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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

anyone else abandon spoon feeding for BLW?

9 replies

varicoseveined · 20/08/2011 08:52

DS is 7 months old, began feeding him solids at 6.5 months, with varying success. Having read more about blw I'm considering this approach instead but is there any reason why I shouldn't? I would've done this from the start if I'd realised that blessed could still be done without teeth!

OP posts:

BoattoBolivia · 20/08/2011 08:55

Yep, did this exactly as ds was really not interested in stuff off a spoon. Just backtracked to finger food, mainly steamed veg, toast and cereal and left him to get on with it. You have to be quite strong to accept that they don't look like they are eating much, but ds is now 17months and on the 97 th centile, I don't think it has done him any harm!

CubiksRube · 20/08/2011 09:50

Yes, well, sort of.

I started off making purees, which DS liked, but now he gets irritated with me spooning it in, so I've transferred to mostly BLW.

DS is now spoon-fed at breakfast (for speed's sake to be honest), and then lunch/supper and any snacks are all finger foods. He much prefers it and actually so do I - it feels like he's involved in the process, and actually 'eating' rather than 'being fed'.

I can't think of any reason why you shouldn't. There's a lot of mess but that's par for the course with a baby!

Original poster

varicoseveined · 20/08/2011 12:30

Blessed? I meant to type blw, blooming autocorrect on the phone!

Thanks for your input! Will try today and see how it goes.

OP posts:

cordiality · 21/08/2011 08:36

Varicose, I have just, in the last couple of days, switched to blw from spoon feeding purees as i'd been trying to spoon feed for about 3 weeks and LO still was refusing to even open her mouth for the spoon.

So far DD has chewed on a green bean, sucked some melon, dissolved some bread and squished some plum, all with a big grin on her face. I'm totally sold on it. So much nicer than sitting there with us both getting stressed for an hour!

Definitely worth giving a go...

OnEdge · 21/08/2011 08:45

I dont know why, but I have never managed to spoon feed my 3. They just refuse and get worked up. I felt like a failure with my first, but then thank God I read about BLW. I find it so much easier to put food in front of them and they just play with it and eat a bit. My 3rd has just had her 12 month check with the HV and seems to be thriving . The only problem that I do have is that my 2 year old is reluctant to try new stuff. If I was spoon feeding him, I would be able to spoon a bit in and he would have chance to taste it. My 4 year old was like this, but now I am able to reason bribe her, she will try new stuff.

mousesma · 21/08/2011 09:11

I did a mixture of BLW and spoon feeding until 8 months when DD went completely BLW. She never really liked spoons until about 12 months when she started feeding herself with one.

cantmakecarrotcake · 21/08/2011 12:23

We're abandoning spoons as we speak. Although we've managed a few days of 3 good meals of puree, DD (and I) just find it distressing (tears all round!) as she's as much of a control freak independent as her mother!

We've been doing finger food/BLW alongside purees for a few weeks anyway. DD is 7 months. Her list of accepted foods is pretty short though (mostly pitta bread, soft fruits and baby biscuits) and no where near as long as the rejected list (currently including all vegetable sticks that everyone recommends as first foods). Today for lunch we're just going to dump some of our pasta and tomato sauce on her tray and see how it's received.

I'm struggling to accept that she may be 8-10 months before she's having anything like a proper 'meal' though (given her little friends are all having dinner and pudding and opening their mouths like little birds for the spoon). I guess she'll get it in her own good time.

Original poster

varicoseveined · 15/09/2011 11:28

Thanks for the replies!

I wish I wasn't such a worrywart (along with DH who is yet to be fully convinced of BLW)!

DS likes me spooning him food just a little bit too much, so isn't trying to self feed. When I put food in front of him, he just bashes it on the high chair tray or plays with it in his hand. We'll see...

OP posts:

lilham · 15/09/2011 13:15

Even Annabel Karmel the queen of purees recommend starting finger foods at 7mo. (That's the 2nd stage weaning in her book). If you need to convince your DH this is it. You can just offer finger food along with purees, and look at it not as BLW, iyswim.

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