I've just had another thought on the BLW vs. spoonfeeding debate (if it is a debate)

[emkana]

dd1 was a very reluctant eater, I spoonfed her because I didn't know about BLW but found it very frustrating.
dd2 refused spoonfeeding totally, never once let me feed her - I found out about BLW and found the concept extremely liberating.

Now ds - he loves being spoonfed, opens his mouth like a little bird - and I must say it is so much fun and so satisfying to put that spoon into his lovely little mouth and to have him grin at me... swoon....

so what I'm saying is the way you are leaning in the "debate" might well just depend on your experience of how frustrating/enjoyable the feeding process is.

Or am I stating the blatantly obvious here?

Think both your last two sentences are true.

You are on a bit of a food train of thought today aren't you?

I used to love spoonfeeding them - a sort of maternal satisfaction thing. But they were both pretty much feeding themselves by a year. And DS insisted by about 9 months.

Maybe I shouldn't have started the thread.

But it's just such a new experience for me, because with dd1 and dd2 weaning was so different altogether, and I had come to the conclusion that BLW was the only way to go, and now ds has shown me that he wants something else...

No reason for you not to start it. I think you make a valid point. My experience with both children has been the same, but slightly more diluted with DD IYSWIM. She loved the purees but didn't wolf them quite as greedily as DS, she wasn't quite as adamant about self-feeding at 9/10 months etc.

Well, I've done BLW with DD (now 13mo) since she was 7mo having started with the purees and then 'discovered' BLW which sounded much more like my usual easiest-option style of parenting.

But occassionally she still out-foxes me by actively enjoying spoonfeeding. Sometimes she is quite determined to feed herself no matter how long it might take and how much mess might be created, and at other times she just sits back expectantly like some grand emperor, awaiting the attention of her minions.

And at the end of the day it doesn't really matter if you spoonfeed, or are fanatical about finger foods, or do just a bit of both depending on your/baby's mood. I just try to ensure that we're both enjoying it as much as possible.

From what I understand about BLW, the baby sets the pace and things are done they way they want them done, if your baby wants to be spoon-fed at a particular meal, then to spoon feed them would be baby led weaning as this is what they want? It's not the same as forcing them to eat every mouthful or anything. By the same tocken leaving a baby to feed themselves when they obviously want to be spoon fed wouldn't be baby led weaning would it? ...or have I missed the point?

climbingrosie - that's what I'd like to believe as well!

my ds loves being spoon fed - he cranes his head forward, mouth open, like a little bird. DD is an independent little madam - eating finger foods before 6 mths. She rejected the spoon from an early age & rejected the high chair a few months later!

They change too. Ds was a real little baby bird and ate everything until 2 weeks ago and now he won't have a spoon anywhere near him so am following BLW ideas.

Ds (weaned at 4months) loved being spoon fed and being dyspraxic couldn't manage feeding himself effectively for ages. DD is very lively, extremely well organised physically and has fed herself pretty much from day one of eating food (six months). I tend to agree with you Emkana that is it is a bit silly to get rigid about this or pretend one method is inherently superior to another.