***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 ?

Cies, that's one to remember!

DS had a hungry day yesterday - for lunch he had 2 carrot sticks, 2 pieces of cauliflower, some aubergine, a potato, a sweet potato falafel, some melon and several spoons of Greek yoghurt. Considering we've only been going a fortnight that wasn't bad.

He made a spirited attempt at a whole plum today: very entertaining watching him chase it around his tray. He has got much better at picking things like that up already.

Does anyone else find it a struggle to make the time for cooking and then eating with their DC? I suspect I've been spoilt since we are only just finishing a freezer full of dinners that DH made whilst on paternity leave, so I've had 6 months of without having to do any proper cooking.

I don't think BLW is any more labour intensive than doing purees, but by the time I've got DS to sleep for naps/bedtime and done meals, that's the day pretty much gone.

Great start moonfacemama.

we tried the polenta recipe from a few pages back (think it was from hendo) and that was a big hit. It was quite speedy to make and made a nice change from bread/rice cakes.

MoonFaceMama - certainly sounds to me like he's ready!

My DS loves cucumber too. He's progressed to eating it in a 'look, no hands' style. It's quite impressive, but means that the first piece of food rather gets in the way of the next piece he tries to stuff in.

Thanks Ruby. Am going back to work when DD is about 9.5mo so just trying to get an idea what she might be doing food wise by then.

AngelDog it is hard to fit everything in, especially when they don't nap for long periods or without assistance. I have taken to preparing as much as I can the night before (just made samosas for lunch tomorrow). Means I don't get to sit down til about 9pm but nevermind. My DH is away this week so it is especially draining.

For those of you whose LO's have teeth, did you have more gagging incidents? DD has a tendency to be a bit enthusiastic and I am worried that, when her teeth finally make an appearance, she will take a massive bite and gag.

Hi,

Do you mind if I join you. I started weaning DD on purees, but I think we have actually moved more on to BLW as she loves feeding herself. Today she has had toast fingers, cucumber sticks (home grown!) and banana. She just doesn't want purees, and I don't want to give her something she isn't happy with, particularly when she is doing so well at feeding herself. She's nearly 7 months old, and her first tooth is now coming through. She also loves sucking the juice out of satsumas, though she only had a couple of segments.

I am running out of ideas though of what to give her so wondered if anyone had any top tips/ideas that I could use!

Hi all, have been on holiday so haven't posted since my first post. DS now 6 months, 3 weeks. Have had a great holiday of trying out all sorts of food. Porridge pancakes with various different fruit toppings; rice cakes a big hit again lots of different toppings and roasted veg going down well (no surprise here as I'm a massive fan of roast veg myself!). Tried some trout mashed with sweet potato on rice cakes which he LOVED too.

Can I ask about water please? I'm really struggling to get DS to have any at all. He gets excited when the TT cup comes out, bashes it around himself and tries to get the spout in his mouth. When I help him and tip up the cup and water comes out he immediately spits it out and looks quite shocked. I thought he'd eventually get the hang of it but have now been doing it for 4 weeks and he's still the same. Am getting concerned that he's not having any water at all (and am only BF-ing one feed a day now so I'm sure he needs more now right?). What did people do to get their DC to drink water and how much should he be having at this point given BLW?

hi SaintAva - if you go to page 23 (if you have it disply by pages of 25 posts) then second from bottom is a huge list of most stuff mentioned on this thread up to that point which might help you and give you some ideas? There are some links there to a website with lots of nice recipes and a book that some people have recommended.

PDog - DD has two bottom teeth and more coming through as we speak! I also was paranoid about her biting stuff off with her teeth, and she does sometimes do that, but either she then chews or spits it out. I've actually found more gagging now her top teeth are coming through as she bites harder on food (like they do on toys/anything when teething) and is doing it to ease her gums rather than eat I think, so then she chokes as she has unexpected stuff in her mouth!

RTL - I hold the bottom of the cup and tilt it very slightly - either DD spits the water out (like rinsing out her mouth!) or drinks a couple of mouthfuls each meal. Some days she'll have more and some days she does nothing but spit it out! I don't think it matters too much how much they have as long as they are having their milk. I've very recently stopped bf completely so always carry the TT cup with water with me when out to offer but not sure she's really bothered! I guess if you want him to have some more water then you could always give a bit to him in a bottle and maybe he'd get used to taste and then be more receptive to cup if you wanted to try that?

Londonlottie - Oh poor you, sounds like a lot of things have come all at once, and everything seems worse when you're tired. I had to give up BF at 3 weeks and felt terribly guilty about it even though I had no choice - perhaps that is bothering you? I can see now that it was for the best and DD is thriving, and knew at the time that it was the best way forward, but emotionally it's hard to change to bottle feeding. Don't beat yourself up, there's nothing wrong with bottle feeding. Are your twins putting on weight and generally happy? If so, I wouldn't worry personally, but if you're concerned why not chat to your HV?

My DD isn't sleeping well either (6.5mo) and there has been no change to her routine except for the intorduction of solids so it may be nothing to do with your hols or the change to the bottle. I have days too when it all seems too much and I struggle just to fit in feeds and solids. The house is a tip, I forget things all of the time and I'm not the picture of elegance these days but I think that's just normal.

Sorry I haven't got any practical advice, but I just wanted to give you a virtual hug and say its ok.

Crikeybadger thanks, will try polenta as we love it any way but haven't had it in ages. Great Idea!

angeldog I can sympathise with your ds, I too find I sometimes can't get the stuff in fast enough! Oh for a second mouth!

Gave DS a finger of toast this morning which he sucked with a big grin! AM just awaiting our first gag and the inevitable test of my nerve this will bring!

Hendo thaank you for the list on pg23 and links, and also for sharing your doidy cup experiences above. I've ordered one but am not sure how it will work out (though can see the long term bennefits)

ANd can I just compiment you all on what has to be the most organised thread in the whole of MN

LondonLottie I'm afraid I have no advice either but just want to empathise with the lack of support. My MIL is pretty convinced thatBLW is lethal a bad idea. I think because she has only know purees before and had had incidents of gaging even then. I've tried to explain how BLW helps babies learn how to handle their food so they get over gagging sooner that puree babies etc etc but she's not having it.

It can be really dispiriting can't it.

Just try and remember that you are BLWing for very sound reasons. And the evidence will soon be apparent (like my friends little BLWed girl eating individual baked beans last week...what a pincer grip!

ALso I think you are inspirational BFing twins!

Also I just wondered...did any body else feel slightly sad at starting weaning? I even shed a tear last night!

I mean, I am very excitied...I Love food so am excited about s discovering this world of wonder! But...it is another stage of his life passing by...It all just seems so fast...(tbh i thought this within hours of his birth, when he was no longer a cone head, so please do tell me to shut up if I am just being overly sentimental and very pfb!).

Right, will leave you all alone now [three posts in a row feeling like a stalker emoticon]

i am so glad you trusted your instincts MoonFaceMama and it went well. there's no stopping you now. when i panic about the gagging i just think about how it would feel if i stuck my fingers down my throat (not something i do, but helps me to visualise how she is feeling). best advice is not to intervene as it just makes them panic. my DD even tries to put other stuff in her mouth whilst clearly gagging!

LondonLottie i would say that if your twins are refusing feeds they must be getting enough. i can only imagine how hard work twins must be, but stick with BLW you will appreciate the benefits later on.

bobby99 my house is also a disaster zone. i manage to make food ok during the day, but washing up piles up for whole day and eventually gets done about 10pm. DD acts as my hoover, picking up the tiniest thing from the floor!!!

Anyone have any advice for snacks on the go? Nothing too messy please.

Londonlottie sorry I have no practical advice but just wanted to give you some encouragement. It is crap when people question your methods. Just thought - could they be teething? My DD has been having symptoms for months but only now are her teeth starting to cut through. She has gone through phases of being off her milk and food and not sleeping. According to some wise women on here, all the movement the happens before the teeth actually come through can be the worst bit.

MoonFaceMama yes I know what you mean, I was sad when I had to stop buying new born nappies . And although I love watching her eat, weaning is hard work (however you do it) and I sometimes yearn for the days when all she had was milk and the only planning I had to do was making sure I had enough boob accessible tops to last the week.

YummyMummy snacks - not sure, we aren't there yet but perhaps rice cakes, bananas, cheese scones, sticks of cheese, cheese straws, satsumas

LondonLottie I'm afraid I have no advice about the bottles, but I suppose that if your dds are happy and growing and weeing and pooing then they are getting enough.

snacks on the go I have to say that I will often spoonfeed a yogurt if we're out and about. Rice cakes are good, as are muffins or scones made with different things. My main problem while out is the lack of a splashmat, meaning that I'm constantly hovering around ds's hands in an attempt to catch things before they hit the dirty floor.

*Londonlottie - sorry no advice to give you but just wanted to say you're doing great. Ignore those who question your methods - the best way to wean your DTs is what you feel is best .

Moonfacemama - yes I feel a bit sad about weaning too as its meaning the milk feed chapter is coming to an end. Am viewing it as the start of a new one.

Totally agree angeldog re amount of time. DH works from home so helps with meals and despite only giving DS breakfast and lunch at the moment, still feels like the whole day is spent feeding, preparing food or clearing it up. DS not really dropping milk feeds yet.

Bobby99- relieved to hear your DD not sleeping well either. Think it might be teeth here - night feeds have restarted (despite dream feed) although only 1 so not too bad. Sleep for the last 2 weeks has been rubbish - if I've had a good night either DS or DH has disturbed me grrrr.

Eggy bread and fried apples a great success this am. Lunch went well until DS decided to add peach to a large piece of pork and some cucumber. Cue proper choking but quickly dealt with. Hopefully he's learnt not to shove so much in at once!

Baby ages update

Angeldog DS 6 mo
Ruby DS 9 mo
Cies DS 7.5 mo
PDog DD 7 mo
Hendo77 DD 7 mo
Devotion DD 5.5 mo
Mini Kent DS 6.5 mo
Fibilou DD 23 weeks
Yummymummy DD 7.5 mo
Jemjabella DD 8 mo
Bobby99 DD 6.5 mo
Moonfacemama DS 5.5 mo
Londonlottie DT (dd) 7 mo
Readingtealeaves DS 6.5 mo
Ruddynorah DS 8 mo

Moonfacemama - my MIL was also very skeptical of this approach until she saw DS spend a good 20 mins sucking a piece of pork she cooked then she was over the moon (she is Malaysian chinese so eating is a big deal)!! That might convince yours. At the end of the day what works is what's best for you and your DS . Don't worry about the gag thing - its their protective reflex kicking in. DS gags on his own fingers sometimes

re: gagging - DS has four teeth and frequently gags with watering eyes but this does not seem to bother him. he also does not seem sophisticated enough to actually USE the teeth he has! I can't wait till he has molars as all this work on his skills will mean he will literally be able to eat ANYTHING!

He is currently sucking the cream of his antilop tray and banging it with his hand - i am getting splattered with cream! He also bizarrely goes back to soggy cold bits of maincourse after pudding - yuk!

For those with doubts / annoyingly persistent relations who just don't get it, persevere - trust that your baby knows when he/she is hungry! Providing weight is ok, look healthy, weeing lots, pooing too, then your baby has (mostly) full ownership of a completely new process for him/her and this is a good thing!

My DS not sleeping well. Going to sleep has turned into a battle it seems and I am getting increasingly frustrated - as is he . I fear the overtired trap!

ideas for snacks - fruit and cheese straws go down well over here!

oh and all those with babies stuffing too much food in - DS went through this too - he eventually realised it was perhaps not such a good idea !

He has also taken to throwing things off his tray again cheeky monkey!

thanks for all the suggestions on snacks. i took out rice cakes and a tangerine this afternoon. DD seemed confused that there was no topping on rice cake and puzzled as to why i was hovering around her trying to catch any dropped pieces.
i totally empathise with the difficulties getting to sleep - took 3 hours last night, already have 2 bottom teeth so maybe some top ones coming in?

LondonLottie - welcome back and lovely to hear from you again! I did exactly the same and stopped bf at 6 months, tapering off until completely ff at 7 months. DD rarely drinks much milk during the day on most days - I think that it is partly the heat and weather (that and she still feeds twice at night between 7 and 7 - mostly because she usually point blank refuses a bottle before bedtime!). I've never really done a routine (although tried many times in the early days) and so we tend to eat/drink whenever and wherever seems best on that day. But DD really is the happiest little thing and very sociable, wees and poos so I assume she must be fine. I tend to have a bottle on the go at all times and offer if regularly just in case she wants some. I am learning when she tends to want milk as we go along.

Snacks - rice cakes, polenta fingers, cucumber, crusty bread or a big tupperware box full of fruit (kiwi, strawberries, melon etc...). I have a big box of fruit salad else I want to eat it all!!! I would also say the flavoured rice cakes are good for snacks without toppings.

I definitely cried when starting weaning as it meant she was growing up! Then again I also cried when I started ff, stopped bf completely etc... funnily enough though I haven't had any problems leaving her to go back to work!!!

Thank you for the encouraging words everyone!

Ds had a bit of a gag tonight but didn't bother him...he was straight back to the carrot and courgette! At least feel like I know what to expect now!

LondonLottie you have my every sympathy, i can't believe how interfering some people can be.... How would your FIL feel if you cut up his food for him at the dinner table?