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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

A General Thread for BLW

105 replies

TheBreastmilksOnMe · 03/03/2009 16:02

Hi! I thought I would start off a thread for anybody who is interested in BLW, who has started it or has done it and hopefully we can support one another. I havnt seen another general thread on it yet so sorry if anyone has already started it-could you link me if so?

My DS is nearly 6mths old and we have been giving him the odd bit of finger food which he absoloutly loves! Guidelines state you should wait until they are 6mths old and able to sit unsupported but 1st time parent excitment has made me a bit impatient and eager to let DS join in the fun!

So is there anyone else out there?

OP posts:
SnowlightMcKenzie · 03/03/2009 16:09

I'm planning to do BLW. DD is 6 months next monday. So far I've decided not to make purees, but that is as far as I have got.

Dunno what the next step is! She can't eat what I eat, believe me! Unless it is acceptable to give her tesco trifle, lamb jalfrazi from the local and chicken keivs, so...........

Maybe I'll wean at 8 months instead

wastingmyeducation · 03/03/2009 16:10

That's one of the beauties of BLW Snowlight, it makes you eat healthier!

Welcome to the fun and messy world of BLW!

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 03/03/2009 16:13

Welcome! Glad there's some more of you out there! I will chat some more later but DS has just woken from his nap right now! Snowlight I am ellideb btw

OP posts:
SnowlightMcKenzie · 03/03/2009 16:15
Grin
SnowlightMcKenzie · 03/03/2009 16:16

wasting You have no idea. For me, the above IS healthy. Previous diet was jaffa cakes and that was it!

AGinAndTonicPlease · 03/03/2009 16:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Stretch · 03/03/2009 16:32

Hi, Ds is 9 months and weaning is going well, now! Here's the link for Aitchs' BLW website for more info!

Linky link!

Stretch · 03/03/2009 16:35

Riiight!!! I didn't mean to press post so quickly! Lol!

DS wasn't interested in BLW straight away, but seems to be ok now. He eats a really good variety and I think (hope) that's because he's allowed to just help himself.

Mash potato is a favourite, but it is very messy, but great fun!!

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 03/03/2009 19:29

DS joins in with me for breakfast. I've just started putting him in his high chair in the kitchen which is great as he's getting very adept at sitting up by himself. He's nearly there!

This morning he had some toast and a banana but I don't think anything really gets swallowed he just chews then spits it out but he loves orange segments. He sucks the life out of them until they resemble a pulverised mess, throws the rind onto the floor and cries for more!

Does anyone else worry about choking though? Touch wood he's never choked but he does gag sometimes and my hearts in my mouth whilst I wait for him to clear it!

OP posts:
peachsmuggler · 03/03/2009 19:57

The whole thing with the gagging is that, it is a bit scary but that is how they learn.

I did an infant resuscitation course when we started BLWing and it made me feel much more confident about gagging. Basically, if they are gagging/coughing they are managing it, but choking involves no noise, which would be very scary. After the course I felt like I would know exactly what to do in that situation, so would really recommend it.

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 03/03/2009 20:01

Yes its the silent choking that's the dangerous one. If it were to happen peaches, what steps would you take?

OP posts:
muppetgirl · 03/03/2009 20:07

Hi all don;t know if what we do is strictly blw as I spoon custard, rice pudding sloppy stuff etc but he has whatever we do broken up and put on the table in front of him and he helps himself. I've found it's been great when we're out and he eats absolutely everything! (but maybe that's him )

He picked up a fork 2 days ago and started trying to use it so I now give him his own fork and he's really trying to use it. -I am assuming that's still BLW?

MrsJamin · 03/03/2009 20:09

muppetgirl - that's totally BLW! 14 MO DS is getting the hang of a fork now- seems a bit easier than loading up a spoon himself.

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 03/03/2009 20:13

Yes that's BLW too muppetgirl. I do a bit of that but also I sometimes just put a dollop of yogurt onto the table in front of him and its so funny watching him trying to grab hold of it with his hands! He's learnt a great way of eating it though he just sucks it of the table! My clever boy!

OP posts:
muppetgirl · 03/03/2009 20:22

I loved watching him eat peas!! Though saying that he has fabulous fine motor skills and I think this is due to him having developed a pincer 1st finger and thumb movement from an early age. Ds 1 was not BL weaned and has crap motor skills!

MIL can't get her head round it and doesn't trust me at all so she mashes everything much to my annoyance. She also was cross when she offered a jar for me to take home and I said I didn't use them, she said well you could just take it and keep it for emergencies. I said if we had no food in the house then none of us would eat!

I love the freedom I've had with ds 2 and the fact that there's been no pressure. He ate what he ate and that was that. He eats all fruit and veg and doesn't have to re-learn carrots as being tasty but orange and brocolli being yummy but GREEN!!!!! (And very tree like )

Am def going to do the same for ds 3 (21 weeks prgt at the mo)

muppetgirl · 03/03/2009 20:23

Oh and I also like the fact that he is part of the family at meal times but gets on with it himself so I actually have hot meals!! Something I never seemed to with ds 1 as he had to wait for me to spoon the puree in.

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 03/03/2009 20:27

What age did he master peas?

OP posts:
muppetgirl · 03/03/2009 20:32

just thinking...

we started food at about 27 ish weeks and he really wasn't keen. I would say 7-8 months? (He's 16 months now) as he really hasn't had a problem with any foods. Though he does have great finger skills. His problems weren't really the picking up more the squishing it between his fingers!

pigleychez · 03/03/2009 22:32

Hi all,

DD is 7mths so has been BLW for a month now. She has loved the process of it and we love watching her tuck in.

She too has days where she not interested and others where she cant get enough! She loves dry finger foods and hates anything liquidy, ie yoghurts. Im guessing it because she is used to solid foods that she can handle herself. She has still to learn about using her hands to eat foods like that... Maybe shes going to be really girly and not like getting her hands dirty!
Her fav thing is Garlic bread!- She sucks it to death!
Other favs are crumpets, toast, cucumber and Melon.

My Parents and PIL have too taken some presuading but they seem impressed when they see the control she has when she eats.

I agree about it being fab when we are out for dinner. I always take a little pot of breadtsicks, ricecakes, cucmuber sticks incase we are having something unsuitable or naughty but generally she has some of what we have. Ive found myself eating much better too- Ive never ate so much fruit!

snottymcgrotty · 03/03/2009 23:00

Hello,

DD2 is just over 6 months and has been BLW'ing for 2 wks. IT is so much easier than purees !

So far her favourites seem to be :
Cheese on toast
Butternut Squash (roasted)
Sweet potato (roasted~)
Green beans (sucked completely flat and soggy !!)
BAnana (had completely forgotten how messy it could be !)
Kiwi fruit (nappy contents following day were v interesting ! Black pips everywhere !!)

Just got to try to persuade her to drink from a bottle now and a bit of formula too as won't be able to continue bf'ing as much when go back to work

EdwardCullenCanBiteMe · 03/03/2009 23:16

My DS is almost 7 months and we have been BLW for about a month. He LOVES it! His favourites are melon, risotto and cous cous.
Although he will eat anything that gets put in front of him, as others have said.

muppetgirl · 04/03/2009 09:59

Just done porridge for ds to use his spoon and he loved it! He dipped it in and managed to get it in his mouth. He also dripped some on the table and had great fun playing with it with his fingers. I am so glad we have no carpet in the kitchen!!!

He especially loved berries and we now have to hide them behind something as if he sees them he just points and doesn't eat anything else till he gets some.

I always remember my dh saying 'they didn't have plug sockets in the cave to plug the blender in...' when we were talking whether to puree or not, whether we were doing the right thing. He loves to relate anything to living in a cave

I also think this is a better choice as I am convinced when food is pureed a lot of food comes up as quite a small bit of liquid food so it's easy to whizz up more so you feel you're feeding an adequate 'ammount' and surely this would make it very easy to over- feed? I am convinced this has something to do with the rising obesity rate. Ds stops when he's full as his tummy is full of lumps of food rather than liquid food which I'm sure the stomach can fit far more of in.
(I could be wrong, it's just a thought!)

peachsmuggler · 04/03/2009 10:32

If they were choking you would lay them over your arm, face down and head below their chest and then give 5 blows between the the shoulder blades. If this didn't work you would turn them over and using 2 fingers give up to 5 chest compressions.

This is for a baby under 1 and to be honest I wouldn't feel confident with this unless I'd seen it/tried it on a course. The one I did was through a company called Safe and Sound. it was really good!

Original poster
TheBreastmilksOnMe · 04/03/2009 11:51

Living in a cave

OP posts:
goingnowherefast · 04/03/2009 12:53

Hi everyone
DD and I have been enjoying blw, she's 10 months now. she loves it and eats anything and everything I give her! She can manages most shapes and sizes now and rarely gags.

My question is, when and how do you introduce them to cutlery? She has yoghurt form a spoon but I put it to her mouth and she grabs it and guides it in herself.