BLW babies! I would love to share experiences with other mums!

[Lau1973]

First baby and i have decided to BLD after reading a lovely book. At the age of 6 months exactly started solids, 3 times a day, finger foods and a bit of puree for only one month. She was always interested but she was not ever a hungry baby. After one month of purees and finger foods i started proper ready home made meals (no sugar or salt), anything i was cooking a portion was for her. I really enjoy to see her eating and exploring, and i have the time to wait her to have her meals, and i have the time to clean the chair, the table and the floor 3 times a day as well!! It has been a really good experience and she eats anything today (fish, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, veggies, rice, quinoa, nuts, seeds, cheese, eggs, milk, natural yogurt with fruits, breads, biscuits, pasta, any cake sweetened with dry fruits.. and so on). What i got today from all of this is a baby who refuses spoon feeding!!!! she hates the spoon now, no way to take it from me, unless she has it in her hand to play or leak. Some days she is great eating and some days she does not eat that much and seems to not like what i cook....... she tries, explores.. but that is all and we go straight to the dessert.

I took her to the clinic today and health visitor told me i was doing really well and she was in the proper weight for her age (9months 8.400 kilos 73cm tall). For me she is quite thin and babies around her age are with almost two kilos more and a lovely Buddha belly! (they are all spoon feeders).

I would love to share experiences and feel i am not alone as i do not have any mum around me doing the same!! i think sometimes i feel guilty as i would love to see her eating a bit more..

Hi

If you want to share experiences with other BLW mums then do try the BLW forum www.babyledweaning.com/forum/index.php.

I'm not sure BLW has much to do with weight though - the idea is that the baby continues to get calories from milk in addition to solid food (as with traditional weaning of course!) but it all works out so that they get what they need. As for myself, I have BLW'd one small baby and one huge one! For once it sounds like your HV is right and your baby is just right for her.

Hi, thanks for the link, loved it really! :)

OP wrote: "Some days she is great eating and some days she does not eat that much"
As I understand it, this is normal for a baby!

The NHS has this advice (www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx#close):
"Most babies know when they are full up, so don’t make them finish a portion when they don’t want to. Don’t worry if your baby hasn’t eaten much in a meal or a day, what they eat over a week is more important."
It also advises:
"Let your baby feed themselves with their fingers. This way they can show you how much they want to eat"

So it sounds to me like you're doing the right thing!

You are definitely not alone!! I've been doing BLW with mine too, and so do most of my friends.

It's lots of fun, isn't it?! I love how she eats exactly the same food as me, a wide range of healthy food. I also think it's been really good for her development, incentivising her to learn how to pick things up etc.

But yes, for months my baby too refused to be spoon fed, which was annoying since it would have been more convenient if we were out. However, now she's a bit older (since about age 1) she will sometimes go all lazy and only eat if she's spoon fed! So there you go.