BLW - when to introduce fish/meat etc?

[mamasunshine]

Hi, DS is 29 wks old. We've been BLW, was a bit scary at 1st with lots of gagging, being sick etc...but I've stuck with it and he's really getting to grips with it now

So far he's tried various fruits, vegetables, porridge, toast and yogurt. I've been cooking everything (that needs it) till it's very soft for him. Basically I don't know where to go from here? Do I just start to give him chunks of fish and meat???

Should he be on 3 meals a day by now? If you're having something like fish pie as a family do I just give him a portion to scoop up? Or do I just stick to simple foods for a while longer? Thanks

Do I need to be making sure he's having enough protein/carbs/fat with each meal yet? He's bf on demand. Sorry I only weaned DS1 16months ago and can't remember a thing!! Although did spoon feeding and he ate A LOT very quickly?

Yes you can give him fish and meat if you like! It's just a case of making it easy for him to hold and eat. Some stuff I found worked for us at this sort of age were meatballs, big chunks of (well-filleted!) fish and soft lumps of stewed meat.

Yes no reason why you couldn't plonk a plate of fish pie in front of him and see what he makes of it. Babies at this age are amazingly adventurous about different tastes and combinations, it doesn't have to be bland at all (although it does have to be salt free though).

There's nothing to stop you offering him 3 meals a day if you want to, but if he is BF on demand you don't really need to worry about how much solid food he is getting, the amount will creep up over time at his own pace. Similarly, if you offer him a reasonable balance of protein, carbs etc he will eat what he needs when he needs it. Research done with babies and toddlers in the 1930s showed that given a wide choice of foods, small children naturally selected a balanced diet - although not necessarily in the same meal, the balance shows up over one or two weeks.