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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

Baby led weaning - join me?

51 replies

TootToot · 30/11/2006 20:41

DD2 is 5 1/2 months old. I want to begin baby led weaning but need someone to chat to etc about it all. Fancy joining me to compare notes etc? Have looked at the brilliant babyledweaning.co.uk site/blog and everything looks great.

OP posts:

AitchTwoOh · 30/11/2006 20:47

why thankyou ma'am...

harpsichordcarrier · 30/11/2006 20:50

toottoot you big suck up
BLW is fabulous, dd2 is thirteen months so too late to join you but good luck

Lio · 30/11/2006 20:55

QUick post so this will appear in my 'threads I'm on' - thanks for the website link, TootToot

littleducks · 30/11/2006 20:58

dd is 6 1/2 months been doing relaxed blw and is going well, you should have seen her feeding herslf wetabix this morning!!!

Sparkletastic · 03/12/2006 20:42

I'm going for it with my 7mth old DD2 after major frustrations with the Annabel Karmel method if you are still out there TootToot! DD1 is a right fussmunch who still likes to be fed at 3 1/2 yrs so am hoping the BLW approach will reap long-term benefits...

klmwong · 10/12/2006 14:11

Hiya Toot Toot and Sparkletastic and everyone,

I started blw a week ago with Bubs. She's 6 and a half months old, nearly 7m.

So how have you been getting on? What food have you tried? We've tried broccoli (v messy), carrot, bread, toast, apple (didn't like), breadsticks, cream crackers and banana and grape (I hold that in her mouth).

Lots of pushing the food around, lots of squishing and dropping, very little putting it her mouth and even less going down. I know some has because Bubs' poo isn't its usual curry sauce consistency. I think it's generally the bread going down plus a little grape cos there's little chunks missing! I am wondering how long it#ll be before Bubs starts meaning to pick food up and putting it in her mouth (rather than just accidentally as she seems to be doing). I know it's a slow process but I admit I would have liked to see a bit more progress other than lots of pushing it about but I am the impatient sort!

We are offering 2 "meals" a day. I already have a toddler so we are on the drier type food when Thomas is around (less cleaning up) and the messy wet stuff when T is at nursery (2 days).

Right that;s me for now. How's are you getting on? All my friends are really surprised when I tell me we are missing out purees. They haven;t said but you can tell from how they are and what they say that they think I am starving my bubs.

Bye,

amp · 11/12/2006 17:37

hi,I started BLW 3 weeks ago but got scared with the choking and started mashing everything up.Any advice? Little bear seemed to gag on everything, very frightening!I thought it sounded like a good idea before starting weaning but when I actually did it I thought it seemed a bit risky.What if she choked? Why put myself through the stress?I still think BLW sounds good but is it really nessasary?

DizzyBinterWonderland · 11/12/2006 17:43

amp- have you looked at babyledweaning.com? it really explains everything and includes a link to gill rapley's study which sort of formalised everything.

when you talk about choking do you mean your baby was gagging? this is very normal and how their body actually stops them choking.

klmwong- my friends still ask me when i'm going to 'let her have purees'!! dd is 7 months now. i think they think i'll get bored of blw and switch to puree.

Katerina75 · 11/12/2006 17:48

amp, I have been through exactly what you describe in the last week! Yesterday I just began to panic and started fishing large bits of steamed carrot out of his mouth

Today I've given him porridge and mashed banana instead and felt much less stressed about it...think I might leave it a week and then maybe try again with the finger food.

PigeonPie · 11/12/2006 17:50

Well, I'd say carry on with your blw!

DS is now 13 months and we went away with 4 other babies last week all of whom have been fed mush and are basically still being fed mush because they won't eat anything else; whereas we went out on Sunday for lunch and DS ate almost a whole child's portion of lasagne - still with his fingers (and it's not that messy any more), although we did have to stop him grabbing people who went past!

I think BLW is the 'best thing since sliced bread'

DizzyBinterWonderland · 11/12/2006 17:58

katerina- it can seem scary at first especially if you think babies can only handle puree. but if you give them a chance they really can do it! i have to stop my MIL fishing food out of dd's mouth!

Katerina75 · 11/12/2006 18:17

I know Dizzy - I feel really silly. I read up about the gagging thing and was quite happily explaining it to everyone else , have done my baby rescus course etc...but still when he starting gagging I panicked...

am a ridiculous worrier anyway and feeding him has always felt like a battle - stopped bf at a month partly because we could never get the latch right and I was in a lot of pain, plus he has reflux...I just really need to feel relaxed around feeding times for a change but that isn't happening

sorry to hijack the thread but feel a bit crap about this at the moment...

DizzyBinterWonderland · 11/12/2006 18:22

we do chewing faces at dd when she gaggs or coughs and splutters. it keeps her calm and us calm and she laughs at us then carries on chewing. i really think the worst thing to do is get panicky (as hard as that is at first!) and make your baby panic.

i even had my 85 year old grandma doing chewing faces last week when dd was gipping on some potato! my gran was going oh my god is she ok, is she ok??!! she's choking!! help her!! and i was going, sit down!! do chewing faces!! so she's going yum yum chew chew and dd starts laughing her head off and starts chewing!!

Katerina75 · 11/12/2006 18:27

that's fantastic dizzy - got a great image in my head of your grandma doing chew faces!

amp · 11/12/2006 20:06

katerina75- nice to know it's not just me.Let me know how it goes if you try again.I really want to, but just need to chill a bit! Bet you can't tell I'm a first time mum!It is scary though isn't it?
I've felt much calmer since I've been giving little bear mashed food but now she seems to be keen on doing things herself and loves sucking on rice cakes!I think I'll try again with the BLW.

amp · 11/12/2006 20:12

DizzyBinterWonderlad- Yes, thanks.I felt realy confident before I started but fear set in when I saw little bear gagging (yes I did mean gagging , not choking)
What foods does your little one eat?

DizzyBinterWonderland · 11/12/2006 20:17

well today she had banana on toast for breakfast. then for lunch she had grated apple and some slices of nectarine. then for tea she had sweet potato and courgette.

she basically has what we're having minus anything that's maybe too salty or too sloppy. she loves pasta with veggie sauce, and she really enjoys things like ravioli and tortellini cos they're in handy parcels for her!

there are some pics of her on babyledweaning.com she is dizzie baby on there.

cori · 11/12/2006 20:38

I have been try BLW with my DS, but am more frustrated with it then the purreed route, tbh. It seems that most of it ends up on the floor. I am sure he wants to eat but wants to play as well, dont feel i want to keep picking food up and putting it back on his tray agin. And also he seems to be set on using brocoli and banana as face pack. Any suggestions.? He is 7 months.

DizzyBinterWonderland · 11/12/2006 20:44

cori- that all sounds fine! if you don't like mess or your baby playing with food then blw is probably not for you.

cori · 12/12/2006 12:18

I dont mind DS playing with his food. But i feel he is getting frustrated not being able to get enough food into his mouth when he is obviously wants it. Feel sorry for him. So do end up feeding him as well.

elibumbum · 13/12/2006 11:54

I started yesterday - DS is 9 months old and the puree hasn't been going very well. DS has reflux so is very sensitive about eating and especially lumps, although he has gagged (and sometimes puked)on every texture! I gave DS well cooked carrot sticks and little cubes of papaya. I also spread some egg yolk on his little rice cakes. Not a huge amount actually went into his mouth but he was happier with the little lumps he had gummed off the carrot than he would have been if they had been in a puree.

I had been put off the BLW route when DS choked on a some toast a couple of months ago - I had to put him across my lap and slap his back to get the offending lump out along with a bit of sick - I was a shaking wreck afterwards! I am feeling braver now - especially since I have read that gagging is preventing choking!

I am still going to have to give him puree with his reflux meds in but will try to keep up the BLW as much as possible.

DizzyBinterWonderland · 13/12/2006 11:59

good for you eli. glad the choking hasn't put you off! must have been scary.

floraflora · 13/12/2006 20:49

Glad to find that it's not just me who thought BLW sounded a wonderful theory - told everyone how good it was - then panicked (poised ready to tip LO upside down) when he started gagging on some pear.
A BF advisor friend lent DVD by Gill Rapley (who researched BLW) so have seen it in action, but it doesn't make me any less nervous. DS is 6 mths & we've been playing round with it for a few weeks. Actually DP has been trying to get solids down him since he was 4 mths & my Mum has been joining him in trying to pursuade me to feed him up a bit - he's been exclusively BF and is a bit on the skinny side. HV also guilted me into giving him solids at 4.5mths, but I've been relaxed about routine, though we are getting near one now.
SO... we are sort of doing BLW & also doing spoon feeding - partly because he's at childminders 2 days a wk & I felt I couldn't give her the stress of the 'will he choke' thing. He has two meals of mush a day - which incidentally takes the pressure off me expressing (HUGE relief) then has bits of steamed veg or wedges of fruit with us. He loves pear but it sort of skids round a lot (as does other slimy stuff - banana & avocado esp). Lots ends up on floor, tho' when I'm organised I do put a plastic sheet down and recycle. And some of it even gets eaten.
Question for you experienced BLWers - should I be brave & extend the menu? Also, how long befoe they stop scary gagging?

DizzyBinterWonderland · 13/12/2006 20:55

dd is 7 months now, she doesn't gag anymore, or very rarely. for the first month i pretty much stuck to fruit and veg in chunks or sticks. now she has whatever we're having as long as it's not too salty or sweet. so for example for lunch she had cheese in cubes with pitta bread and some grated apple. then for tea she has had veggie pasta.

you can be adventurous in that first month though, try as many fruits and veg as you can find. dd loves chinese pear grated, sweet potato in chip shapes and courgette fried in olive oil. you don't have to stick to carrot, apple and pear type things.

Cadeauxmum · 13/12/2006 20:59

May I join you?

DD2 is 9 months and refuses anything/everthing on a spoon. BLW seems to be the only option for her. So far she likes bread sticks, rice cakes, cheese (sometimes), satsuma, peas and a few other bits now and then.

We have had a few choking scares as well but she does seem to manage really well.

Other than the BLW, she is BF on demand.

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