BLWers - when you say 's/he just pinched it from my plate'...

[eatingbanana]

You mean you allowed them access to food and let them pick it up and eat it right? Because if they picked up, for example, a piece of lego you'd stop them.

I ask because my DS is nearly 22 weeks and this morning he was whinging while dd and I had breakfast so I brought him to sit at the table with us. He didn't want any milk but was reaching for the plate of fruit on the table. So I put a piece of banana on the table in front of him. And he picked it up, bit a piece off and swallowed it

I was planning to wait to til 26 weeks and I didn't really expect him to eat any, but the whole idea is that they do it when they're ready.

So would it be a bad thing to carry on with the odd bit of fruit if he's fussing to sit with us anyway? Or should I stop now until 26 weeks?

Any thoughts?

i didn't really know when to wean dd2, because she was born at 33+6 and there are different schools of thought on whether to wean at the uncorrected or corrected age.

however, when she grabbed food out of my hand and ate it at five and a half months i figured i had the answer...

imo if they can do it, they can do it. there's no rush, just bits and bobs til 6mos, and no gluten.

I would do just as you suggested and carry on. If he wants it and is capable of doing it all himself I wouldn't stop him.

In the whole 26 week/BLW arena I found this sort of situation is a bit of a grey area.

actually the lego thing is interesting there. i'd let her pick up lego too, absolutely, it's how they learn about the world. even small pieces (under my watchful gaze) because at that age she had no pincer grip and would've dropped it by the time it got to her mouth anyway.

Thanks. Yes I think I will just keep letting him have the odd bit of fruit to play with and see how we get on.

Good point about the lego, how about a slug? (That's what my dd picked up and licked at 9mths!)

she'd have been on her own with a slug, i'm afraid, those things give me the major heaves.

I think the important thing now is to keep offering bits and bobs when you are eating, but not to worry if he shows no more interest. Keep offering but if he doesn't eat then that is completely fine. You may find he eats for a couple of days then not for a day or two etc. Some days he'll just play with the food, others it will go straight in his mouth!

We started at around 22 weeks as he was an early sitter and very dextrous. Didn't really eat very much until 7mo though, so it can take a long while for them to 'get' what food is about.

DD was about 22 weeks when she first managed to get food into her mouth and apparently swallow a bit. She'd had access to food since birth I suppose, as we rarely managed to eat a meal without her wanting to join us at the table! She carried on exploring bits and pieces and started to eat a lot more at about 24 weeks. I'd been uncertain about when to start as she's a big girl (98th centile) but born a bit early at 36 weeks, so was very pleased that she was able to show me when she was ready!

I'd have to rescue the slug though, i'd feel sorry for it!

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I was so horrified when he actually managed it cause I was determined to wait til 26 weeks!

He delighted in chomping on a bit of melon for about 20 mins tonight and swallowed a bit of that too.

Yep we started BLW when DS was about 22 weeks and I was getting fed up of wrestling food off him and once I read the Gill Rapley book I realised he wouldn't be able to do it developmentally if he wasn't ready, so every time he tried to eat my food I let him (I didn't offer if he didn't ask though IYSWIM)

9.5 months now and only recently has he eaten any huge amounts.

Oh also, about how you'd stop them if they had lego - I don't think a baby of under 17 weeks (ie absolute earliest recommended weaning age) would be able to pick up and eat anything whether they had access to it or not. So I wouldn't stop a baby feeding themselves at any age as long as the food was safe.

Nothing sensible to add except

EEWWWWWWW SLUGS

SHIVER - am going to have nightmares about licking them now lol. I would save my DC's from a ferocious tiger but a slug, ewwwww no!

[boak] at slugs

I think if its suitable food and they manage to get it into mouth unaided they are most likely fine with it. My DD went for a gherkin off my dad's plate at about 23 weeks - I took it away [meanie] but started leaving more suitable food in her reach after that.

Ew. I come onto a BLW thread in all innocent and am greeted with slugs?

DD1 snacthed my toast while she was on my lap and DD2 nicked some bread when she was in a sling so I woudl carry on as you are.

My LO is 24 weeks, we started at 22 weeks cos she was sitting, reaching etc but I have to say she only manages some things in the swalllowing arena, gags with toast or ricecakes as they seem too dry (?) but she loves all the soft stuff. She has been putting anything and everything into her mouth for ages - has always had great head control and is very dextrous and would most definitely try to eat a bit odf lego given half a chance - but the gagging has made me cautious of some things. I wanted to BLW but really we are doing mushy stuff, and its going well, but I try to give her something to hold at each meal too, (banana, cucumber, melon, cooked carrot/etc) so that she knows the idea. Oh and she gets gloriously messy as she takes the spoon off me and inserts it herself!