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Weaning

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

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Original poster

Anyone else about to start BLW?

47 replies

Mummykt · 22/11/2006 10:57

My dd is 6 months on the 10th Dec and I am planning to start introducing solids by the baby led weaning approach. I was wondering if there is anyone else who is looking to start using this approach around the same time. (I might not start quite then as dd is not sitting up unaided yet so it may be a while longer before we start). Anyhow, I thought if there were other interested it might be useful if we were in touch either on this site, or elsewhere (BLW BLOG?), to offer thoughts and support. Any interest?

OP posts:

becksmummy · 02/01/2007 11:06

I hadnt heard about blw until the last week when I picked up a thread on here, is this something you can change over to if you have already started the puree thing??

I stared weaning my daughter about 6 weeks ago but she doesnt always like puree but is always very interested with what I have on my plate!

Also I have been reading the blw site and it recommends it for BF babies but my dd is formula fed?

becksmummy · 02/01/2007 11:15

I hadnt heard about blw until the last week when I picked up a thread on here, is this something you can change over to if you have already started the puree thing??

I stared weaning my daughter about 6 weeks ago but she doesnt always like puree but is always very interested with what I have on my plate!

Also I have been reading the blw site and it recommends it for BF babies but my dd is formula fed?

AitchTwoOhOhSeven · 02/01/2007 13:08

have a look at the breast and bottle feeding bit on www.babyledweaning.com, that should answer some of your questions. and there's not reason at all why you can't do BLW after purees. if you take the hippy name out of the equation it's really just finger food and not stressing out about the amounts...

bailey10 · 08/01/2007 20:49

Hi all, am just beginning to wean DS who will be 6 months next week. Started him with baby rice which he loves but am going to try the BLW as this sounds great! Gave him some rice cakes today which went down very well and he tried a piece of banana, how often do you offer foods though, just once a day to start or a few times?? DS is always hungry and sleeping very bad at the mo (he's been BF only) and i'm getting very tired so hoping this is going to help!!

Original poster

Mummykt · 08/01/2007 21:34

Hi Bailey. From reading the experiences of people on the yahoo group and the blog it seems every baby varies and goes at their own pace. I started offering one or two things once or twice a day. DD has a taste of anything I offer her but varies in how much time she will spend chewing/mushing/sucking on it - obviously more hungry on some days than others. She is just 7 moths now and I'm starting to up the amount and frequency I offer. She is also BF and she tends to eat a lot at night now, which is getting more tiring so I'd like to try to reduce that if I can, although as long as I get a couple of afternoon naps in during the week I am managing! Amazing what a difference a nap makes!

OP posts:

bailey10 · 09/01/2007 20:30

Thanks, had a look on the blog and found it really useful and there's some great advise on there so will just see how it goes.
Sleepless nights are really bad, unfortunately my DS doesn't sleep much in the day either so no luck there!! Oh well, it can only get better!

sammysam · 10/01/2007 15:02

Hi my DD is 6 months on the 23rd Jan and I want to try BLW but I don't know how to start!! Not going to start until then but need to start thinking about it.........

Any ideas or suggestions would be great as I tried to ask the hv but she didn't know what it was and said it was just weaning at 6 months!!!

DetentionGrrrl · 10/01/2007 15:27

sammysam- look at babyledweaning.com first for some info etc. First foods should be things they can pick up and gnaw, mash or nibble (depending on the teeth situation!)

Mine is 6 1/2 mths, and loves rice cakes, oat cakes, cubes of cheese, cucumber, pasta twists with grated cheese on them, roast courgette and peppers.....and the best bit is you can eat at the same time as them! Just put it on their tray on highchair and let them do their own thing.

lori21 · 12/01/2007 21:40

My lo loves the BLW approach (he is 6 1/2 months). He particularly likes steamed carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, and brocolli - they are great to start with as they are soft enough to chew and swallow but firm enough to hold. He is getting better at cucumber, avacodo and mango as they need more chewing. He is hilareous with green beans (often has them hanging out of his mouth as he makes mmmm noices) and the only thing that he does not seem keen on so far is cauliflower. He loves plums and will suck the flesh off the skins and enjoys pears and bananas.

We are a little unsure about introducing meat though and where to go next from steamed veg and soft fruit.

DizzyBint · 13/01/2007 12:57

lori- i introduced protein when dd was 7 months and she's been fine. we don't eat meat, but she has had all kinds of fish so far. she's 8 months now. i just cooked it as normal and presented it to her in fist size pieces and she went for it, same as with anything. so i'd say just go for it! i think on aitch's blog there is a bit about steak.

have you introduced things like bread and pasta yet? or cheese? you may be waiting if you have allergies in the family. but that's what i added in first, to the veg. so she'd have broccoli on its own, then with carrots, then added pasta, then added cheese. and now i add fish, or cheese sauce or whatever. she now has just exactly what we're eating. if i have a sandwich so does she, if we have fish pie, so does she.

as long as you keep your eye on them then you should be fine.

PinkTulips · 13/01/2007 13:12

need a bit of advice girls, as you all know ds is doing the weaning a bit earlier than he's supposed to be as a result of food theft but at the minute i'm only giving one 'meal' a day... sometimes not even if there's not anything off dd's plate he can have. thing is he's getting very cranky during the day and asking for breastfeeds constantly, then taking just a sip and unlatching and yelling at me as if thats not what he wants. most nights at dinner he eats mssive amount, he cleared a pot of brocolli singlehandedly the other night and slept much better that night than usual.

am considering starting to give him a little something for breakfast each morning but as he can't have porrige, most cereals or bread (won't be able to have them even after 6 months as dd is wheat intolerant and being investigated for coeliacs so i'm holding off til she gets the all clear or else 1 year) i'm at a loss what to give.

is it ok just to give fruit every morning? i seem to remember with dd being told not to give too much fruit as it's sweet (or did i imagine that?)

DetentionGrrrl · 13/01/2007 20:18

pinktulips: my DS gets grumps mid afternoon now, and not for milk either. I give him a little snack between lunch and tea.

How old is yours, if younger than 6mths? If you've already started, i don't see why giving breakfast and so on should matter now

PinkTulips · 14/01/2007 10:07

he's only 5 months (23 weeks i think) so i don't want to risk his milk intake going down at all and i'm worried if i start giving too many solid meals he won't drink as much, thats what happened with dd and by 6 months she was only having 4 feeds a day and no night feeds

DetentionGrrrl · 14/01/2007 12:42

perhaps stop solids at all then? Keep him filled with milk for another 4 weeks, and then start from there?

PinkTulips · 14/01/2007 12:46

lol, out of my hands..... he stole from my plate in the first place and will scream blue murder at dinner if he isn't given something..... that meal doesn't seem to affect his milk intake, in fact seems to make him thirstier sometimes...... agh, i'm waffling and not making sense!

main thing i wanted to know anyway was should i just give fruit every morning or has anyone got any other gluten free breakfast finger foods to suggest

DetentionGrrrl · 14/01/2007 14:37

can't see why fruit would be a problem- mine loves wedges of apple / pear and banana chunks.

Original poster

Mummykt · 14/01/2007 20:11

Hi Pinktulips. I introduced greek yoghurt as a brekkie option when dd was 6.5 months and she likes to lick it off a dried apricot that I hand to her. I was happy to introduce this as no dairy allergies in family, but not everyone may be happy to do this. I was also thinking that someone on the yahoo group suggested giving them a spoon or cup to play with whilst you are eating so that they could feel like they are joining in even if not eating yet - although sounds like this may not be an option if it really is hunger and not just wanting to participate.

OP posts:

PinkTulips · 14/01/2007 23:33

i give him soya yogurt sometimes (dip the spoon in and hand it to him to lick it off) and he loves it, might try him on that and some fruit for breakfast tomorrow.

i know i'm being overly neurotic about it all but i was so determined to wait til 6 months origionally i feel guilty for every mouthful i give him now

Original poster

Mummykt · 17/01/2007 11:36

DD started tasting food at 5.5 months but it was such a small amount I decided it wasn't a big deal. I'm sure that babies vary in when they are ready to start - they can't all wake up at 6 months and be ready that day. Reading about other people's experiences some babies seem to not really get into it until 9 months so I shouldn't worry about it. They are all so different! I think one of the nice things about BLW is it encourages you to go at your own baby's pace.

OP posts:

sammysam · 28/01/2007 11:04

We're ahving such a slow hap-hazzard start to this weaning business and i was just wandering if anyone knew when its important that they are actually eating. DD is still breastfed on demand, and thought this was fine but then stupid mother in law (thinks she is a doctor cos shea a receptionist in a surgery!) said she had to be on solids now as she won't have any iron reserves and will get ill!!! Think shes talking out her backside but its slightly worried me!!
Anyone know?

DizzyBint · 28/01/2007 13:02

show her this

and this

and then smile

Tweetz · 28/01/2007 15:56

Thanks dizzybint, makes you wonder why we worry so much about weaning! Im going to relax much more now, my almost 8 month ds is a very fussy eater but i'm gonna take a much more laid back approach as i'm still breastfeeding-thanks again! Oh and BLW didnt work for him...

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