***Just about to start Baby-led Weaning*** Join Me to share experiences !!

[FluffyFrog]

I have a 20 week old and am planning on starting BLW around the end of May ish. Have been reading the Gill Rapley Book but would be great to get some ideas from others and share a few experiences. We will probably start in the next 4-6 weeks. Is there anyone else around starting at the same time that wants to join me on this thread ?

I give ds water from an open cup with meals. It sits on the table out of his reach and when he's not clutching any food I offer it to him. He's so funny as he lunges towards the cup and drinks as if he's been doing it his whole life. I only give him a couple of sips though. He's bf on demand otherwise.

I'm sure I've read that the sooner they get used to drinking from a cup the better.

On Sunday we spent the day at IL's (DH's parents and 4 siblings plus partners plus kids). Everyone wanted to see ds eating, and so offered him: gazpacho (sucked off bread), a spare rib (I removed it because it was very salty), beetroot, ice-cream (he loved this , mashed banana (SIL wanted to spoonfeed him, I couldn't be bothered to object, ds just lunged at the spoon anyway) and some orange segments. However I think what he liked the most was eating grass

This morning I had oatibix for breakfast, and gave him a couple of spoonfulls. DS wasn't that keen. Maybe tomorrow I'll mix in some pear or something. I have to say it's not my favourite cereal either (far too bland).

hi everyone, great to read all the stories .

as far as choking goes, i'm pretty sure the Rapley says not to pat them on the back. if they are gagging and coughing they should ideally be leaning forward so it just falls out, so perhaps calmly lean them forward - the gagging and coughing is their body's way of dealing with it, and it teaches them not to pile too much in - its actually part of them learning to eat safely as i understand it. I think the antilop is great for this as he HAS to sit right up. If they are actually choking, as in properly silent - looking pretty alarmed themselves i imagine - then the deal is you get them out. Hold them over your knee, head lower than body, hold their chin firmly, and slap their back 5 times, pretty firmly.

this explains it much better

I also give DS unlimited water in a tommee tippee cup and sometimes an open one. he particularly likes dropping it/banging it etc. he drinks it himself as and when he wants (but he is a bit of a fickle feeder - we have a night feeder over here (EBF)), so i have to offer it during the day. sometimes he sips it, sometimes he drink loads and seems genuinely thirsty. I'm pretty sure breastmilk is supposed to provide all water needs (not 100% on that one) but i offer it at all meals and throughout the day. the water helps wash the food down i think too, so he gets the idea to swallow. i think he is getting the idea as he ate 3/4 of a peach today without the water. i started fishing about for the skin, as sometimes it is left hanging about in his mouth and there wasn't any woo hoo he ate the lot!

he hasn't had constipation but he has had some almighty farts and a couple of tummy aches i think. the difficulty is i have no idea what it is as he will eat most things!

with the water issue, i have taken it as 'baby-led' so if he wants the water, he can have the water.

no idea if that is right but it seems to work over here!

Ruby - did it take your DS a while to get the hang of drinking water from the Tommee Tippee cup?

We are about to start BLW in a couple of weeks and my DD has been happily in the highchair for a few days now watching us and playing with some food. She has a TT Easy Drink cup with water in it which I have on the tray and have offered to her. She is also EBF. She hasn't got the hang of sucking on the cup nozzle to get water. Not helped by the fact that her teething gums are sore so she is enjoying rubbing her gums on the rubber top instead! Am sure she'll get it eventually, just wondered how you got on with your DS.

Back again! Sorry to hear other babies suffering with lack of bowel movements. DD2 is still a once-a-week girl, despite me going to docs and him putting her on lactulose twice a day. She gets a drink of water or diluted prune juice after every meal too (otherwise EBF).

We were at clinic today and have found out that her weight gain has been static for the past month so HV suggested that she is just needing more food and absorbing most of what she is eating at the moment. The sore tummies have eased this week though. I've to accelerate her from one meal a day to 3, including fried foods and protein where possible and go back in a fortnight to check her weight gain. I'm afraid of being pressurised into spoonfeeding to solve this issue if it hasn't resolved by then . DD2 is an allergicky baby to we've to introduce foods carefully and in a controlled way to work out if she is sensitive to them. I already have my doubts about peppers. I think I'll try to stick to the order of foods suggested in the usual weaning books. It's a shame - it kind of takes the spontaneity out of things.

Re. Organix rice cakes - DD2 had a whole one in her mouth today - I wasn't really sure how to deal with that! She couldn't get it out with her fingers and she couldn't break it down with her gums, so in the end I hoked it out for her and she was able to chew on the bit remaining.

She started off BLW biting pieces of food off and swallowing but seems to have regressed somewhat into sucking fingers of veg. SOmetimes whole sticks will disappear in there only to peep out occasionally. The new thing is to try to fit in as many as possible at one time before gagging

Hello, I've been lurking - DS is coming up to 5 months and I'm hoping to start BLW in a month's time, so I'm reading around at the moment.

Those of you who were talking about poo problems - a friend of mine's DS also had bad problems with abdominal pain/wind once he started solids, but he's fed on purees only, so it could be a solids rather than a BLW thing. His was bad enough to wake him up at night crying - massaging his tummy helped, I think.

HTH

hi klerka, a few weeks iirc - he kept crying - really crying, the first few times as i think he was banging his sore gums on it (at the time i was completely confused as to why he kept crying). but i just offered it every single time and with so much practice he got the hang of it. at first it was tiny sips but now he'll glug a load. i'm not measuring (being of the non measuring ice cube tray type mum ) as i am trusting he is taking what he needs. i put alot in at first as he didn't realise he had to tip it so it needed to be full. and i guided his hands to hold it and tipped it a little at first so he could get the idea - i tried to leave him to it asap though. we have been doing this everyday since easter weekend, three or more times a day so that is a lot of practice!

i wouldn't say he drank enough if that was his only liquid but he is bfing too and looking like a pretty happy chappy so i am happy with how it is going.

just had a look at earlier posts and there is one where i say he didn't even touch the water so it was clearly hit and miss. sometimes he is more interested in the sounds the cup/fork/spoon makes or chewing the fork for his gums than any food i put out for him.

no pressure though, very tempting to want to get food/water in him but it just doesn't work. in fact, he eats/drinks better when i am pretending not to look!!!

Thanks for that Ruby. Am sure DD will get the hang of it... I have given her water from my glass and she seems to like it. It's just getting her to realise that she has to suck to get the water... we gave her a bottle of expressed bm once when she was tiny but that's the only time... more recently when we tried her she wouldn't take it. I know she's getting all she needs from me right now so I will continue to do the same and with practice she'll get it!

Ruby - with the cup, do you have a free flowing one? I have the same cup as Klerka I think, and today took it with water when we went to the park, but took out the valve so the water would come out freely. Also ex bf so not too worried at moment that she mostly uses it to rub against her gums rather than drink from it, but would like her to drink from it eventually!!!

Starting on Saturday v excited now...

hi all, just catching up and wanted to say how much we are enjoying BLW over here. DD is actually chewing everything now and seems to cope with most things which i am really proud of. Gagging has become a lot rarer although typically always whilst we are in a public place or when MIL is here.

We give lots of water, especially in this weather. Don't forget to show your LO what to do by mimicking the sipping from your own cup and perhaps lifting it for them just enough to get something out of it. I read somehwere it is best to introduce the cup as soon as poss (even as early as 4/5mths) so they get used to is.

Good luck to all the newbies, it really is a lot of messy but rewarding fun!

Oh, and omeletes another good one!

i think so - if you turn it upside down it comes out the little holes. i think he can suck it to increase the flow though. there is no valve as i tried myself to drink from one of those and it was hard work, so i went for the basic tommee tippee one.

it looks like this and no water comes out if you bend the spout down.

actually this is it, but blue

Thanks Ruby - I've got one with a valve, but will stick to taking it out when using it then. She also won't take a bottle, so trying to introduce doidy cup as well.. wondering if maybe I should stick to one at a time!

hi hendo, i reckon variety is good actually. then if you are stuck without one of them, it won't be a big panic because you don't have the right cup or whatever. learning to drink from a number of different vessels can only be a good thing imho.

Cies that's amazing your DS can drink from a cup! My DS can drink from the TT beaker he grabs it but need sit tilted up don't think he's worked that out yet! Am hoping that if I keep offering it to him he'll work it out. He seems to be getting better at it each day.

When I said drink from a cup I meant with me holding the bottom and tilting it! He's not quite such a genius as to do it himself yet

I've bought a Dr Browns sippy cup as well, for out and about. Will see how he gets on with that.

Big hit today - MANGO. I gave him a thick slice with the skin on, and he devoured the lot. Chewing action too, not just sucking. The grin on hos face was hilarious.

hi all! going great guns here. ds tucked into dd's birthday tea at the soft play gym at the weekend. all the other 4 year olds (and their mums ) found it hilarious. he wolfed down a tuna sandwich, a cheese sandwich, a quaver (yeh so shoot me!), a cucumber stick and a peach (that i took with me in case all the food was far too vile for him).

as far as water goes i just offer him a sip now and again with his meals. we use a doidy cup, mainly so i can see the water level as i hold the cup for him. next week i'll probably let him looses with it. you need two cups really. one with water in it and then a doidy cup that you'd transfer water into just a mouthful amount at a time.

i just love how skilled he is at handling the food already, both with his hands and with his mouth. he works fruit so well and then just spits the skin out. he doesn't even gag much at all. i seem to remember dd gagged a lot more.

on the poo front.. we are seeing rather more form to his poos. not solid by any means, but very different to his normal bf baby poos. they are no longer runny at all. they're more like mashed potato if i dare say so!

ruddynorah - out of interest how long have you been doing it for?

Hi everyone, just thought I'd post as I've just had a bit of a scare - as someone else said; DO check your baby's mouth after eating.

DS only ate a little bit of breakfast, was fussing a lot, and I assumed he just wasn't that hungry; put him down for a nap and he woke 30mins in, crying. Went up to check him and he seemed ok but was swallowing a lot - checked his mouth and there was a big bit of pear skin stuck in there

It could have been v dangerous and I am very ashamed of myself. I do usually remember to check him. He must have not wanted to eat much breakfast because it was stuck there, poor baby

Hi all
mistressploppy that sounds scary, glad he was ok... I find the skin still really freaks me out, DD will suck it until all the fruit is off and spit it out but it does make me a bit nervous when its just the skin left as it seems like it could easily get stuck...
Thanks for all the info on water! I think we will start having little sips form the doidy cup with dinner to try and get her used to using that
Otherwise all still going well here, DD getting better every day at moving food around and chewing and she now searches her tray for the bits she wants which is so cute to watch!
Casseroles were a big hit and fishcakes and she LOVES spaghetti..got some classic pics of her with half a ton of it hanging out of her mouth!

BLWs please can you fill in my weaning survey (Media Requests)???

Would be really pleased to hear your views and about the advice and information you have found useful in your quest to work out how best to wean!

thanks so much. We have had 300 responses in the first 24 hours. Hope you can help too.

AM

hendo77 3 weeks

Thanks ruddynorah. We are starting on Saturday, so going to buy some food today - I will probably end up buying and cooking far too much so must try to be sensible!
I am very excited and nervous at the same time!!!

misstressploppy I had the same thing with a bit of baby cereal bar the other day, I tried to put his dummy in to stop him fussing and he went mad and opened his mouth as if to say duh! mum!

I have noticed if he has a bit of foosd in his mouth that he is having trouble with he dribbles loads.