This had probably been covered 100 times but need support to withstand peer pressure...

[GinGirl]

My 6 1/2 month old is solely breastfed, and by solely I mean solely! She has never taken a bottle of anything - purely through laziness on my part and an unwillingness to let anyone else feed my baby.

All my friends seem to have weaned or are in the process of doing so, but my DD is just completely uninterested. She will very occasionally pinch a bit of something from me, gum it for bit and then discard - but spoon feeding is an alien concept and not something she enjoys at all. People keep making suggestions, and seem v surprised that she is still on the breast.

Everyone else in the world seems to be doing the puree thing but my mum raised nine of us without ever blending a single carrot so part of me is convinced it can be done without resorting to Annabel and ice cubes.

I guess I'm looking for a) some reassurance that I'm not damaging my daughter by not insisting she eat, b) people still bf past six months and c) somewhere for a moan!

I'm still on a dial up internet connection (I know, I know) so don't get on that frequently - but any real life stories or handy hints and topical tips would be much appreciated.

xxxx

You want Aitch's blog, you do. www.babyledweaning.com/

Stories, photos, a forum, everything except purees..

Lots on here of course too..

Up to nine months they get very little food inside them - most of it goes in their hair and down their fronts. The majority of calories still come from milk.

They don't suddenly die of lack of iron because you aren't shovelling barrel-loads of beef down their gullets.

I'm still bfing my 18 month old and I'm six months pregnant.

She started baby led weaning at six months. She didn't get a lot down her, but boy did she enjoy trying - I saw more food mushed into her hair than I ever want to see again - spag bol was a particularly entertaining meal - most of it would end up on the floor but in the first year food is mostly for play anyway.

So don't get all het up about it and ignore those who will give you hassle - would you really want to eat mush? Try giving her regular food - just put it in front of her, natural curiousity will kick in at some point and she'll scoff something.

How sad that people think it's odd that you're still breastdfeeding You should be congratulated for it, not queried! Any sane person knows that bf-ing is best for babies - can you print out the Department Of Health advice and laminate it onto a card and then show that to any nosey wotsits?

My HV told me that the iron in breastmilk is more easily absorbed that the iron in food, so there is no reason to worry about how much iron-rich food a BF baby is eating.
I BF DD until she was 10 months BTW, and then gave up due to a combination of biting (ow!) and the recommendation of my GYN. I wasn't alone in my group of friends for BFing beyond 6 months, but I do know of women who kept it up for 6 months and hated it and then used the "6 month minimum" recommendation as their reason to switch to formula. Which is fine for them, but I don't see why they have to pretend that it's really a "6 month only" recommendation and try to make the rest of us feel bad!

Thank you all, since posting the above DD has just 'got it.' (as my mother promised she would!) She is self feeding a lot but is taking sloppy things spooned in. This has done wonders for my sanity though some sleep would be nice too. Everyone sold weaning as the wonder sleep tool, but DD's night feeds have diminished in the slightest! Ahh well, one step at a time!

Thanks again, am going to carry on feeding her despite MIL et al giving me odd looks/verbal abuse!

Have not diminished... warned you I was sleep deprived!

Your child

Your decisions

Well done you for BF for so long

You will have to let dad help with spoon feeding though, only fair.

Thanks NAB, not exactly a hardship letting Daddy do some feeding seeing as latest trick is blowing raspberries whilst spoon is going in. My kitchen looks like a food factory exploded and I am permanently splattered with interesting remains... Take it away DH, she is all yours!

LOL!!