strong views frol Gill Rapley

[belgo]

Not sure how I feel about her comments that pureed food could cause health problems in later life.

here

That only begins to break the food down - the majority of processing occurs in stomach and gut so don't think it would be saliva. I wonder if it's something to do with the fact that pureed food tends to lack fibre or something?

(I know that when you use a juicer, you lose all the fibre in fruit so I guess that pureeing is the same).

arse - dd never really had pureed food and i was fanaticaly about cooking everything and thought i was going to have this great child that ate everything. she is soooooooo fussy and unadventurous with food. it is just the way she is. her cousin who was weaned on jared would try anything.

Six - you don't lose the fibre in puree as the whole fruit/veg fgoes in and stays in. You only lose most of the fibre in juice becasue you squeeze all the water/flavour out and leave the fibre behind.

I'm a bit panicky now because DD (who was 1 at the weekend), will only eat purees if I'm feeding her! (she doesn't eat enough finger food to keep the weight on). Oh god I am such a bad mother!

Having said that, it is surely unusual for a 6 month old to go straight from milk to chewing as the muscles haven't had a chance to develop - dd was still passing through whole blueberries until she was about 8 months, which is when she started to chew!

Ahh thanks Kew, learnt something I didn't know before

Six - the majority of digestion may take place in the stomach, but saliva production is very important.

Six - please don't panic! Purees really aren't that bad.

Agree it's important, but I don't think lack of saliva causes constipation?

Six - both of my children were weaned using purees and neither of them are fussy eaters so please don't worry

I'll go ask my dietitian friend, she'll know why purees cause constipation thanks for the reassurance Belgo! x

thanks Marmite, think it's just something I am v aware of!

I agree that it doesn't seem realistic that there is ONE way of doing something like weaning that is best for all babies.

My first was fed mashed food and wolfed it down from 6 months onwards she has never been constipated, loves her food, eats most things and is a healthy weight (slightly small).

My DD2 refused all solids in any shape or form up until just before her first birthday, mostly only eats finger foods, is often constipated and is picky. She is also a healthy weight.

Both girls were born a month early and both were exclusively breastfed, there the similarity ends.

I don't like one size fits all rules of parenting be they for weaning or anything else.

beachcomber - I was so glad to discover BLW (although I didn't know it had a name) because it gave me an alternative method for weaning my fussy dd2.

I would hate to see BLW take over to such an extent that there would no longer be choice on how to wean your baby.

my typo in the title is really anooying me now.

and there's another one!

apricot puree CERTAINLY doesn't cause constipation

I think there are two points: 1) weaning after 6 months, and 2) BLW, which is a separate issue. You can wean at 6 months onto purees. David Candy and Clarke at the end of the article say it all - one size feeding doesn't fit all.

WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS. Even (although you'd never believe it from much of the "advice" and guidance) BABIES.

I suspect its for similar reasons to drinking fruit juice - no matter how much you drink of it in a day - it still only counts as 1 of your '5 a day'.

To do with fibre etc. Mashing and pureeing foods destroys most of it.

Hmm... I think given she has a vested interest in as many people using BLW methods as possible (given that she's trying to flog her DVD), I find that highly dubious.

I also think that the qualification of "Mrs Rapley has spent 25 years as a health visitor" necessarily qualifies you much to talk about children's issues with much authority

I don't disagree that BLW can be very useful (it was certainly easier for ds2 to go straight onto more lumpy foods having been on milk alone for the first 6 months) but ds2 also had great fun with yoghurts and some lumpy mushy foods that we helped him eat as well as stuff he could hold and chew himself.

And I would be well interested if babies who were BLW DON'T all become fussy later in life. Annabel Karmel claimed that too, and yet didn't prevent my eldest going through a very fussy period - take that with a VERY large pinch of salt (but not in the baby's food, eh? )

I'm far more inclined to take the paediatric gastroenterologist's advice than someone who had been a HV for 25 years all in all...

Roger Clarke, director-general of the Infant and Dietetic Foods Association which represents members of the food industry...
i/. repesents Boots, Nestle, Cow and Gate, Heinz....
not exactly unbiassed then

I'm maybe being a bit thick here but I don't see how mashing food makes the fibre disappear from it.

Plus purees dont vary so much in texture, do they? Whether they are in jars or picked fresh from the garden, blanched, and chucked straight into the blender. (Or Annabel Karmel processor )

Personally I hope that from mostly BLW ds, he wont become a picky eater because dd drives me to distraction with meal times.

Yes they might grow out of being picky but the years that they are doing it is awful.

Fibre is the structural part of fruit and veg. If you mash it all up - its no longer there.

Have a google on 5 a day and fruit juice

I am waiting for the jars that come out for "Hungrier toddlers" on the basis of all 'children being individuals'