Please talk to me about your experiences of BLW and/or traditional weaning (title edited as thread moved from AIBU)

[IceNoSlice]

Or can someone please tell me why they chose traditional weaning over BLW?

I have just read the BLW book, all seems good but am thinking I've only seen half the argument. I want to consider whether purée and finger foods might be the way to go...

Ps sorry this isn't really an AIBU but wanted your attention. I clearly d

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Puree is good for puting on a spoon and teaching your child the sign for 'more', as you can control the reward.

[IceNoSlice]

meglet and cory - thank you, just the sort of advice I was after. Interesting idea to give finger foods for one course and purée for another, I like that.

[LadyBeagleEyes]

I think I did that, but it was just called weaning, it didn't have any poncy name.
Ds is 17 now though, and TBH I don't really remember what age he was or what he ate, it was such a tiny part of his life.

[scarletforya]

My baby won't take purees. I'm secretly glad because I'm a lazy article and would struggle to find the patience to spoon it in for months. So she sucks on finger foods for the moment while the ice cube trays of stuff languishes untouched in the freezer!

But if she would only take purees then that's what I'd do. Path of least resistance and all that. I do it because it's easier, not because it has a wanky label and I want to 'be seen to'. Nobody cares so YABU.

[Sugarice]

BLW didn't exist as such when mine were babies.

Guidance was wean from 4 months, puree and work towards a lumpy texture by 9 months iirc.

BLW would terrify me!

[CloudsAndTrees]

You know, BLW or purées and finger food is all just feeding your baby.

Adults don't eat in exactly the same way every time they eat, I don't see why babies should either. A healthy varied diet is what is important, not the label you give to your method of doing that.

If you want to 'BLW' and that works for you and your baby, then great, but it's actually quite rude of you to insist that yours is the only sensible way of doing things. There are plenty of happy, healthy sensible adults who have a healthy diet and lifestyle who were weaned well before all this baby led shite came about.

[Feminine]

I suspect you phased your op too fast ice you are not saying everyone should do it are you?

You are trying to canvas opinions right? :)

[THERhubarb]

I pureed too as I was also afraid of choking (my son once almost lost consciousness after getting one tiny milky star stuck in his airways). I also bought ready made from time to time when it was more convenient.

Here's a new thought: every mother should respect another's choices.

I wonder how popular that would be?

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Purees are good because they can expose children to a greater variety of flavours earlier than they can if you go down the BLW / finger food only route. Some foods are essentially puree anyway (porridge, Weetabix, soup,mashed potato, yoghurt, apple crumble...) and need a spoon to eat them, and learning to use a spoon is a skill in itself.

Not "doing" BLW doesn't automatically mean that you have to cook completely separate food and spend your life with a food processor. DS had essentially what we had, but either whole as finger food (eg pasta) or mashed up with the back of a fork and fed on a spoon (eg fish pie).

Weaning is not as hard as some companies (eg those who want to sell you a stick blender and expensive little pots; or a special book) would have you believe

[Allonsy]

I read up on BLW read a few forums etc for ds2, i liked the idea but some of it was way too ott, i just wanted to know that finger foods were safe. Ive done a more finger led approach with ds2, mainly because ds1 would only eat jars and still only ate puree past age 2 and i wanted to avoid the same problem with ds2. We started with finger foods first with ds2 at 6 months he took to it really well, runny foods like yougurt etc i fed him. He is a great eater now at 15 months and will try anything and can eat majority of his meals himself (lazy) only problem is im trying to get him to use a fork/spoon himself now and he wants to use his hands. Hands + yougurt = messy baby!

[barleysugar]

With the best intentions to wean my baby the BLW way it did not work out for us. He wouldn't entertain the idea, and became every frustrated as he was hungry but couldn't work out what to do, he also had a very sensitive gag reflex and couldn't tolerate any lumps. It was disappointing for me initially but ho hum, he's a brilliant gnosher now, eats everything in sight. He still prefers to be fed rather than feed himself though - lazy blighter!

[IceNoSlice]

Ooh Starlight I like that too- what is the sign for reward?

[THERhubarb]

CloudsandTrees I think I love you.

[mrsjay]

I dont think BLW existed when my dcs were small

or mine we just fed them bit of puree bit of lump bit of solid babies managed to chew and everything

OP not sure what your title is about doesn't make sense

[OwlLady]

I think people ovetrthink having babies these days

I had mine and fed them and looked after them. It wasn't rocket science. I didn't need some trendy new thing to practise on

[LegoAcupuncture]

You're not judging anyone but you think anyone who doesn't BLW is ridiculous? Oooookay

[mrsjay]

^BLW has to be one of the wankiest phrases I've learnt from MN

'Finger foods' have been around since the dawn of time...^

what worra said

[valiumredhead]

What worra said.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

OwlLady - exactly

[IceNoSlice]

TheRhubarb thanks for your input, appreciated.

I am just canvassing opinions. Sorry if I offended anyone with the title - I hoped you would see from the comment that I actually don't think anyone is ridiculous at all! And I haven't found what works for me yet as we haven't started

I have started 'sensible' threads before and had no responses hence I thought I'd try to get your attention. Thank you do much to those who have given me their opinions. Sorry to anyone I've pissed off.

[WilsonFrickett]

See I weaned before BLW was invented by a marketing person no doubt

Started with purees, progressed to lumps, then introduced finger foods. The point is that every baby learns to eat eventually. My DS (while the fussiest eater on the planet due to his ASD) isn't still eating purees, for example.

The other thing with BLW was DS was in nursery three days a week so meals had to be sent in with him which kinda makes the 'just give him what you're having' philosophy a bit tricky.

But honestly, looking back now (DS is 7) I can barely remember weaning! Don't sweat it..

[Utterlylostandneedtogo]

I just fed the kids when they were hungry. Sometimes I spoon fed them other times I let them help themselves because I was too hungry myself.

Same with milk. Do what you do and who cares really!!

[cory]

I put very little work into weaning. Basically, if there was anything in the family dinner that could conceivable feed the baby (boiled spuds, carrots whatever), then that's what they got, sometimes mashed with a fork, sometimes whole. I can't recollect ever cooking special little baby meals. Though I did use jars if we were travelling.

[WillowFae]

DS (8) started on solids when he was 6 months. For solids read puree and baby rice.

DD (5) was different. She showed absolutely NO interest in food and we ended up not battling it. She was still breastfed and the health visitors said this meant she was getting all the nutrients she needed and not to force food. So we ended up going down the BLW route unintentionally. We sat her at the table with us and put some things in front of her. She started eating of her own accord when she was 9 months old.

[mrsjay]

BLW does't have any evidence that it is better than traditional weaning does it ? so tbh just feed your baby whatever you want and how you want,