BLW with twins?

[ceeveebee]

My twins are coming up to 6 months old so I'm starting to think about weaning. I really like the idea of BLW (not least because it should save me some time if it works!) but I don't know if this is the best way to go with twins.

I suppose I'm a bit worried about the choking/gagging risk and whether I'll be able to properly supervise two at once!

Also DTS is quite a bit bigger than DTD (she's 2nd centile, was only 3lb13 at birth-not prem though ) so wonder whether she needs to have more of a structured diet to make sure she continues to gain weight.

I'm also a bit confused about how to share family meals as usually they're in bed when we eat (not that this applies just to twins) and am reluctant to delay bedtime and risk messing up their sleeping.

Has anyone done BLW with twins, any tips or things I should think about? Sorry this is all a bit rambly!

I haven't, but a friend had a huge amount of success with BLW with her twins. It didn't slow down their growth at all, and I can't imagine how much more complicated mealtimes would have been for her if she'd been spoon feeding both girls.

Choking would be a risk if you were doing purees though as well wouldn't it? As long as you sit with them I can't see why it would be a problem, having said that though I don't have twins so could be talking out of my bum .

Milk should be the main source of nutrition until they are one, so don't worry about your smaller twin. As long as she gets enough ff or bfs she should be fine. The current advice is to offer the milk an hour before the solids until they are one and then you can offer milk after solids from then on.

As for the family meals, what time do you eat? We eat at around 5ish. If DH is home then he eats with us, otherwise he has his warmed up later. Sometimes, say on a Saturday night we'll have something else, like a takeaway or a steak when the kids are in bed for a treat.

Thank you both

DH leaves at 730am and gets in around 730 / 8pm so we usually eat a few minutes after that, DTs bath, bottle, bed routine is at 6pm and always asleep by 7, so would be difficult to eat together except at weekends.

They are currently mix fed, bf only at 7am, bf+formula top up at 11am and 3pm, then just ff at bedtime. Would I not reduce the milk at all, even by an oz or so,would they actually be hungry if they've already had a full milk feed? I was hoping to cut out some of the formula topups.

I'm doing BLW with my 6 month old. We normally eat after she has gone to bed so instead of moving her bedtime (6.30 bath then bed) I do a little snack for myself and her "dinner" at around 5/5.30pm.

So she eats with me but it's not the big dinner as it were. That's working for us.

Have you got the BLW book? I would really recommend it! It says not to reduce milk feeds for a while and be led by your babies. 8/9 months from what I remember, you might find that they don't actually consume much food until a couple of months in anyway. Though having said that my DD is loving it and last night shoved loads of pasta and carrot into her mouth!

When I weaned DS we ate breakfast, snacks and lunch together, dinner he ate about 5ish and I sat with him eating a snack or a little bit of what he had, then ate with DH when he got back.

I don't have twins but I would imagine that it would be fab with twins, no having to feed them in turn, sitting together at the table being sociable, same amount of clearing up with two as with one etc etc. DS has only choked once or twice (and he is now 2) but eating together means you are more engaged than if you were to put them in the highchair and leave them to it, so you don't have to watch them intently the whole time.

The thing I really loved about BLW was the whole philosophy, that they will eat what they need and your job is to give them lots of different tastes and textures to try. The children I know who have been BLWed have a fantastic attitude to food/mealtimes because of this (I.e. will try new things without a fuss though might not like it, eat the amount they need rather than what is on the plate including asking for more if they need it, mealtimes calm and chilled out) which is very important to me.

Read the BLW book and see what you think!

Thanks again, have ordered the BLW book, now just have to find time to read it!

If you do want to cut out the formula top ups, give one of the Bfing Helplines a call as they will know about twins, low birth weight, being mixfed and weaning. Have you got the numbers?

Will do. Yes I have the numbers thank you, Truthsweet gave them to me on another thread a few weeks ago

Thought you might like this thread too CVB.