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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 - next steps?

19 replies

hollyhobbie · 13/11/2007 18:01

Following on from the Want to start BLW this weekend but feeling chicken - anyone want to hold my hand? thread, I'm curious how everyone's getting on?

DS is 7mths old and doing great with the BLW - the only thing we've spoon-fed is yogurt and peas (he loves them but can't do the pincer grip thing yet to pick them up himself). But I feel that perhaps he would like to have more consolidated meals now than 'just' finger foods.

Is anyone giving a similar aged DC anything more 'meal-like', or do we just keep going with finger foods, IYSWIM?

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 13/11/2007 18:11

go for it with the meals, holly, g'wan! you know you want to.

Original poster
hollyhobbie · 13/11/2007 18:37

I do want to... but must confess I've been following that (Dutch?) list of 'what foods at what age' thing (from your excellent website) which is quite slow-moving.

We did give in and give him a blini the other week (full of -gasp!- eggs, cream, wheat flour) and it had no ill-effect.

I do feel that in one way I'm taking it slower with him than older DD, she was being spoonfed quite a lot by this age. On the other hand, we're going faster with him, introducing foods more frequently, ie not waiting a few days to see if there's a reaction before adding the next ones (though that might just have been PFB syndrome with DD!)

I'm mainly thinking about this as he's been breastfeeding non-stop recently, and I've started to wonder if he's got a bigger appetite than a chunk of roast sweet potato and a stick of courgette can satisfy?! (Though it could also be the good old teething thing too)

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 13/11/2007 18:45

that list is totally hard-core, i've put another one up there just the other day that seems a bit more reasonable to me. but then Stefan's list hadn't been written when i started off, so i didn't have that to worry about.

if there aren't any allergies in the family, the gist in this country is to just get on with offering them everything apart from peanuts, so far as i'm aware. i think i was hesitant about raw tomatoes, which was odd as it turned out to be the one thing that dd was briefly sensitive to...

ruddynorah · 13/11/2007 19:00

as long as you don't have allergies in your family i'd just get stuck in. a lot of the cautious softly softly stuff is more geared towards early weaning from 17 weeks, ie when a baby's gut isn't really ready for food. dd was on full meals at 7 months. christmas dinner was a big landmark, that was at 7 months and 3 days. lamb, turkey, all the veg, stuffing, and cheese sauce yum!

Original poster
hollyhobbie · 13/11/2007 21:13

Great! Thanks for the inspiration/permission to go ahead!

I guess I always wonder as well what counts as an allergy: I have hay fever and am allergic to cats and penicillin, but no food allergies, DH is totally allergy free.

Anyway, will proceed: porridge for breakfast for all!

OP posts:
MrsHarry · 13/11/2007 21:58

Aitch, please can you tell me/link me where you've posted a new list of foods? Ta

AitchTwoOh · 13/11/2007 22:28

it's just that one i posted on your other thread, MrsH. it was your thread, wasn't it? front page of blog, right hand side.

MrsHarry · 14/11/2007 21:20

Aitch, thank you,I know which one you mean..the Suzannah Olivier essay! Thanks for that. I have been reading all the stuff on blw.com, just didn't realise you meant the same one.
All the comments are compelling reading and means I don't get much else done once DD is in bed!!
However, in terms of weaning schedules for allergies I do find that there's a lot of conflicting advice, especially in the Suzannah Olivier and Dutch (Stefan's) schedules.
For example, one says at 6 mths you can give leeks but avoid potatoes, and the other says give potatoes but avoid leeks! getting confused now!!

NormaStanleyFletcher · 14/11/2007 21:24

Holly - I have a couple of allergies (horses and eurithromicin ) but we have no food allergies.

I let DD have a bit of everything we were having from about 7 months. And we soon found her preference for meat, pasta, and anything red (in the hope that it was strawberries!)

Go for it

chankins · 14/11/2007 21:30

I haven't been too sure what is and isn't ok to introduce, as we have eczema and asthma in the family, and ds (6 mo) already has signs of eczema.
To the OP, we do lots of finger foods, but he does like porridge, yoghurt etc to be spoon fed - and cous cous. Actually, sometimes he is very lazy, and sometimes only eats the finger foods if I squish them abit and finger feed him myself ! But then other days he grabs everything and rams it all in himself.
Have switched all my dc to organic dairy produce though, after reading something in paper - helps eczema apparently. Its about the only thing I hadn't yet switched to organic,so worth a try.

AitchTwoOh · 15/11/2007 00:09

remind me why you're so concerned about allergies, mrsh? is it your dh's family? we have a bit of exczema and allergy in my family, but it's just my sis so i took it as meaning that if me and dh were okay then i could just proceed without caution. i don't think there really is a hard and fast rule, is there? you could do everythign 'right' and the baby could have allergies, everything 'wrong' and he won't. i think as mothers we're just screwed, basically.

sarahtwobratz · 15/11/2007 00:19

BLW is an anathema to me. DD2 was just fed at table with any thing and every thing DD1 ate (now 2yo & nearly 7yo). Interesting aitch mentioned tomatoes, as I has always believed them to be one of the most allergic foods to kids so never introduced them till after a year. No way am I an expert, but DD2 was just weaned when she wanted the different foods. DD1 loves anchovies and olives, DD2 loves crisps and crap, but luckily they both love fruit and raw veggies. Had much more fun not worrying about DD2 and her eating, it just happened. Just have confidence in your baby and they will eat what they need. Ever seen a starving baby in UK??

weeonion · 15/11/2007 00:21

maybe i am being an a v lax ma - bu - i have been letting dd try everything. she is on finger foods and meals - like lentil curries, rissottos etc. i didnt know about the schedules so have been a bit gungho.

dd seems to be loving it will try anything once (thats my gal!!) but i dont know how much is actually going in!

Aitch - hijack - you going to the agm tomorrow night??

AitchTwoOh · 15/11/2007 00:23

why is BLW an anathema to you then, given that it sounds like exactly what you've done? i don't understand.

AitchTwoOh · 15/11/2007 00:24

ho ho, i am NOT. i am Going Away for a long weekend to St Andrews.

weeonion · 15/11/2007 00:24

we will meet one day

AitchTwoOh · 15/11/2007 00:27

och, god knows we probably have already. i've almost certainly apologised to you for dd stepping on your child in the park.

MrsHarry · 15/11/2007 23:18

Aitch was that a question aimed at me? Wasn't sure.
Sorry I have such a satellite delay with my messages...DH uses computer for work during day so I don't get on it till evening.

My worry about allergies stems from the amount that DH's family has, but he also has mad hayfever so I see him as like a 'carrier' of their allergy tendency! My family have nothing at all so DD could be fine.
I'm still wondering whether it's better to go down the 'exposure' rather than 'avoidance' route but hate not knowing what's for best.
Think I'll be cautious with stuff like wheat and dairy but not wait for ages, maybe start trying little bits from about 8/9 mths and see what happens!
Hey ho.
Have a great weekend away...wow, a whole weekend...

AitchTwoOh · 16/11/2007 00:54

that sounds like a plan, MrsH. thanks for your good wishes.

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