Baby-led weaning going nowhere

[ferma]

It's still early days I know, but a week in and baby-led weaning isn't going particularly well for DD (6 months).

She can sit in her high chair and reach the tray where we put steamed batons of various vegetables. But her hand eye coordination isn't great, so the food doesn't really make it to her mouth. If we help her, she will give the food a lick and half-hearted gum, but not sure much goes in.

I know it doesn't matter, it's more about trying new flavours and textures but still relying on breast milk for nutrition, but am I doing something wrong? DD does seem very interested when we're eating, so I think she's ready... maybe just a matter of time?

We have tried a bit of traditional purée too but she doesn't love this either, and we're keen to give BLW a good go.

Anyone with experience or advice? Thank you.

Honestly my dd when stared blw she loved carrots, broccoli, any fruit, bread, lightly toasted bread and crackers!
She never liked pasta until recently (she 10m)
Even with my Ds all he would eat during blw was pasta, fruit, crackers and toast (but not bread)
Every child is different and do it at there own pace. Its sometimes textures and flavours they don't like. My ds is 3 and he's only just decided he likes chips. But he still won't eat a pea!

BLW is a fad that only middle class mums on social media have even heard about.
Really? I was a young single parent on benefits. Bit of a silly generalisation.

Could you let her hold finger foods and chew on them whilst you spoon feed her some purée? That way she gets to explore new foods with her fingers, mouth and eyes, you get her something nutritious into her tummy and with the added bonus of maybe a good nights sleep. (Weaning was the real breath through for me)

I'm not a fan of blw I know food is a bit of fun as people keep saying but it's not fun if nothing is actually going in. Lo loves purses, will keep opening his mouth for more and happily anything puréed. He has good hand coordination it finger food he's either throw on the floor or squeezed it in his hand. Total waste of time and money! So I'm letting my baby lead me, he's happy to have puréed food so we do that with loads of variety each day and then I stick the odd carrot down or melty stick so he can have a play around, if any goes in bonus! If not then at least I know he eaten something!

I thought I’d do blw, baby had other ideas. Very texture sensitive, spoon obsessed . I didn’t seem to cook for us that he liked or were suitable. He’s now 9 months and I have definitely seen progress recently in terms of confidence with finger foods. He can guide a spoon into his mouth if I put food on it. Annoyingly, his grandma gave him those pouches of yoghurt and fruit and now he wants most to have those direct from the pack. And dairylea triangles that the childminder gave him when he spurned my lovingly crafted tomato risotto!

"BLW is a fad that only middle class mums on social media have even heard about. Everyone else does it the usual way - some puréed food, some spoonfed soft foods, some finger foods. They just don’t give it a silly name. "

Um, no, it's something every HV in my area was trained in when my first was born. That's where I heard about it. And from friends in different regions who'd done it before me.

Seriously, feed your baby in whatever way makes you feel comfortable. But I think sitting back and being able to tuck into my own food while watching my babies have a whale of a time shoving bread sticks in their ears, broccoli in their hair and maybe the odd bit in their mouths while still managing to put on weight, not be deficient in any vitamins and being generally content was so much less stressful than traditional weaning.

The problem - for me - with spoon feeding is that the focus is on getting a certain amount of food into your baby which can really make you stress and worry if you don't mean the 'target'.

I also don't agree with the comments that BLW is supposed to lead to less fussy children. I think all kids go through a fussy stage at some point. But I do think if they've been used to lump free, smooth purees for a long period, there's a good chance (though not definite) that they'll reject textures when you try giving them solids.

I agree Curlywurly. DD turned a corner in the last day or two and is now popping batons into her mouth herself and having a good gum. Most food still goes on the mat (I got one!) but it's a pleasure to see her have a good go. I also agree it's less stressful this way, as there's no 'target' amount of food I want to get in her.

There shouldn't be a target amount either way, with spoon feeding you're supposed to stop when they show signs they don't want to eat any more (turn away, shut their mouths, grab the spoon and throw it on the floor...).

Agree about the fussy period - I did BLW with my first and she went through the really fussy period as a toddler and still is quite fussy now at 7 years old (except at school as peer pressure of everyone eating the same thing helps there). And with purees its def important to move onto chunky ones before long otherwise they might end up refusing any texture apart from smooth. I do like that with purees/mashed food its easier to get lots of different flavours and tastes into them as some things are just much harder for them to eat BLW-style until older - my youngest has much more variety in his meals than my oldest did as a baby.

BLW is a fad that only middle class mums on social media have even heard about. Everyone else does it the usual way - some puréed food, some spoonfed soft foods, some finger foods. They just don’t give it a silly name

More like purées were pushed in order for baby food companies to make a mint.

Traditional communities would just give their baby what they have, modified for a baby. The younger they are, they just mush it up. In some communities, mothers would chew the food a bit then give it to baby.

BLW is just about letting your child feed themselves. Puréeing and shovelling it in with a spoon is just the next step along from routine led formula feeding - which overrides a child’s natural appetite control as they’re being “encouraged” to eat when they’re not hungry. How many times have we been tempted to make baby finish the bottle or bowl of food? Who, as adults will be convinced that they should clear their plate.

And we wonder why there’s an obesity epidemic.

I ditched BLW after about a month, I found it far more of a hassle that spoonfeeding, and at age 1, pretty much to the day, DD removed the spoon from my hand and started to feed herself.

Traditional communities would just give their baby what they have, modified for a baby. The younger they are, they just mush it up. In some communities, mothers would chew the food a bit then give it to baby.

My family has roots in a country with many traditional communities. Never seen babies sat with food in front of them expected to feed themselves. Ever.

Yeah they would mash up (or pre-chew, which I wouldn't recommend, tooth decay bacteria and all) and feed it to them - so basically home made purees.

It shouldn't really be about which way is the best way, it is about each individual baby.

My baby was sensitive to textures, he loved those smooth purees, there's lots he wouldn't eat to start with. I have found that gently introducing textures and savoury food by a spoon has helped him learn to eat. I just didn't feel comfortable sat for three months watching baby play with food and eat nothing.

Now at 9 1/2 months he eats a bit of finger food every day and some food which is solid- such as toast, bits of banana, those organic vegetable puff things etc. He still has some food via spoon which is lumpy and some less lumpy (yoghurt for instance).

From what I have read/heard both BLW and traditional weaning makes little difference to the end point. Babies seem to get into their food around 9 months regardless and neither leads to babies rejecting textures, finger food etc.

Traditional weaning isn't about super smooth purees all the time and its not about 'shovelling' food in. If my baby doesn't want something he'll let me know. It's about starting with smooth and graduating on to textures and finger food over time.

Whatever works for you and your baby is what is best, but really I don't understand why HVs promote BLW and why this is so dominant as there's no research which supports the claims that is leads to less fussy babies and that it is a more effective way of feeding baby.

There is a study here which makes some tentative conclusions, but advises that further studies are needed due to the popularity of BLW. If anyone can be bothered to read it!
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3509508/

@rubyroot my son was also very reactive to textures. As I'd done blw with my older daughter id planned the same for my son, anything that wasn't smooth he would gag on then vomit everywhere. Had no choice but to start with super smooth purees to introduce new tastes and then add texture. If he needs to take a longer path to get to eating then so be it, I was in such a rush with my daughter as I had this idea in my head that things NEEDED to be done by X time in her life, reality is if he still needs help at 2 then help he will need.

I said they gave it to baby. As baby gets older, baby feeds itself. But I doubt very much that baby is continuously feed with a spoon.

BLW is about letting baby decide on intake, once it’s old enough to get food in itself. Same with breastfeeding- which is why some people don’t like it, because they can’t make baby feed any more (with the misguided belief it’ll make baby sleep through) and they don’t know how much baby wants.

The problem is that for optimum health results (i.e. avoiding food allergies and anaemia) babies need to be consuming a variety of foods before many of them are really capable of feeding themselves.

Letting them decide on intake is important and should be done whether BLW or TW - you never force them to eat more.

I've got four dc and I've always done a mixture of textures-batons, thick soups, toast anything really.
Three were really easy weaners one In particular I used to practically throw food at him like a seal and he would eat it
One took a bit longer and used to vomit a lot at first but obviously got there in the end.
Somethings they all used to love were cod dipped in egg then breadcrumbs and fried in a little olive oil.
I made them into small baton shaped so easy to hold.
Mashed avocado and banana either off a spoon or mushed onto toast.
Hummus with toast sticks or pitta.
When I very first started weaning tricky weaner child I used to cook carrot and mash with formula (or you could use expressed breast milk) I started with a tiny bit of carrot and then increased the amount.

That’s great, Ferma x