Feeling like I wimped out :-(

[Lizbertnobacon]

Hi all,
DD is 24 weeks and I was determined to do blw after seeing it work wonders with my friends babies. I was however totally terrified at the thought of DD choking but thought I would bite the bullet and do it when the time was right.
In the past few days though I have caved and made some purees which she has really enjoyed. She is sitting up independently and loves putting things in her mouth so I think she is ready for blw, but I just cant bring myself to do it because of the choking fear.
I feel like a real failure, and am now even more worried about giving her finger food because she has had purees and wont be used to lumps. I could kick myself for being such a wimp. On the up side though she does really seem to enjoy the taste of food so I suppose I should be grateful for that. Any words of wisdom ladies, should I try blw now or have I missed the boat by starting purees??
Thanks all

don't be silly! Carry on doing what you feel comfortable with and chuck her a piece of toast or a pasta shape when you're having some. If you cook carrots, they are good too. She is only 24 weeks, she will not be 'used' to anything yet.
Just a note - with the finger food, just let her feed herself, don't attempt to help her put it into her mouth or anything. If she doesn't do it, she simply isn't ready.

I started on purees and moved to BLW after about 3 weeks when DD was showing signs of boredom with the spoonfeeding and just wanted to do it herself.

You're not being a wimp, and I know we all fear choking, but it is a much lower risk than you think. As long as she puts the food in her mouth herself then she is in control and will be fine. She might gag a bit (my DD did a lot in the first 2-3 weeks but hardly does anymore), but this is different from choking and is the baby's way of learning how to eat. You could always do a safety course on infant first aid so you would know what to do if she were to choke...

There is also a risk from choking on purees once you move to lumpy food - but BLW babies learn to deal with the lumps first before they learn to swallow rather than the other way round.

It's not to late to go for it, if you really want to do it. Good luck

You're not being a wimp! If BLW makes you anxious then don't do it. It's not the end of the world - lots of mothers don't do BLW and I find it hard to believe that their children have somehow lost out. After all, it's an approach not a requirement. And if you're anxious then mealtimes will not be as happy as they might be.

I don't think there's a boat to be missed is there? I mean at some point your DD will be feeding herself solid foods, however you start.

We've been weaning our DC for two months now and to start with I was all gung-ho and let's only do BLW but in fact the poor little thing was desperate to eat and couldn't pack the food in all by herself. So we ended up giving her finger foods and spoon feeding her mashed-up foods and porridge and she was happy with that. Now she can spoon feed herself if we load up the spoon first and she can feed herself lumps of food and she's happy. She did gag occasionally and still does now and then but it's not at all like choking and not scary, really. I did read up about what to do if a baby chokes first though, I am a bit of a worrier and it made me feel better.

As long as you're not forcing food on her, pureed or otherwise, when she doesn't want to eat, surely that's as baby led as BLW? Good luck: I'm sure you're doing just fine.

I could have written your OP. I started with BLW and after an allergy scare I lost my confidence with BLW even though it had nothing to do with the scare! I started making purees then moved on to mashing things. My DD is now 7 months old and we are now doing a combination...I still spoon feed alot of the time but also put down finger foods at each meal - so today for example, my DD had soup for lunch which I fed to her but she also had small rice cakes which she gummed on herself.

Not a failure at all - BLW is great if it suits you, as it did me, but it's by no means essential. It is a good idea to try offering finger foods quite soon, though - why don't you do an infant first aid course, so that you're confident you'll know what to do if she chokes? It's a good idea for any baby, I think.

Don't worry! We puree-weaned DS at 6 months but moved on to mashed/lumpy stuff very quickly and gave him finger foods as soon as he wanted them too. He never had any problems with lumps and has always been a good eater (I mean, he eats most things and is good about trying new things)

It's how a lot of people wean and just because you have started with purees, it doesn't mean that there'll be any issue with lumps or finger foods.

Take a first aid course and learn how to deal with choking. The only time that DS ever came close to choking was when he was 2.5 and too greedy with a strawberry!

Thought I would add...I was/am terrified about choking too and have been reassured that gagging is normal for a weaning baby. I have had to try and relax a bit when my DD gags, and have found that she gags less and less.

Thanks for all of your suggestions, I am going to do an infant first aid course in december hopefully, so I think I will feel better after that. Im going to try and relax about it and do a bit of both so I'm not putting too much pressure on me or dd. Thanks for your help, I feel better knowing I'm not the only one with this worry!

The Gill Rapley book on BLW (I am beginning to sound like her PR on here!!! ) really explains the choking/gagging thing well. Its all about where the gag reflex is on the tongue with babies.
DS is 8mo and we are BLW and he has had whole florets of broccoli, whole mini roast potatoes in his mouth at once and eats those round mini rice cakes whole, he has never actually choked.

I would be more worried about the mess and the state of your dining room/kitchen floor if I were you !!!