BLW wobble, any reassurance or advice welcome!

[TheSkiingGardener]

DS is loving his food now he is 6 months. He seems to chew (gum) really well and goes for everything.

However, we've had a couple of problematic days when he has had steamed carrot sticks. He seems to be able to swallow larger pieces than he can get rid of at the other end. He then spend a day of intermittent straining and crying before an explosive nappy full of large carrot bits.

It's really putting me off BLW as he is really quite distressed. Should the carrot sticks be steamed to disintigration or should I avoid it? Also, does this mean I shouldnt give any firmer foods yet?

Really want to carry on, but definitely wobbling. All advice appreciated!

Apologies for grammar, spelling, one handed iPhone attempt.

I did blw for my second child. I think you always get large bits in the nappy at this stage - they don't really digest anything yet. I'd make sure that the carrot is reasonably soft, and it should be okay. But try something else for a day or two and see if the same sort of thing happens. It's all experimentation at this stage. Kids screaming at each other or I would write more!

I am having this problem with carrot as it is either too firm for her to gum, so she gets big bits, or too soft to pick up. Had more luck with steamed swede and roasted sweet potato as they are a little bit softer.

Will try carrots again in a couple of weeks.

Glad it's not just me! I think I'll avoid carrots for a bit.

Straining with poos is very normal when they start on solids anyway, as it all feels so different and, well, solid in their bowels! Nothing to worry about.

Straining is one thing, but we've had 24 hours of constipation, straining, crying and then jet propelled carrot lumps!

Glad he was in a nappy or my wall would be carrot-dashed!

Sounds normal to me and, from my own experience of BLW, I'd say if you avoid carrots you'll just get constipation, straining, crying and then jet-propelled sweet potato/pepper/cauliflower/lumps of whatever you've given him to eat! His digestive system is still getting used to solid food.

We had a couple of bouts of constipation in the first few weeks of BLW - it was quite distressing for me as I had literally never seen my son have to strain for a poo (I was used to mustardy BF poo)...and he was having plenty of water with each meal and lots of fruit & veg so I was at my wits end (we had one bout of constipation that lasted 5 days, of random grunting/straining/bursts of random crying, and just as I was about to make a GP appointment he filled his nappy with the biggest poo ever!).

But it passed. He's 8.5 months now and we've not had any constipation in ages. He still loves his grub and he seems to digest it well (at least, it's hard to see what he's eaten by the contents of his nappy!).

Thank you all, you are reassuring me! I'm going through a stage of feeling everything I am doing is wrong, so seeing him in pain was distressing me even more.

We shall keep going, but maybe with softer carrot.