BLW 7 mo and nursery

[OneLittleHopper]

We have been doing BLW with DS since he turned 6 months and he loves it, though I'm not sure much actually gets eaten yet. He starts nursery full-time in three weeks, when he will be 7.5 mo, and went for his first settling-in session this morning. Although I'd told them we were doing BLW and I would like him to be given the opportunity to feed himself, and they said that wouldn't be a problem, when I went to pick him up it was lunchtime and he was being spoonfed some puree. I vaguely mentioned to the assistant that he normally fed himself (he's pretty good with a pre-loaded spoon) but she looked a bit baffled.

I don't really want to make a fuss about it at the nursery just yet, as it's obviously early days, but just wondering in general what effect him being spoonfed at nursery would have on us doing BLW with him at home? He will be going there full-time and having all his meals there during the week. Will he develop a preference or will it not really have any effect on anything? There are quite a lot of babies in the baby room so I'm not entirely sure that they'll realistically be able to spare the time to let him suck meditatively on a piece of toast for 20 mins, even if I do make a fuss.

If you don't want him to be spoonfed, then tell them again. But say that you actually want him to feed himself, rather than have the opportunity to do so, as they may take that as you're happy for him to be given finger food occasionally. Also, it may be that your request hasn't been passed on to the relevant staff, so not everyone knows not to spoonfeed him.

I'd have thought it would make their lives easier, it's one less baby to have to make time to spoonfeed.

Thanks - will do that. My fears were borne out earlier when I gave him a spoon of yogurt for tea and he put his arms down by his side and leaned forward with his mouth open, waiting to be spoonfed, like a little bird! He's never done that before...

I guess as much as anything it was just seeing the little bowls of bland veg puree that they were offering when he'd been tucking into chicken stirfry the day before - seems like lots of steps backwards :(

I think you need to give them more idea what he can eat by himself and maybe ask to see the menu they feed to the older dc to see if that would actually suit him.

OneLittle - if I was to assure you that you'll look back on this thread in a year and laugh would it make you relax a bit? It really wont matter if he's 'fed' at nursery and left to 'feed' himself at home. Frankly, this whole BLW v puree is a bit daft, when we were babies we got a mixture of puree/soft food and finger food He will soon get the message that if you are holding the food you will be feeding him and you if put it in front of him he can pick it up.... and another bonus is if you want to eat out and not have him make a right mess then he will accept some spoon feeding.

Unless you are taking food in for him, he wont be eating 'chicken stirfry' as opposed to puree anyway tbh.

Of course he's your DS and you are entitled to ask for what you want and if they agree they should do it, but if it was me, I'd just let them get on with it and save my 'having a word' for something that really matters.

Agree that if you want him to feed himself you'll probably need to go through the menu each week and tell them exactl what he can have.

If he's full time though I'm not sure it'll be practical. They will have to stick to their routine at nursery with that many babies to manage, staff lunches and breaks to schedule etc. If they start lunch at 11.45 and need to get everyone fed, cleared up, changed and off to sleep by 12.30 so staff can go to lunch, there might not be the time for your ds to feed himself a full meal.

You know what, already I look back today and realise I have been totally pfb about all of this. You are all absolutely right and very sensible, and I am turning into the mother I swore I never would be! When at nursery he shall do as the nursery does, and BLW be damned...