BLW - advice please

[gingerwench]

Hi I have a 4 month old DS currently exclusively breast fed. I plan to start weaning at 6 months and from what I have read I think the baby led weaning approach sounds more me than faffing with progressively lumpier purees.

However I've been told that weaning takes a lot longer this way (I assume the person meant longer until they take majority of nutrition from food rather than milk). My HV said I might need to give him vitamin drops too. And if one of the reasons we need to wean is to ensure good iron supply from 6 months, how do I know he will get enough from gumming bits of meat or green veg?

I do know that milk is the main source until 12 months and that it should be formula or breast milk rather than cows milk until 12 months. I am likely to be back at work by the time he is 11 or 12 months old and I would plan to BF still at least evening and possibly mornings too. I'd rather avoid formula completely if I can. Is it reasonable for him to drink just water/cows' milk during the day from 11/12 months?

I'm not sure how purist I want to be about BLW either. I saw a DVD that stated that with BLW you NEVER spoon feed but I think I might want to do mainly finger foods with some assistance from me for the sloppy stuff like yoghurt, porridge etc. Does that sound sensible? or will it just confuse him and jeopardise BLW benefits?

Part of me would love to start weaning with baby rice and purees now simply because I want the fun of seeing how he responds to it! But then I've always been impatient!! And I suppose the longer we leave it the fewer nasty nappies I have to contend with?!

As you can tell I'm a little confused so please give me the benefit of the collective MN wisdom!

I have very similar questions to you!

Can I please add a question to your thread?

The obvious foods to start with are carrot and brocolli but what about meat - chicken for example? Do you just hand them a bit and see what they do? Do you do this from day one? Our 6 month stage is Christmas Day!

HV are very keen to give vitamin drops to babies who are not FF because as mine said "Formula contains extra added iron so you don't need to worry" Whereas breast milk contains less iron in quantity, but it is much more bio available - so the body uses all the iron instead of pooing most of it out like in artificial forms. From 6m babies' bodies do start to lose their natural stores of iron but it does not happen suddenly overnight - as long as you are offering food to your baby with a good iron content, he will be absolutely fine and will take what he needs.

As you are waiting until 6m and doing BLW you don't need to to do the whole offering one kind of food one day then another another day and only veg for so many weeks etc. You can literally just offer some of what you are having from your plate (assuming you have cooked without salt etc) - so on day one you could just hand them a steamed carrot and see what they do - if they take to it well then offer something else, if not then no worries. Christmas day is actually quite good for BLW assuming you are having some veg and maybe even roast parsnips (yum!). If you offer a sprout for heaven's sake chop it into quarters and don't just hand it out whole like I did

And yes, juice and water during the day would be fine at 11m - you could even give cow's milk.

Thanks! much clearer. So did you do pure BLW so no spooning of gunky stuff or did you combine it with some spoon feeding?

jojoisamum - brilliant fun to start on Christmas Day! you won't need to spend time watching tv cos you'll be too absorbed in watching the baby eat!

I did BLW with occasional spoon feeding for things that were very messy when we were out and about. He was happy with either. At 24m he still likes to eat a lot of finger food but is competent with a fork and spoon....especially for puddings