blw help

[alfiemama]

Little one has just turned six months and showing signs ready for weaning.

I have two boys, one food phobic be
ause of asd and the other has picked up on ds1's fear. Both were traditionally weaned.

I have spoken to hubby and we both agree with lo we should try a different approach and would like to try blw. We are away on holiday tomorrow and think it may be a good time to start with finger foods. I did try her two weeks ago, but she wasn't ready and I didn't really know what I was doing.

What could I give, all very new and daunting, especially because I don't want anymore eating problems?

Sorry typing one handed whilst feeding.

I started off doing BLW but then started mashing/spoonfeeding some stuff too. The first things I gave ds were:

Banana (not that successful actually because he found it too slippery)
Roast carrots and parsnips (in finger/chip shapes)
Brocolli florets
Steamed courgette and carrot sticks
Sweet potato wedges

You get the picture - basically reasonably soft things that are easy to hold.

He then moved onto rice cakes/oat cakes/toast/muffins/crumpets - you can spread things like peanut butter, mashed avocado, cream cheese, mashed banana, veg purees on these
Pasta - both fusilli pasta with sauce and that fresh filled pasta has been a hit
Sticks of cheese/baby bels
Rice - sticky rice is best so they can pick up clumps of it
Meat - either strips of meat (finger shaped again) to suck and gnaw on, or well cooked, stewed meat that is soft and will fall apart, and from about 8 months he could pick up bits of minced meat

Those are the kind of things ds feeds himself anyway!

Alfiemama This website is fantastic for starting out with BLW, has recipes and suggestions for where to start and lots of support.

Steamed carrot was DD1s first "meal" and steamed brocoli DD2s. Can't speak highly enough of blw. Both my girls are good eaters. Not fussy at all. Basically at 6 months she can try anything (except honey). I'd go for a variety of veg and some fruit for the first week or so and then branch out to what the rest of the family eat.

I didn't give much with refined sugar in the first year because
a) didn't want them developing a big sweet tooth
b) I heard that if a child has a virtually sugar free diet, they will eat what their body actually needs to develop properly.

Get this but don't wait til you've read it to wean! It's not rocket science, just try to relax and enjoy it!

Good luck!

Thanks Rita,bagpus and Jezabelle. On hols but thought I would just go for it. So far lo has had carott, pear, fish finger. Toast and cheese spead, sucked on corn on thecob had a breadstick and a chip. She is doing really well though so will carry on as she likes it.