Spoon feeding at nursery and BLW at home??

[WhatLarks]

My LO has been BLW since 5.5 months. He was a spoon refuser, but took to feeding himself very well, and at 8 months eats everything that is put in front of him.

However I am going back to work, and he will be going to nursery one day a week. They say that when he is there for lunch he will be spoon fed. The food is all home made and healthy stuff, but it is stuff like stew and fish pie, which he could not feed himself even if they would let him. They can't realistically make one meal for him and another for every other child in the nursery.

I am not a BLW evangelist, and would probably have fed him purées myself, had he not refused the spoon but I can't help thinking that introducing spoon feeding now at 8 months is a backward step.

Does it really matter that he is spoon fed one day a week? (Assuming that he will let them spoon feed him).

The nursery is great in every other way. I could be looking for problems where none exist because I don't want to go back to work!!

I don't think that one day per week of spoon feeding would be detrimental, but your lo might not want to be spoon fed and that could be distressing. Have another chat with the nursery and see if there's a middle way. How about bringing a little lunch box with food you know your baby will like to eat? Of course this would be extra work for you, but in a few months there is no reason why lo couldn't eat the nursery food unassisted.

My boy was both spoon fed at times and given finger foods from the beginning so he soon started refusing being spoon fed, so the nursery needs to cater to your child rather than the other way round I think.

Worst case scenario, if spoon feeding doesn't work and nursery don't cooperate, could you consider a different nursery or childminder?

Children are quite versatile. He'll probably take to it perfectly well.

And if he learns to use a spoon himself there, that's one seriously messy task you don't have to face at home!

Are you sure he can't self feed fish pies or stews at 8mo? My DD went to nursery from 7mo and is a spoon refuser. When we went in for her settling in, I told them she refuses the spoon. But I give consent for them to spoon feed. (I just want her to settle in and be happy). Ofc you know the outcome . She wouldn't let them feed her either. But she manages no problem eating all the nursery food, except she struggles with soup. They just dunk bread in tomato soups for her.

I think it doesn't matter how they wean at all. If he'll take the spoon happily then it's great. But warn them that it might be a problem. Is he a gagger? If he's not, then I can't see why the nursery won't be happy to let him feed himself. It's less work for them!

My DS was fed by spoon at nursery (went 2 days/week) and it didn't seem to be at all confusing to him. Then again, he is a hideously fussy eater now he's at school so I don't know if there's a connection!

Want to add he might just get better at picking up food too with nursery giving him sloppy food and him refusing the spoon! A lot of babies start getting the pincer grip around 9mo. Don't get so stressed. Like someone suggested worse case is you could pack a lunch for him for a month or so?

Hi - I had exactly the same problem, although possibly slightly worse as my DS has never been great at eating generally (although is usually OK with hard/crunchy things and anything "bread-like"). He started nursery at 7 months, at which point he was eating very little and certainly nothing from a spoon. They served some meals which were spoon-fed, and some which he can self-feed. Sometimes he'll eat, sometimes he wont - I try not to worry about it as he still has plenty of formula.

As he's got older the nursery staff has become a bit more inventive about what they'll give him so, for example, at breakfast they'll give him dry shreddies which he loves, as well as whole pieces of fruit. He's a competant eater and rarely gags, so I think they've become more confident with giving him bigger things to eat. He will also now eat yoghurt and other dessert-type things from a spoon, so I've come to the conclusion that he's just very fussy (with a very sweet tooth!). He's almost one now, so I think we'll have to start reducing the amount of milk he drinks to try to encourage more solid food.

Anyway - what I'm trying to say is that babies will eat if they're hungry or if they want what is offered (even if its on a spoon!). If they don't, there's nothing you can do about it anyway, so try not to worry.

Thank you for your replies. He isn't a gagger, much, and except for the spoon thing, he eats like a horse. I will just see how he gets on.

I suppose I imagine him chained to a chair being force fed slop whilst crying for his mummy, when in reality, he will be guzzling far more home cooked food than I ever give him, as happy as Larry whilst forgetting he ever had a mummy!

It takes my DD 2-3mo to get to the 'as Larry whilst forgetting he ever had a mummy'. Now when I go to pick her up, she just smiles at me and continue playing with toys!

There's absolutely no reason why he can't eat stew and fish pie by himself, with his hands. That's what babies who are being BLW do - the nursery should find it helpful that he feeds himself, it frees up a staff member to feed someone else!