DD happy as Larry with spoon but talk to me about BLW...

[emeraldgirl1]

... As everyone I know is doing it and most of them are being v sniffy about my approach!!!

Haven't read the book or anything as I just instinctively feel I am happiest muddling through with a combo of spoons and some finger foods.

DD happiest with a spoon in her hand ( getting plenty of food in that way too) and does enjoy also a finger of cheese etc... But I was with friends y'day and they all looked at me in horror when I started popping little pieces of cheese into her mouth. I started feeling as though I was doing something awful, one of them even used the word 'force feeding' :( which I would never intentionally do. Fwiw DD seems to thoroughly enjoy cheese that way... Enjoys a stick of it too but is happiest when actually taking in maximum cheese!!

Anyway can anyone tell me if what I'm doing is ok? Feel a bit rubbish about it now and getting a bit paranoid that am doing Bad Things for DD.

Just to add... Is it a lot to do with encouraging chewing? As I do want DD to get confident with chewing, at the mo she prefers to just swallow. She is 7m. I figured I would gradually make purée less puréed and try more finger foods...

What you are doing sounds fine. I can't be bothered with 'labels' about different approaches - I mainly spoon feed my son but like you most of the time he's happy to take the spoon off me and feed himself and if he chose to scoop it up from the bowl with his fingers that's fine too.

I've already made my son's purees thicker and a bit lumpier so he'll gradually get the idea of chewing so if you think she is ready just mash the food instead of pureeing and add stuff that she can chew - maybe a long 'stick' of cheese so she has to chew it into smaller pieces.

You aren't doing Bad Things - she's happy and you were happy until your 'friends' dented your confidence so just carry on with whatever suits you both.