BLW - foods like shepherd's pie with their fingers. Really? I mean REALLY?!

[Tinkjon]

I know, I know, you can all chorus "it's messy - deal with it!" at me in unison... But I am just [shudder emoticon] at the thought!!

Littleboyblue - if you let him have a spoon and just get some food on it for him then let him do the rest, I'm sure he'll get the hang of it.

I'm no good at what age they are supposed to do things, but as DS was responsible for feeding himself from starting solids he had a bit more reason to get to grips with cutlery I suppose. He's also a bolshy independant type, so wanted nothing to do with being fed. Except now grapes, blueberries and strawberries which may be dropped into his mouth as he lounges in the garden, awaiting them in the manner of a roman at a banquet.

Hahaha, that's funny!
Ok, I'll mash up some food with some beans or something and will prob split, half wet and half dry IYKWIM. Thanx for your help

And yep - just plonk it down, cut into easy to hold bits (so not too small, carrot batons are easier than discs), and let him get on with it. Dig a fork into the mash, and then see what happens.

Tinkjon try Squashums. Tink loves them.

Ok. I'll give it a go at dinner. Thanx again. X

littleboyblue, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. it's all just food, whether mashed or not, at the end of the day.
but if you want to, he should be more than capable of trying finger food and really having a good go at it. if you were going to cut out the spoon feeding altogether then you'd want to make super-sure that you were giving him absolutely as much milk as he wanted. or you could just see how he gets on and let him express a preference for finger foods or spoon feeding. s'up to you.
i did BLW, i really liked it, and it 100% suited me. there are no hard and fast rules though. i mean look at Tinkjon, she's clearly too freakishly clean-living too cope with a bit of grot... (says she whose baby didn't have much hair).

Thanx Aitch. He doesn't actually have any milk thru the day, just at bedtime. I approached weaning completely different than what I now think I should have done, but he ok, putting on loads of weight and is happy, so that a story for another time!
I would like him to feed himself a bit more so will just give it a go. I'm not gonna let his eating be cut down IYKWIM so if he doesn't wanna feed himself then I'll carry on doing it. He does have finger foods. I didn't do blw and don't want to change too much but it worth a go I think.

Coz all his meals have always been mush if you like, I'm a bit concerned that he won't eat dry. Like I said he'll have fingerfoods fine but that finishes off the meal, like he'll have a bowl of slop and then some veg and fruit. Maybe I could dry out the food gradually. Should I stop going on now?

a good place to start imo is with what you eat. that tends to be pretty attractive to them cos they can see you enjoying it.

Piffle, don't rule out weetabix yet! I used to drizzle it with milk - think watering plants when it comes out the bottom, stop.

SheherazadetheGoat food is fun at 8 months old, so why do they need to be helped with anything? Soup can be eaten with bread if you really must give it before they can manage.

I didn't ever have a problem with finding her something to eat, she ate what we did or we found her something from the menu when we were out. From 7 months she would eat a proper meal. It was easy - easier than I think it can sound. You learn what they can do and adapt their food around that.

sorry havent read the whole thread but yes, I just gave my dd shepherds pie, spag bol, yoghurt etc to eat with her fingers / attempt herself with spoon from about 7 months. I sat her at the table with the other kids and let her get on with it (turned my back and got on with the washing up so didnt get freaked by the mess!)

Tbh i would rather spend 5 mins clearing up after her than 30 mins spoon feeding, scraping the dribble off her chin and back into her mouth again

agh tray yes I see now. Sorry am poncey and only have tripp trapps here, tray foreign concept

I just do fish fillets. Lamb steaks with spices/ breadcrumbs, meatballs etc
plus sauté cubes spuds, rosti, chips potato cakes. Rice/pasta.
carrot chunks, broccoli v popular here, peas ,corn on cob... Or simply cucumber which they generally adore.
also falafel was a big hit...
as is hummus vvvv cute now he can dip himself

with soup i used to put chunks of bread in to soak it all up and ds would then pick them out and eat them.

weetabix - i just put a small amount of milk on so they weren't completely mushy.

porridge - again used a bit less milk.

fish pie/mash/shepherds pie etc just put on his try and he ate it with his hands.

my ds is 2 next week and still can't use a spoon even if i load it for him.

where we feed ds it is carpetted - we put a splash mat type thing under his highchair.

Re soup - surely then they end up eating half a loaf of bread and 2ml of actual soup?

nope. crusty bread acts like a spoon they can suck, iykwim?

But what if they just eat the bread rather than suck-and-reuse?

My DS did this - he sucked the soup off the bread then sucked the crust into submission and it was gone. So we gave him another soup-soaked piece.... and in the end he'd eaten about 2tbsps of soup and half a dozen chunks of bread. Next time I spooned it in and he ate a whole bowl of soup and a more reasonable 2 lumps of bread.

Nappy - surely not being able to use a spoon at 2 is a disadvantage?

dunno, i'd maybe conclude that left to his own devices he preferred the bread to the soup...

ds just ate the bread - he never sucked and reused but still ate a good bowl of soup that way. crusty bread soaks up quite a lot of soup.

i wouldn't say it is a disadvantage. if he can't use one by the time he goes to school and it is socially expected of him fair enough but at 2 he is still just a baby. he prefers to use a fork for everything including breakfast

He'd prefer chocoate to carrots too

Nappy - a fork indeed, that's one sophisticated toddler

i think you're very hung-up about that particular soup recipe, castille... accept it, it's not very nice.

dd always loved my chicken soup, i must say. used the bread for broth and picked the veggies up with her hands. she never liked blended soups, and nor do i.

Piffle, can I ask why you say "to my shame I help him use a spoon" ? Using cutlery is something that all children have to learn to do (adults don't eat shepherds pie or yoghurt with their fingers!) so why do you think it's wrong to help teach him?

Tinkerbellesmum, what are Squashums?!

Aitch, LOL at "look at Tinkjon, she's clearly too freakishly clean-living too cope with a bit of grot" I think it's more the case of adding even more mess to the countless layers of grime that are already there

Dragonseye, it only takes you 5 mins to clear up?! After a BLW session it takes me 5 mins to clear up the food from the tray/floor/mat/entire house, then I have to strip his clothes off and get the stains out before they set, then he usually needs hosing down... it's not the mess I object to, it's the work that it entails to clear it up! Roll on the summer when it's warm enough to feed them in the garden with no clothes on!

it was sheperds pie that broke me as far as blw was concerned

tink - Strip child before meal. After total destruction meal lift child at arms length and swiftly tranfer to pre-run bath. I have it all sussed

Squashums are yogurt in a strawberry or raspberry shaped pot that you suck the yogurt from. Frubes is another option. I guess neither are the healthiest yogurt option, but it's an option if you don't know how to do yogurt without helping.

Why are you feeding him in his clothes? Also, try putting a shower curtain on the floor. You can get some cheap ones that will throw in the washing machine when needed.

We clear up about the same as we always have. She doesn't get her clothes dirty now vs she never wore them before. She gets plates dirty vs getting the highchair tray or hippo mat dirty. She still needs her hands and face wiping.

I meant shame as in I spoon feed him while he opens his mouth like an obedient goldfish.
he sits there unlike other times he eats. He can stab things with a small and large fork well and dip a spoon but spag bol he lets me spoon it in.
only time I've ever spoon fed really!