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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

strong views frol Gill Rapley

176 replies

belgo · 18/06/2007 12:42

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

here

OP posts:
Beachcomber · 18/06/2007 13:30

I can see that if you take an orange and squeeze the juice out of it then what you have in your glass does not contain fibre as the fibre is in the pith and so on of the fruit, and you chuck it away. But if you whizz up a whole orange in the blender what you have in your glass is OJ plus whizzed up pithy bits and therefore fibre. Surely?

LaDiDaDi · 18/06/2007 13:31

Well I'd promote BLW to anyone who asked me because I think it's easier than puree feeding.

There's no way that I would have given dd fresh food including loads of fruit and veg if I'd been pureeing, I simply wouldn't have bothered and she'd have got jars. So I think that dd has a better diet because of BLW but that's because of maternal laziness! I also wonder if she enjoys her mealtimes more because of the pick and mix aspect of it..."I'll have a bite of that broccoli now....ooh some chicken...a nice bit of carrot" iyswim.

I think that the picky eater thing is often much more about control and wider family dynamics than food per se so I don't think that BLW will necessarily eliminate that.

Bectheneck · 18/06/2007 13:31

That article is really badly written! If I didn't know anything about BLW (having learnt about it from Mumsnet and then Aitch's blog - thank you!) it's very unlikely I would try it after reading that.

My DS is 6 months on Friday and exclusively BF so have yet to try solids but I intend to try BLW - will probably end up tweaking it a bit to suit our needs though.

meandmyflyingmachine · 18/06/2007 13:32

Would it go if you mash it up? If you extract the juice, then you leave it behind, but not if you puree whole food surely? Maybe if you use the sieving method or one of those mouli things that leaves the pulp behind, but not just whizzing in a food processor?

VeniVidiVickiQV · 18/06/2007 13:35

Gill Rapley said: "Sound scientific research and government advice now agree that there is no longer any window of a baby's development in which they need something more than milk and less than solids.

Roger Clarke said: ""one size fits all" policy on baby-feeding was not appropriate.

He added that generations of parents had relied on baby foods to provide a "safe, sound nutrition" for their babies. ""

Generations of parents had relied on "baby foods" to provide safe and sound nutrition. If that wasnt a loaded comment I dont know what is......

Puree's in jars are great, largely through convenience and speed, but, lets not kid ourselves that Roger Clarke has anyones interests at heart except those that send subsidies to be members of his 'Association'.

harpsichordcuddler · 18/06/2007 13:39

Roger Clarke said - (rough translation) generations of parents have contributed to our enormous profits by buying overpriced puree at an enormous mark up. Please don't tell them they have been ripped off and it is all totally unnecessary. I think they may get a bit upset

bitzermaloney · 18/06/2007 13:40

Ds has been blw since 6 months (now 10 months) and is quite a picky eater so far. Am I the only blwer whose baby shows no interest in the famed sticks of steamed veg? Unless they're liberally doused in something more interesting, like cheese, or a sauce, they end up on the floor. The only thing he'll let me spoon is yogurt, though, so we're stuck with it!

Clearly I am all for blw and it makes sense to me, but I think GR's comments are a bit OTT. But I suppose that's how it has to be if you are going to get this in the news.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 18/06/2007 13:40

Yep, mashing, squishing, blending, pureeing, etc all breaks down fibre. Obviously the less broken down the food is, the less broken down the fibre is, but the principle is the same across the board.

I meant to mention that the two quotes I posted from Gill Rapley and Roger Clark when you actually read what GR has said - I cant see what Roger Clark is disagreeing with, as such. Its too brief an article to make sense of his disagreement.

And it infers that Gill Rapley recommends 6 months exclusive b/feeding as part of 'her' plan, when in fact this is common, general advice in the UK, as handed out by the Government, and of course worldwide by the WHO.

NoBiggy · 18/06/2007 13:43

Tell you what, I've done both and I flippin' LOVE BLW. If I end up with a healthier, less picky baby, then all to the good. But for now, we have meal times, we all eat the same stuff, broadly speaking, if we go out I'm not taking little pots of stuff along, DD2 eats well and competently. Just thought I'd say that.

As regards this sudden appearance in the press, has she got a press release out? Has she published something?

I'd like to know what she's said, not the snippets someone's picked out!

Enid · 18/06/2007 13:44

I think aitch's blog presents a far more reasoned accessible intro to BLW than that article - not sure whether it is the way it is edited that makes it seem more militant than it is, certainly the transcript that someone linked to of an earlier Gill RApley interview didn't seem quite that hardline. Don't think it will do BLW many favours, tbh.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 18/06/2007 13:45

I effectively, and largely used BLW for DS because he was already a picky eater and refused pureed stuff.

I thought that purees were what you gave a baby and he disagreed

Jar foods are fine - i used them loads with DD. They arent (all) full of crap, or sugar etc. They can do the job. But there is no substitute for the 'real thing'. Even I know that. If I had another baby I dont think i'd even look at the jar food in the aisles now. I was getting so stressed and overwhelmed at teh thought of having to puree stuff I opted for jars instead. A puree is a puree, after all. Now I know that baby's dont actually have to have purees at all, I wont bother myself with the hassle if I ever have another baby.

Enid · 18/06/2007 13:45

Babies don't need too much fibre though (see endless articles on Muesli Belt Malnutrition )

meandmyflyingmachine · 18/06/2007 13:46

I'm a bit

We mechanically break up our food anyway before we swallow.

Beachcomber · 18/06/2007 13:47

Mmm still not convinced by the fibre argument...

No bitzer, you are not alone, my DD2 chucks all steamed sticks of veg on the floor, she will eat steamed apple though.

I think to polarize this issue and suggest that you can either do BLW OR pureed food (especially if you make the assumption that this means jars) is unrealistic. Surely most of us muddle through with a combination of finger foods and mashed up foods?

Enid · 18/06/2007 13:47

(muesli belt malnutrition = babies given too much fibre feel full before they have obtained all the calories they need)

VeniVidiVickiQV · 18/06/2007 13:50

Thats why its stated that milk makes up the main nutrition for the first 12 months, and solely for the first 6.

NoBiggy · 18/06/2007 13:51

Surely there's fibre you get as part and parcel of your vegetable or fruit, then there's wheat bran which would be a bit full-on for anyone not used to it?

I certainly view them differently, one of those clever types will be along with some science, maybe.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 18/06/2007 13:52

Wheat and bran and gluten containing foods not recommended for littlies.

meandmyflyingmachine · 18/06/2007 13:52

Isn't the bulk of dietary fibre just from plant cell walls? So if they're there, then so is the fibre.

NoBiggy · 18/06/2007 13:53

Gluten OK from 6 months though?

So with BLW, really OK from the start, yes?

Enid · 18/06/2007 13:55

Yes i think the not weaning til 6 months thing v useful - babies can have almost everything the family is eating. I personally dont feel comfortable topping up with quantities of milk past 6 months, I feel happier if baby is eating a variety of foods, certianly by 8 months I would find a baby who ignored finger foods so had to be given extra bottles rahter depressing - but, as everything, I am no expert and this is just my personal opinion as a mum.

msappropriate · 18/06/2007 13:56

In the article about this in the telegraph they had a dept of health spokesman saying they still recommend only purees and mashed food after 6 months! But even my crap hv who said I should wean at 15 wks said start finger food at 6 monhts

NoBiggy · 18/06/2007 13:58

That doesn't sound right...I thought the latest published DoH advice was very BLW-ish.

meandmyflyingmachine · 18/06/2007 13:58

Really? Ds still came under the old (4 month)guidelines, and they definitely recommended finger food from six months then.

GlassSlipper · 18/06/2007 14:02

My DD1 started on purees. She ate finger food/did blw (whatever you want to call it) as soon as she could to supplement that. Hated being fed with a spoon anyway. She is not fussy with food much although she still doesnt like 'sloppy' food as she calls it. Ie anything with gravy/sauce. Too much fingers foods perhaps?

DD2 has also started with purees. She is now moving onto finger foods to supplement the purees. Loves her food - anything. I dont envisage any problems.

Why cant these 'experts' stop moaning about other methods and just tell us why they think theirs is good?

That way we can make an informed choice but not feel guilt-ridden if we stick with the (possibly) easier option for a short while.