Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Weaning

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

Original poster

BLW starts today, any buddies? this could get messy....

104 replies

becksblue · 13/04/2016 09:48

My Ds has reached the 6 month mark so it's time! So far this morning he's made an almighty mess with a banana and seemed to really enjoy himself. No actual eating though bar licking some fingers.

Anyone else up for keeping me company/swapping tips and progress?

OP posts:
heyhulahoop · 14/05/2016 19:11

Anyone find their dc eat better at a certain time of the day? Dd is not really interested in the morning but late afternoon she's well up for it, she ate loads of broccoli this afternoon, she was also enjoying cherry tomatoes but I kept panicking that she was going to choke even though she was managing to chew bits off quite easily! I need to trust her a bit more I think..

I keep giving her banana, it's one of the easiest things to give but she's really not a fan I think I need to just accept it Grin

itsmeyouknow · 14/05/2016 19:32

Yes mine also not fussed at brekkie yet

babypeach · 14/05/2016 20:59

Mine seems to want to eat at every meals lol! But I find lunch the best as breakfast is a bit busy and dinner he's tired and easily frustrated.

unimagmative13 · 15/05/2016 11:36

Bananas aren't going well as DS crushes them in this fist before they reach the mouth.

I need as add more veg and fruit as he's getting the hang of it. I'm avoiding buying a tonne of fruit that won't get eaten but I've added a bit more variety to my shop next week (pears and nectarines)

Crumpets or toast go down well for breakfast and usually some banana.

Cucumber/ cheese sandwich/ avocado/ philladephia for lunch

Sweet potato/ gammon/chicken/ broccoli for dinner

babypeach · 21/05/2016 13:37

I think we're finally getting food chewed/gummed a bit better! Nappies are changing to less frequent and more solid rather than the breast milk poo with unchanged bits lol!

So far favourite is chicken I think!

I'm struggling with bread though? He's a bit of a crammer so toast etc just gets piled in and forms giant sticky ball that he at least manages to spit out!
Do they need to be offered carbs in form of bread etc at the moment or can I leave it for a while?

unimagmative13 · 21/05/2016 14:33

Crumpets!

acquiescence · 21/05/2016 22:32

Hi all

Just wanted to say hi and join in if that's ok. My LO was 6 months last weeks and we have been weaning for around 3 weeks. We started of blw then I added some purees/porridge as he was frustrated and seemed hungry- he was waking earlier and earlier in the night and seemed starving. However he got constipated (see my other thread in this topic) so I have eased off the food and am back to blw mostly, although I'm not adverse to some purees particularly if it will get some fluid into him. I appreciate this isn't true blw but this is still my aim and because we started with the purees haven't affected his ability to feed himself. From the beginning he has swallowed most of what he picks up which I think is quite unusual! And probably why he got constipated from eating too much.

Today he has had mango and watermelon for breakfast, then later on cucumber, pear and a little courgette fritter and pitta bread.

babypeach · 22/05/2016 09:35

Unimaginative thank you-will give them a try!
Acquiescence helloSmile my lo was also an early swallower-pretty much straight away saw undigested food at the other end!
Hope the constipation resolves!

unimagmative13 · 22/05/2016 11:16

I would say you also need to add water to meal times. I'm not sure how adding purees into the mix increases fluid as oppose to giving a solid version of the same food.

True BLW would include pre loaded spoons, my DS won't be spoon fed now as the spoon is taken off me before it reaches him.

Riversmum1 · 24/05/2016 19:40

We started tonight with neocate spoon at 17 weeks due to weight gain issues. he definitely ate something! but generally found the experience "new". Slightly grumbled the whole way through, but ate nonetheless - if only a few spoonfuls.

hopeful to learn more from others here! any advice hugely welcome

Thanks !

unimagmative13 · 24/05/2016 19:53

Is your DC 17 weeks?

CutYourHairAndGetAJob · 24/05/2016 20:08

Please may I join you? Ds has just turned six months and has been trying little bits of whatever i eat for the last couple of weeks. I didn't think anything was going down but today his poo was (tmi) a bit darker and thicker so I guess it must have.

Today he has sucked a spoonful of houmous , licked a fruit bar I was eating and mauled a strawberry.

I do hand him bits of food but I don't put them in his mouth or spoon-feed him.

This is dc2 for us and we did blw with dd but I've forgotten most of the details.

CutYourHairAndGetAJob · 24/05/2016 20:12

Acquiescence when my DD got constipated sorted it out by pureeing a tin of prunes and adding it to her porridge.

Riversmum1 · 24/05/2016 20:12

Yes, 17 weeks....

acquiescence · 24/05/2016 20:12

Any tips on how to get babies interested in water? I offer it with every meal but he hates it. He sometimes takes a little from a doidy cup but not any sippy cups.

unimagmative13 · 24/05/2016 20:24

Rivers I think you would struggle to do BLW at 17 weeks. The whole point is to wait till 24-26 plus for their hand to mouth coordination to improve to fed themselves, to sit up and have lost the tongue thrust reflex.

I know the guidelines for weaning are 6 months anyway I support the parents right to decide when they start but it defeats the purpose of BLW.

babypeach · 24/05/2016 20:26

Acquiescence if your baby needs it one way might be to make ice lollies with plain water? Or keep trying different cups though that gets expensive lol!
Hello Riversmum and cutyourhair Smile

unimagmative13 · 24/05/2016 20:30

Ahh Rivers I've seen your other thread, your traditional weaning, where as this thread is about Baby led weaning you may not find anyone who is in the same boat as you! Hopefully you will get some support on your other thread from people in the same boat as you!

acquiescence · 25/05/2016 08:12

Good tip babypeach, wil try some lollies. He has his first tooth poking through so might help with that too.

What are your little ones eating today? Mine is sitting here with strawberries, blueberries and melon and a little toast with mascarpone on- read on another thread that this is a good soft cheese as lower salt content than normal soft cheese and very high fat. Tastes very rich to me!

babypeach · 25/05/2016 10:06

Mascarpone is a great idea will try that (good excuse for me to eat too!)
This morning my lo sucked on an whole apple and ate/smearerd loaded spoons of berry porridge!

CutYourHairAndGetAJob · 25/05/2016 10:54

We're not really really doing meals as such, I just give ds something if he is awake and in a good mood when we're eating. In practice this usually means lunchtime and when our three year old has a snack. Breakfast is a bit of a rush, and by dinner time ds is either asleep or too grumpy!

iemma321q · 25/05/2016 21:08

We are also still battling with water. Ds drinks next to no water at all.

CutYourHairAndGetAJob · 26/05/2016 13:01

I'm afraid we struggle to get my three year old to drink enough water! Is your baby breastfed? If so I wouldn't worry as they probably get enough liquid from that.

pixiequeen38 · 11/06/2016 22:25

I've started BLW about two weeks ago for my six month old. A lot of the times she doesn't notice that there's food on her tray as she's often busy looking at me eating. When I dangle the piece of food in front of her she grabs it and puts it into her mouth. Does anyone else's babies do this and did they eventually notice the food on the tray and any tips to help her notice the food?

Junosmum · 13/06/2016 17:47

Could one of you link to the mats you use under the high chair?

We've just started BLW. DS is almost 6 months but is showing the signs of weaning and sitting independently.

We started this afternoon with avocado whilst I was preparing tomorrows lunches. I felt very middle class and pretentious BLW with avocado but then realised I'm in pyjama bottoms (or lounge pants as the marketing department would have me believe) with yesterday's dinner on them and I got over myself!

We then had shepherds pie with veg for tea.

Although I really want to BLW DS isn't keen on feeding himself. He's perfectly capable of stuffing muslin, cheeky wipes, my hair, toys in to his mouth, but food? nope. He just grabs my hand and guides my hand and the fork to his mouth, so I switched to using a plastic weaning spoon and letting him make me feed him IYSWIM. He was much happier with that but didn't like it if I just let him have the spoon. I'll keep trying with the self feeding first and only step in when he gets so frustrated.