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Weaning

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

Talk to me about Baby Led Weaning...

45 replies

SoupDragon · 04/10/2006 13:16

How is it actually any more Baby Led than traditional spoon feeding? Its not like they sit down with a menu and say "Oh yes, today I'd like the carrot sticks with polenta pancakes" is it? You just put finger food in front of them and if they eat it, they do and if they don't, they don't. Just like spoonfeeding. Either they open their mouths to eat it or, er, they don't. You can't force feed them. Is it actually Baby Led to "make" them feed themselves or not eat? It's still actually Parent Led isn't it?

Don't get me wrong - I love the whole concept of fingerfoods only. I'm not against so called BLW but the name is, IMO, misleading. For it to be properly baby-led, you do whatever fits your baby. In the case of BabyDragon, that seems to be a mix of everything. She eats some finger foods, she likes baing spoonfed puree/mashed food, she likes having peices put in her mouth (which is, way more tedious than spoonfeeding, believe me ). But that's fine - she leads, I do whatever it takes to get food into her happily. Within reason.

Also, "anything chip shaped" turns out to not fit BabyDragon either. She (and I'm fully prepared to accept that she is, quite frankly, wierd!) prefers small pieces. She's quite happy to gamely try and shovel in handfuls of rice, peas and sweetcorn but fingers of stuff? Oh no. They're for squishing. Take lunch today - cheese on toast. She kept on trying the small cubes of toast but threw the fingers or bigger chunks on the floor. So, if your baby doesn't get on with chip shapes, try little chunks. You'll still end up with a lot on the floor but some of that handful has to make it in, doesn't it?

OP posts:
nappiesLaGore · 04/10/2006 21:52

er, at risk of being a goody two shoes... I'd just like to say, on the baby-led weaning topic; that i found that blog you linked to and thought it was great so we've been doing that round our gaff. but in all honesty, we do some spoony stuff too. pretty much like you said; whatever gets them fed and happy really.

(im a good girl me. haha)

aieeeeeeeeeeeeeetch71 · 04/10/2006 21:56

and i'd like to say that the name Nappies laGore just made me laugh out loud. bravo! and thanks for your compliment, of course. Lulu, we'll see you there tomorrow, bright and early!

nappiesLaGore · 04/10/2006 21:57

blimey - crossposted with aitch herself !

hangs head - i am doing it properly, honest. he only takes the spoon if he wants it, i just sort of hover it near him and he either grabs it or blanks it while hes messing about with, sorry- eating, the other stuff

and hes 8m too. snap.

lulunaticmama · 04/10/2006 21:58

nappies - love the name - had misread as nappiesgalore!! LOL!

lulunaticmama · 04/10/2006 21:58

nappies - love the name - had misread as nappiesgalore!! LOL!

nappiesLaGore · 04/10/2006 21:59

you mean, i managed wit?? thats gotta be the first time in about, oooh, 3 years (ds1 born then)

nappiesLaGore · 04/10/2006 22:00

i am usually nappiesgalore. its my halloweeny name. geddit?

lulunaticmama · 04/10/2006 22:01

laughed so much i posted twice!

aieeeeeeeeeeeeeetch71 · 04/10/2006 22:06

my dd uses spoons for things like cottage cheese, but it's quite a recent development and it seems to only work with those tommee tippee spoons which are bent in the middle. i use two, so that i can wrestle one out of her mitt while she makes a grab for the other.

Morv, who also does some stuff on the blog, has always spoon-fed porridge and soup but i think she's given it up now though boredom now.

i actually blogged about this, when i was irritated with someone who said 'i am doing blw but if i don't think ds has had enough i spoon feed him'. it's on random musings, i think. i was quite pissed off that day, but it seems to me that is the difference between blw and normal weaning. you really shouldn't get to think 'i don't think you've had enough, baby mine' - it's up to the baby to decide, not you. that's if you can even get them to open their mouths, of course.

lulunaticmama · 04/10/2006 22:16

wish i had heard of this monhts ago - drove myself mad with DD

'she won;t eat anything '

refused solids for 9 days

took microscopic amounts of food etc...

still she's doing better now!

lulunaticmama · 04/10/2006 22:17

i get it nappieslagore!

nappiesLaGore · 04/10/2006 22:48

oh, i do the two (or three) spoons thing too. he does get possesive about spoons, and anything else he can get in his gob too, actually.

my goodness, aitch, we have so much in common

nappiesLaGore · 04/10/2006 22:49

i get yours too, lulunatic

aieeeeeeeeeeeeeetch71 · 04/10/2006 22:54
Smile
Chippyt · 04/10/2006 23:32

Aren't all out ds & dd different?? Not all will want to go with finger and not all will want to go with spoons !!! Why don't we all stop stressing and go with what out little ones want!!! Put a spoon or fork down for them - if they prefer to use their fingers, then fine - if they want to try spoon - great, if they go for the fork, watch out !!!! Go with them at their own pace ! This thread is not meant to disrespect anyone, or their views, and if it does - I apologise (I am new to this and seem to get some negative feedback - sorry if my suggestions upset anyone

nappiesLaGore · 04/10/2006 23:47

eh?

but yes, theyre all different. doesnt everyone know that? maybe not i spose, what with there being 'right' and 'wrong' ways to do every-sodding-thing...

Chippyt · 04/10/2006 23:53

Yeh, OK - am I being a bit senstive here or am I getting something completely wrong about postings?

nappiesLaGore · 05/10/2006 00:03

i dont think so but this is so little to go on so not sure really. i was saying eh cause i didnt know what it was you were saying that would upset anyone. sorry to be confusing.

was just saying on another thread; time for me to get some much needed sleep!! nighht all

WriggleyWitchesJiggle · 05/10/2006 10:11

My little one is just starting to have some 'first tastes'. When I hold food in front of her if she wants it she grabs my hand and brings it to her mouth, if she doesn't, I just put the food down again.

Definately not BLW, more a sort of 'chunky food weaning' perhaps.

When I get around to getting a high chair we may try the true blw style.

aieeeeeeeeeeeeeetch71 · 05/10/2006 11:05

wwj, i really do think that is blw... that's exactly what we did for the first week or so, largely because we were eating a lot of fruit at the time (summer, long gone) and dd made grabs for things.

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