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Weaning

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

Original poster

BLW and not really working...advice please

9 replies

hazbaz · 18/12/2011 21:55

Hi hoping for some advice please from experienced BLWers. DS1 was weaned on the traditional puree route and is a bit of a fussy eater and as i am not such a scardey cat this time i really wanted to go down the BLW route. DS2 (27 weeks) is a BIG boy and loves his milk, he's FF & still on 6 bottles Blush so i'm still waking min once or twice a night (i know this is not much but after DS1 not sleeping through once before 21 months & often waking 7 or 8 times a night i have a big sleep debt to catch up on....).

DS2 seems interested in food, grabs stuff if he sits on my knee but rarely gets it to his mouth and just looks disgusted at everything he has got there. There's certainly no eating going on. His co-ordination is not very good, he's teething madly, but sometimes struggles to get anything other than his hand in there. He's also got another cold and had a bad bout of bronchiolitis 3 weeks ago.

So do i keep my nerve and carry on with BLW and ignore everyone else telling me how their DC are now on 3 meals a day or do i try and get some food in there by spoon if he's willing and hope that i can cut down on the night feeds. And so become slightly more human and a better mother to my v high maintenance 3 yo? Advice please, thanks

OP posts:
Mij · 18/12/2011 23:56

Hi Hazbaz

Firstly, milk should be a priority nutritionally for at least the first year. As most people wean on vegetables (pureed or not) the calorie count of a carrot is an awful lot lower than the same volume of milk, so you really don't want to be substituting too much milk with other foods at this stage.

Secondly, while some people do find that solid food improves night sleep, some find quite the opposite - there are no guarantees there (sorry).

Thirdly, he's only just six months. I don't think I saw any evidence of anything having been swallowed for at least the first six weeks of BLW with DD1, and DD2 hardly ate anything until she was 10 months, but both were perfectly happy, still gained weight, full of beans etc etc. Every kid is different.

Finally, if you really want to get solid food in there, there's no BLW bible anyway, and even if there was I doubt it would say thou shalt not provide baby with a spoon to shove in his own gob. Both my DDs had greek yoghurt (thicker so stayed on the spoon better) which I gave them on loaded up spoons to feed themselves (and splat on their ear, wipe in their hair etc etc) and they both did so with aplomb. Spoons are also excellent to chomp on for teething babes.

Finally finally, the look of disgust may not be disgust, remember that a child has to try something around 10 times before they decide if they like it or not, so it's worth persevering.

Good luck!

Flisspaps · 19/12/2011 00:28

What mike said. Also DD wasn't a big girl and was having 7 bottles in 24 hrs at 6months old and beyond - so its not unusual! Some people think formula feeding means unbroken sleep but you know differently - its the same with weaning. It doesn't help!

Flisspaps · 19/12/2011 00:29

What mij said even!

MrsMumf · 19/12/2011 14:59

Oh, the look of disgust, hazbaz, I know it well. I can hear my DD thinking,"this is what I've been trying to get my hands on? Really?!". Things are slowly improving and almost a month in there was some roast potato in her nappy that I'm sure didn't just fall in!

Original poster
hazbaz · 21/12/2011 20:45

Thanks everyone for your responses. Mijthe greek yogurt is a great idea. My worry is more about the amount of milk he is taking at the moment - he's now up to the 91st centile approx having been born on 75th and is properly chubby. Its the fact that he's filling up so often on high calorie food that he doesn't have to work very hard for being bottle fed.

I have to admit i caved yesterday as he was longingly looking at his brother chomping down yogurt and he wolfed down over half a yogurt, mouth open like the proverbial little bird, banging enthusiastically on the table all the time..... Oh the irony of it - his brother was grabbing the spoon from Day 1 and clearly wanted to try and feed himself and now i know more about BLW i end up with Mr Chill baby who just wants to sit there like a pudding and be fed!!

Has anyone tried a mix of purees and finger foods right from the start? Would it confuse him to go from smooth puree to trickier stuff like toast at such an early age?

OP posts:
clarabella18 · 21/12/2011 22:25

Hi Hazbaz were doing a mix here. I was determined to BLW but ds2 had other ideas! He is happy to eat lunch and Donne himself but breakfast is spoonfed as he is just too hungry to do it himself and ends up very annoyed and frustrated!
We've been on solids now for about 8 weeks and he is now up to 3 meals a day but it was a slow start. He too looked at me in disgust quite frequently at the beginning but now happily chucks most things in his mouth.
Do you sit and eat at the same time as I found that this really helped.

Mampig · 21/12/2011 22:31

I mix feed! I find that if I don't help ds along with the spoon, he gets annoyed and frustrated. So while I feed him he would have a stick of carrot, broccoli or some toast/ cheese. He adapts really easily to both and he still learns all the blw skills, even if it's not strict blw. I am careful though to only feed when he turns his head to me with open mouth, rather than 'making' him eat iyswim?

TheChristmasTreeSurgeonsMate · 21/12/2011 22:48

I did both at every meal from the start and saw very little sign of confusion!

Flisspaps · 21/12/2011 22:51

'mixed' feeding is just traditional weaning anyway so shouldn't be a problem if that's what works for you and DS

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