Why is traditional weaning now looked down on?

[tlove]

I feel like traditional weaning is the 'lesser cousin' to BLW recently which is quite frankly bizarre! Anyone hazard a guess as to why this is?

I'm currently weaning my 7.5 month old first with purées and now with much chunkier sauces with pasta for example, and some finger food such as toast and banana.

Some people I know are doing total BLW and seem to almost brag about it! Weird.

Well, it's not really bizarre, it's just an evolution of research. Current research suggests that BLW has benefits to the child, so that's considered current best practice. In the same way that the age for weaning has moved from 4 to 6 months. In 10 years, it will probably be something completely different again.

Blw gave me stress!! Your way was also my way op, all my many dc are great eaters, no allergies /aversions /weight issues /food issues - quite happily eat anything put in front of them. Even salad!!

It's certainly nothing to brag about. I think everyone just does what works best for them and their DC.

I did a mix of both, and he started smacking the spoon out of my hand, as he prefers to feed himself. So that was that.

Really? I thought the evidence was still immature: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5934812/

These things can seem frightfully important to parents going through those stages. You are right of course that there isn't necessarily a single best way. Blw or just chucking normal food at them rather than puree has simply come from evolving research. When you weaned at 16 weeks you needed to do puree and by around 6 months the baby would be on "normal" food. So now, weaning at around 6 months you can skip the puree phase.

I agree with you op, it does seem that way. Whenever a weaning question is asked even if it's about traditional weaning the majority seem to question why anyone wouldn't want to do blw. There's nothing wrong with doing purees gradually thickening them and adding lumps then offering finger foods alongside. Just do what you feel most comfortable with, there is no right or wrong way.

I find it weird too. Giving toothless navies solid food seems counter intuitive.

I agree with some folk using BLW as some mad badge of honour, seriously, who cares?

But for me I had a lot more time with DC1 to purée and give pouches.
DC2 was given “bits” of food very early on - too early as it seems as he was very chokey and I question how much he actually ATE.

Now he is nearly one year old, chunky purees seem to be what he likes best - the only “solids” he really eats are pears and toast.

Side question: if you puréed how long did it take your child to really “eat” proper solid food as standard?

Sorry for the hijack

I weaned at 6 months and couldn’t skip the purée stage. DS wasn’t capable of feeding himself and vomited if he tried to eat any lumps. Even Weetabix was too lumpy. BLW was terrifying because he was literally choking.

After several vomiting incidents I fed him smooth purée instead. He was 8 months before he learned to tolerate small lumps. Lots of animals feed their young chewed up food so I’m not convinced that BLW is natural anyway.

As a childminder the blw children seem to end up at the same place . It’s the latest fad . There are lots of ways to get to the same point don’t stress it .

My own Ds started off with puréed vegetables mixed with breast milk. Went onto chunkier for would not eat my food so ate jar food, , had a period of refusing to be fed so ate finger food . He is a great eater now and at secondary school.

I'd just get on with what is working.

I did know someone who didn't like to give any hand held food to their 10 month old because he made a mess. That's not good!

I think as long as you are giving them the different opportunities it doesn't have to be made into a particular philosophy of feeding.

It's just fashionable isn't it? Out of my group of friends we all actually did traditional weaning. I think a lot of people say they do BLW but really they do traditional weaning - spoon feeding wet food and giving dry/drier food for the baby to hold by themselves. If you're weaning at 6 months then you can go straight into mashed/lumpy food, toast etc rather than purees.

My Sil was quite hardcore BLW and actually quite rude to me about spoon feeding but it fits her 'attachment parent' persona which is incredibly important to her (sorry, I know it's a cliché but she would describe herself as an attachment parent)

It's fashionable, like baby-wearing, attachment parenting etc etc people just want a chufty badge.

I think it's like everything, it's down to what suits the baby. My HV recommended us weaning now at 5 months, I was concerned that I couldn't do blw if I started now but she said fundamentally the only difference is blw cuts out the faff of purees and he will let you know when he's ready to feed himself and there's no right or wrong way. I think times change and people think because it's the current guidelines you have to do it, but it's entirely dependent on your child, the same with early weaning. I will just carry on the traditional way until he lets me know he's ready.

"people just want a chufty badge."
Yeah. Who cares? I enjoyed initially making carrot and potato; then squashing down, with a fork, the risotto I had made for Dh and I. I also did plenty of blw, alongside aswell. Does it really even warrant discussion? probably not.

Hahaha it's all about the chufty badge.

Also, most BLWeaners are still feeding the same amount of milk which seems odd to me because surely we're in the game of weaning OFF milk? DS is cutting milk out in favour of food, presumably because being fed means food is going in, rather than on the floor. Ha! There's my chufty badge

I never did BLW with DD who's now 5. In thought it was ridiculous. You're just letting the child play with their food, a habit that's hard to break later on.

And it's been pointed out to me that BLW leads to children that snack, rather than sit down to a proper warm meal - any credence to this?

I think the focus with traditional weaning to to get baby to eat full meals within a couple of months. The objective is to replace milk feeds with solid food fairly quickly.

While with blw, it's more an introduction to tasting and experiencing different foods, and there's no push to replace milk with solid food til after 1.

It's a very different way of thinking. And such a significant difference in the basic objective is sure to cause a clash between parents who follow a different style. No excuse for anyone to be rude, though.

Fair point that everyone sees it differently however I'm happy with my son getting his solids in as he's a huge growing lad! To each their own I guess

I felt like it was all really important and significant before we started weaning (I think there’s a desire to gain expertise when you’re about to embark on something you know fuck all about yet ). Once we got stuck in, I decided the only really important thing was the baby was having a good experience of food, and I wasn’t having too stressful a time. The rest seemed a bit like unnecessary fussing.

”And it's been pointed out to me that BLW leads to children that snack, rather than sit down to a proper warm meal - any credence to this?”

Um, no, because we did BLW at mealtimes, not grazing through the day.

It worked for us, no faffing about pureeing stuff or with ice cube trays and whatnot. But if you don’t want to, don’t.

@flowery Um ok (wow so aggressive!)

So you’re annoyed about being looked down on by people who BLW so start a thread looking down on people who BLW.

@NotUmbongoUnchained Nope not annoyed at all, just asking questions is all. Chill.

I'm mainly wondering why people look down on traditional weaning methods.