BLW vs purées. Discuss...

[EyeballsintheSky]

Come on, y'know you all love debating this!

OK, seriously DD is 6 months next Thursday so the fun is about to start. I was chatting to mothers of older babies at my playgroup and when I mentioned BLW they looked at me in horror - every one of them had puréed.

I am TOTALLY confused and really need some pros and cons of both. I have looked at Aitch's blog but there's amost too much info there and I really don't know which route to take.

So, wise ladies of MN, please help

but I can understand your dilemma.

Started weaning a couple of weeks ago (so not exactly an old pro), so for what it's worth from my limited experience

BLW - pros: great for them to take a healthy interest in food; limited prep if they're eating with you; possibly less face caked in mush, independence, no equipment/jars etc

cons: at first they drop everything on themselves and the floor; they don't eat as much initially; they can be a bit slow, not great if you're in a hurry for something e.g. trying to get out in the morning

Puree - cons: spoon-feeding, preparation/thinking ahead, requires some equipment, messy messy stained clothes and faces, they'll grab the spoon and flick globs of puree, slightly more unpleasant clear-up

pros: portion/intake control of some kind, cute little ice cube portions, some of it's easy (e.g. mashed banana), easier to swallow/digest for weaner-starters, lots of combinations - scope for odd variety - courgette and blueberry if you will.

Whatever you do, they'll gag and choke at some point. I'm introducing stuff as puree then trying same flavours as finger foods for a bit of novelty.

So, on balance, I'd aim for a mix depending on the environment.

Do BLW, you know it makes sense. Gwaaan!

BLW worked very well for us - but don't expect your dc to eat anything for a good few months. It's great if they do, but food is for fun until 12 months - and I wish that had been my mantra when i was weaning my ds.

If you demand fed your dc with milk the BLW is the most natural follow-on from that. My ds struggled with gagging though - so be prepared for that. Aitch's blog is brilliant for info and discussion - i would definitely recommend that you give it a go again.

Good luck and have fun!

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BLW much easier, and means that theres no transition of puree to mash to tiny lumps etc etc to think about.

DS ate huge amounts immediatly, and I don't/didn't find it at all slow as I could just give him toast or a sandwich if we needed to be off somewhere.

Dead easy to eat out, and means that they get into the whole eating together thing. Also means that they will eat whatever you are eating as its the whole way they know to do things. This may have a negative side if you ever want to keep your food to yourself again, but means that DS will eat anything on the planet.

I never had an urge to whizz up little purees as they look foul to me, and just sharing my food fits my slummy mummy attitude.

Blw, would do it again if i had ten more babies without a seconds hesitation. Spoon feeding is so passive for the baby, finger foods are so so so much more fun and more interactive plus personally i worry a LOT less about how much she eats, cos i trust her to pick it up when she's hungry and not when she's not, and its easier. Why bother pureeing stuff? It;s not real food!! (Except for soup)

It is messy but kids are all messy anyway

do it do it do it

well, at least try.. you'll be amazed at what your baby is capable of when you give it a chance

i too am slummy mummy like cmotdibbler, and would second the eating out/on the go thing - regular breakfasts in buggy on school run!

Proud moment for me was sharing half a roast chicken with dd2 aged 9mo in Asda cafe. She was ripping bits of leg meat apart and dipping them in gravy, yum! People were going 'oh its so nice to see a baby eating so well' and I was all

BLW is ace, we love watching DD eat. She hasn't disliked anything we have given her so far.

She eats so much and hardly throws anything
on the floor.

It is so easy.

Ive just started BLW with DS (7mnths) and he loves it.

Just one little hiccup - stuck on breakfasts?!

Anyone shed any light as he is still having a jar! (tried weetabix - doesnt like it!)

Toast, hot cross bun, croissants, bagels, mini shredded wheat, cheerios, shreddies, gorilla munch, fruit, or malt loaf. Thats the usual range of breakfasts in this house. At weekends we go mad and have pain au chocolat or brioche.

it doesnt need to be cereal although you could try shreddies, mini shredded wheat, etc soaked in milk till they are soggy. You could also do toast, pancakes, soft fruit, etc instead.

I did a mix of puree and finger foods and ds was feeding himself by 9 months.

right, so I make that BLW 13 - 0 Puree!

Had a feeling that would be the scoreline so far...

We give DD some soft fruit, half a banana and some shredded wheat bite size and she goes nuts over it she loves it.

Also toasted brown bread with philly is a good breakfast.

And scrambled egg on toast.

so many possibilities.

blw (my version) is messy and very time consuming if you have have more than one child under 3 or so. It's just another name for finger food.

It's not a competiton fgs

Sorry Mercy. I wasn't trying to imply that it was. In RL I have never met anyone who does/did BLW. For a first timer it's a big deal to go against everyone around you and do your own thing. I like the idea but want to be very clear on dos and don'ts foodwise because asking anyone 'real' will only give them ammo to recommend purée and jars.

A mixture of both worked for me. Spoon fed dd yoghurts, cereals and some savoury mush, but also gave her toast, lumps of cheese, bits of fruit, breadsticks, vegetables, etc. I don't think being a purist either way just didn;t appeal to me.

It worked really well for us and dd now spoon feeds herself at 14 months old.

"Puree - cons: spoon-feeding, preparation/thinking ahead, requires some equipment, messy messy stained clothes and faces, they'll grab the spoon and flick globs of puree, slightly more unpleasant clear-up"

surely the philosophy behind BLW is to offer what you eat yourself. Surely there's equipment needed to cook and prep your own dinners? As for messy stained clothes and globs flicked about that's happened when I've offered my babs food to pick up with her hands. Also, someone else said spoon feeding is passive. I can see your point, but it doesn't have to be. I let my lo have the spoon. I've been giving her solids (puréed and mashed) for a month now, and she's already got the spoon from the bowl into her mouth.

And when a lot of people say BLW, don't they just mean 'finger foods', as parents are still controlling what and when food is offered? Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure you all will )

I pureed religiously with dd1 and dd2. they ate everything, and I was so proud of their varied tastes...until I tried to give them lumpier food!! It has taken me nearly 3 years to get them back to eating a good varied diet (and it has been hard slog!!) So with ds (nearly 8mths), I was really interested in BLW. I admit, I do do some purees (he loves pureed apple for dessert) but I have been amazed at what he can manage!! He is very food-confident and will explore and try almost anything- it is great to watch his enjoyment of food, as opposed to my dd's "Is this enough for pudding?" lament! I sometimes help him with a spoon because he gets frustrated if he is very hungry and can't get it in fast enough, but he usually ends up with the spoon himself! Tonight he ate salmon, potatoes and carrots with his chubby hands- I've found that if he wears a bib with a scoop bit, he recycles!! And it is less messy! It does take a bit longer, but in the evening, it gives me a chance to tidy up/ hoover etc, while he is occupied with a bowl of chopped fruit (I do keep an eye on him, though! He choked tonight as he inhaled a strawberry like a hoover!) I've found it quite a refreshing experience, so I would say try it!

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Jarm - have you tried adding cinnamon to flavour the weetabix? We give DD Shredded wheat bite size with cinnamon.

Eyeballs, BLW is great. It's not always easy, you have you have some imagination and be a bit organised. When you went on aitch's blog did you check out the forums. The advice there is invaluable, especially the recipe section.

TBH I don't think anyone who has done BLW would not recommend it.

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Thanks everyone. I really am tempted by BLW. One night this week we were having fajitas and salad and DD was sitting in her high chair watching. I don't think we were having anything that I couldn't have just handed her there and then. It was all the right shape and I was so tempted to try her out.

I know I'm being cheeky here and someone is bound to tell me to google off (!) but is there anything I should avoid giving her? I know about honey/soft eggs/nuts. But is there any bread I should avoid, granary or such. What about butter? Is the usual Flora or whatever ok or should it be unsalted butter or anything special? I feel like if I have a clear idea of what not to give then I know that everything else is fine and we can go for it.

Sorry I know I'm a pain. I will go and read the info on the blog again.

I am just doing something in between. I give finger food at every meal, but also give something she will eat from a spoon. Ie, at lunch, DD might have toast or something on her tray in her high chair, which she eats like 10% if that. But, I will also be feeding her some puree, which she will eat all or most of.

I am hoping to gradually move her onto more finger foods, but she will get annoyed if she only has finger foods, as she cant eat it fast enough!

I have to say that the finger foods are alot more messy than the purees. And probably more effort. The purees, I just blend up when we eat, and make lots of extra portions in little pots, that I can just grab on the way out and feed at a convient time.