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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

Tell me what you did

21 replies

Ducky23 · 12/05/2015 09:23

Ds is 22 weeks. Am seeing the dietitian next week as his has cmpi.

I was advised by cons to try him on purees but after giving it a go I think he's not ready so have stopped.

I wanted to do blw at 6 months but I have no idea what to do! Can you tell me what you did?

Do I just start with one meal? What time of day is best? What about drinks (water?)
What can I give him?
How long do I stick with one food?
Is it going to be more difficult for him because he tried purees?

So much I have no idea about!!!!

OP posts:
ElleDubloo · 12/05/2015 10:00

We started BLW at 5 months because I tried putting a spoon of porridge in her mouth but she grabbed it and put it in herself (messily). We then started giving her a range of finger foods. She particularly likes:

  • Apples and pears cut into wedges, raw (she doesn't ingest too much but likes sucking and gumming them).
  • Broccoli florets (she loves holding the stem in her fist and stuffing the "flowers" into her mouth, and eats quite a bit this way).
  • Babycorn.

Fruits are OK given raw and cut into finger-sized pieces (size of your fingers, not baby's). I like to stir-fry vegetables as it gives more flavour than steaming. Baby vegetable packs are really easy and great: www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Mixed-Baby-Vegetables-Medley-Waitrose/18901011

ElleDubloo · 12/05/2015 10:06

Sorry I forgot your other questions:

Do I just start with one meal? Give food whenever you're eating, if you're eating something that he can pick up with his fist and doesn't contain too much salt. Caveat: it's a pain to clean up, so maybe just give food as often as you can be bothered to clean up.

What about drinks (water?) My DD hasn't got the hang of water yet :( I tend to breastfeed her after she's had her solids.

How long do I stick with one food? If you're very cautious, give one new food every three days, so you can spot a reaction. But I'm not very cautious and I've given several things at once... though we've avoided the main allergens so far (eggs, dairy, seafood, fish, etc.)

Is it going to be more difficult for him because he tried purees? No, we give purees too sometimes, e.g. Ella's kitchen pouches when we go out, or when I want to feed her something that she doesn't know how to pick up. You don't have to stick to BLW too strictly, IMO, unless you're doing it to make a statement.

Original poster
Ducky23 · 12/05/2015 10:16

Thanks for the reply.

Has your dd had any problems with swallowing food. I'm a worrier and I've heard they can gag and things when they first start which would send me into a blind panic! Grin

OP posts:
AnythingNotEverything · 12/05/2015 10:28

Read up on gagging vs chocking. Gagging happens really far forward in the mouth - nowhere near there they would choke. Gagging is a "moving food about the mouth" technique which the get better at very quirky Chocking is something getting stuck in their airways and stopping the briefing. The Red Cross had a good video about choking. I'm sure it'll neon youbube.

Just before 6 months DD Stoke a banana from me. We never looked back tbh. Avoid dairy and gluten until 6 months. Offer water in a sippy up (they won't drink much). Keep up with normal milk intake for the first month at leave. About of food offered once a day is plenty. Stick to new foods every 2-3 days if you're worried, but equally you can just be careful with the likely allergens - egg, kiwi, strawberry etc.

Most of all, don't stress about it. It's just food. Banana, over steamed carrots, a sweet potato, baby corn - all achievable in terms of baby picking them up and soft enough to not choke them. Sticks of apple are good if you soften them slightly in water in the microwave.

Original poster
Ducky23 · 12/05/2015 12:26

Thanks anything, will you tube it Smile

OP posts:
ElleDubloo · 12/05/2015 14:51

Ducky23 - yes gagging does happen with BLW, but then again my DD gags on her own fingers Blush It's not harmful or dangerous and it's a way for babies to get used to how things feel in their mouths. My DD coughs too, which always worries me, but resolves quickly.

Things to worry about: wheezing, gasping, not breathing, turning red.
Things not to worry about: coughing, gagging.

araminem · 13/05/2015 11:52

THanks for this! Keeping an eye on this thread as interested in BLW. However, I live in a country where BLW is not supported at all it seems. Is it OK if I sneak in an extra question? What book/resources would you recommend to read up about BLW (what foods to itnroduce, when, how etc)?

felkov · 13/05/2015 12:10

I recently bought the BLW cookbook (the one by Gill Rapley) and have been pleasantly surprised at how good the recipes are. The beginning of the book also has good descriptions of how to get started with BLW.

If you haven't got a high chair yet then the Ikea Antilop is great as no fiddly straps or nooks for food to accumulate. you can even hose down in the shower if it's been a really messy meal!!

felkov · 13/05/2015 12:16

Sorry forgot to say that it's best also to read up on puree + finger food vs only doing BLW.

My understanding is that with purees the baby learns to swallow first then chew later. With BLW the baby learns the opposite way round, so if your baby is used to swallowing puree then please be very careful of any possible choking hazards and know what the difference between gagging and choking is (better safe than sorry Smile )

MustBeLoopy390 · 13/05/2015 12:17

We did blow with ds, he was 5 and a bit months when he just swiped a peice of steak off his dad and ate it no problems, so we just put a small portion of whatever we had on a plate at every meal time and offered a sippy cup of water and just let him crack on. I still breastfed on demand and he was around 14 months when he started dropping a feed. We chose to avoid purées because of the faff on we had with them and dd, but if they work for you then go for it :)

MustBeLoopy390 · 13/05/2015 12:17

Just to clarify, we didn't do blow with ds, it was BLW bloody iPhone and autocorrect

MirandaGoshawk · 13/05/2015 12:21

This might sound disgusting to some but I tried it after reading about how they do it in other cultures - I would take a little of what we were having, chew it a bit and then give it to the baby Smile

SomewhereIBelong · 13/05/2015 12:22

didn't realise we were doing BLW - just put some of our food on a little plate for them and let them get on with it. They both had teeth coming by the time we weaned anyhow - didn't need purees.

Original poster
Ducky23 · 13/05/2015 14:03

Will be back later to read properly, but mustbe, that gave me a bloody good chuckle just when I needed it Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
Ducky23 · 13/05/2015 15:02

Will have a look felk! I have heard that about the purees/blw before, that's why I was worried it may be harder.

Mustbe, did he chew and swallow the steak? Or just have a taste and spat it out?

OP posts:
MustBeLoopy390 · 13/05/2015 15:16

He mainly gummed it, sucked and managed to get a few bits off and swallow. It's ok though if lo doesn't seem to be actually eating, food before 1 is just for fun and milk should continue to be the main source of nutrition until at least the first birthday :)

33goingon64 · 13/05/2015 15:28

Read Gill Rapley's BLW book for the theory behind the method - will also reassure you on gagging/choking front. Just give bits of what you're having. No extra prep required and everyone can eat together.

ElleDubloo · 13/05/2015 17:51

It doesn't make sense that purees teach a baby how to swallow first. Surely all breastfed and bottlefed babies know how to swallow before they know how to chew?

dairyfreequeen · 14/05/2015 23:56

op we are a few weeks into blw with my ds who's also got cmpa (and egg and soya allergies). I would be prepared for your dietitian not to be able to give you advice on blw (mine didnt know what it was!!) as the nhs are quite behind the times on it, all the advice i was given was on purees, mash, etc which threw me a bit. In retrospect ive had gone a bit more slowly! As when ds had a tummy upset i couldnt work out if it was reaction or not, so have had to go back to a few safe foods and add one every few days. But ds loves feeding himself and its lots of fun!

Original poster
Ducky23 · 15/05/2015 07:12

Thanks dairy, I'm quite surprised, I've read a few threads where the dietitians/consultants don't know what blw is!

OP posts:
icklekid · 15/05/2015 07:23

We did a mix of puree and blw from the start no problems. He always wanted something in his hand and I knew he was taking in solids from the puree. Win win for us but know babies who only want to feed themselves and they are fine too just took a bit longer

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