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Weaning

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

Original poster

Anyone tried one of these?

44 replies

wherethewildthingsare · 27/06/2006 10:54

I tried ds3 with some ripe banana in one and he sucked and gummed it right out (no mess! but fun to clean) his first real swallowed food at 23 weeks. They look great for slippery fruit/veg and frozen stuff for teething. My boy just wants to bite!

babyfeeder here

(I got mine from ebay for £5, a bit more colourful and the handle is a good teether too - someone imports them from Munchkins in the US)

Yes I did have to hold on to it with him.

OP posts:
Original poster
wherethewildthingsare · 27/06/2006 10:59

Actually this was like the one I bought:

munchkin feeder

OP posts:
Original poster
wherethewildthingsare · 27/06/2006 18:37

Bump - anyone?

OP posts:
VVVQV · 27/06/2006 18:42

Im not sure i see the point of these. At all.

Greensleeves · 27/06/2006 18:46

How bizarre.

fruitful · 27/06/2006 18:57

What's it for? Why not just give them the banana?

Ds would have turned that round and chewed the plastic end, anyway.

NotQuiteCockney · 27/06/2006 18:58

I think these look sad and weird. But I think BLW will only properly catch on when somebody, somewhere, can make loads of dosh from it, sadly enough.

TheLadyVanishes · 27/06/2006 19:01

mmm I would rather my child learn to eat properly without any aids of this sort (i keep a close eye on her especially if she's eating things like chunks of apple) however if a parent has had a scare then i suppose this will act as a safety blanket

hana · 27/06/2006 19:03

dd2 has fed herself pretty much from the early days - using only her hands. it's v messy and she tries to use a fork ( with limited success) and a spoon ( with no success) now. I can't get near her at all! but I know she eats only what she wants and is hungry for at the time
these things are cute but are an extra in my opinion

BadHair · 27/06/2006 19:05

Haven't tried one but might be good for introducing new tastes to fussy early eaters. Ds1 has always been terrible at trying anything new, but was a very chewy baby, so this might have helped him.

Would have been no use for ds2 as he's always attacked new foods with gusto.

southeastastra · 27/06/2006 19:26

i think it's good for babies to feel and touch their food, it's all part of learning. seems like something that would end up in the kitchen drawer

milward · 27/06/2006 19:31

couldn't work it out from the webpage!!

Original poster
wherethewildthingsare · 27/06/2006 20:54

Blimey, well of course if the MN jury don't like it...! Bizarre, sad, weird... did I accidentally post a link to Big Brother? Oh no, it's just a gadget! Of course, really I want to fill it with boiled sweets and let him suck it all night.

The point, I would have thought is pretty obvious! It's a gadget (yes, a gadget!) that enables teething/early weaning babes to better gum their food. I think we all know how hard it is for a 6 month old to grasp slippery food such as a ripe banana, especially if you are out and about. I could of course, just mash it up but I'm trying to facilitate self-feeding. After weaning 3 kids the Karmel Way, I thought this was a refreshing change. I'm sure Cow n Gate will be selling us pre-steamed sticks of carrot etc a la McDonalds, very, very soon.

OP posts:
VVVQV · 27/06/2006 21:12

If its the case that the baby cant get a better grip on food, maybe its wiser to postpone weaning, rather than buy "gadgets" to help shove food in their cakeholes?

Thats just my opinion though

squarer · 27/06/2006 21:25

I haven't heard "cakehole" since my dad said it
I think the issue here is there are a whole load of mums who are paranoid about the concept of baby-led weaning. I was chatting to someone today who (as grandma) daren't give the baby apple, pear or grapes cut in half for fear of what mum might say. (Mum here, in this instance being the "problem").
We live in a paranoid society, fuelled by media reports which focus on everything we don't really need to hear about but which sell papers. We read about the toddler that choked to death on a grape as the 6 month old that ate a well steamed carrot just doesn't cut that particular mustard.
I know where you are coming from VVQV, but I think the things you talk about Wherethewild thingsare look great for someone who would have considered giving puree as a first food as opposed to bblw. I have no real opinion on it, but perhaps it is a step forward, allowing the baby to feed itself rather than the spoon? Dunno!

Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 27/06/2006 21:26

I used it with ds3 when he was younger because he had/has real gagging/choking problems. I thought it was good. Didn't need it with ds1 or ds2, but I think with certain babies they're excellent.

Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 27/06/2006 21:28

You can't postpone weaning when they're 1012 months old VVQV which was the sort of age I was using it with ds3.

hunkermunker · 27/06/2006 21:29

Get it if you like. It's not necessary, but loads of baby-related stuff isn't

(Better than a bloody spoon with from 3 months on it )

Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 27/06/2006 21:33

We had real concerns that ds3 was autistic. Problems with textures is a common feature of autism, I was keen to move him on from puree because I knew that if he did have a developmental problem a failure to move him on at a young age could result in me having to feed him puree aged 4, and I didn't want to go there.

I've got some clean bags (opened but unused) if you want them wherethe, just cat me with your adress and I'll pop them in the post.

squarer · 27/06/2006 21:48

I think that's it Hunker (notwithstanding Jimjams corner)
The bottom line is "whatever keeps you sane" in so many aspects of baby-rearing.

hunkermunker · 27/06/2006 21:49

Jimjams, totally understand why you bought it, btw.

And I'm a sucker for a gadget, I have to confess I just don't have the budget to buy all I might

PrettyCandles · 27/06/2006 21:57

It's been around for longer than you think. I've got a parenting book from the 20s which suggests wrapping up a piece of food in the corner of a muslin and then tieing the muslin to a teething ring. Struck me as a good idea (but I'd finished weaning mine by the time I read it) - how many times do you want to pick that crust of bread or piece of apple up off the floor?

squarer · 27/06/2006 22:00

That's where a dog comes in really handy PrettyCandles

TheREALWelshBitch · 27/06/2006 22:02

Of course, there will always be exceptions, Jimjams. Its not the same as giving it to a baby who apparently isnt ready for foods yet though, is it.

I dont believe its a vital tool for weaning. In fact, i think its pretty unnecessary. I speak as someone who has had one of THE most difficult feeders in the world, and one of the easiest feeders in the world.

Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 27/06/2006 22:05

but no-one's forced to buy it!

I'm a gadget fiend as well. I have a dimpler- but that WAS crap. Maybe I'm being unfair, I didn't gou out much with ds3, probably is good if you're out and about, so just bought it 5 years too late.

PrettyCandles · 27/06/2006 22:17

What's a dimpler?

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