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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

BLW v Traditional (Purees) has anyone tried each approaches with different dc's what do you think is better?

16 replies

sedgiebaby · 07/04/2011 16:39

I've got my mum saying Purees are the way to go, my SIL doing BLW fingerfoods and DC not seeming to eat much some months later.

I started with baby rice about 10 and the last couple of days some finger foods. To be honest neither seems to be going that well, after the the initial 'try' appears uninterested! DD is 27 wks.

Just wondering if anyone has tried both approaches and what they think

OP posts:

Original poster

sedgiebaby · 07/04/2011 16:43

sorry about my grammar, that is shocking! I have a wriggly baby on my knee distracting me!

OP posts:

PrettyCandles · 07/04/2011 16:46

Started ds1 on purees at 4m. Went smoothly enough, but was a very fussy job keeping track of what he had had and when, introducing new foods every 3 days, etc. He got interested in holding food and feeding himself at about 6m.

With dd the advice was to start at 6m, but she was grabbing food from my plate at 5m, so we started at 5.5m. She zipped through the purees stage and was feeding herself and eating lumps at about the same age as ds1 had been.

Ds2 was a very big baby, so we assumed he would also be interested in solids fairly early, but he wasn't. Dh was worried, so I would offer ds2 purees or finger foods every few days, occasionally he would take a mouthful but was utterly uninterested in solids until about 8m. When he decided he wanted solids we went straight into BLW, sharing foods from our plates, etc. I did sometimes spoon purees into him, particularly when we didn't have time between after-school activities for the elder two.

My verdict: BLW vastly vastly easier and more instinctively natural than purees.

caffinequeen · 07/04/2011 20:04

I second the 'ease' factor of BLW. With DD1 I spent evenings making purees, DD2 just gets what we are having. It's nice to be able to all eat together (or for the baby to squash food and throw it on the floor while everybody else eats).

That said, the puree route worked well with DD1. Both methods end up at the same place... in the same way that some children don't learn to crawl before they walk but by the time they are toddlers there is no difference.

Flisspaps · 07/04/2011 20:06

Don't expect much interest for a good while either, DD was BLW and didn't really care much for food until she was way past 6m :)

PorkChopSter · 07/04/2011 20:08

Bit of both. With DC1&2 it was purees first until finger foods much later, with DC3&4 I started with purees & finger food at the same time. They fed themselves much more quickly and as the pace of self-feeding got better, the amount of purees got less. Also by DC3&4 I could not be arsed making purees, I might have mashed up a bit of what we were having but again that was effort when I could just give them the same as we were having without any mashing

K999 · 07/04/2011 20:15

I did purees/jars with dd1 (12 years ago) and BLW (thanks to MN) 4 yeRs ago with dd2. Am huge fan of BLW! Easier, you can let them go at their own pace thereby letting them taste and discover food almost for themselves. Gets them used to texture (I think making them less fussy eaters later I life). Good for eye hand co-ordination. Develops their palate. Dd1 is still quite a bland eater whereas dd2 eats salami and olives (she's 4) and because you dont have to spoon feed them they can sit at at the table with everyone else and have a ball.....can you tell I am a huge fan of BLW!?

K999 · 07/04/2011 20:19

Ooh forgot to say...great for their fine motor skills. DD2 could pick up tiny individual peas/sweecorn at 6 months....which is why sitting her at the tabe enabled us all to eat relatively peacefully!!

Original poster

sedgiebaby · 07/04/2011 21:00

This is all very interesting, you are selling me the BLW!!

You see I was initially discouraged to see my attempt at fingerfoods (organic cut to the correct size, boiled to perfection, not too hard not too soft) carrots and sweet potato hurled across the room without so much as a lick so felt like retaining control with purees, but then there is no control at all it ends up spread face-mask-like all over baby (not to mention, high chair, me, floor), basically not as much fun as I thought it was going to be!!

I appreciate the feedback and will rethink what I am doing...

So the BLW 'babies' do end up eating proper meals and not just bits here and there?

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JustKeepSwimming · 07/04/2011 21:03

Purees by the book with DS1, BLW with DS2.

Definitely going with BLW for DC3 :)

K999 · 07/04/2011 21:03

But that is the fun of BLW! Seeing them have fun! DD2 was eating roast dinners by 8 months. And a lot of food can be enjoyed which doesn't cause a mess or easily picked up again...

K999 · 07/04/2011 21:05

Oh, and you have to remember that even with purees, they will eventually want to try and feed themselves....and believe me, that is far messier....

WhatFreshHellIsThis · 07/04/2011 21:10

I did BLW for both DS' because I have incredibly stubborn independent children (can't think where they get it from ) who POINT BLANK refused to be fed.

It was the only way of getting food into them!

Of course now, DS1 (5) can't be bothered to feed himself and tries to make me do it, but that's a whole other story.

BLW is fab. no question.

crw1234 · 07/04/2011 21:16

DS1 - purees - this was nearly 5 years ago - went ok until we went to lumps - then not so good - and he was pretty fussy and it was quite stressful
DS2 - BLW - wonderful - but I was a lot more relaxed - - and sooo much easier - he eats what we eats -at 13 months

Indaba · 07/04/2011 21:22

Sorry for being thick says mother of 3, but what are BLW's?

Not trying to be clever but no idea what this thread is about

Flisspaps · 07/04/2011 21:24

Baby Led Weaning = BLW

Rather than feeding babies pureed veg etc from a spoon, you give your 6+ month old whatever you're eating and basically let them get on with it - they pick which bits of the meal they want, how much they want, and explore the different textures and tastes of food.

PrettyCandles · 07/04/2011 23:24

One of the nice thingsabout BLW is that the baby lets you know when they are ready for solids - by actually taking the food and eating it. If you're feeding the child and it's going everywhere except inside them, then they aren't interested and yoyr work preparing the food is wasted. (Of course, when they do start eating it still goes everywhere, but a reasonable amount goes inside them.)

So every day you offer them something from your own plate, a piece of cucumber, say, or a piece of cooked veg. A breadstick or a rice cake or a biscuit. They play with it, they may even taste it, but one day they actually try to eat it and reach for more. Then you know it's time.

No wasted effort!

Not so convinced that BLW prevents fussy eating, though. I think obstreperousness personality has a lot to do with it.

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