Can I combine BLW and Spoon Feeding?

[NikkiTwinkle]

My DD is nearly 7 months old, we've been trying to wean her since 6 months. She's BF and not taking to the spoon, she just sits there with her mouth shut. When she does open it and gets a little food she doesn't complain and actually eats it. She's started to open her mouth, but not the little birdie that my DS was.

I've been giving her some banana and a few carrot sticks etc but not much seems to go down.

Can I combine the two? Give her finger food as well as some cerial/yoghurt/fruit puree to try and fill her up a little bit?

Has anyone else done that successfully? or will I just confuse her?

None of my friends have done the BLW thing so don't know who to ask.

Thanks

Of course you can! That's how I weaned both my elder kids. I think it's good for them to get used to a variety of different textures and can't see that there's anything confusing for them in that at all.

yes you can. my ds2 helped himself to toast etc in the mornings but i always gave him porridge/weetabix/yoghurt with a spoon. I am all for blw but at some point they need to be able to use a knife and fork so i always thought a bit of both was sensible.

Yes, this is what normal most people do, i.e. spoon feed mushy food, e.g. porridge/weetabix and give them food to hold, that seems best that way, e.g. cheese lumps, bits of veg etc.

oh yes!!! it is hard to do just one imo. DS has always loved grabbing/holding/stuffing food in his mouth so I do both and have done from literally the start.

I started with some very well cooked apple slices, and some pears, (he LOVED pears), some cooked carrots, while feeding him mushed up food, so he got used to holding/tasting himself, progressed, and now feed him mashed/roughly chopped food and finger food. He is almost 1 year, and is extremely hungry, so finger food alone would not cut through his appetite so he has a ton of both! For example this evening he had one huge bowl full of pasta/veg & tomato sauce (chunky sauce and well chopped pasta) 4-6 bits of pasta whole and cooked for him to hold/eat, and a sausage sliced in half lengthways, followed by porridge and puree fruit. for lunch he has mushed jar {bad mummy] and chunks of fresh fish, whole peas and a couple of chips, chunk of bread (restuarant).

Roo only allows me to stuff food into his mouth while he is wielding either a bit of food in each mit, or more recently, a fork/spoon in each one so he can help 'feed' hismelf (er yeah!) .

You may well find that your DD will enjoy/allow you to shovel food into her much more easily while she is distracted with looking at a chunk of banana in her paws.

It is so much fun, you must do it! No confusion, no labelling with words such as 'puree' or 'blw' just some mushed and some finger food, its normal and natural.

Thank you so much for your comments so quick to respond. I'm going to go for it tomorrow to see if it makes a difference to mealtimes. I don't care about the mess, we just go through a ton of clothes as bibs don't seem to stay in place and catch any of the food.

Feeling much more positive about it.

Thanks

Oh it is a lot of fun, so definitely feel positive about it she will have a lot of fun even if she doesn't eat much of it at first.

I find DS makes enough of a mess either way as without something to hold he hits the spoon away so it goes everywhere anyway, and he likes to smear it across his face. At least he can't do that with chunks of pasta! I have a mat underneath his chair to catch spillages and just shake it out/wipe down afterwards, and put it in the washing machine every couple of days. Also have you tried giving her a spoon to hold herself? maybe she wants to 'try and help' ?

Good luck, let us know how she gets on?

Thank you so much everybody for your support we've had so much fun today. She absolutely LOVED it.

We were at some friends for lunch so used their high chair/booser seat which was so much better than our high chair, so we've borrowed that. She loved squishing pear into her mouth and around the tray along with some carrott. She actually let me feed her from the spoon whilst she was eating her food. The first time she's actually finished a meal I've made!

She wasn't too interested in finger food tonight but she's tired, but we had propper food rather than just porridge which is all I can usually get down her.

Just got to nip to the shops and get more finger foods.

Long may this continue. YEAH

I am so pleased you enjoyed it! just keep going and don't worry if she doesn't want much/eat much of what you offer her, it is all about fun at this age.

Food Is Fun Until They're One