Ok since we are on food, lets talk about Baby Led Weaning - isnt it just ANOTHER set of rules for mums to fail at?

[Enid]

Because by NOT following baby led weaning I don't have any angst about what to give dd3 for breakfast. I give her porridge, I spoon it in, she eats it, end of. I mean, sorry, but porridge pancakes!? Why bother?

I liked the idea of it but there seem to be toooooooooooo many threads asking for advice and what to feed your baby etc - this suggests to me that it is just ANOTHER thing to angst over. I mean, if I am giving dd1 and 2 shepherds pie with peas, how am I supposed to feed it to dd3? so she gets the same thing mashed up and spooned in, hurrah.

Can someone please explain to me exactly what baby led weaning is?

its ok

BLW is basically they can control what they eat abit more, and control their appetites. Instead of spooning in different colour purees, I guess it makes more of a visual impact when say, feeding carrot, its a carrot stick... not orange puree, then brocolli... green and wolly at the top, not a green puree. Also, they can have a good gnaw and a play aswell... I dont explain it very well, Aitch can explain it miles better... I think most people kinda do it anyway... I only know one person still on purees (all meals at 18 months!)

someone told me it was when you gave baby a range of foods and they choose what they like!!! Isnt that pandering to fussy ways? Am I hard?

What would be nice is to have a baby that will eat tidily and quickly from a spoon when you're out somewhere. But who will sit and feed himself at home while you get on with eating your own meal. .

I did love not having to bother spoon-feeding ds. But its a pain when we're out, and the cafe has to get the heavy industrial cleaning equipment out after we go.

LOL at "pandering to fussy ways"

Ok I get it now. Ds has never really let me feed him, he used to use his fingers, now I give him spoons and fork and hope for the best . He enjoys it.
So do you help them eat when doing baby led weaning? As in if there just playing around with there food rather than eating it do you put any in there mouth? Or is it strictly they feed themselves?
Porridge pancakes?
How do ya make them?

auntymandy - absolutely not! It's actually claimed to produce much less fussy eaters. You simply give them a portion of whatever you're having, and if they don't eat it you stay relaxed and breastfeed them instead (it was designed to be used by breastfeeders - something to do with baby being used to being in charge of how much they have, although there are plenty of formula feeders who use the method too).

So it's much much easier than all that pureed nonsense.

I started off with purees, and have absolutely nothing against them, but switched to blw when dd decided she didn't like me feeding her any more.

lornaloo - no, you don't put anything in their mouths, as then it's not babyled. The theory goes that if they are hungry they will eat, although they might well play with the food at the same time!

Well I know ds certainly enjoys seeing different foods infront of him. Feeling the different textures and tastes.

so they cant have shepherds pie?

I see.

they can enid, with their hands.

ah ha

bloody hell I think I am too anal to do it then

Good for them to have a feeling of control in what they eat. Ah bless.

i never thought blw was about it being better than spoonfeeding, it's just different. i personally like doing it. i enjoy watching how dd learns how to eat things, each thing i give her she has to work out how to eat. she learns all the different textures, hard food soft food, fluffy food etc etc. and when she gets something she's had before she clearly remembers it.

i find this more enjoyable than shoveling in food as someone described. she learns through her eating. it's just like extra play time.

and yes she is my only child so i do have time to sit with her for hours while she works out how to eat a plum.

dont babies sometimes LIKE you to feed them though?

eat shepherds pie with their hands?

lovely as long as its not my child in my kitchen

yes i was about to say that too enid

its a time of interaction and eye contact

i dont like the thought of them being left to fend for themselves with the steamed brocolli and carrot sticks

and how do you then switch to a spoon or knife and fork if they are used to using their hands?

while folk chat around them or do the dishes at the other side of the kitchen

I enjoy whatching ds eating too. He sits in his highchair for ages playing around with his food and occasionally eating it. I do put things in his mouth for him sometimes though, if he lets me.

sometimes i try to show dd how to pick something up and she just boots my hand out of the way and slowly figures it out herself.

am sure plenty babies do like being fed, but dd isn't one of them. she won't even let me feed her with a bottle, only a cup, and she grabs it off me.

i think a bit of both is best