New to BLW, anyone else?

[SayHelloToMyLittleFriend]

My dd is almost 7 months old and I have just started BLW. I actually gave her purees to begin with as this is what I did with her big sister but she didn't seem keen. Then one day she took a piece of toast off my plate and started eating it so I thought I'd give it a go and see how she gets on.

So far she has only had toast, banana, brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, chicken, tomatoes and cucumber but she seems to be doing really well and I get the biggest smiles from her so I'm guessing she's enjoying it.

Just wondered if anyone else is starting this too as i'm looking for some ideas of things to give her. I've had a look on the other threads but feel a bit stupid asking questions on them as they've been going for a while now.

Have a look on this site.

Just give her what you have though, bar whole nuts, whole grapes (halve them) and honey

Thanks for the link, it looks like a really good site. Think I'll have to join the "April starters" :)

I am new too! We tried purees to begin with too and after a week of firmly closed lips I gave up and went straight in with the broccoli trees. DD loves them! Last night she sucked on a big hunk of lamb from a slow cooked shoulder. Not a lot goes down though, and we don't have a huge range of things that she will eat (lick). She sucks on something for a few mins and then it goes over the side of the highchair. If I try to offer her another piece of the same thing I get a big, closed- lipped HHHMMMmmmmmmm. How is it possible that a 6 month old knows her own mind so well already?

One thing that I am finding difficult is that she won't take anything off a spoon at all. I know this goes against the principles of BLW anyway, but I would like to be able to give her things like porridge and yoghurt but she just pushes the spoon away. Do I just have to wait for her to be able to do it herself and stick with firm things for now? My porridge fingers did not go down well.

Can you give her the spoon to use? My little one loves this, I put porridge on the spoon and then hand it to her to feed herself. (I'm not sure if this is the right way to do it but she likes it) She also likes to get her hands in the bowl and feed herself, I think she just likes to get messy.

OlivesTree just give her the spoon with something on it. I never understood the porridge fingers, or porridge on a spoon, piles of porridge on the high chair were just scooped into the mouth from the beginning with DD. Perhaps that says something about DP's porridge making (I don't eat it so never give it for breakfast if I'm making it)

DD is 10months old and cannot load a spoon herself - well sometimes she does but only with things she can pick up and then place carefully in the spoon, so completely useless with any food she actually needs a spoon for. What she does is put the spoon in the bowl when she wants more for us to "load up" and then takes it off us to then eat. She will open her mouth for us to put the spoon in, but she immediately grabs the spoon to guide it in as soon as it gets near.

Just coat the spoon in yogurt to start with - so it doesn't start with giant dollops going everywhere but her mouth.

DD at 1yo still can't load a spoon herself. She understands what the spoon and bowl is for because she will hit the spoon to the inside of the bowl and then lick yoghurt off the spoon. It's definitely not an efficient way to eat. (I've started giving her cutlery for the purpose of learning only).

However I don't understand why the need to give porridge. Breakfast cereals are easy for babies and you don't need to cook it. I give weetabix, shredded wheat, oatabix and cornflakes.

Fred your DD's spoon routine is adorable.

I have been loading the spoon and giving it to her but she just bangs it up and down on the highchair and it goes everywhere.

There isn't really any 'need' to give her porridge, it is just what I make for myself and it is a nice warm healthy start to the day. Don't think it is any messier than weetabix or other cereals with milk.

I think I will just persist with loading the spoon for her to decorate my walls feed herself.

OlivesTree the cereal is given without milk. Or a couple of drops to soften it if you like, but DD has no problem eating them dry. They are really clean finger foods. You can serve them with a sippy cup of milk if you like.