Ooops - think I have started weaning and ds2 is only 22 weeks...

[DecktheWallacewithBoughsofHoll]

Was eating a banana the other day with ds2 on my lap. Was also on th PC (multitasking!) and was a bit distracted. I then noticed that ds2 was wolfing down my banana I let him carry on and he ate the whole thing.

Now, I was planning to wait til 6 months and follow a mainly baby led weaning route, but since then I have also given him some chunks of avocado which also went straight down, and some more banana (he saw me with one and held his hands out for it and went "ooh ooh" like a monkey )

I read another thread on this recently, and I think people were saying the thing about BLW is that it is obviously the baby that is deciding what to eat - should I just follow ds2 lead? If so what else can I give him to eat by himself?

My DD (24 wks) is also enjoying feeding herself. Not sure the carpet is though .She can't sit up unassisted for very long (usually ends up face in floor and kicking like a stranded fish out of water within a minute or two).
She seems to love cucumber and melon. Have also tried pear, celery, carrot and various pureed stuff. Hadn't thought of banana in pieces (have already done pureed and she loved that).
DH is absoultely terrified that she's going to choke...... Wouldn't mind, but we're both paramedics !!!!
No gagging or anything so far, fingers crossed.....

Finger foods - pear (was my favourite because it squishes easily in the mouth and you don't get those scarey choking moments!), peeled cucumber sticks, apple, banana, cooked squash, rice cakes.

do you guys cook apple before giving it to them?

i made thick millet porrige yesterday and mixed some cooked spinich in and he wolfed down a whole bowl of it and still drank 2 boobs full of milk right after, lol. he had chicken the other night and actually ate a fair bit and he slept fantastically afterwards which was such a pleasant change.

is anyone else finding the self feeding is actually less messy than purees? my dd used to get covered from head to toe in food every mealtime but ds comes away quite clean afterwards.

I had been cooking apple, or helping hold a whole one, but he has been doing so fantastically that I gave him some slices today, and he was fine, and chewed big lumps of it. Also had brocolli which he loved - mind you he loves everything! Has also had salmon, beef and mutton (probably all food that they're not supposed to have)

It is less messy because when you are spoon feeding them purees they are knocking it all over the place

apple was one of the few foods my dd actually choked on, so i was too feart to give it to her until such times as i could hand her the whole apple. thinking back, i don't suppoes thin thin thin slices would have been a bad idea...

ah-ha, thin slices..... now why didn't i think of that

wallace theres a discussion in \link{ www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=2400&threadid=259481&stamp=070105210844\this} thread about giving meat to quite young babies. i've been giving ds chicken, duck and pheasant to gnaw on and it's had no adverse affects. he actually slept much better for it when he actually ate some.

this thread

That is interesting PT, he is really really into his meat.

It's funny, I had been thinking your ds was a couple of weeks younger than mine, because I know you're on the August Postnatal club, but just realised my ds is only a few days older (25th July)

yeah, i was never convinced my due date was right as i only had the scans to go by and i was proved right (28th july and showing signs of being overdue) but i'm such good friends with my ante natal group girls i stuck with them

he had some lamb tonight with carrot batons..... seemed more interested in the carrots, especially when dd was giving him hers [exhasperated emoticon] was very cute when she held his cup to his lips for him to drink his water though

That's a pretty interesting thread about the meat. I'm an archaeologist and it's never occurred to me! Still might wait a bit though - I'm generally a by the book girl.
PinkTulips - your DS and mine have the same birthday.

Can I ask a question as I'm too embarassed to start yet another thread. Do you people give your LOs foods that you don't like? I'm roughly following the xxxx xxxx weaning schedule (so I don't have to make too many decisions) and the next food is swede. I am doing purees mostly - I tasted the swede puree I made this evening and it made me realise how much I hate swede. I can hardly bear to inflict it on DS, but then he might love it? I know I could mix it with another veg, but then I'll never know if he likes it or not. Am I being stupid??

it's an interesting and perfectly valid question, i think you shoudl ask it on its own thread. but for the record, no, dd doesn't get anything i don't like... but off the top of my head i can't think of much that excludes. swede, deffo. that's disgusting.

I started at 24 b/c she was hungry and I thought that was 6 months old.

Apparently not.

I despise most cheese, but I give it to both DDs.

I also find some Scottish foods minging, but I give them to the girls and DD1 loves them all, including haggis, which gives me the boak just to look at.

24 weeks, that is, w/DD2.

Thanks Aitch. I will cut and paste it on to a new thread then.

i give them foods myself that i can stand to touch (some foods like peppers make me sick to even be near) but will let them try anything at all thats someone hands them even if its something i can't bear. i make lots of things for them that i don't eat myself (most veg )

it's a good date twinkle... i was only 5cm at 11pm but decided i liked the 28th better than the 29th and got him out at 10 to 12

my baby wants food now, hes 15 weeks, im holding off for now but i think they will let you know when the time is right, and the time is obvsuosly (?) right for your baby. Think your self lucky not everyone has it as easy as that!

Swalesie, how can your baby let you know when the time is right? A baby has never had experience of anything other than being fed milk since birth - how can they even slightly know that food is what they want next?