"biscotti"

[chatname]

Apparently, DS age 7.5 months got fed one of these during his settling in session. He got a lot of it over his clothes but not a lot, I think, in his mouth. If these were Heinz "biscotti" they contain 8.5g fat and 28g sugar per 100g and are probably the unhealthiest thing DS has ever had the chance to eat.

I was told they are "like rusks" but, doing a search on rusks on mumsnet, it seems that rusks are considered unhealthy things mainly foisted on unsuspecting babies by mums-in-law who are a bit out of date.

Am wondering whether to ask nursery not to give these as snacks. We have been trying BLW at home with breastfeeding ongoing. However, I'm not all that good at expressing so we might need to top up with Aptamil and lunchtime, with bfing morning, evening and perhaps night-time snacking. It seems they are also more used to giving purees than finger foods, and it seems reasonable for them to try a bit of both while DS is at nursery.

However if "biscotti" are their idea of a finger food, that does seem a bit unhealthy, no?

Some (not all) of the Heinz biscotti are organic which may lead unsuspecting people to think they are "healthy".

I think you have to decide with a nursery what is really important to you and what isn't. I suspect that if you give the staff a long list of rules then there is a risk that important rules may be missed. (obviously this is just imo).

If the biscotti issue is a big one for you, then mention it, but maybe in a low key, positive way, I would perhaps say that your ds likes most fruit and could he be offered banana (or whatever) as an alternative. re the blw, presumably their are older children elsewhere in the nursery, so finger foods etc will be readily available. Just ask if he can have his food in non-pureed form. If necessary print off a small amount of info re blw if they seem puzzled by it.

However ime with nursery babies of your ds's age will be offered a mix of puree and finger foods.

I agree with onepieceofbrusselssprout . I think you need to choose your battles! I'm pretty relaxed about what my 10.5 month old eats... I have to say before I get crap mother of the year that he gets mostly home-cooked food, eats most things and love fruit but because of that, I do tend to be a bit more relaxed about 'snacks'. He does get the odd square of chocolate, biscuits etc. I do have rusks but I bought them before I found out how sweet and bad they are. However, I have crushed half of them and mix it with fruit puree to make 'crumble' occasionally. My DS actually does not like the Heinz biscotti as it is sweet but I wouldn't object to him getting one now and then. If you are really concerned, maybe ask the nursery how often they get them and decide that way if the frequency really bothers you? I wouldn't mind DS getting one once a week but probably wouldn't like it if he gets it 4 times a week!

DS is going to nursery 2 1/2 days a week. It sounds as though we can expect him to have 3 biscotti prob a week (he has been in for 2 x 2 hour settling sessions and got offered a biscotti - or biscotto? - both times).

I haven't said he mustn't have them at all costs, but have said that this is the most sugar he's had, and that he would get fruit at home. They do offer fruit as well apparently - but not to DS so far!

fat is not bad for babies - they need a lot more than we do

sugar is another issue

suggest breadsticks

Definitely clarify how many times they get biscotti then! TBH, they aren't cheap and I will be very surprised they get given them 3 times a week! Fruit is much cheaper. Just ask them, I don't think they would be offended. It will put your ind at least if he only gets them once a week, 3 times a week I would say something...

Why not provide them with a list of foods you are happy for them to give him? Our nursery actually asked us to do this with DS1 who started nursery at 6 months old since they said they didn't want to give foods to babies that hadn't already been "tried and tested" at home. Even now when he is nearly 4 we ask them to give fruit, veg or yoghurts for puddings and snacks and they are happy to oblige (or maybe we are just very lucky they they accept that I am probably the world's worst fussy mother?)

I have kept a list of foods we have tried. Actually, I didn't want to be too prescriptive or bossy, but I will print out the list and take it in, I think.

I told them that we are trying baby-led weaning. They said that they would normally give pureed foods to a baby his age. I said that I didn't mind them trying a mix of spoon feeding and finger foods, especially as I imagine that if we give him cereal or porridge at home, we will be spooning it in.

They said that they had toad in the hole for lunch. I said that I had let him have some roast beef to chew on the previous week and he had been happily gumming a chunk of Yorkshire pudding. I suggested they let him have some chunks to gum.

They pureed the toad in the hole and he wouldn't eat it. He also refused to take the formula they offered him (he has been breast fed but I'm not expressing much so I gave them some Aptamil. I have been trying to get him to drink from a doidy cup but they asked me to get a Tommy Tippee closer to nature bottle, so I got one).

They apparently gave him four biscotti in the space of four hours therefore. I can see that it is difficult for them if he isn't eating anything else. However, I said, that is rather a lot of sugar, and I asked if there was anything I could do at home to help things along, as obviously it was a problem if he was just eating biscuits. Oh, they said, it's not biscuits, it's biscotti, specially for babies.

They asked about the book I'd been using, so I got my copy of the Gill Rapley book from the car. They asked me to try spoon feeding at home, and I agreed, to see if I could find some ideas that might help them at nursery.

I took DS home. I had some Ella's Kitchen puree the cupboard and put some on a baby spoon and he happily put the spoon in his mouth and ate it himself. This was after quite a long breast feed. So this is something they could try.

I have also suggested making up some food for him to take to nursery, such as (cooked) carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, fruit sticks, bits of cheese etc. They sounded a bit uncertain about that.

Anyone got any suggestions as to what else we could do?

It doesn't sound like they are even trying to accomodate your wishes if they pureed the toad in the hole despite your suggestions. I think you need to be quite specific that you would like his food to be given to him unpureed and allow him to eat it how he wishes. They may not be used to this, but they should be accomodating the way you want him fed. Same with the cup - if he is not used to a bottle, it is really not their place to tell you to feed him one.

You're a paying customer. If you don't want him to have certain things then say so. Biscotti have far too much sugar for children under 12 months. They certainly shouldn't be offering them very regularly. Nurseries should be following healthy eating advice. I'd try to find a constructive way to suggest that they look at their menus, and direct them to www.food.gov.uk, which has lots of info about how to feed babies and toddlers.

ROFL @ 'they are not biscuits they are biscotti', like this confers some magical healthfood properties on a crappy blardy biscuit! 'Cos we all know that food produced specially for children is healthier, right?

Really though, as Grendle says you are a paying customer. They should be feeding him as you specify - pureeing his food after specific requests not to, then feeding him refined sugary biscuits, is Not Good Enough.

Give them a print out on BLW and tell them that this is how your son eats, and that you are sure they can accommodate it.

Is the nursery close enough to your work that you can go and BF during the day e.g. at lunchtime? This might save the hassle of getting him to drink out of a bottle. I think a lot of nursery staff don't understand that a BF baby won't necessarily drink well out of a bottle.

Hi thanks for all the replies ! At the moment, DS is still settling. He has a full day at nursery on Weds though (I could bf at lunchtime if they are desperate) and a half day Friday.

Eventually, he'll be at nursery Mon all day, Weds all day and Fri am. He'll be with DH Tues, Thurs pm and Fri pm. So he'll just be with me Thurs am. I won't be able to go and feed him during the day on Mon, Tues, Weds and Fri. So he is going to need to take milk some other how.

I don't go back to work till the end of the month, though. I am hoping that nursery will help us with this as they must have experience of changeovers. (DH would get very upset trying to find a solution on his own. He is a soppy dad and gets on v well with DS but would be tearing his hair out faced with a hungry, screaming baby and would hae no idea what to do).

I do feel a bit responsible in that we haven't been using alternative means of milk, but I was v keen to bf as long as poss and ebf as long as poss, and we had quite a lot of difficulty/complications early on, so I didn't want to prejudice it.

I don't this sounds reasonable at all - 4 biscuits in a 7 month old and a refusal to follow what are now national guidleines in terms of weaning?? I'd be looking elsewhere, tbh.

What are the national guidelines for weaning - can you link to them?

pureed toad in the hole. Bleeee!

i dont think that you should let them give puree as at 7.5 months its a backwards step, ask to see their toddler menu and poss put him on that

there are biscuits sweetened with apple juice etc. which are a bit better but tbh as an occassional treat a biscuit shouldnt be awful, however 4 in one day is a meal not a rare treat!

and who would eat pureed toad in the hole?

Actually, have seen Weaning booklet again. It lists the finger foods I was giving - but specifically advises against giving biscuits and rusks.

Also, Heinz suggest on their packet that biscotti should only be used as a finger food for older babies - 9 or 10 months. They suggest mashing wit milk for 6 months plus.