6 mth old today and first day of BLW-anyone want to start BLW journey with me ?

[fakeblondie]

I`ve never done this before even tho dc 4 !
DD1 18yrs
DD2 15 yrs
DS1 7 years
DD3 1/2 !

Totally breastfed to date and very content.
Allowed her to help herself to my plate tonight where i ensured she could reach soft green beans if she wanted to.
She loved it-made a mess-squashed it and mushed and and ALMOST sucked it !
Well thats my experience so far !
Am about a quarter way thro eading the BLW book and very confident that she`s totally fine just breastfeeding for quite a while yet as omly have to look at her to see that nature is working wonders x
Bit scared about the whole lumps bit tho but willing to give it a good go x

can I join? DS is 6 months next sat and we have just started offering a few bits and peices. So far he has sucked on some brocolli and cucumber, rice cakes with cream cheese on seemed to be a hit, banana a definite hit - he cried when it was finished yoghurt I'm not sure he liked the taste v much, but he liked waving his spoon around (we did loaded spoons) and smearing it around and all over himself!

I'm finding it fascinating peering at his nappies to see bits of food in them

I was here ages ago and am back for more support!
My baby is coming up 7 months and is doing ok, I have resisted the temptation to smack her on the back every time she eats!

Am running out of ideas for food too. Will try porridge pancakes/fingers for brekky, feeling a bit guilty that she is mostly having toast in the mornings due to my laziness! She gave a big thumbs down to weetabix with ebm, will try with formula again as think defrosted ebm may be a bit yucky!

So far, big hits have been scrambled egg, clementines, eggy bread and cougette fingers (lightly fried and blotted on kitchen roll).

She is getting the hang of yoghurt on loaded spoons, but turns her nose up at any purees.

Another nappy peerer here

Hi, a quick catch up from me, never seem to have time to post, still struggling with dd's eczema on face and spend the whole time trying to stop her scratching :( waterhorse can I ask how long you had to use the steroid cream for before it cleared up? Also, how did you cope with scratching? It really is a full time job stopping dd scratching her face, and no matter how short and blunt I'm trying to keep her nails I seem to be failing miserably :( we use mitts at night but they don't always stay on

Hello cosmosis and greasychip

Not an awful lot to report really, we haven't tried anything much new. Crumpets are still a hit, a bit of steak has been sucked and thrown on floor. Broccoli was evident in nappy this morning after last nights tea which surprised me as I didn't think she'd actually eaten anything.

In general nappywatch news, the poos are definitely changing. Drier and darker in colour.

I am not very good with breakfast ideas, we haven't tried egg yet but maybe it's time to give some ommellette (sp?) a go. Ive just bought some shredded wheat too although can't remember how big they actually are (haven't opened the box yet, hope they aren't too small for dd to pick up or choke on, they were half price though so I was suckered into chucking them in the trolley!). Was going to express some milk to soak them in. We're avoiding dairy for now cos of eczema so yogs are out unfortunately.

Sweet potato wedges and green beans for tea I think. Havent given fish yet but plan to make fishcakes this week.

What time do you give your dc's their tea in relation to their bedtime?

Hi Square we were lucky in that dd didn't scratch very often. Her excema is mild (so far) and I got the steroid cream as soon as I noticed she was starting to scratch which helped to nip it in the bud I think. Is your dd using her fingers to scratch? Could you try scratchmits during the day as well? I've also heard of people using socks instead of scratch mits as they supposedly stay on better but not tried. Sorry your dd is itchy, it's horrible. Whereabouts has she got the excema.

We used the steroid cream for about 2 weeks, but only in the evening and on a couple of stubborn spots in the second week. Since then her skin is better although dry. I now apply diprobase cream every nappy change and the skin's slowly recovering. Saying that, one patch seems redder again today so I might go back to the steroid cream for a day or two, I'll see how it looks tomorrow.

Greasychip I tried porridge with ebm once - it was the most disgusting smell I've ever come across (i.e once cooked) so I had to bin it (but then I've never liked the smell of warm milk!). I might try COLD ebm on weetabix if we get back on to wheat.

Hi Cosmosis sounds like ds has made a good start.

Thanks catdoctor it's good to hear a positive nursery story. We use washable nappies too so I suspect nursery will regard me as weird hippy mum. Got a few months before I need to worry about it mind. Not worried too much about sugar so far, but the only sweet things I've given dd have been fruit. Will probably change once she starts nursey.

Things are going ok with us - introduced fish last week which seems to have gone ok. dd seems to be eating less again though so I don't know if she has another tooth due or is just bored with her food. I'm running out of ideas especially for breakfast - if anyone has any ideas for wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free breakfasts, please let me know!

Sleep also an issue - dd is back to waking every 2 hours - don't know if that is related to food at all but given she's eating a bit less the last day or two, I do sometimes wonder if I should be filling her up on purees...

Another good day for us, weetabix with formula (still had a funny smell though!) for brekky, pasta and turkey and sweet potato for lunch, then beans on toast for tea.
Well, I say beans on toast but it was more sucked bread and mushy beans on a spoon if truth be told!

squareorange I am trying to squeeze in 3 meals a day so do brekky at 0800, lunch at 1230 and then supper at 1700. Each meal takes about 45 mins though, so if I am a bit late with lunch it can seem like I am waving food around in her face all day long! Can't really push supper any further back as she likes to be in bed by half 6, as she barely closes her peepers all day long.

Thewaterhorse- hmmm, wheat/dairy/egg free? Errm....fruit? You have your work cut out there! Are you allowed to use substitutes such as wheat free or dairy free?

Oh and forgot to say that I asked the HV about vitamin drops but she just told me that she has never taken a vitamin in her life and neither have her kids, and then went off on some tangent about meat pies not having much meat in anyway (to reassure me as I am a vegetarian? )
Thanks for that , not quite the evidenced based answer I was hoping for!

I'm having a wobble at the moment - DS's pooing is all over the place withlots of small poos, ie one an hour or two and he's got nappy rash. Yesterday he just cried when I offered him anything. I think it's because he's teething and has a bit of a bunged up nose, but I feel like it happened as soon as we started offering food. I'm offering anything at the moment as it's just upsetting both of us.

square we used socks instead of mittens with ds. just found out about peke moes now which are like a big sleep sack with their arms inside - ideal for preventing scratches. We're using one with dd to transition her from swaddling.

i also can't rate pure potion skin salvation highly enough - completely cured our ds's eczema. you can get a free sample if you email them.

oh and we use biocare vitamin powder for dd and ds

hotg may i have your fay r pancake recipe please?

cosmosis we too have nappy rash issues - I think the 'real' poos can be quite toxic - I have to change ASAP or it's pink bum.

When he's gringy I just keep offering a boob - sometimes it's a relief not to be in constant cycle of solids prep/feeding/clearing up! I feel the not hassling them part of BLW is important - hopefully shouldn't be any pressure on babe or mama

Cosmosis That was exactly what happened with us when she had a cold and was teething. I am bfing on demand so just continued with that and didn't push the food too much. She has now recovered and is much more up for it. I think there will be these ups and downs on the journey!
Cake Can I ask why you decided on vitamin powders? It's just I don't seem to be able to get a straight answer anywhere! And how do you administer the powder? Thanks!

YEs, that's why I'm not offering, boob seems to be the answer at the mo - the last thing I want to do is get in a stress about food, I was a horrendous eater as a child and am trying not to repeat the cycle.

Hello again all!

Dd is nearly 7 mo, and ticking along with blw. I don't know how mu h she eats but am reining in my inner control freak!

Her favourite is tomato, least favourite Weetabix. Breakfast is definitely her least favourite meal, she won't let me best her with a spoon so petit filous gets a little messy! Roasted veg, cheese cubes, bread sticks with houmous, roast meats are all popular too. She had a suck on some clementine segments earlier which I think she liked.

In terms of timing I do this:

• bf and up at 0630/0700
• breakfast at 0800
• nap 0900
• bf 1100
• lunch 1230
• nap 1330
• bf 1500
• catnap 1600
• dinner 1800
• bf and bed 1900

All very roughly as not really a routine-y household!

Oh, and bf on demand if wanted at other times obviously.

And bf god knows how many times over night!

Hi everyone, apologies for not keeping up again, been having nightmares with dd's eczema on face, but we've had a big improvement (a burst of stronger steroid cream has worked wonders, although it's scary using these things) so really hoping we're getting on top of it now and it's not just a temporary improvement.

I need to read back through to catch up a bit, so will be back!

Hope all the feeding is going well, I'm feeling quite positive about it all at the moment although need a bit of inspiration for mealtimes and snacks when out and about - we're avoiding dairy for now and haven't given egg yet, so that makes things a bit harder.

Anyway, am off to catch up and I shall be back!

greasychip the powder i found was a broader spectrum one than the liquid ones i'd seen - and obv either type are easier than a tablet for a baby!

it seems tons is going in now (altho the kitchen floor still seems to get a fair share of it) as her nappies have been proper stinky poo for a few days, despite only dropping 1 bf.

i did savoury pancakes with olives and tomato in them yesterday (they were actually for me and ds as i didn't want her too have too many salty olives) but she rejected her plain ones and swapped them for ds's olivey ones instead - ah well, hopefully a lot bit of salt now and then won't hurt...

Certainly cakes, sorry I didn't pick up your post as I haven't been here for a while.

150g plain flour
150ml milk (I use whole milk)
1 egg
1tsp baking powder
60g sugar (I tend to only put half this in)

Sieve flour, baking powder and sugar, mix egg and milk together, then combine.

I melt a bit of butter or spread in the pan and then drop in a tablespoon of batter. When the batter starts to get bubbles on the top I flip it over.

Makes about 8-10 pancake depending on how big you make them, they are lovely and fluffy.

cheers for that hotg

Hi all, we just started BLW a few days ago. I was wavering a little until today when dd picked up a yoghurt loaded spoon and sucked it to death - it was very hard not to jump for joy.

It's so great to find this kind of support and brilliant food ideas - my friends are all pureeing and probably think I'm nuts!

One question - dd had some of my houmous topped bagel today, which was covered in seeds. Any thoughts on whether seeds are okay at this early stage?

Hi Everyone, good to hear how you're all getting on.

Square - glad there's been some improvement in dd's excema. Try not to worry too much about the steroids - I've had excema myself on and off over the years and I honestly think it's better to use steroid creams when needed to clear up an outbreak quickly before it gets really bad / itchy / infected etc, rather than struggle on with emollients alone. My dd's excema is almost fully cleared up now - I've actually been using lansinoh on her skin the last couple of days to help clear the last few flaky bits.

Food is hit and miss here, dd hasn't eaten much recently (although has had a cold) then she surprised me by going mad for broccoli today (which usually gets ripped up and thrown on the floor). The changes do keep it interesting! Wish meals took slightly less time though as I feel I spend most of my life sitting at the table with her...

Welcome Pidgywidge - sounds like the loaded spoons went really well!

My understanding is that seeds are generally ok. However, if your dd is at a higher risk of allergies (e.g. if there are already allergies in the family) then you might want to be more cautious.

If she is higher risk, and as she has already tried seeds, it might be worth minimising introducing other new foods for the next couple to see if there is any delayed reaction (such as skin reaction or stomach upset) so that it is easier for you to identify the cause. Just for completeness, houmous also contains sesame seeds, so this is something to be aware of if you are concerned about allergies.

I am getting a bit stressed about it but I am trying to reign in my inner control freak and remind myself it doesn't matter that he's not eating anything.

We have no choice but to BLW as he refuses to be spoon fed! He'll take a loaded spoon and throw that around quite happily though.

Cosmosis I sympathise. I have a few days when she eats well and I think "yes, BLW is the right way to go" then she'll go a week or so hardly touching herr food and I'll worry I'm doing it all wrong.

I have tried spoon feeding and she was not interested.

I think we just have to have faith that they will eat more when they're ready. Your ds is still quite young though I think? He will probably start to eat more over the next few weeks, it's still early days.

Seeds update - they all reappeared today with seemingly no ill effects, so I think she's okay with them :)

Although we have just started BLW and not a lot seems to be going in, her dirty nappies have doubled - anyone else found this?

yes, he is just 6 months so I know it's v early days. He loved sucking on some fruit at lunchtime though I don't think any went in!