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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

Not convinced about baby led weaning. :/

28 replies

alice93 · 07/05/2014 08:52

As it's not long until my 4 month old (18 weeks) turns 6 months, or at least next week will be the last time we see the health visitor here before we spend the summit abroad (he'll have a health visitor there).
Last time me & the health visitor spoke, she was dead set on him doing baby led weaning, with no puree.
The thing is I'd feel far more confident giving him puree (and soft food to hold and eat if he wishes) as I've done that before with the girl I au-paired. I look forward to using a baby blender (although I have to convince DP we need one!) and making interesting purees for him.
So as long as encourage him to put food in his mouth, is there such harm in letting him have puree too?

OP posts:
JuniperTisane · 07/05/2014 08:55

Nothing wrong with traditional weaning at all. I imagine at least half the country does/did it. The actual weaning period is so small really so do it they way it suits you.

EmmanuelWoganberry · 07/05/2014 08:58

Whatever works for your baby, I intended to puree but DD was not impressed so we ended up feeding finger foods from the start. I don’t think it needs a label, offer puree, offer finger foods, and see what he is happy with imo.

BertieBotts · 07/05/2014 09:04

There's no right or wrong (well ok, pureeing a Happy Meal and feeding it in a bottle would be wrong!) She's your baby, purees are perfectly fine.

ExBrightonBell · 07/05/2014 09:04

Do what you want - the HV are there to inform and advise, not instruct.

Fwiw, I did BLW with my ds and it worked really well, but it's really up to you and your baby!

Original poster
alice93 · 07/05/2014 09:04

Really? okay :)
I feel like everything I do in the eyes of the Health visitor is bad :( Such as our co-sleeping, as much as I want to stop, it feels natural, for me and him.
Thank you for giving me more confidence :)

OP posts:
Buttercup27 · 07/05/2014 09:08

We had no choice but to do baby led weaning. U bought a new blender, lots of storage pots and a ton of fruit and veg ready to start weaning. And my ds point blank refused. I tried for 2 weeks with no success until one day my dinner plate happened to be closer to his high chair than usual. He grabbed a handful of rice and chilli and the rest is history. From that moment he ate exactly what we ate but refused if it was cut up or mushed up. If we had sausage we gave him a whole sausage and he would hum it to death . Same with all veg. It got very messy with spag bol but he enjoyed eating and still does 2 years on. He likes most food including curry. It has always made eating out really easy as he just ate a little of ours. As long as we had a clean top to pop on after a really messy meal it was fine. He now uses cutlery well but now refuses to eat off of plastic plates (he's 2) so we have gone along and touch would I'm the last 3 weeks nothing has been broken and he eats just like mum and dad. I will definitely be trying with ds2 in a few weeks but every child is different so I'll see how it goes.

Aradia · 07/05/2014 09:11

I really wanted to do BLW but have a phobia of my baby choking so found it far too stressful. There's nothing wrong with purees and finger food when you feel ready.

JuniperTisane · 07/05/2014 09:17

The health visitor is a great source of information and practical help but they are not the only ones and you don't have to agree with what she says.

Baby Led Weaning is one extreme, traditional weaning the other and most parents tread a middle path through the two. As long as your baby is getting appropriate nutrition and you move from smooth purees through lumps to finger food by the time your baby is one, it really doesn't matter how you choose to do it.

Have a read through www.mumsnet.com/babies/weaning to clue up on it all.

Christelle2207 · 07/05/2014 09:21

Nothing wrong with purees. Unless you have a spoon refuser- I've reluctantly had to embrace BLW (so much messier) as ds clamps his mouth shut whenever I produce a spoon.

wintersdawn · 07/05/2014 09:24

personally I'd just see how it goes, I've blw both of mine but both have been different about it. my dd wouldn't feed herself anything like yoghurt but would eat it if I fed her whilst my son has been grabbing the spoon to fed himself yoghurt since we started at 6 months.

from a practical point I've always tried to make sure mine will take from a spoon as well as hand feed but that's just so I can cope with different situations more easily and is a personal thing.

re the hv point of view it is just that her point of view, yes they have guidelines but I've yet to meet two that translate them the same way. in the space of a month I've been told that my son was to heavy and I was feeding to much and also that I wasn't feeding him enough and that's why he was night waking, go with your instinct and take their words as advice to be considered not gospel to be obeyed.

ALifeOfPie · 07/05/2014 09:32

You do whatever works for you. In some people's experience, BLW equates to a further 3 months of a pretty-much-milk-only diet combined with lots of messy play with lumps of finger food that very rarely actually make it to being eaten. For other people, it works brilliantly (I have one friend whose 5-month old started BLW entirely unintentionally on her part as he grabbed a bit of banana that she was eating and stuffed it in his mouth, when she was expecting him to continue to be EBF for at least another month!). It depends on your baby's needs and your own needs and it's ok to try different things and see what works.

UriGeller · 07/05/2014 09:34

I think most people do a mixture. if you're having soup for lunch, it makes more sense to give the baby a spoonful. Some foods just aren't finger foods! As long as you're engaging with him, looking for cues he's had enough etc, there's no problem with spoon feeding IMO.

Purpleroxy · 07/05/2014 09:36

Why do you need to see the HV apart from routine check ups?

BLW is not the law - if you want to do purées then do them. Both my kids loved purées. Tell the HV it works for you, end of!

Mybellyisaneasteregg · 07/05/2014 09:47

I did blw with ds and I wont be doing it with dc2. I will be doing traditional weaning with purées and gradually introduce finger food.

Blw was messy and I don't think it was worth it, ds was fussy, took a long time to eat anything substantial and still is fussy.

Purées will be easier to prepare as batches in advance and then spoonfeed minus the mess while looking after a toddler as well.

It will be interesting to compare the 2 methods as well.

OneLittleToddleTerror · 07/05/2014 09:52

Do whatever you are comfortable with as long as it's within the current guidelines. I'm fairly sure the NHS web pages still recommend traditional weaning, but only from the baby can sit unaided.

See www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx

smokeandfluff · 07/05/2014 09:56

Do whatever you and your baby feel most comfortable with. I started ds on purees, which he loved. Currently moving onto lumpier foods, and he enjoys gumming some finger foods.

jenny373 · 07/05/2014 10:01

I tried blw but my baby couldn't chew through much so was properly taking in about a mouthful if that
He struggles to hold fruit
The only things he can actually get through are biscuits and bread
He was just getting so frustrated as he was hungry but couldn't get enough so I started purees and now he's happy! And also at the grand age of 10 months no sign of teeth so would still be struggling!
Do whatever u feel best ur baby will let u know what they want

bigkidsdidit · 07/05/2014 10:04

You don't have to :)

With both of mine I mashed up whatever we were eating with a fork and fed them it, with finger food on their tray too. Eg I fed them fish pie nd let them attempt to pick up the broccoli and peas themselves. It worked very well for me. Try whatever you like, any combination of purée / mashing up your food / the odd bit of finger food / full on blw.

As an aside, I haven't seen a HV since ds2 was 6 weeks and won't again till his 2 year check. That is also optional!

OMGimamum · 07/05/2014 10:06

Do whatever you feel happy with. BLW is my idea of he'll. I'm on dc6...

OMGimamum · 07/05/2014 10:06

Hell not he'll!

rainbowfeet · 07/05/2014 10:12

I think it does depend child to child.. My dd was the traditional .. Baby rice.. Onto purée then lumps etc & did have finger foods too but mainly purée .. Ds was the opposite he wasn't even interested in solids til about 7 months.. He had a mixture of purées, baby cereal yogurt but much preferred finger food & they became his main source of food. He still likes to pick at food... See him at a party buffet & he's on cloud 9!!

I think just relax & go with the flow.. Purées are great for introducing new flavours.. & if you need to feed & run rather than sit around & wait for them to pick at a plate of food or can't eat on the go. (If HV wants to tell you how to feed your baby then she should go & have one herself)!Angry

TheScience · 07/05/2014 10:16

Do whatever you want, the HV can't tell you what to do with your own baby!

If you aren't weaning til 6 months though you can skip the puree bit and just spoonfeed things like porridge, cereal, yoghurt or roughly mash family meals and offer finger foods.

HavannaSlife · 07/05/2014 10:19

Do wharever you and the baby are happy with, I wanted to try blw this time but ds4 had other ideas! He wouldn't take any finger foods until he had just turned one

TerrifiedMothertobe · 08/05/2014 22:00

Do what you want and makes you happiest. As all have said, hv is there to support and advise, not pressure or frown upon you.

My first was weaned via baby led,I thought it was all bollocks until I started, but, he loved it and became a confident eater. Even now as a picky toddler he is very good. And, I have never had to sit for hours feeding him, I could get I. And cook supper whilst he had a go on his hummus and toast, or omelette etc!

brokenshoes · 09/05/2014 19:56

I did a lite version of blw ie giving finger foods for anything that could easily be picked up and spoon feeding for things that couldn't eg weetabix, soup.

What i found a useful thing to remember about blw is that the idea is that you follow your child's lead and offer food when they are hungry and stopping when they have had enough. No "just one more spoonful" when the baby is turning their head away for example.