Help! How to baby led wean on holiday

[Expectingfirstbaby]

Our baby is 6 months and we've started baby led weaning. She's been eating purees and mashed foods for a few weeks now, gradually introducing different textures. Usually I'll hand her a preloaded spoon, she'll eat/suck on it then fling it away. It's a messy experience but fine at home. We recently introduced finger foods and same deal - nibble/suck then flung to the floor.

How do I baby led wean on holiday? I could either do morning bottle and weaning in the hotel room, so more private. But that would take a while. Or I could feed bottle In the room and then wean baby while we eat breakfast downstairs. Which I'd prefer but would feel quite self conscious about the mess. Or should I just spoon feed her for the 2 weeks we're on holiday? Would that interfere with trying to get her to use cutlery and feed herself in the long run?

Also would you feed baby bits from the hotel buffet? Like weetabix with milk and a mashed banana, Greek yoghurt, sticks of avocado etc?

What would you do?

No spoon feeding her won’t ‘interfere with her ability to feed herself in the long run’ 😂 sorry that did give me a giggle! I spoon fed from day 1, at about 2 months old DD leaned over and grabbed the spoon from me and that was it. Honestly weaning has been made so much more complicated than it needs to be. Just see what food is there, if it’s soft sticks that she can manage, let her hold it and eat herself. If it’s not then mush it up and do a bit of both. Have fun!

I would feed the baby with bits and pieces off your plate (whatever you're having) and maybe spoon feed the odd bit of cereal etc . There's only so much mess they can make with a piece of toast! Clean up the area around the high chair before you leave. Don't worry about a holiday interfering with cutlery use.

I wouldn’t overthink it. BLW is giving the baby whatever you have so giving purées isn’t really it, so don’t get hung up on labels.

id just give the baby bits of whatever you’re having on holiday - strips of toast, omelette, avocado, banana. Take a few Ella’s pouches and feel her on days you have nice outfits on. Don’t overload her tray with things - give 1-2 strips at a time so it doesn’t all go on the floor.

I personally would then get some blue roll / paper napkins and clean up after if she’s chucking it everywhere

I think you're overthinking it. Get yourself a nice breakfast and wang her a bit of whatever to try.

If the baby will only be six months they likely won't be taking enough solids for it to matter from a nutrition pov if you know what I mean, so I'd just feed them bits from your plates as well as whatever fruit, breadsticks, yoghurt type stuff you come across. Weetabix at breakfast is perfect.

Don't overthink it, all will be fine, just have fun with it.

Use the 2 spoon approach - you have one to feed from and she can hold/ chew one (maybe dipped in food so not much to throw but can still taste it).
Just try to be helpful in picking up the mess for the hotel staff.

Put a few bits on her tray for her to eat/play with while you eat.

you can always spoon feed her a yoghurt or something afterwards but at 6 months the nutrition will be coming from the milk anyway.

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I agree with don't overthink it - consider the breakfast buffet an amazing opportunity for baby to try lots of new things without you having to go to the expense of buying bags of different fruit and veg! Bits of avo, mushed up berries, toast, cereal, all perfect. At 6 - 7 months weaning is about trying new things and skills, most of her nutrition will still come from milk.

What I would say though is - take a big plastic mat and a tonne of wipes. Ask to be seated on a hard floor area rather than a carpet. Make a visible effort to pick up after yourselves. And tip. No-one ever tips the breakfast staff! You will see the same faces every day at breakfast so be friendly, help clear up and leave them a wee bit of cash at the end of your stay.

Enjoy it!

Oh breadsticks are your friend by the way, if you see the individually wrapped packets when you're out and about stick them in your bag. Never met a baby who doesn't like to smoosh on a breadstick!

Also if you take a few small Tupperware dishes you can pop some bits of bread or a few grapes in for snacks etc

Don't worry about mess in restaurants. Just try and clean up as much as you can afterwards. I always ask for a dustpan and apologise for floor mess.

Get baby an overall plastic wipe clean bib to protect outfits. Wipe after use and pop it back in the changing bag.

We also had the tommee tippee baby bowls that come with lids so you can store snacks in them and take around with you like breadsticks or fruit etc.

Just offer baby bits off your plates and continue with milk feeds as normal. At 6mo baby won't be taking in enough to constitute nutritional value, it's merely testing out flavours and textures at this stage.

Try and relax and enjoy it.

baby-led weaning is something that works for some and doesn't work for others and there's no shame if it doesn't work for you.

some people are fine with the mess and the waste, and quote "under age one, food is just fun", don't worry about how much food goes in and top up with as much milk as is needed. others dislike the whole thing and find it stressful.

what happens with cutlery on holiday at the age of 6 months will have absolutely zero effect on eventually learning to use cutlery properly in a few years time. don't stress about it.

easiest imo would be to get a plate full of bits and bobs that can work as finger food from the buffet, and just put 2 or 3 things in front of your baby at a time, replacing whatever items get eaten or throw on the floor. take a couple of boxes of Ella's sachets that can be sucked straight out of the nozzle, and don't worry, no permanent bad habits will be formed during a few days of holiday.

My two ate all sorts on holiday - mostly whatever we were eating off our plates. Pasta, pizza, salad, chips, fruit, cheese - anything we were eating to be honest.

Sorry but you absolutely should worry about the mess in restaurants. It’s revolting when a baby has thrown stuff everywhere and the staff end up having to clear it all up, worse even when the baby is 6 months old so will barely be eating anything but just chucking it around! And parents also do not want to spend their holiday cleaning either. So I do think mess should be considered and try and keep it to a minimum.

I clearly said clear up as much as you can afterwards. I don't worry about my baby making a mess because I always clear it up. Hence my comment re asking for a dustpan etc. I wipe down the Highchair, inside and the tray, and sweep the floor around me.

Try reading people's replies thoroughly 👍🏻

Give her non messy finger food like bread/toast. Spoon feed her anything messy. The mess is not in a restaurant! Weetabix, natural yoghurt and fruit from the breakfast buffet are great ideas. They all learn to use cutlery and no life long habits were formed on holiday. Don’t overthink it.

Thank you everyone for the messages! I feel much better about it all 😊

Bits from the buffet.

Just get a selection and pop it on the high chair tray and let baby experiment.

It's good fun. And you get to enjoy your dinner too.

But it's still extremely unpleasant for other diners to near the baby mess. I wouldn't be happy about sitting near you in a restaurant or hotel at all and would ask to move. You're not really considering other people, only your own entitlement.
Just feed baby with a spoon while you're away and give her bits to try from your plates.

Hmmm. There’s a difference between a baby dropping the odd thing and a bit of mess on their tray, then actively being given something which the parent knows they will smear and throw all over the place. If they’re a thrower then
they should be spoon fed because that isn’t fair on the staff.

Shall we not derail the thread with ridiculous hypothetical mess-based situations? Let's just go ahead and assume a standard level of 6 month old mess, noone's having to dodge flying yogurt spoons and abandon their breakfast, everyone will have a pack of baby wipes to clear up croissant crumbs 🙄🤨

I think you're really overthinking. It's not like baby is eating lots anyway at this stage! We went away when DD was 6 months, and we just gave her bits off our plates to play with (I'm very anti purées and spoon feeding so did complete BLW). So a bit of toast in the morning, a bit of cucumber stick at lunchtime with our picnic, a bit of carrot etc at dinner. It's just for fun at this stage so don't get too stressed by it!

If you want to spend parts of your holiday sweeping the floor rather than just giving your baby non messy food then you do you, can’t imagine many people want to do that though 🤷‍♀️

Macaroni46

You're assuming I would be giving my baby a pot of yogurt and letting him fling it everywhere when in actual fact finger foods at 6mo such as rice cakes/breadsticks/wraps/fruit just make crumbs which I have stated I always clean.

I would never be told by another person to spoon feed my child if that wasn't how I was weaning. I've baby led weaned 4 kids, the eldest being 15yo and the youngest currently 16mo. I have never spoon fed anything. I have never been asked to leave a restaurant. I have never come across another person in said restaurant that wanted to be moved away from my children.

It's people like you that make people like the OP worry about things that aren't worth worrying about.

I hope you have a nice day in your narrow minded world.

Don't worry. Baby led weaning is a new thing. I'm not saying it isn't a good thing, but like so much other advice these days it just causes angst for mums. Generations were spoon fed, and they all get on with cutlery just fine now. Why not compromise and spoon feed when you know it's going to be a disaster mess wise, and let her get on with finger foods, they're easier to clean up?