BLW and pureeing joint strategy?

[TJuice]

My baby girl is 24 weeks today. She has been fully bf but for the past week has a bottle of vælling as well as bf at last feed (its like a very thin corn gruel commonly used here in denmark).

After one attempt with baby rice, I decided to wait with the weaning until 26 weeks or even later because she was 3 and a half weeks premature, has an operation coming up next week and isn't showing a huge amount of interest anyway (apart from sipping from my water cup today actually)

Is it a bad idea to do both purees and BLW? How best to go about doing this?

i did purees and hand held food - dont suppose it was proper blw although i dont know enough about it to say - but ds got lots of finger foods as well as purees and is a brilliant eater so i always so go with what you want to do - some people cant be bothered with purees - i quite enjoyed making up concoctions with various fruits/veg etc.

Im doing purees and finger food, it works fine but its not BLW' To be BLW it has to be all finger food

so do you start with a bowl of something then give a plate of finger food?

Even if you had started weaning at 10 weeks or so, you'd be starting to introduce fingerfoods and mush rather than purees at 6 months. Just because you have started later does not mean you need to go the baby rice/smooth puree route - it is not a progression that has to be made. So you can and should definitely combine spoon-feeding and fingerfoods. It's not BLW though

I usually put some finger food (carrot or parsnip are favs) on the highchair tray and DD fiddles and chews at them in between spoons of mush. She normally has 1 meal of just finger food.

I do both, although it's more lumpy mush than purees.

BLW is not finger foods, it's about self-feeding and includes ideas about their readiness for solids, and their ability to modify their own intake of food alongside milk (initially). TBH I'd ditch the puree, it's not really necessary for a 6 month old and may cause constipation. I sometimes spoonfeed bits of food if it is tiny (e.g. rice) or DS is v tired at the end of the day, but it's very much that I'll hold the spoon and DS moves to eat it off the spoon- thus it is 'baby-led' still.

Why would purees or mashed food cause constipation?

I never found that they did ragdoll - and my ds leads with his feeding in as much as he tells me (and did since he was first weaned) when he's had enough - he used to clamp his mouth shut and now he holds out his hands to say "all done".

So not blw formally - but it's weaning that to my mind is baby led.

Same here conkertree I weaned ds the same way i'm weaning dd and haven't had any problems with constipation.
I think most people let the baby lead when weaning, I wouldn't force a spoon into a clamped mouth, so maybe we're all doing BLW?!

yup - to be honest i didnt read very much about blw formally because i was quite happy doing purees, then more lumpy bits and hand held foods etc and he seemed to be enjoying it, so I didnt want to try and follow any set way incase I then got uptight about how he was doing etc. Maybe I should read all the information available, but it worked, so dont see the point in changing it for my next lo.

I don't see how a mum having a spoon is being led by the baby, i.e. a baby is in complete control with BLW when they self-feed. The constipation-puree connection is something that Gill Rapley found in her research.

Obviously the baby isnt self feeding like with BLW but I'm still led by DD (and DS previously) If she wants more she'll open her mouth and move towards it, if not she'll clamp it shut or turn away.
I looked at BLW before starting to wean DD, it is a very good idea and I understand the principles behind it, but for me personally I prefer to do what I know. Mostly because I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to gagging!
Will look at the link re constipation. Thanks

Just do a bit of both. You don't have to follow blw/puree to the letter. There are some blw/puree purists/evangelists on here but every baby is different so try a few things and see what your baby likes. Adapt things, change as you go - it really doesn't matter. As long as the food is healthy and the baby is enjoying it just go with the flow.

Just do what ever you abd your baby feel comfortable with and enjoy.

It should be called 'common sense weaning'.

BLW is just another en vogue term for what parents have been doing for centuries. There's alot of snobbery around this whole issue - my babies better than yours because it can eat a plate of vegetables at 27 weeks . There's NOTHING wrong with purees so long as baby gets a range of foods and plenty of milk/water. That said the philsophy behind BLW is a good one and it is to be guided by your baby - some babies prefer/find purees easier initially, others take to finger foods like a duck to water. Its about being guided by what works best for YOU and YOUR baby. A mixture of purees and finger foods seems to work really well for many people, after all as adults we eat a mix of solid and 'purrees' food too.

So in answer to your question, no its not a bad idea. I would (and did) introduce finger foods and purrees together at 6 months. Well steamed soft veg such as brocolli and cauliflower were a great starter, mashed banana, mashed potatoe (made with bubs milk) and various vegie purrees were a very popular alternative to rice based meals.

thanks very much - i think i will do both and just try and enjoy (!) this next phase and go with the flow.
i was getting about anxious about it and having over-researched just about everything to do with pregnancy and babies, couldn't face buying and reading more books on weaning . . .

now all i need is a highchair and plastic floor mat . . . .

any other paraphenalia?

thanks very much - i think i will do both and just try and enjoy (!) this next phase and go with the flow.
i was getting about anxious about it and having over-researched just about everything to do with pregnancy and babies, couldn't face buying and reading more books on weaning . . .

now all i need is a highchair and plastic floor mat . . . .

any other paraphenalia?

Good idea especially the enjoy part. Remember food is just about exploration and fun until they're one. Until then milk is their main source of nutrition so don't feel you have to get her onto 3 meals a day straight away. To start with one 'meal' in the morning will be fine.

As for paraphinalia, well it depends how you want to puree, you can do it with a fork or a blender. Personally I swore by my beba steamer/blender although its a bit pricey. But I still use it now to make fruit smoothees and to steam small meals/snacks if its just ds eating.

Try and make sure you're eating when dd does, she'll take her cues from you and it can be a lovely quiet bonding time.

I'll check back in if I can be of any more help.

Have fun together

I did both and still do. DD is now nearly 11 months so don't do puree anymore but she is still spoonfed a lot. I just go with the flow and it depends what we are eating and depends on what DD would eat at the time.

For exaple, last night we ate lasange for dinner. I cut her up some and soonfed it to her as to be honest, I don't see the point in eating lasangne with your hands and it is far to much mess for me. But I have cream carpet in a rented house so can't afford the stains. Where as the day before, we had a roast dinner. DD had a big chuck of turkey that she held and ate as well as some veges that were big enough to hold.

To be honest, I don't see why there is any need to follow any particular style of weaning/feeding and I think it is more stressful. But that is ME so it is what ever is best. But I will say that my DD will eat anything and everything in what ever form which I enjoy.

Also, with BLW you get the problem with stuff like yogurt etc which IMO really needs a spoon. And with purees you then have the trouble when it comes to eating lumps etc.

eurgh, your trhead title gave me a sick image of someone trying to blitz up a whole knee joint to feed to a baby [vom]

This is what we are doing, it seems common sense to me! It's not blw in the sense that I help with the spoon, but I don't force it on her so in that way she is still 'in control'. Finger foods are great (she much prefers these). I just find that some of the things I want her to eat - porridge for example, need a spoon!
Good luck!

porridge doesn't need a spoon, just make it up in the porridge, let it cool. DS has it every other day and eats huge amounts this way! also who said babies need yoghurt? especially if they are still having lots of milk it's a bit pointless really, I just give DS a couple of different fruits for pudding.

DS has always had spoon stuff - I am the spoon at his mouth, and he grabs it and eats off it, or he throws it around.

But yes, lots of stuff can be done without a spoon. DS has the first spoon or 2 of porridge off the spoon while its still pretty hot and runnier. As it cools and gets thicker I just plop a lump on his tray and he uses his hands.

By the way, I don't think there's anything wrong with purees as such. I just think they're pointless at 6 months. I also prefer the way my DS feeds himself rather than some of his little friends who just sit there and open their mouths, although I know not all puree fed babies do that.

I aim the spoon!