BLW when baby with childminder- advice!

[JumpingJellyfish]

I'm currently doing a not very well thought out combination of purees and BLW- DD2 is 7.5 months old, didn't start solids at all until 6 months, and pretty good with finger foods but due to working 20 hours a week I have used purees too as thought this would be easier for the childminder and my MIL who mind the DCs. However, with the exception of yogurt and porridge, DD2 is not at all keen on purees... so would like to move more down the BLW route (though at the moment she only eats small amounts but is very keen). What can I give for the childminder to feed her at lunchtime? CM (or MIL) has never heard about BLW, though realises DD is keen on finger foods...

Also could someone please post a link to more info on BLW?...life pretty chaotic at the moment so would like reassurance I'm going about it the right way (basically giving DD any food we're eating that isn't rediculously hard, sometimes chopping it up a bit, and making sure she gets the chance to nibble at plenty of fruit & veg too, though not sure she's eating much yet)...

Sounds like you're doing fine with it. My DD2 is an 8 month old toothless wonder and she likes:

• ricecakes or toast with hummus
• sticks of cheese
• strawberries/bananas/mango/watermelon
• pasta with pesto
• cooked veggies (carrots, green beans, asparagus)

-strips of ham or roast chicken, the odd sausage (although she doesn't get many of these tbh).

• mashed potato which she eats with her fingers, chunks of baked salmon (which goes everywhere).

try rice cakes, toast soldiers, breadsticks etc dipped into/spread with purees.

On BLW stuff, give her the same as your packed lunch - OR give last nights dinner - varied a bit with extra fruit/veg sticks etc??

Can GPs not just give her what they are having?

My dd loved cheese on toast cut into soldiers. My cm was amazed that she could chomp her way thro it with one tooth

Melon and v ripe pear cut into wedges was also a big hit

I found the blw book v useful for ideas and my cm borrowed it before dd started with her as she was v intrigued.

Thanks all

Yes DD2 does love cheese on toast too!
Will try your ideas... I think MIL suffers from the same insecurity in not knowing quite how much food (let alone how nutritionally balanced it might be) a baby eats when left to her own devices without spooning in purees, so BLW is quite a way out of her comfort zone. As she does me a huge favour minding the DCs 1.5 days a week I want to make things as easy for her as possible. At least CM only has to feed them 2 meals a week so probably doesn't mind indulging me!! However again she is very used to puree feeding babies...

Will try getting the BLW book from library

Just an aside, my older DS & DD1 didn't get a first tooth until 13 months old- is this likely to impede BLW? DD2 does an amazing job of toothless chomping, but I can see how helpful it would be having gnashers and realise it may be months before she gets any if she's like her siblings!

It shouldn't. My DD1 got her first teeth as a first birthday pressie but had been chomping food for 6 months by then. DD2 is an expert eater and has no teeth. I wouldn't give her a tough steak, but she copes with everything else. There can be a degree of gagging sometimes (or there was a few weeks ago) but that was more to do with her cramming too much into her mouth.

One thing to watch out for is the baby "pouching" food. My DD2 tends to keep meat in her cheeks, presumably in case I forget to feed her later. I have to check her mouth is empty before I put her down for a nap and I suspect if she had teeth she'd be less inclined to treat her meat like chewing gum...