Anyone just started, or about to start, BLW? Care to join me?

[Jojay]

DS2 is 27 weeks and from last week, is now joining us a mealtimes.

I tried spoonfeeding for a few days but he didn't seem keen, so I tried him with some roasted veg and he was well away. So BLW it is for us.

But I did purees for DS1 2 years ago, so BLW is new to me.

So far he's had roasted sweet potato, carrot, aubergine, courgette, sweet pepper, some lightly steamed apple and pear, banana, mango, and a chip.

When I say 'had' I mean I've offered it to him. Some probably went straight on the floor, but I've found some lumps in his nappy, so some is definitely going in.

The mango was the biggest hit - he loved it!

So tell me what you're doing and how it's going...........

Am I the only one who can't get good BLW photos? DD always stops whatever she's doing and stares at the camera as soon as it appears!

Tonight we had bolognese, pasta and broccoli - and he loved it. Like greensnail I totally failed in the photo opportunity thing - would have loved to get a pic of a broccoli stalk clutched in chubby fist , but there's always tomorrow.

PatTheHammer - DH is coming around - he was really impressed at the broccoli thing, and it wasn't as messy as we feared to clean up. So looking good.

One other thing - am I a bit sad to want to weigh the bowl of food before and after to work out how much actually went down DS's gullet?? Yes, thought so...

Put a few photos on my profile if anyone wants to see. We've had messy fun with blackberries!

Hi all

Just wanted to share a new BLW food we discovered this weekend - watermelon, I just cut it into small triangles with the skin on and DS chomped away on it (not sure its very nutritious so I gave it him to play with after breakfast). You can buy a seedless watermelon too so no need to worry about pips!

Wow Crumble, you were brave with the blackberries, that juice looks like it will stain like anything! Looks so cute, bet he really enjoyed that . DS loves Melon too.

Choc- Watermelon sounds fab, will add to my list along with cauliflower which I have avoided so far since nobody else likes it in the house (except me, I don't mind smelling like I've just eaten a fart ).

Gumtree - if you want to do the weighing thing, you clearly have a neater eater than me. I would have to weigh what was left in addition to what is on the chair, floor, tray and all over DD.

Lobsters - ha ha - that's why I'm sad!! DS isn't very neat, but it did cross my mind to gather up the horrible remnants on the chair/ floor/ tray/ muslin etc, then realised that this would mean I was crossing a line into neurosis and tragic-dom.

Unless of course anyone else does this, in which case it's a brilliant idea. Obviously.

Think I need to go and lie down...

DD2 seemed to enjoy sausage casserole with mashed potato this evening - although seemed to prefer a loaded spoon for the potato.

Sausage was easy to pick up and I think she ate more of hers than DD1 did.

I think DD2 is still taking 5 bottles a day - most are finished. She is an early riser (5am) but DP is up for work at that time so is okay. She is in bed by 7.30pm and sleeps through - and has done since she was 8 weeks old.

crumblestastic - he's gorgeous!! Glad I'm not the only one who feeds their LO in the walkers too (only problem being if DD gets over excited she scoots and bashes me in the shins)

We've fallen off the BLW wagon at the moment . I put tasty nums on her tray and she pushes them all onto the floor and whinges. Yesterday I'd got lurvely stir-fried veg, a bit of couscous and some dried fruit and everything got shoved onto the floor ( at having to get the hoover out again), nothing went down at all. She started feeding herself at about 22 wks but for the last 10 days or so she's just cannot be bothered and it's doing my nut! ARGH! I am not doing purees...hmm, sorry, bad night and frustrating breakfast [wanders off to bang head against wall]

Chulita - Thanks I do feel bad as have to use a muslin to tie him to the walker (doesn't that sound awful) as he falls forward but its the only way we have right now until he can fully sit up.

Most of the food we've tried repeatedly ends up on the floor but I cut out a big square from an old duvet cover and put it down under the chair and then just scoop the stuff back up. At the end I shake into the bin and if its really dirty throw it in the washer. I'm too lazy for constant hoovering

Ha...we have a poundland shower curtain under DD but she still manages to lob stuff over it , must take after her dad, I throw like a girl

Hi Kazbeth, that food all sounds great. I would probably be a bit cautious with chick peas, maybe mush them a bit before giving them. I know some people give peas whole, and some people squash them first - we've not tried them yet here but i think i'd be tempted to squish them to start with! Small fruits like grapes, cherry tomatoes should be cut in half before giving them, and you should removed cherry stones etc.

I need more faith in BLW. Actually I now fully believe it's the right way to go after tonight!

Me and dp were having a quite spicy chicken madras so thought best not to try ds on it at 5.5 months and only 3rd day of BLW so sat him with fruit. After a good 5 mins of him not bothering he started whining and as he not had any naps today I thought he was just to tired try so sat him with me.

Within 30 secs he had his hands in my madras, I was a bit expecting it to get a bad reaction but he continued sucking his little podgy hand which was coated in rice and madras sauce. No way was he settling for fruit when he could see we had something different. He made a huge mess on himself/carpet/white leather sofa but I am now converted! He gets everything we get from now on

Chulita my DS is a true BABY-led weaner - when he wants to do it himself he does and when he wants me to put the spoon in his mouth he makes himself heard! I know spoon feeding isn't purist but if thats what he wants then fine. My DS can eat finger shaped foods fine, and is picking up small pieces now, but he's never eaten food straight off his hand i.e licked it/sucked it off.

I usually always do some food in a bowl which he can have from a spoon and something finger shaped. I know when he wants to do it himself as he grabs the spoon!

What am I doing wrong? All plates and bowls go STRAIGHT on the floor! I am just offering stuff on the tray/table.

Salmon with roasted veg tonight. Salmon NOT recieved very well. Aubergine and courgette got the thumbs up. Pineapple for dessert, cue some classic faces, but was determined to eat it!

crumble- love the madras story, bet you can't wait for the nappy!

Liking the quare of duvet/shower curtain ideas, I am getting pissed of with wiping the wipe-clean mat all the time.

Don't worry PTH- I'm not even considering bowls or plates yet I just put it all right on the tray so he can easily inspect it before he decides whether to eat it

Hi guys, been away on holiday for a while in Spain - DD has been sucking gazpacho off bread and demolishing tubs of hummus. However no signs of her being able to get to grips with anything really solid - she eats yoghurt, hummus and soup because of course it's easy but still hasn't worked out how to get stuff to the back of her mouth and swallow, except occasionally by accident. She's been going for 3 weeks, is that totally normal?

Am having one of those days (she was up at 5am, DH woke me up at 2.30am by randomly shaking me because he dreamt I was the baby and was falling out of bed and i didn't get back to sleep, ugh) where I'm doubting everything - give me back the faith!!

Yummy lunch for DS - cream cheese and avocado spread on rice cakes and then cut into bite size chunks for him to pick up. Yum, I think I might have that for my lunch too!

I tried to get DS to understand that food on his hand could be eaten today by shoving his fingers in a bowl of yoghurt and then putting them in his mouth - he sucked on them but he still didn't do it himself! Pah.

Chin up kiwi - it'll get better, she'll learn how to swallow lumpy stuff soon, she's just enjoying different flavours at the mo. Lol at your DH though
I just had a moment - my aunt put her and AK as her profile pic on fb and says what an inspiration she is...I freecycled the book I was given; far too patronising (how do you steam a carrot?) BLW for us
choc, DD likes peanut butter but she won't lick it off her hands and it's such a waste and a horrific mess afterwards! Hopefully they'll learn soon!

Well we've been doing it for 2 weeks now, and I'm loving it. I've not been brilliant at giving her what we're eating as we don't always eat at the same time, but she's not yet been given any purees, it's all "proper" food.

Went out for lunc with friends and 2 2 year olds, who could eat themselves, but also wanted spoon feeding, the parents looked a bit shocked when we just handed DD some chicken and she merrily chomped away, and it wasn't even too messy. Thankfully there wasn't even gagging, which would have got some preaching from some of the over protective parents, so big thumbs up to DD. And there were definitely some reasonable sized bits of chicken swallowed.

We've given her yoghurt and porridge with loaded spoons, sometimes she wants us to feed her, and sometimes she wants to feed herself. I'm amazed at how clear she is at which way she wants to go.

BLW has just caused some massive rows with grandparents, according to them she is going to choke, she's not getting sufficent food, etc, etc. This is has had the reverse effect on us, it's just made us even more commited to BLW.

Sorry you're having problems with the grandparents lobsters. Have they seen her eat?

We've just had my parents here for a few days, i was a bit nervous about what they were thinking about the blw as dd wasn't having her best mealtimes while they were here (she was a bit overtired and grumpy) but my mum said it was "quite impressive really" after she'd seen her eat. They also seem a bit concerned she may be getting too much food (she's a big girl!) so maybe she's converted them.

Can I ask how long people's meal times are? Sometimes dd will keep going for over an hour if we keep passing food back. I have been tending to limit her to an hour at a time, otherwise she might just sit in her highchair and eat all day! She obviously takes after her mother would be interested to know what others are doing.

Hello, just back from holiday. Amazingly no comments from MIL about DD's eating!

Greensnail, I have been wondering that too but dd tends to get limited to 40 mins or so. DS is 2.5 and I can't spend that long in the kitchen where we eat as his things tend to be in the other room. I'm sure she would keep going for a lot longer though so I always feel guilty when calling time.

hi ijustwant8hours, pleased you got no comments from MIL.

glad i'm not the only one having to limit meal lengths - feel a bit guilty when she's obviously enjoying herself, but it does get a bit ridiculous sometimes