerance to mess, I don't have much so tended to spoon feed the most messy food. If you're going to be a BLW purist (no pun intended!) I advise getting a dog!

[DownstairsMixUp]

Ds2 is ten months and I do a mixture. Did it with last ds to. Obviously things like spag bol yoghurt I feed him but fruit sandwiches biscuit etc I just put on highchair for him and he feeds himself his milk.

[HeadDreamer]

whatabout the NHS page specially says They can stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady.

It is not unaided. I think a lot of new mums will take unaided as in the middle of the room, steady and not topple. DD1 can't sit unaided until 7mo. DD2 took till 9mo. She learned sitting up after crawling (though in the same week). To me what the NHS advice is staying in a sitting position, hold the head up, with some help. That help could be your legs, the bumbo seat or high chair. They shouldn't be slumped. Though I find high chair a bit of a hit and miss for babies who can't sit unaided. DD2 can't use the ones in restaurants until unaided (ie 9mo). But she is fine with the ikea antilop because the cushion is on all 3 sides and she's very well tucked in between.

[CultureSucksDownWords]

The NHS advice is that babies are ready for weaning at around 6 months, which is not quite the same as "no food before 6 months". It's probably more helpful to focus on the signs of readiness rather than a specific age.

Baby rice and baby cereal are usually fortified with vitamins/minerals, but aren't as nutritious as the same quantity of breastmilk/formula. So they're not quite nutritionally worthless.

[Whatabout]

In four to six weeks he will be ready, no rush to get going!

[Whatabout]

Guidelines are no food before six months and they should be able to sit up unaided. Their gut is not able to deal with food before this, they don't need puréed food as you start at six months when they are ready for food. Baby rice and baby cereal has no nutritional value so is pointless. Until one year old milk should be their main source of calories.

The reason people say you should not mix spoon feeding and blw is if you start with spoon feeding they are more likely to choke on blw food as their instinct is different. If you start with mush or whatever their instinct is to swallow what's in their mouth and not gum / chew. That's the theory behind it. My son ate soup from a cup he could drink and used dippers for yoghurt / porridge.

[lexyloub]

He can pick things up to put to his mouth though

[lexyloub]

Thanks head I'll have a nosey. No he's only 20 weeks he's nowhere near at the stage if sitting unsupported in a high chair.

[HeadDreamer]

The link I posted didn't have it! See this one instead
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx

Should have guessed from the URL it's the old page.

[HeadDreamer]

Basically sit up with straight back but supported. (Like putting baby between legs and he should be upright).

Can pick up and aim food (or food sized things) into mouth.

Can swallow. This you will know if spoon feeding the food will go down the throat and not out to the chin.

[HeadDreamer]

lexyloub it's on the nhs weaning pages.

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Babies-weaning/Pages/Whattodo-OLD.aspx

[CultureSucksDownWords]

Can he sit up in a high chair with minimal support for a decent length of time? Can he pick things up and bring them to his mouth? Is he around 26 weeks? Those are pretty reasonable indicators.

[lexyloub]

So anyway back to one of my oringinal questions How do I know when he's ready for either puree or finger foods? I think doing a mixture of both might be better for me however ds might have other ideas until I try I'll never know

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I'm stopping now as it wasn't anyone on this thread so it was a bit unecessary of me to bring it up and I apologise if I have derailed the thread.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

My point however is that I believe you can mix the two. Baby led some of the time, spoon fed other times. However I was told in no uncertain terms previously (not here) that unless the entire weaning was baby led, then it wasn't baby led at all. Which seems pedantic to me. Especially as weaning is such an inexact term too, when does it stop being weaning and start being just eating. I've tried to explain that here, so that others are aware too. However I have no issue with how anyone feeds their baby, just with them telling me what I could or couldn't call the process by which I weaned my own DC.

[CultureSucksDownWords]

This perception of "exclusivity" is interesting. Baby led weaning is one thing, spoon feeding is another. To point out that one is not the other is not to be "exclusive".

Idiots can use any parenting choice as a tool to be snooty and judgmental about other people and their choices. Just because some of those people use weaning as their tool of choice doesn't mean everyone else should be tarred with the same brush.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

The point is, there's no need for a fancy name.and the limitations. of trying to maintain the exclusive badge.

just feed the baby. whatever, however.