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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

BLW failure. 11 month old. Now what?

18 replies

Turry · 25/06/2013 11:29

Started BLW at 6 months, dd started off well, no not much went down, but she enjoyed herself and I kept telling myself 'food's for fun until they're 1'. But now she IS nearly one and nothing much has changed.

She's had the very occasional solid poo, but mostly they're still milk poos with food bits in them (sorry way tmi!), and she enjoys mealtimes, sits well in the highchair exploring things, but just never really tucks in.

Eg yesterday she had:

Approx 5 Cheerios
a suck on an apple and maybe a very tiny sliver of a bite
yoghurt, maybe equivalent to two tablespoons at most
a tiny bit of strawberry
sucked on a piece of chicken and pulled off a couple of tiny fragments
half a piece of cauliflower

This isn't enough is it? But what the hell do I do now? Try purees? But she won't take anything off a spoon, only if she can do it herself, and then most ends up flung on the floor.

HELP!

OP posts:

HappyJoyful · 25/06/2013 11:34

I don't think you need purees, but certainly sounds like at almost one could do with a bit more.

I think you've got totally the right attitude to make it fun and enjoyable and from memory with dd at that age (she's 2.5yrs now) I'd just give her a bowl of pasta and veg and a spoon and let her try, whilst I was shoving some in with the spoon as well.

Umm, sorry not much help but don't need to do purees as should be able to manage the lumps at that age in mashed up food.

ghosteditor · 25/06/2013 11:38

Relax! Is she healthy and doing the appropriate amount of wet nappies?

Then she's fine!

Learning to associate food rather than milk with hunger takes time. My 18 mo regularly has days when she eats about as much as you describe. She definitely didn't eat a whole meal of something like pasta until around 14 months.

Just trust in BLW and see it through, and rethink if she's having issues at 18 months. Your DD will have learned some good skills so far so don't be afraid to serve up soup and sauces - and if she'd like help eating (my DD is going through a phase of wanting help) then help her out.

teaforthree · 25/06/2013 11:40

I would just keep going, DD hardly ate anything til she was around 14 months and now it's like feeding a dustbin at 21m.

It's about playing and different textures, not just about nutrition. She'll get a lot from bf or ff too.

Rikalaily · 25/06/2013 11:41

A lot of BLW'ed babies only get a proper appetite at between 11-14 months. My last three were around 1y when they suddenly took a huge interest in food and started eating regular meals (inc the two who were on the 99th percentile on the charts). As long as she is getting plenty of milk she'll be ok and should start eating more within the next few months.

chocolatecrispies · 25/06/2013 15:50

Sounds like a BLW success to me - she's not eating more than she needs because you are not spooning it into her. My son hardly ate anything until 13-14 months, grew fine, is now nearly 5 and eats all the time. I think an important part of BLW for parents is letting go of how much they eat and just keeping offering - this will stand you in good stead for later food fussiness! If the child is well, growing and active I can't see how it is a failure.

AuntPepita · 25/06/2013 15:55

Mine was eating that at about 20 months! It's fine, that's what BLW is about, being baby led. I can't see where you're failure is...

Original poster

Turry · 26/06/2013 06:12

Oh phew! Ok, that's such a surprise and a relief! I really thought I'd messed it all up! I'd been a big believer in BLW and trusting baby to get what they need, but also always assumed she'd be eating 'meals' by one (not least because all the babies around me seem to be, but I know, irrelevant)

She's bf and feeds a few times a day and a LOT in the night, one thing that's been worrying me is that as bf/ BLW babies are supposed to be good at calorie regulation, is that she wakes every morning having already consumed an epic proportion of daily calories in night feeds (she uses boob to put herself back to sleep, I'm not convinced she's hungry as such). But anyway, hopefully that will sort itself out too...

Thanks so much for the advice everyone - really reassuring!

OP posts:

ghosteditor · 26/06/2013 11:51

Ah, the night feeding will be a contributing factor too - and she'll be getting lots of calories and nutrients from that (make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals too).

My DD didn't start eating whole meals until I got a bit stricter about bfing, encouraging her just to nurse in the morning and evening (around 16 months). But whatever works is ok and the eating will come in time.

ghosteditor · 26/06/2013 11:52

Ah, the night feeding will be a contributing factor too - and she'll be getting lots of calories and nutrients from that (make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals too).

AuntPepita · 26/06/2013 23:04

Yeah, mine was a night time milk guzzler.

heidihole · 26/06/2013 23:07

Relax, sounds like she's getting what she needs. DS is 13m and a blw baby - he still seems to survive on fresh air some days... On the 98th centile for height though so clearly growing fine!!!

PeazlyPops · 03/07/2013 21:32

We had pretty much the same experience. I found dropping a milk feed helped, and also giving him food in a bowl that he could spoon feed himself with, and we also spoon fed at the same time.

MillionPramMiles · 04/07/2013 15:23

If you're a SAHM then you can relax about it, as others say. If you're planning on going back to work and using a nursery or CM you might want to think about cutting milk feeds and introducing more solids.

I didn't do BLW with my 14 month old (but didn't solely do purees either). I usually gave her a spoon and she had a go at feeding herself while I spooned some in too. She really took to solids and by 12 months wasn't interested in milk other than first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
Its great to see the variety of food she enjoys at nursery, sitting in a little chair at a little table :)

maja00 · 04/07/2013 15:26

Are you giving her vitamins? They're recommended for all under 5s anyway.

If you want to night wean, she will probably eat more. If she's healthy and growing then she is obviously getting enough though.

UniqueAndAmazing · 04/07/2013 15:34

it sounds fine to me, too.

DD didn't get the hang of eating until she was nearly 16months.

and even now, it's hit and miss!
she still thinks of BM as her proper food.
in fact, muesli is the only thing she'll eat with consistency.
(and then spends the rest of the time going for bananas or biscuits)

and she's such a bloomin' princess that she'll insist on me feeding the first couple of loads into her mouth - yesterday, we were eating, and she was on my lap - sandwiches.
I was holding my mouse in my left hand, and she put her hand out - not for food, but to grab my hand off the mouse and put it on the sandwich so that i could put it in her mouth!

Original poster

Turry · 06/07/2013 20:38

Ok, thanks everyone, I am a sahm, so going to let her take her time. Yes, I do give her vits. Unique your dd sounds adorable!

OP posts:

Original poster

Turry · 06/07/2013 20:40

PS, I do wish I could night wean! I just can't bring myself to push her away, as that's what it feels like. So instead I'm just hoping she'll night wean herself in time... That does happen, right?!!

OP posts:

UniqueAndAmazing · 11/07/2013 11:09

assume it does - hasn't happened to us yet!
but sometimes, she'll go for it and i'll ignore her and she'll go back to sleep.

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