Can you switch from puree feeding to BLW?

[MrsKoala]

I have been spoon feeding smooth baby rice/porridge to DS2 (nearly 7mo) for 3 weeks and i was thinking of trying BLW instead.

I am worried in case he gets confused and tries to swallow without chewing and chokes.

Is it okay to switch?

Also my baby has reflux and doesn't like drinking milk much. So mixing formula with rice is good for making sure he gets his milk requirements for the day. So if i do blw and he still refuses milk - what should i do to make sure he gets what he needs?

Thanks.

why can't you just do a mix i.e. offer finger foods alongside the puree you are already offering. That's what I did with both of mine.

It doesn't have to be one way or the other. Be aware though, your baby may gag a bit as they get used to being given finger foods. This is normal and not the same as choking.

I agree with PP^ and would consider encouraging finger foods alongside puree rather than taking a fully BLW approach.

Corrrect me if im wrong, but milk is the main source of nutrients for longer in BLW than traditional weaning as the baby doesn't eat as much - a lot gets flung around and chewed but spat out.
If your baby has reflux, it sounds like the baby rice will help her keep the extra calories down.

I know people are evangelical about BLW - I really wanted to do it myself- but like everything else, it just doesn't suit all babies. Mine has no gag reflex & swallowed everything whole

Ofcourse you can, there's nothing special about BLW, its all just feeding. I have 3DC and fed each of them whichever way they preferred, mostly ending up with a bit of a mix.

If you're worried, scrambled egg, bananas, omelettes are good things for the first meal of normal food. They soon get the hang of it and move on quickly but he may prefer spoon feeding sometimes. Its the quality (and hopefully variety) of food that goes in rather than how it gets in!

Thanks all. I tried BLW a bit with DS1 and it was a disaster - 3 proper choking episodes. He still eats only mashed foods at 2.6yo. He had terrible reflux too.

I think i will do a combination then. I was concerned because i read about with puree they learn to swallow first and chew later and with BLW it is the other way round. So don't want him to get confused and swallow a huge bit of banana without chewing and then choke iyswim.

He has started on Ranitidine this week so i am hoping this will also help with the milk drinking.

Yes, and back again. DS just sat holding whatever it was and sucking the thumb of the same hand, so the HV suggested going back to purees for a bit.

Another yes. I did a combination with my third child and she is a good eater now.
Can I also recommend finely grated food. She really liked grated apple with a bit of orange juice mixed with it, grated carrot, cheese etc. and found it easier to chew than big pieces.

I think in your case you should stick with traditional weaning. It introduces finger foods at 7mo anyway. There is no need to stop the purees.

As someone already pointed out, BLW babies will be on milk for longer as most things just get thrown around at 6mo. Your DS has reflux and needs the baby rice to get the formula. That makes it a bad case to let them feed themselves as he wont then get enough milk!

As for the gagging. Yes I think those who do BLW probably doesn't gag. Firstly those babies who gag a lot probably won't eat only a hard food diet. And it takes ages for them to start eating a large amount. At with my two it seems that way. DD2 is 26 weeks and have chewed a lot of things. She hasn't gagged but I doubt she swallowed either.

I introduced finger foods at 6 months alongside puree. Why would you need to wait until 7 months?

I don't think you need to wait at all. It's just what Annabel Karmel says. And she's followed by many. I suspect it's because at 6mo a lot of babies don't have the dexterity to eat smaller pieces of food. Like things smaller than their palm.

I am referring to the ability to open the palm and stuff whatever inside to the mouth.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx nhs says mashed and/or finger foods from 6 months

demented I'm reading that page differently. It says finger food from 8-9 months. And the only finger food from 6 months are soft fruit. That's a bit different than giving a piece of roast beef.

Also if you look on the shelf for baby food. The biscuits and rice cakes tend to say 7mo. Have a look at those from say Ella's kitchen and organic.

You must have missed the bit in the 'from 6 months' bit that says:

soft cooked meat such as chicken, mashed fish (check very carefully for any bones), pasta, noodles, toast, pieces of chapatti, lentils, rice and mashed hard boiled eggs.Â

Some of that sounds like finger foods to me!

HA! well that was quite pointless. I steamed various root veg and laid them out on the high chair and he couldn't get any to his mouth. He just squeezed them all and missed his mouth completely. I think i may have to persevere with some spoon feeding otherwise he wont be eating anything!

Thanks all for the advice.

meskoala don't despair! That's quite normal for self feeding in my experience. Try again another time. I am doing BLW for a second time so I know how little they actually eat. There is a reason why BLW tend to serve family food. Otherwise you are just wasting a lot of effort. You can still do that in addition to the puree? That why you won't be wasting time steaming veg.

demented I stand corrected NHS does say 6mo for finger food. I do still think it is 7mo before much is eat, and 9mo for anything substantial

I did purées until 8 months when ds refused to be spoon fed! I put a lot into his mouth at first but he fairly quickly picked it up himself.

I found the organix stuff really good to teach ds how to pick food up but most importantly chew and swallow. Their carrot sticks are basically big wotsits and sort of dissolve in the mouth so I always felt quite safe even if ds shoved loads in his mouth as he was learning it all.

If you have not given any finger foods up until now then he isn't going to necessarily be able to pick things up quickly. Keep offering and he'll work it out soon enough.

A useful tip is to buy a crinkle cutter to cut his veg/fruit. The best shape for picking up by little hands are chunky batons that are longer than their fists. Crinkle cutting makes it easier to get a grip on slippery veg. Root vegetables (sweet potato or squash are good) can be roasted till soft, and that can be easier to pick up than steamed.