BWL Tips/ideas/questions

[intrusion]

I am thinking of trying the BABY LED WEANING approach to feeding DS. So far he loves his RG Rice cereal but is not fussed on Veggies. He is trying to take the spoon off me and putting it in his own mouth. I don't know a great deal about it, I am goggeling and researching it before I start. I noticed in the April thread a few of you girls are also using BLW. I was hoping with this thread we would be able to help each other out with Q's and Tips.
To start off with I am going to look into what veggies to start off with, if anyone has some good websites please post them
Thanks :)

[intrusion]

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/blw/engels.html

This website helps explain BLW

[Ushas]

I just recieved a booklet called 'Baby's First Foods' from Child and Adolescent Health Service, Dept of Health.

Their advice is to start with a tspn of Rice Cereal offered once or twice a day after a full feed. Gradually increase to about 1-2 tablespoons.
Next offer pureed veggies such as Potato - Pumpkin - Carrot - Spinach. Then try pureed cooked fruit like Apple - Pear - Peaches - Apricots. These should be cooked in a bit of water no added sugar or salt, then once tender pureed.
Follow this by other soft fruits like Banana - Avocado. Then finally follow with pureed Meat - Fish - Chicken.

Try each new food on it's own and give each new food a couple of days before trying something new. As bub gets used to solids increase the amount you offer at a feed. By about 8 months bub is trying foods with different textures and small lumps.

They recommend not starting solids too early as it can lead to allergies, obesity etc... And yet again you should definitely have introduced solids by the age of 6 months. But the signs are *being able to sit on your lap and hold head steady *shows interest in food *watches you eating *takes pureed food from spoon without pushing it out with their tongue *milk not satisfying them

However, there are differing opinions about all feeding issues. I have also read that they often push the food out because they are mushing it around their mouths feeling the texture. But having started with my bub I found that you can tell if they want to try it. Initially he put his tongue out straight away and didn't want the spoon in his mouth, now he opens his mouth and often grabs my hand and pushes the spoon in himself, then swishes the food around in his mouth. And yes his tongue does push some out but it's like he's pushing it against his palette and lips to see what it feels like.

Same old story really, trust your instincts...

There's some terrific information in the feeding link on this site too!

[Jaspat24]

Hi i spoke to my CHN today about this topic and she suggested tribalbaby.org as a website to check out. She is also sending me some info.
She basically said to start with the rice cereal 1/2 - 1 teaspoon only then very gradually biuld up. She said to start with the pureed foods then just move straight to family foods made friendly enough for bub.
What Ushas said too.
Also check out kellymom, they have info on solids and the breastfed baby (even if not breastfeeding)

[kezzaskids]

Hi

Im a Nov 08 mum but thought I could reply.
We didnt start DD on purees or rice cereal at all. When she was about 6 months she just started picking the veges off my plate at dinner time and started eating them..... well sucking and guming them :)
we started with broccoli and cauliflower, corn spears, soft pear and bannana. None of this was mashed etc.

There are heaps of BLW threads on here that are really helpful. search for Nomsie as she is the BLW champ!! :yelclap:

[intrusion]

Hi

Im a Nov 08 mum but thought I could reply.
We didnt start DD on purees or rice cereal at all. When she was about 6 months she just started picking the veges off my plate at dinner time and started eating them..... well sucking and guming them :)
we started with broccoli and cauliflower, corn spears, soft pear and bannana. None of this was mashed etc.

There are heaps of BLW threads on here that are really helpful. search for Nomsie as she is the BLW champ!! :yelclap:


Kezza you are welcome to join! I put it in the Apr - jun thread because there was some discussions on it and our bub are all of the same age.

I will look up Nomsie Thank you!

I tried some carrot today and he didn't mind it. I am a little scared though as he choked on a bit and I am not sure whether I cooked it too soft

[Nomsie]

Well, speak of the devil, and she shall pop into your thread! ;) :devil6:

If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer any of them to the best of my ability!

And good on you for looking into BLW! It's an awesome way to get bubs to learn to love good food! :)

[Jaspat24]

Thanks Nomsie! Are you abloe to post up some links to other past threads that we can peruse? No doubt we'll have some Q's for you sometime soon!

[Nomsie]

Sure. I'll do it when the boys go down for their nap- they're just having brekky atm and will be finished soon so I don't have time right now, but it's certainly something I will get onto for you :)

[Nomsie]

BH threads on BLW:

http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=145916

http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=285906

http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=285897

They are just the most recent ones- you can search BH for BLW and see what you come up with. I had a BLW chat going a few months ago that could do with a revival from new BLW mums :)


Websites:

The website by the authors of the book (http://www.baby-led.com/) mentioned below

One of the first sites I found on BLW (http://babyledweaning.com/)

Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning)

Also look at youtube as pltenty of proud parents have posted videos of their kidlets having a go at BLW. I would post a few pics of my guys attacking food with gusto, but I deleted my photobucket account due to privacy issues. :(


Also, this book is the BIBLE on baby-led Weaning- if you have a library that stocks it, get it out for a read. Or even buy it- I borrowed mine from the library but then ended up buying a copy to have on hand:
Baby-Led Weaning by Rapley and Murkett

HTH :)

[kezzaskids]

hmmmm are you stalking me again Noms ;) ..... see girls! I told you she is the queen of BLW :)

[Nomsie]

Hahaha Kezza- nup, I saw a thread about BLW and curiosity got the better of me! :o :laughing: ;)

[Jaspat24]

Ok so i got the info from my CHN and is basically just standard info. It just goes through times of day to introduce solids, how much (ie teaspoons and tablespoons) and then when to introduce other foods. Its a bit of an idiot guide, but will be helpful.
Nomsie: basically the info says to start with pureed/mashed foods then quite quickly progress to finger foods. Is it worth buying the BLW book? or is there enough info on the internet?

[Nomsie]

THe BLW book is awesome! :thumbsup:

With BLW, there is no standard times to introduce set foods- you give bubs what you as a family are having right from the beginning.

There is just so much info in the book, starting at why spoon feeding came about, why it's good to wait til 6 months, and then it goes into step by step about the best way to start doing BLW. It talks about reducing milk feeds as baby gets older, and when to expect them to start eating for hunger instead of exploartion and imitation. I can't recommend it highly enough :)

[KeithCheggers]

Our council had an introduction to solids talk this week (VIC) and it was all BLW focussed. I am so excited. For some reason the thought of pureed everything is less fun to me than seeing them pick up food and explore it. They stated that family foods should be introdued and that it makes bubs feel more included eating the same.

I have a month to go but can't wait to see him picking up veg, fruit, meat... I'll be introducing it slowly and one food at a time but he's sooooo interested in what we are eating it's going to be hard to hold off!!

Thanks for the tips - I'll try and get hold of a copy of the book from the library aswell.

[Jaspat24]

My DH and i eat dinner after 7pm after DS is in bed so obviuosly DS doesn't see us eat together. And for lunches etc, i'm just so used to sneaking lunch in when he's asleep so i get to eat in peace. Ds only really see us (me) eat breakfast and sometimes lunch.
I'll see if i csan find a copy locally and just have a quick read.
Haha...i suppose i could always start eating grilled meat and steamed vegies for lunches etc.

[Jamaica]

I think its great BLW is so popular now. My DH is Jamaican and couldnt understand for the life of him why so many people tend to puree or mush foods for babies. I guess its a cultural thing.
My only fear is she may choke & also she doesnt have the best grip, tends to drop things a lot, does this mean I have to wait?

[Nomsie]

Jamaica- wait until 6 months. Then try her out and see how she goes. Every day she will refine her skills and get better and better at it. It's all about exploration and imitation at this age anyway- she doesn't *really* need food iykwim. So it won't hurt her for you to give her the opportunity to join in on your meals- even at 5 months she can sit in her high chair at the table with a spoon or something and participate :yes:

[Jaspat24]

Hi, just thought i'd bump this thead! and give a quick update on how we're going with BLW.

I give DS some rice cereal with pureed fruit and either water or EBM for breakfast. He loves it! I also sometimes follow that with some baby yoghurt. DH and i encourage DS to grab our hands with the spoon in it and to help direct it to his mouth. With other meals i was giving pureed vegies etc but DS just was not really interested at all. So i just keep the fridge stocked with fresh fruit and veg and just offer all types of food throughout the day. Today i offered steamed and cooled asparagus, broccolini, baby carrots and chip shaped sweet potato. He loved it! he was able to pick it up and chew (gum) the food and learn about how to hold the food. After that DS sucked and gummed some fresh pineapple.
He tried cheese, olives and coleslaw today for the first time!
I didn't buy the book, moneys tight at the moment, but i'm just following DS's lead. Breastmilk is still his main food!

[bella77]

Jas - great to hear that DS loves his finger foods!! Wow - such a variety!!

I have been giving DS finger food with his purees but wonder if I've been confusing 'full' with 'not interested'. He's definitely happier trying to feed himself.

Yesterday I gave him rice pasta spirals, cheese, asparagus spears and pieces of chicken to suck on. 90% ends up on the floor but he's happy! The big hit so far has been lamb cutlets - they have a built in handle. I couldn't get it off DS after he'd finished lunch - I reckon he would have carried that thing around all afternoon. :laughing: Might have to see about that BLW book or see if the library has it... We'll try more vegies today and see how he goes.

[Sheer Bliss]

We have started!! A little over 5months, but DS has been showing so much interest and grabbing at tim tams that i thought we'd give it a little go. Still a bit soon I think, as once he is left to his own devices he is a bit hesitant. But a nice ripe banana cut into strips was grabbed, squashed and a little in his mouth! Then a piece of watermelon the other day (it was a lovely warm day, so a great hydration food. Still waiting with DD, she isn't showing as much of the signs, and she is so tiny!!

[lozie2]

I am wanting to do this, Cassie has slept through the night from 6 weeks of age.. that is until last week when she has been waking twice a night, not that im complaining but that bad for us!

Is 5 months too early? i did try her on rice cereal she just spat it back at me, so im not sure if shes ready! she is watching me eat, waking at night. We are both sick! and i know that could be a reason for her waking but she has been sick and slept thought before!

What do you start bubs on?? im going to see the health nurse tomorrow might talk to her about it! going to see a new one!

Also that book is on ebay, from the uk but its $10 cheaper to buy that way than from the book shop! its $30 in the shop or $20 off ebay

[Herchy]

Hi there!
I just started Baby led solids (weaning) yesterday. We have started with watermelon because it's not quite as solid as other fruits and ve. We will then try broccoli and go from there.
I am not using farex/rice cereal or ANY purees at all. That's the point of BLS.
Anyway, so far so good. DD gummed the watermelon and sucked abunch of juice out and had a good play. Food is fun for now and she's enjoyed her first ever play with food.
Cut everything into nice grip sized strips and let them go for it!
I am hoping that following this method with solids will make DD much less fussy than her brother who I started on farex and moved to purees with. I figure why not try something else and if it works - great. If not, well we haven't lost anything.
BLS is MUCH easier than pureeing ;) I'm so lazy it suits me perfectly.

Look forward to seeing how you all go.

[Jaspat24]

so i just spoke to a CHN (different one than my normal) and told her that DS isn't interested in pureed or mashed vegies but loves finger food of chunks of steamed veg and fruits etc an that he wants to eat whatever i'm eating.
She was a bit shocked when i said he'll 'gum' and swallow bits of food this way, but spits out the lumpy bits in the mashed food i give him. She said to make sure he gets the equivalent volume of a small jar of baby food.
I know DS doesn't actually swallow this much; is this a problem?
Are CHNs against BLS/BLW?

[Herchy]

Jaspat - as long as your little one is still getting plenty of milk, they really don't need much food.
Food is fun until they are one.
Milk is a babies main source of nutrition.
Are you breastfeeding or formula feeding?
I have read that up until recently it was thought Breastmilk didn't have enough iron for a 6month old plus, but now they believe it's just fine.

Sorry my reply is really rushed as I'm on my way out, but I can come back and post some good sites for you to look at if you like.

[lozie2]

cassie had watermelon today, she loved it! sucked all the juice out and checked the rest! was so great to watch! im stopping the rice cereal, i didn't really want to give it to her anyways, she hates it! doesn't swallow any!

[Jaspat24]

Jaspat - as long as your little one is still getting plenty of milk, they really don't need much food.
Food is fun until they are one.
Milk is a babies main source of nutrition.
Are you breastfeeding or formula feeding?
I have read that up until recently it was thought Breastmilk didn't have enough iron for a 6month old plus, but now they believe it's just fine.

Sorry my reply is really rushed as I'm on my way out, but I can come back and post some good sites for you to look at if you like.

Hi thanks Herchy. I'm breastfeeding and DS has only dropped a night feed since solids. Milk is still his main food. The CHN is spoke to today said he needed to start solids cos iron in breastmilk starts to drop off around 7 months.
I spoke to DH tonight about it all and we agreed that we'll just do what we want and DH and I feel that feeding DS by the BLW/BLS theory just fits for us. DS is sleeping well enough during the day and at night and appears hydrated enough. Just to make sure though i went to a friends house this afternoon (from 4pm) and tried to feed DS some pureed vegies -he wasn't having a bar of it! But then i gave him some steamed pieces of vegies and he tried them. He also had some pineapple, watermelon and mandarin. I noticed when he changed to eating it to just playing with it so then i cleaned up, he had another breastfeed and was happy!
Lozie: watermeon is a good food for them cos they can hold chunks and drink the juice. Try some pineapple! I still give DS rice cereal with either fruit or breastmilk and he loves it!

[lozie2]

i went to my new MCHN today, she seems great! very happy i changed!
i told her my plans for feeding she suggested to giver her puree for the next month as she is too young for finger food, so im steaming up some carrot i have some in finger food size which i will offer as well as a spoon on puree!
How is every1 else going?

[Jaspat24]

i went to my new MCHN today, she seems great! very happy i changed!
i told her my plans for feeding she suggested to giver her puree for the next month as she is too young for finger food, so im steaming up some carrot i have some in finger food size which i will offer as well as a spoon on puree!
How is every1 else going?

Hi Lozie2: my CHN kinda said the same thing about giving puree. her rationale was to make sire that DS gets enough food...but he won't eat pureed vegies now. He'll eat rice cereal, pureed fruit and yoghurt but thats about it of the sloppy stuff. I want him to eat his vegies and not just sweet stuff. I gave DS some carrot, pumpkin, potato, asparagus and broccoli today; he had so much fun! I'm going to give him some mince tonight for the 1st time! not quite sure how to give it though...it might end up on a spoon but it will be given at his pace!
Also just to prove that particular CHN wrong, S has done 4 poos today :p so he must be getting what he needs!

[lozie2]

omg i just realized i said i was going to give cassie a spoon as puree!! lol idiot! i meant puree on a spoon!

Whats the best food to start with that i can do as puree and finger food

[Jaspat24]

Lozie2: my DS loves pumpkin so maybe try that?

[Jaspat24]

so DS likes mince and also steak! i have a cute pic of DS chewing on a bit of steak tonight! BLW is really working out for us...we're all happy. I'm just a bit worried about doing BLW at others houses due to the messiness factor at the moment. I have a small portable highchair (fisherprice) that i can take with me...what do you think? DH thinks i should take that and a small mat to go underneath to catch everything. Is anyone else having the mess factor?

[Opinionated]

Hi

Im a Nov 08 mum but thought I could reply.
We didnt start DD on purees or rice cereal at all. When she was about 6 months she just started picking the veges off my plate at dinner time and started eating them..... well sucking and guming them :)
we started with broccoli and cauliflower, corn spears, soft pear and bannana. None of this was mashed etc.

There are heaps of BLW threads on here that are really helpful. search for Nomsie as she is the BLW champ!! :yelclap:

Same, this is what we did with our second child. No purees or mashes (unless we were having mash), just straight onto family food that was age appropriate. My blw baby is now a toddler and is the best eater of any of the kids in the family. I highly recommend this way of introducing solids. As an added bonus, you can put their dinner on their high chair tray and eat yours.

I actually love the mess factor. You should see spag bol. It looks like a massacre, but it is the current favorite. Just put one of those plastic tablecloths under the high chair and go for it. My highchair cover goes in the machine and I put the highchair itself in the shower to clean it. I have been known to boost the heating and strip the kids for meals. :)

[Jaspat24]

I actually love the mess factor. You should see spag bol. It looks like a massacre, but it is the current favorite. Just put one of those plastic tablecloths under the high chair and go for it. My highchair cover goes in the machine and I put the highchair itself in the shower to clean it. I have been known to boost the heating and strip the kids for meals. :)

I'll get one of those tablecloths today. :laughing: Love the heating thing. i can be a bit of a neat freak sometimes so mess scares me...but i'm slowly relaxing and getting used to it. It helps that we have an inside dog (maltese x) who can help to clean up some of the mess for me :laughing:

What do you do when you go out and the BLW children make a huge mess?