My 21 week old just ate a mange-tout (sort of) - was planning to BLW but not quite yet....

[goldmothernat]

I was picking them from the garden and she was helping - I offered her one to hold, she took it, and put it straight into her mouth, gummed away at it for about 25 mins. It started breaking down into bits - most bits ended up down her front but she may have swallowed a tiny bit.

I was planning to start BLW at 26 weeks but want to know if this means she is ready to go now, and if she is whether it is ok.... don't want to set her up to a lifetime of food allergies and other problems, but also don't want to hold her back unnecessarily!

She is physically very sturdy and HV commented last week that she would pass for a much older baby with the way that she holds herself - for example she can stand whilst holding onto our coffee table (obv can't pull herself into that position yet!)

Any advice / experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Hiya. Good work DD for having a good old go on a mange tout - there are a lot worse things she could have eaten! Considering babies were weaned at 12 weeks until a few years ago and there are millions of healthy children running around, I don't think you've set your child up for a life time of allergies. If she's showing an interest in food now, then I don't see the harm in letting her have a bit, but if she's not that fussed, just hang on for a bit longer and try again when she gets more interested.

I'd let her have what she gets her hands on if she wants it but not offer at this stage. I really doubt food allergies will ensue.

My DD2 also loves greenery so much so that I have a problem getting her to eat the right stuff, she doesn't understand that grass and random leaves are not OK...weaning is such fun!

Thanks for your reassurance - will def take the not offering but allowing if it is taken route - although not with random garden greenery!

Most school aged children in the UK were weaned at 4 months and are OK. Babies are surprisingly robust. In most cases if you introduce food before 6 months it just comes out the other end undigested. Only a few children are unlucky enough to develop allergies.

My daughter swallowed a centipede at 5 weeks old. I was looking at bugs with my seven year old son in a local wood. She has also been offered ice cream by her generous brother at 8 weeks.

As far as I am aware it is fine to offer food to your baby (if you are BLW) because if she is not ready she will not eat it. That is the beauty of BLW - it is baby-led! Physical ability to move food around in the mouth, chew and swallow only develops once the gut is developed enough to cope with the food. As I understand it the danger arises when you try to put food into her mouth, whether solid or puree, as some may go down regardless of whether or not she is ready.

cheezcurl, is my daughter's gut totally and utterly buggered for life now? She has been exclusively breastfed from birth except for one lick of ice cream at 8 weeks and the unfortunate bug at 5 weeks. She is 16 weeks old.

Confused? Why would your daughters gut be buggered for life? She has been EBF from birth... her gut is pure as the driven snow!

Reallytired, thanks for your voice of reason and for making me laugh after a really bad day!!