BLW and Eating out

[sonnyd]

Hello,
What do you BLWeaners do when eating out? Bit worried that everything will be full of salt!
Thanks x

I used to do a mix of taking some stuff from home, and then choosing wisely from the menu. One meal that's a bit saltier than normal wont do any harm

Think of their overall 'diet' rather than one particular meal being full of salt. If your dc is eating plenty of protein, veg and fruit over a long period (say a week), eating out a couple of times a week won't hurt them.

I found eating out really easy - I'd pick what I wanted from the menu (potentially choose a jacket spud over chips) and dd would eat what ever I was eating. She's nearly one now and sharing my food is an issue as there isn't enough for me!!

I do take whole fruits out with me in case she gets a bit hungry between meals. And chunks of cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes are easy to carry around.

I randomly put a banana in her change bag today which was good as we were late coming back from somewhere and over an hour past her 'normal' lunch time - she wolfed the banana down in her car seat whilst sitting in traffic

The trusty banana..good idea! :)

Fruit and organix snacks from home, baked potato as pp said from menu, cucumber from side salads. The odd single chip but I wouldn't give too much from my meal if it was likely to be salty or too loaded with additives.

DD announced she was ready to be weaned and keen on BLW by snatching chips off my plate.

After that I would quite often order a side of veg (especially green beans) for her, which she would happily scatter all over the floor chovel. Both DC also ate a lot of bread in restaurants before they started full-on pinching of my food.

Once you start eating out with a BLWer, the salt content will soon become the least of your worries

I just order food off the restaurant menu. It's not like we eat out everyday! Obviously I avoid really high salt food like ham, olives, etc.

Right, will arm myself with some fruit and organix snacks as backup and brave a cafe lunch!

More proof that it isn't baby led-it is mother led and the mother decides exactly what, when and where the baby is fed! A ridiculous term!

I think it should be mother led-just can't stand the term, when the baby merely chooses whether to eat it or not-in the same way they always have.

I have to admit I had never heard the term until after my DC were both weaned, and I was certainly never religious about it (they had purees too) but I think almost 6mo DD snatching a chip off my plate and munching her way through it was fairly 'baby led'

I think it's the excellent www.Babyledweaning.com - which by the way suggests the term 'self-feeding' might be more appropriate - that recommends giving water (or a feed if BFing) after a meal with salt.

Self feeding would be an appropriate term.

BLW isn't just about the choice of food, it comprises of a number of things -

• how they eat it (with hands, a spoon, fork, out of a bowl),
• how it is offered to them (on a spoon loaded, on a tray, put in their hand, left in a bowl on tray, on spoon and put in hand etc) and
• how much is offered (fill tray/bowl up, offer little and keep topping up).

So many different ways that it isn't motherled as the baby decides when he or she wants. Some days my dd is completely independent and literally pushes any 'help' away (like a loaded spoon or piece of food on tray) and eats it in her own time when I leave her to it; other times she wants to interact whilst eating and will happily take food out of my hand or eat off a loaded spoon I hand to her. She decides.

How is it 'mother led' if I offer these choices?

Of course having breakfast/lunch/dinner is fairly common for all parents to get in to a routine of doing (most adults eat 3 meals a day), so some element of when the baby eats is going to be dictated to a point; but I disagree that this is 'mother-led'. I very much go off when dd is hungry and she personally has set her own pattern of eating times (which includes more than breakfast/lunch/dinner).

Why are you negative about BLW when the OP was asking how she chooses the right food for her baby whilst out?

Your post is off the point and pretty pointless really but I'm sure it feels better for you to get across that you dislike BLW (and the term). Perhaps it would make more sense to comment on threads where you can support or help those not doing BLW and following which ever route you have chosen to feed your baby.

I can't stand the term. If MIL offered your baby food that you didn't approve of there would be hell to pay! The baby however would probably be quite happy!
If it was really baby led, the baby would get the choice when out, but sensibly OP is asking the question because she is leading the food choice.
In reality it is just what most people have done for years without having to give it a label
It is one of my pet hates, like treating your baby as an accessory and 'wearing them'!

I'm really confused as the baby does get a choice when out so how does s/he not get the choice?

My MIL offers my DD anything she has in the fridge. The one thing I've asked of her, and anyone who looks after DD, is not to give her honey as she isn't 12 months old yet but she eats anything (and everything).

I agree that it has been around years - my nan who is 83 told me that she used to feed her children (my mum, 2 aunties and 1 uncle) the same way, albeit she started early than the current recommendations. However, the BLW term/definition and direct comparison to a more traditional way of weaning like spoon feeding, does makes sense to most parents.

...treating a baby like an accessory and wearing them So are you saying all mothers who use slings and carriers are treating their babies like a handbag or necklace?

I agree with exotic. its not baby led unless you take your baby to the fridge and ask them to decide what you will be cooking for them that day. Or do you lay out an entire buffet for them to choose from each night?

Traditionally weaned babies also only eat what they want to eat, they are not force fed like some fois gras goose. I gave my 'tradtionally weaned' 8 mo twins houmous on toast for tea, some I put into their mouth with a spoon, some into their hands, some they picked up themselves. DTD didn't want very much so she turned her head away after a few bites, and had some spoonfed yoghurt. What's the difference?

Self feeding is a much better term.

Of course you are treating them like a handbag - you are carrying your baby in a sling, something that has been done for generations! There is nothing new in BLW - except the ridiculous label!
It shouldn't irk me but it does!

Why not 'self feeding' and 'carrying in a sling'? Someone said earlier today, on another thread, that unless you make your baby into a dress you can't possibly wear them!

I accept it "shouldn't irk you but it does" response. I know some things irk me too and it shouldn't

I suppose I have had much success with BLW self feeding my DD since 6 months old. Friends/peers went down the spoon feeding route and I'd hear of their mushed up recipes that they'd spent all afternoon cooking and putting into ice cube trays and containers, whilst labeling and dating everything and then listening to the whole "isn't little jonny loving it" whilst forcing "just one more spoonful" in his mouth (disclaimer: I know this isn't the majority of mums but I have seen this amongst my circle of friends)

There is self feeding and then there is, unfortunately, those that make sure 'all of the bowl' or item of food is eaten; which IMO is neither self feeding, BLW or traditional weaning!

I have always been positive about BLW and sticking to it because meal times with DD are great; she has a positive outlook towards food (something I never had when I was younger as my mum used to practically force us to eat everything off the plate despite me saying I was full).

I LOVE my sling though and definitely wouldn't have DD in it if she didn't love it too. If it was an accessory I'd have several to match my different outfits though and unfortunately I only have one with a mis-match of colours on that doesn't match anything I wear!

I don't call it 'baby wearing' either. I carry my dd in a sling as it suits me to do this :)

I'm a convert of BLW too. I really like the attitude that we should trust the LOs that they know how much they should be eating. Also the aspect of eating what I eat instead of specially crafted baby food.

While exoticfruit might not try to trick your LO into eating food, I have the same experience with other mums wrt to feeding. Thy seem to be obsessed with the volume the baby should be eating. A few use the tv or toys to distract so they could put more spoonfuls in. Mine is now 16mo but a few in my group still aren't eating normal food. (Ofc there are purée babies who eat entirely family food). I remember one mum said she was scared her boy will choke because nursery gives them little meat balls at 1yo. He was still on a mush diet before starting nursery. Another gem I have learned from my group is to purée tinned fruit because it's too hard to cook fruits like peaches and apples first. You would think why bother, and just use a pouch of Ella's kitchen? It is just easier to give fruit the finger food way.

I carried DD in a baby bjorn because she hated the pram. She was BLW weaned because she wouldnt entertain the idea of me feeding her. I'm an accidental lentil weaver

onelittle I too am an accidental lentil weaver and our buggy is gathering dust in the spare room I hadn't heard of half of the terminology used in relation to 'attachment parenting' (or even that phrase) until someone mentioned it to me. We were having dd in our bed and they pointed out it was called co sleeping... The things you learn when you become a parent - everything has a label!

I carried mine in a sling but I didn't wear them. I also gave them what we were eating and didn't make things especially - since we eat soup, mashed potato, yoghurt etc some of it was on a spoon. They got the hang of it pretty quickly and it is utterly impossible to get a spoonful of food down a baby who doesn't want it!
Everything shouldn't have a label! It has all been done before - nothing is new, except the label. Attachment parenting is another silly label!