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Weaning

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

Original poster

BLW is all very well if....

330 replies

babybore · 14/02/2007 13:51

  1. Your baby has very good gross motor skills
  2. You are not concerned about their weight gain
  3. You have the time and money to prepare a wide variety of foods, most of which end up on the floor.

My dd is 7 months, weaned at 6. I was looking forward to weaning her as she was under her growth curve and I thought it might help her get back on it (it has). I have been trying finger foods but have mainly relied on home-cooked mashed or pureed food as she does not yet have the dexterity or the brain development to understand that the stick of brocolli put in front of her is her lunch, no matter how long I leave her with it.

If I had done BLW, my baby would be unhappy and underweight (she loves her solids) and I would be miserable and worried. So while it works for some babies I really think a degree of caution needs to be exercised in believing that all babies can eat finger foods from 6 months.

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 15/02/2007 11:38

and don't you like mine, jimjams? [pouts]
i think i'm very sensible.

bundle · 15/02/2007 11:38

soupy has said exactly what i'm thinking,only more eloquently

tiktok · 15/02/2007 11:40

Enid - you say, to me: ' the whole of mumsnet is extrapolated from people's experience only' in response to my observation that posters will aim to correct misinformation or misunderstandings.

I am not sure what you mean, but it seems to be that you're saying posters only ever base their posts on personal experiences...which is patently not true. Sometimes, information is shared, which is not based on experience (or even extrapolated from it). Sometimes, the information is plain wrong. And sometimes, people correct it.

I don't see a problem, myself

Mercy · 15/02/2007 12:02

Well, I get confused with all these 'new' approaches and terms that have cropped up over the last few years - tummy time, baby led weaning, dream feeding, golden time (or whatever it's called) etc. I haven't got a clue what most of them are.

And yes, good post Soupdragon

compo · 15/02/2007 12:03

also agree with Soupdragon.
Mercy - what the blink's 'golden time'???

princessmel · 15/02/2007 12:03

I'm a bit behind as I've been trying to read this and tidy up, make phone calls etc.
But... I just wanted to say that I COMPLETELY AGREE with soupdragon. It saved me alot of time as I was going to have to type the exact same thing!!

MrsBadger · 15/02/2007 12:09

isn't 'golden time' what used to be called 'choosing time' at school? ie when all work was finished if everyone was good you could do what you liked for an hour before going home?

or is it some baby terminology I'm not down with yet?

Mercy · 15/02/2007 12:13

Mrs Badger, I think so - or just playing!. I know it's to do with school children.

Enid · 15/02/2007 12:16

tiktok yes there are a few 'experts' on mumsnet, and you are one of them. But weaning really doesn't need an 'expert' IMO other than the recommended weaning guidelines and the salt intake recommendations. In fact personal experience often gives some of the best advice!

Aitch do you REALLY think blw will be the way all babies are weaned in the future? Why? What do you expect to be proven by it?

AitchTwoOh · 15/02/2007 12:18

do you know what? i really don't think that soupy's post was 'good'. actually i think it was pretty rude, and would be totally off-putting to first-time mothers (you know, the sorts who come onto websites looking for advice on things that are actually really easy but they don't know that yet because they've read a book/spoken to an HV and it seems daunting).

First-time mums, in particular, want help with weaning, that's why they come here. that's why i came here, certainly. and if they want help with BLW i'll do my best to help, and if they want help with purees there is no shortage of people here either. so what's the problem?

that whole 'chill out, fgs' attitude, it's such a bore. you might as well go round posting that on every single MN thread. it's not helpful or supportive but y'know, whatever gets you through the day.

Enid · 15/02/2007 12:19

it wasn't rude aitch

criticising blw cannot be assumed to be a personal attack on you

we are discussing it here

I found it interesting to hear soupy's experience

AitchTwoOh · 15/02/2007 12:26

oh, only cos it's easy, enid, and because i reckon that HVs will absorb the 6 months guideline more over time.
also quite a few health authorities seem to be investigating BLW now so possibly it's something that will be promoted as a general 'healthy eating for the whole family' nutrition policy.
i get quite a lot of HVs and midwives writing to the site email address looking for more info (which doesn't exist really) so i tend to send them here to look at the archives... pmsl at the very thought.

AitchTwoOh · 15/02/2007 12:29

no, not rude to me, but to everyone who has ever used Annabel Karmel as well. perhaps i didn't make that clear. i certainly read her book with interest and wouldn't dream of saying 'chill out fgs' to anyone asking about using purees.

Original poster
babybore · 15/02/2007 12:29

I do agree with soupdragon that the term 'baby-led weaning' makes it seem that doing anything other than let a baby feed his or herself is in some way force-feeding
them. My dd leads the way by turning her head away from the spoon when she's had enough. It's pretty simple. And I think she has a greater variety of food groups than she would if I was BLW mainly becuase by mashing or blending I can mix a lot of good things together.

I suppose I don't quite have my head around the concept that 'food is mainly for playing' in the first year. I like the fact that I know she has a variety of nutritious foods each day even if weaning is only a short period of time.

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 15/02/2007 12:45

babybore, forget about the name... honestly. it's not that great a title, i agree.
and it is a mental leap to not worry about the amounts, i also agree, but if you do then it's pretty liberating.
as for the variety, well, all i can say is that dh and i eat really good food, lots of veggies etc and dd's never had a difficulty with anything. (apart from maybe rice and couscous in the beginning, cos they're a bit trickier to pick up).

now, with regards to the force-feeding bit i would be inclined to agree with you too were it not for the fact that i have seen friends of mine playing all sorts of distraction games with their children to get them to eat. i was really surprised to see them do it, actually, but they said that they know how much their child eats at a sitting and therefore they didn't consider him finished until he'd got at least halfway down the bowl.

having said that, i do not for a minute believe that i'd have been able to do this with dd, i think it must be down to personality of the child. dd is not awfully biddable...

but i do totally get where you're coming from because i've been offended in the past when people have talked about over-feeding with formula, because there was no way on earth that i could have done this with dd.

she just closed her mouth tight when she wsa finished and that was that, so i'm confident that she would have done the same with purees.

and i would have made really nice purees if my friend hadn't happened to say she'd read an article about BLW seventh months ago, so it's all chance and happenstance anyway. i think that's why i don't get the fuss, really. if people want to do 'finger food only and really not stress about the amounts' (which is more my def of BLW) then why does that get other people's backs up? everyone else in the western world thinks you're right and we're wrong.

Original poster
babybore · 15/02/2007 12:58

Aitch - it shouldn't get other people's backs up at all. If you can get your baby to grips (literally!) with it, I'm sure it is mor fun, less washing up etc. I've seen your website and I like it - it made me feel more relaxed about the kind of foods I was giving dd even if she wasn't picking them up herself.

And with the amount thing, I think it's easier not to worry about it if you have a baby whose weight gain is steady. Having been accused earlier about being obsessed with my dd's weight, i won't go on about it, but I can understand why people use distraction techniques even if I haven't had to go down that road.

It's not right or wrong at all...it's just assessing each baby's needs individually. Maybe in 10 years both approaches will be pimped by the health professionals.

OP posts:
emmaandmunch · 15/02/2007 13:02

sorry if im bieng thick but what is blw?

AitchTwoOh · 15/02/2007 13:04

aah, well the weight gain is another issue... poor DD was stripped naked and weighed every two days for the first fortnight of her life during our bfing hell so i am now totally gun shy of all weighing equipment and haven't had her checked since. she does go up and down, though, you can see it on her, but cos of the limitless formula supply i was always confident that it would go back up. my sympathies if you're stressed about weight gain, having been there i can truly say it's the pits.

lulumama · 15/02/2007 13:05

this is BLW emmaandmunch

caspercat · 15/02/2007 13:06

Been following this thread for a few days now. It really gets people talking doesn't it!!
My dd now 7 mths. Like Aitch, my dd also not very biddable! I started with Annabel Karmel, bought all the pureeing stuff etc. Boiled a bloody swede for yonks, mashed it, pureed etc. The kitchen stunk, and for all dd cared i was trying to make her eat cat food! Tried many others, not interested. Heard about BLW, and thanks to loads of help (mainly from Aitch and Dizzy), decided to give it a go. Took a while, and loads of mess!
But i have to say, chuffed to bits we tried. Just today, dd helped herself to lovely juicy blueberries and pancakes for brekkie, and for lunch tucked into a hummous & carrot sarnie, along with left over jacket potato while i ate my (still hot!) lunch at the same time . Don't know about you, babybore, but i consider that nutritious!!
I agree is horses for courses. I too am the only one of my friends doing this, and they all think i am mad!! But i don't care. I just shut up and leave them to it. As has been said a million times, if it doesn't suit, don't do it!!!!
Right, am off to make courgette fritters

Original poster
babybore · 15/02/2007 13:07

Not stressed now thanks aitch. It never got bad anyway - just below what it should have been (according to the charts) on occasions.

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 15/02/2007 13:12

oh great... sometimes i think those charts do more harm than good.

hunkermunker · 15/02/2007 13:13

I still don't get why the fuss about it, or why some posters get so irate about not making a fuss about it, or something.

[baffled]

I agree with Aitch though - and, I'm afraid I didn't think Soupy's post was that great (sorry SD).

VeniVidiVickiQV · 15/02/2007 13:25

Actually, I found Soupy's post a bit abrupt towards others opinions, in a post that was pertaining to proclaim "chill out".

Sounds like you have had a bit of a tough time with BabyDragon Soupy. Funny little buggers arent they . I had difficulties (still do) with DS. He's still finding great amusement from throwing food around or shoving it in his ears, rubbing it in his hair etc. Yet, gleaning great satisfaction from eating paper, tissue, etc.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 15/02/2007 13:27

x posts hunks...although I'm baffled as to just how long it took me to type that post.....

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