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Weaning

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

BLWners porridge help please

16 replies

AuroraB · 09/01/2010 10:22

ok, so how do i get porridge down him? have tried filling spoon and handing it to him and quite frankly it is not worth this level of mess to get 2 molecules dowm him.

any suggestions of more blw friendly breakfasts greatfully received

thanks

OP posts:
winnybella · 09/01/2010 10:30

I did a BLW at first, but in the end it wasn't really worth the mess. So now DD is fed porridge, mash, soup by spoon and everything else I cut up in pieces and she eats it herself.
Frankly, I don't think it's such a big deal- if the baby is 6 months or older, we can safely assume she's ready developmentally to eat and if she eats happily what she's given...well, you're not really forcing her, are you?

AuroraB · 09/01/2010 10:43

but he won't let me feed him with a spoon , he just grabs it and waves it around or pokes himself in the eye and the dog is getting very fat and i spend all day cooking, cleaning and he eats about 1/3 of a mouthful per day.

he's almost 7 months and we started out very well and positively 3 or so weeks ago, he's good at grabbing stuff and putting it in his mouth as long as it's not slippery i.e steamed carrot stick / slice of avacado, even with skin on. a boy can't live off chunks of bread and roast potatoes alone. i seem to be losing the way. perhaps this is normal and i should stop worrying and just keep going and soon it will click - please someone tell me this is so?

OP posts:
BikeRunSnowflake · 09/01/2010 11:16

I did BLW because my DS wouldn't be spoon fed either. I just did n't give him porridge.
For sloppy stuff, I gave him fruit purree and yoghurt that comes in those screw top pouches like Ella's Kitchen food (yoghurt in Asda and Saino's kids ranges, fruit puree C&G and Heinz). I occassionally tried to spoon feed him, but he reisted this until he was about a year old. Now he is just beginning to feed himself with a spoon and I can leave him to his cereal in the mornings (16 months).

Other finger foods we did

Baby veg/chunks of veg
Fallafel
Meat balls
Pasta with very thick sauce (I made veg sauce and added beans or chick peas and blended it - added protein and made it very thick and sticky on pasta shapes)
Drop scones - I ued to make these with fruit puree and add Ready Brek to thicken up, and add nutrition.
bread sticks with philly
toast
chunks of cheese
dried apple rings
skinless sausages
little bits of chicken
Soft pears
Oat cakes
Cheese scones
Fish fingers
peas (great for pincer grip)
Raisins
Bits of fish or meat
Cherry toms, grapes - cut in half
Macaroni cheese
Bananas (he learnt to eat one "properly" in it's skin fairly quickly).
Pizza
Pitta bread with stuff in.
Dry cereal (Cheerios are very popular)

I did make a lot of this stuff by hand so I could control the salt in it. And you need to accept the mess!

Where is Aitch? She is the Queen of BLW! in the mean time, I think this is her blog
Blog

TheWicketKeeperIsDown · 09/01/2010 13:52

My DD has mini shredded wheat (the plain ones). It's about the only brekfast cereal other than Ready Brek that doesn't have added salt or sugar. I just put a bit of milk on them for a minute or 2 to soften a bit, but not so that they're disintegrating, then chuck them on the highchair tray and she gets stuck in.

When she was just starting and could only manage very solid things, she managed them really well - now she's come on a bit she an manage to shovel in the disintegrated bits as well. She seems to love them - I can hear her sooking the milk out them before shoving them in her gob

I have heard of people (can't remember if here or on Aitch's site) that have made porridge and let it set in the fridege, then given it to their LO as a slice.

MrsBadger · 09/01/2010 14:25

another vite for mini shredded wheat

AuroraB · 09/01/2010 15:43

thanks ladies, i knew i could rely on you all for some good suggestions and a bit of encouragement. BikeRunSnowflake i shall try each and every one of your suggestions - thanks

OP posts:
IslandIsla · 09/01/2010 19:15

We are doing BLW with DD, 9.5 months. It is just recently that I can give her a loaded spoon and most of it goes in her mouth rather than down her front! A few weeks ago at Christmas I have some very messy porridge photos of her, but yesterday she polished off a portion of porridge and there was not much to clean up!
I would keep trying the porridge once or twice a week or so, to let your baby practise with the spoon, and they will get it eventually!
For breakfast I vary it each day with either a fruit plus cereal (weetabix/oatibix softened with some milk is good when they haven't got pincer grip yet; now LO has pincer grip I give her cheerios - actually supermarket brand which is lower in salt though, shreddies, shredded wheat etc, lots of variety), pancakes/eggy bread/scrambled eggs on toast at the weekend, and a couple of porridge days. Oh I also put a handful of frozen berries and sliced banana in porridge, added nutrition and makes it tasty!
Also remember you've only been at this a few weeks, have patience and faith, DD took 2-3 months to really get the hang of eating. When their pincer grip kicks in things improve as they can pick up smaller things.

accessorizequeen · 09/01/2010 19:28

I think I stuck to toast/bread thingies and fruit for quite a while. There is a recipe for 'solid' porridge (leave it overnight) on aitch's blog, I didn't get on with it but then didn't try more than once! After a while, I think we used mini weetabix, raisin wheats etc (but I did check the packs as some are a lot more loaded in sugar). Potato farls/cakes are quite good, very filling and like bread to eat but the shop bought ones can be pretty salty. Tis hard to avoid having wheat 3x a day without porridge I know. TBH I don't think I've tried it for some time, god knows they make enough mess with normal stuff (15 months, arrrggh, the messiest babies in the kingdom).

There is a point at which you think you're going nowhere and it's v.frustrating but I've done 2 on BLW (twins) and 2 purees, I hit that point with all 4. Visiting the BLW blogs/recipe ideas will help, all sorts of things I hadn't thought of!
So do just keep going and it will click, it certainly did with my two although don't expect him to like being spoon fed - after all you're trying to get him to be independent!

winnybella · 09/01/2010 21:16

I haven't realised your DS wasn't even 7 mo!
In that case, do not despair, it often takes them some time to figure it out!
I would go with different cereal- one he can take in his hand-or just make toast/ eggs/ fruits etc.
I bet you in a month's time he will be much more adept at feeding himself- IIRC it took a couple of months for DD to start eating everything, at 6-7 months she, like your DS, could only eat some stuff, and some (very small, like peas, or slippery) she wouldn't eat at all.
And don't worry, as milk is still most important at this age!

BikeRunSnowflake · 09/01/2010 21:31

Glad to be of help!

mamaduckbone · 10/01/2010 13:38

On a blw website I saw a recipe for porridge pancakes - where you let the porridge set then let them feed themselves with it. Haven't tried it personally but might be worth a go - it seemed to be a popular choice on the website. Can't remember web address but google and ye shall find I'm sure.

AuroraB · 10/01/2010 19:55

thanks all, you really are a huge help, will certianly try out your fantastic ideas and have a look at aitch's blog. sometimes you just need a bit of encourangement and i've certainly got that here - thanks again

OP posts:
mamaduckbone · 10/01/2010 20:16

Aha, it was aitch's site where I saw the porridge pancake idea!

MummyElk · 10/01/2010 20:25

another vote for mini shredded wheat plus DD liked mini weetabix (i'm not so good on checking added sugar/salt sorry ) but warning on the oatibix front, they do seem to fall apart..
eggy bread cut up is also good (bit time consuming)
hang in there with the porridge, we had a fortnight of horror (and fat dog) but she did get it in the end
normal weetabix, break it up slightly, add just enough milk to soften it and then let him go mad (but a) check he gets enough drink after and b) WIPE IT UP ASAP cos it's like concrete on the table about half an hour later)
shreddies are good
fruit sticks to dip in fromage frais/yoghurts
and also, rice krispies, - sounds absurd but DD did v well with these.

Bearing in mind she went through a phase at about 16 months where she ONLY ate with her hands, and i just gave her whatever as per normal - weetabix/porridge included. It was a Testing her Boundaries phase i think but it did pass.
good luck!

accessorizequeen · 11/01/2010 14:02

I find with the weetabix/oatibix is pour some milk on, leave for under a min then pour into another bowl (yours for instance). Much less messy but still soft enough to eat!

frekkles · 11/01/2010 18:53

i had this dilemma too at one point. My ds resolutely refused to be spoon fed porridge for a few weeks and i was getting fed up of making it, chucking it away, clearing it up, making it, chucking it away, clearing it up ad infinitum.. So I got some inspiration from the flapjack recipes on Aitch's site, experimented a bit and made this up. It works brilliantly for us.

Breakfast bars

Ingrediants

5 oz sunflower margarine or butter or whatever you like or have.

3 tbsp apple juice

8 oz porridge oats or baby porridge stuff or what ever you like or have

I(if you're the sort of person who frequents health food shops like i am, you could add in some quinoa flakes too for added protein. Or alternatively you might not be arsed)

8 oz dried fruit. (unsulphured apricots, prunes, dates, whatever you like or have)

maybe some grated carrot or apple

a couple of ripe mashed bananas

I've also chucked in some sunflowers seeds in the past. You probably realise by now that you can stick in anything you fancy really and experiment with quantities tis not rocket science.

Instructions

preheat oven to 180

Melt the butter/margarine over a low heat then pour in the apple juice and mix well.

Add the oats, dried fruit, grated stuff, banana in butter/apple juice mixture.

Blitz it all in food processor or with a hand blender till it's a sticky dough type consistency. Add a bit more juice, or a bit more oats depending on whether it's too thin or too thick.

While the oven is heating, transfer your mixture from the saucepan into a greased shallow baking dish.

Cook for about 15 minutes but check regularly after 10 minutes has passed it goes very quickly from golden brown to burned brown!

Let stand for half an hour or so, the cut them into handy pieces and freeze them wrapped in baking paper.

Take out in the morning, defreeze some how ( i do mine in the toaster!) give to baby and let them munch.

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