View Full Version : Another BLW thread (sorry) need advice please please:)
I have the Gill Rapley book you guys told me to get (not finished) It really does assure me with a few fears I have but am wondering what you guys think?
DD has been on solids since 3/4 months old well purees anyway she is now 7 months and I do the BLW with half and feed her puree with half of what I've cooked because as you know half ends up in her hair and on the floor so I feed her half and let her eat half so she actually gets some food into her belly..................sooooo
My first question is - IS this confusing her? Can you do a mix of puree or just go straight to BLW (haven't read all Gills book yet)
Have your babies ever choked doing BLW?
When I give DD a piece of rock melon or piece of toast I hover over her like a frigin psychopath mother as I am scared she will bite a massive piece off and choke. (I know Gill says it is very rare for a baby to choke I just want to hear from you)
Oh and can someone please give me a few of your food ideas? Do you steam everything? Or can you give some things as is e.g. Apple. Pear I am currently steaming everything. I give her toast with avocado but this scares the crap out of me. Is toast even OK?
She is so not phased by all this she absolutely loves it im the one with the sweats. First bub so am a bit nervous still.
Thanks ladies:highfive:
Rose&Aurelia
16-03-2012, 14:52
IMO ditch the purees and let her feed herself. BLW is definitely about mess and more on the floor than in the mouth in the first few months. We started solids at 6.5mths with my DD and whilst I did BLW I kinda didnt follow any food pattern just popped her in the high chair next to me when I ate and gave her some of my food. In fact her first solid food was a garlic prawn.
Choking is different to gagging. Gagging is what bubs do when they work out how far to shove things down their throats. My DD has never never choked and I have given her some bizarre foods over time.
Now at 18mths we can eat the same food (hers might be a little less chilli hot than mine) at the same time with no feeding involved..
Remember food is fun till 1 so keep the same BM/formula as before solids and let them play with it. You want you baby to become familiar with textures, colours and get used to picking up food.
There was a phase my bub went through where corn kernels, green peas and chickpeas were her favourites cos she could pick them up individually.
Have fun! its a great time to explore for both of you. and toast is fine!!
jacobsmamma
16-03-2012, 15:04
I do a mix of BLW and purée with DS (since 6 months). I really can't think of anything I avoid giving him. He is 10 months now but since introducing solids at 6 months he has anything that's going really. Raw watermelon, apple, pear, banana, orange, plum, nectarine, peach. Raw carrot, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, capsicum. Every cooked veggie we have. Chunks of cooked meat/chicken/fish. He loves toast or sandwiches. I try not to give anything too processed but he has tried sausage, cheese, cake, biscuits.
This is coming from a mamma who purely fed purées with DS1 :) so I completely understand the paranoia with choking etc. I had not even heard of BLW with DS1. I choose to feed purées also because as u mentioned most of it ends up in hair, floor, clothes etc. but he does still manage to consume quite a bit. If its something he can manage quite well (like fish and steamed veg) he won't have purée at all. But something like a stir fry he will have purée.
So when you guys cook "your" food do you just leave sauces or salts out? (Then add later) babies are not allowed sodium? Is that correct?
missie_mack
16-03-2012, 15:23
Dd has been doing BLW since starting solids. She is 8 months now and has been eating foods like pear and apple fresh and sliced, not peeled for a few months. No choking, just gagging. She eats what we eat. A lot of stuff in the beginning I use to cut on a apple spiral cutter (like carrot) mostly for ease of holding. Lots of stuff she peels herself and gives me the skins back- like avocado and mango. Toast is great finger food if you are nervous. But really if you are thinking about it, you are over thinking it. There is basically nothing my DD doesn't eat that the rest of the family eats. And for the most it was the same with my DS by this age. Even hot thai curries! The only thing I ever consider spooning in is yoghurt and even then she spoons every second one in herself and rarely misses her mouth anymore ;)
Rose&Aurelia
16-03-2012, 15:40
Depends what you are making in regards to sauces and salt content. I've always cooked from scratch so have never had that issue often.
Ie if I make pasta with meatballs - the only premade thing is dried pasta that I boil. I use passata or whole tomatoes to make my sauces. A little salt isn't going to matter as food with no salt can be tasteless.
Curries and the like I always make from fresh whole ingredients. Stirfrys I tend to use garlic lemongrass Thai basil and sesame oil but overcook the veggies so bub can eat it easier.
Pasta bakes are good - I make macaroni and cheese with frozen spinach and broccoli but use grated cheese or ricotta through it rather a cheese sauce. Tuna bakes are similar but I fry up leeks shallots garlic and pepper before I add the tuna pasta and cheese.
I even took to baking my own fruit bread for DD as well as rusks muffins biscuits.
Elijah's mummy is one to ask as she has really good recipes.
Oh French toast (just eggs with nutmeg) is great for breakfast. There is a baby led cookbook with good ideas as well as Annabel karmel's family meals one.
Elijahs Mum
16-03-2012, 16:42
I would ditch the purees altogether, you want to teach her to gum/bite and chew not just to swallow, you sound like you are doing a great job and yes it is hard with your first!
Honestly I followed the book exactly, they will as pp have said gag sometimes but this is very very normal, it's actually a great sign she knows when she had bitten off more than she can chew ( literally!) the only spoon feeding I did was with his yogurt and porridge ( usually though I would load the spoon and let him put it in his mouth)
I steamed most things and also baked sweet potato/pumpkin/carrots/asparagus , I stayed with soft fruits in the beginning like pear/kiwi/banana/watermelon etc and then gave him whole apples at about 10 months ( he eats an whole apple a day still at 17 months!)
Like Izzys mummy I also cook everything myself , I maybe add a pinch of sea salt to most things, under 1 you should be looking at no more than 1 gram a day of salt per day, it's things like bread, cheese and processed meats ( avoid bacon/ham/sausages please!!) that contain large amounts of salt plus obviously any processed/packet food
Toast is great but my advice is to only give it every other day ( mainly because too much wheat is not great on little tummies plus try and get whole wheat , low salt if you can)
The best things to put on toast is avocado, tahini, banana, any nut butters but please buy organic as a lot of the commercial ones ( Kraft) are ridiculously high in salt and added fat! Also I would avoid Vegemite as far too much salt and yukky additives and yeast ( which usually means msg)
My DS loved rice cruskits at that age or plain brown rice cakes as they melt in their mouth
DS fav food was Indian butter chicken ( let me know if you want recipe!) and I just used to add extra chili for us after I took his portion out, same with pasta/curries
Good luck!
Elijahsmum wow thank you I was going to pm you and you beat me to it. I will finish the book I think ASAP I think it was you in a previous thread who told me about it. As for toast I don't eat regular wheat often so we eat spelt, millet or ancient grain - is this still ok or to harsh?
Now a big Q is I don't eat red meat or chicken do I still giver her meat? Dh eats it I guess when he eats it I could give her some of his? I eat fish once a week do I giver her this to?
Ok promise I won't bombard you with any more sorry:)
Oooh and cruskits I live on them that's a great one:)
So would a day like this be ok? (just an example)
Breaky - 1/2 toast and say avocado
Lunch - Fruit and quinoa porridge
Dinner - Tofu, veg lentil balls
Another day example -
Breaky - berries and yoghurt
Lunch - Vegetables and maybe a cheese of some sort? Or cruskits with something on them????
Dinner - salmon and veg ????
Elijahs Mum
16-03-2012, 17:55
Elijahsmum wow thank you I was going to pm you and you beat me to it. I will finish the book I think ASAP I think it was you in a previous thread who told me about it. As for toast I don't eat regular wheat often so we eat spelt, millet or ancient grain - is this still ok or to harsh?
Now a big Q is I don't eat red meat or chicken do I still giver her meat? Dh eats it I guess when he eats it I could give her some of his? I eat fish once a week do I giver her this to?
Ok promise I won't bombard you with any more sorry:)
Ask away! Spelt, millet, quinoa, rye, sourdough are great breads , it's great to give them the variety too!
I am a pescatarian ( seafood and dairy only no birds or mammals ) so it was a very tough decision but I did decide to give DS meat mainly as I want to give him a varied diet and later on he can choose not to eat if he wants! But I am very anal about it! I only buy organic or certified free range and no processed meat of any kind or pork , I started DS on fresh grilled salmon at 7 months, just flaked it and he picked up the little pieces , I started giving him chicken at 8 months,( poached or meatballs) prawns and crab at 9 months and red meat at 10 months, he loves lamb so I would make moussaka or lamb meatballs or just lamb cutlets
He now eats approx 3 fish dinners, 1 chicken, 1 red meat and 2 vegetarian dinners a week , we also eat lentils and quinoa a lot plus I put chia , sesame or poppy seeds in everything plus every kind of fresh herb!
Elijahs Mum
16-03-2012, 18:00
So would a day like this be ok? (just an example)
Breaky - 1/2 toast and say avocado
Lunch - Fruit and quinoa porridge
Dinner - Tofu, veg lentil balls
Another day example -
Breaky - berries and yoghurt
Lunch - Vegetables and maybe a cheese of some sort? Or cruskits with something on them????
Dinner - salmon and veg ????
Great! Always give protein with every meal ( which you are!) and they need good fats for growth so load up on avocado, nut butters, tahini , yogurt and the best cheeses are white cheese ( yellow is too processed) so ricotta, goats cheese, low salt feta, quark cottage cheese etc , as she gets older she will need loads of snacks so fruit/veggie sticks/home made dips/rice cakes /falafel balls are great!
P.s- make sure the tofu ( tempeh is better ) is organic as most soy products are genetically modified!( my SIL and MIL are naturopaths so are walking food encyclopedias!!)
Oh thank you thank you Elijahsmum wish I could hug you right now.
I just gave her a cruskit with labanne yoghurt cheese on it and she absolutely loved it. I have just ordered the BLW cookbook by Gill so that will give me some more ideas.
Tonight is tofu stirfry so will see how that goes. Dh back from work tomorow so im back to cooking meat eeek!!!:( (although he is slowly realising that he feels better on vegetarian meals;))
:hugs::highfive:
Ask away! Spelt, millet, quinoa, rye, sourdough are great breads , it's great to give them the variety too!
I am a pescatarian ( seafood and dairy only no birds or mammals ) so it was a very tough decision but I did decide to give DS meat mainly as I want to give him a varied diet and later on he can choose not to eat if he wants! But I am very anal about it! I only buy organic or certified free range and no processed meat of any kind or pork , I started DS on fresh grilled salmon at 7 months, just flaked it and he picked up the little pieces , I started giving him chicken at 8 months,( poached or meatballs) prawns and crab at 9 months and red meat at 10 months, he loves lamb so I would make moussaka or lamb meatballs or just lamb cutlets
He now eats approx 3 fish dinners, 1 chicken, 1 red meat and 2 vegetarian dinners a week , we also eat lentils and quinoa a lot plus I put chia , sesame or poppy seeds in everything plus every kind of fresh herb!
Wow so that's my title - A PESCATARIAN.... not a vegetarian thanks for that I never knew that! I never felt right calling myself a vegetarian because I still eat seafood and dairy plus eggs:highfive: learn something every day!!!;)
I'm in the same boat as you LoCo except DDs cows milk & soy intolerances make it a little harder. Tonight she had some pan-fried chicken and mushrooms with thyme. She doesn't really eat it though, just kind of sucks on it a bit. I cook a fair bit of her stuff in olive oil or nuttelex because we need to get more calories into her.
I do get really worried about the gagging (it makes her spew sometimes) and I also give her purées just to get something into her belly.
I was really curious about the salt thing too. My clinic nurse said just to give her whatever we eat but I worry about there being salt in it. If I cook from scratch I just don't put any in but I don't always have time to cook everything from scratch, especially as I'm going back to work in a week!
I'm in the same boat as you LoCo except DDs cows milk & soy intolerances make it a little harder. Tonight she had some pan-fried chicken and mushrooms with thyme. She doesn't really eat it though, just kind of sucks on it a bit. I cook a fair bit of her stuff in olive oil or nuttelex because we need to get more calories into her.
I do get really worried about the gagging (it makes her spew sometimes) and I also give her purées just to get something into her belly.
I was really curious about the salt thing too. My clinic nurse said just to give her whatever we eat but I worry about there being salt in it. If I cook from scratch I just don't put any in but I don't always have time to cook everything from scratch, especially as I'm going back to work in a week!
:) Wow Cue we really are on the same page with our bubs my DD is lactose intolerant and cows milk protein intolerant if that makes sense and hates soy.
I'll just have to add salt later I think. I gave her some of my tofu stirfry tonight I think she actually did get some in to her belly. I just need to stop stressing and remember what Elijahsmum said gagging is a good sign choking is different.
Cue you should get the Gill BLW book to I just ordered the cookbook to go with it.
Ooo and the cruskits went well see I never would have thought to give them.
I'll have to check the ingredients on cruskits - it's amazing how much stuff has soy or milk in it.
Did your DD get tested for lactose intolerance? My DD did as she showed classic symptoms but the test was ok. It's worth getting tested properly if you can.
Elijahs Mum
17-03-2012, 16:01
Also guys buy Julie Eadys book - Additive Alert, you will run screaming from your pantry with all the toxic additives in packet food! I also try and avoid anything with soy and canola oil in it ( all GMO) which is hard but once you read all the labels and know which brands are best it becomes easier , Organic shops are the best option ( but still read the labels!)
when I get home later I'll give you a list of baby/toddler friendly snacks for when you are out and about that I have found as you will be needing them soon!
Thanks so much (sorry LoCo, I'm totally jumping on this bandwagon!).
Dd had roast spiced pumpkin tonight (I ground cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon in a mortar & pestle and sprinkled over the pumpkin before baking) and she loved it! I haven't seen her actually eat that much solid food before! I'm thinking she likes things with lots of flavour.
Also guys buy Julie Eadys book - Additive Alert, you will run screaming from your pantry with all the toxic additives in packet food! I also try and avoid anything with soy and canola oil in it ( all GMO) which is hard but once you read all the labels and know which brands are best it becomes easier , Organic shops are the best option ( but still read the labels!)
when I get home later I'll give you a list of baby/toddler friendly snacks for when you are out and about that I have found as you will be needing them soon!
Wow dh has this book I ll have a squiz thank you :)
Thanks so much (sorry LoCo, I'm totally jumping on this bandwagon!).
Dd had roast spiced pumpkin tonight (I ground cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon in a mortar & pestle and sprinkled over the pumpkin before baking) and she loved it! I haven't seen her actually eat that much solid food before! I'm thinking she likes things with lots of flavour.
Don't apologise we can share Elijahsmum haha :)
That's awesome about the pumpkin I know I gave her some nashi pear and carrot today she loved it ...what was I thinking with purees...? I just needed the confidence to BLW.
I'll have to check the ingredients on cruskits - it's amazing how much stuff has soy or milk in it.
hi ladies :wave: so I'm in the same boat too as DS is cows milk & soy protein intolerant - it sucks!
The cruskets in my cupboard do have milk solids Cue, so sadly you need to stay away from those :(
Elijahs Mum your info is awesome, thanks! We've just started solids properly and I've been combining purred with one of those mesh feeder things for self feeding. I need to get the courage to allow him to feed himself, he's just so small :eek:
Elijahs Mum
17-03-2012, 22:39
The best cruskits I have found are the Orgran brand - multigrain crisp-bread with Quinoa - I get them from my organic shop but have seen them
In my local IGA store as well -
ingredients: brown rice, wholegrain sorghum , wholegrain quinoa , rice bran and salt ( sodium per serve is 0.06g)
They also do plain rice crisp-bread and buckwheat crisp-bread which is just rice flour or buckwheat flour and salt :)
hi ladies :wave: so I'm in the same boat too as DS is cows milk & soy protein intolerant - it sucks!
The cruskets in my cupboard do have milk solids Cue, so sadly you need to stay away from those :(
Elijahs Mum your info is awesome, thanks! We've just started solids properly and I've been combining purred with one of those mesh feeder things for self feeding. I need to get the courage to allow him to feed himself, he's just so small :eek:
Oh no really? Well I've been told dd is lactose intolerant and milk protein intolerant but it hasn't been tested. She gets a bad rash and bad runny nappies that's enough for me to avoid it. So I wonder if I should back off the cruskits? Or should I get her tested? The doctor said she ll grow out of it so there's no need?
The best cruskits I have found are the Orgran brand - multigrain crisp-bread with Quinoa - I get them from my organic shop but have seen them
In my local IGA store as well -
ingredients: brown rice, wholegrain sorghum , wholegrain quinoa , rice bran and salt ( sodium per serve is 0.06g)
They also do plain rice crisp-bread and buckwheat crisp-bread which is just rice flour or buckwheat flour and salt :)
Awesome I have the buckwheat ones I'll use them:)
Oh no really? Well I've been told dd is lactose intolerant and milk protein intolerant but it hasn't been tested. She gets a bad rash and bad runny nappies that's enough for me to avoid it. So I wonder if I should back off the cruskits? Or should I get her tested? The doctor said she ll grow out of it so there's no need?
Dd's paed said true lactose intolerance is life-long but usually bubs will outgrow the protein intolerance, so its good to know what you're dealing with. I would get your DD tested - we took a stool sample to check it with DD.
I'm steering well clear of any traces of milk or soy until she's 1, then we'll challenge the intolerance to see if it's still a problem.
Oh no really? Well I've been told dd is lactose intolerant and milk protein intolerant but it hasn't been tested. She gets a bad rash and bad runny nappies that's enough for me to avoid it. So I wonder if I should back off the cruskits? Or should I get her tested? The doctor said she ll grow out of it so there's no need?
Have you noticed these symptoms when feeding the cruskits to your DD? If not then I wouldn't worry about it :) Perhaps her intolerances only flare up with highly concentrated things like milk/yoghurt etc, not just small traces in food.
For us we have a very clear indication of when DS has had any traces of milk or soy - he vomits all day long! It's why I could no longer b/f, as the smallest trace in my diet was still affecting him :(
Have you noticed these symptoms when feeding the cruskits to your DD? If not then I wouldn't worry about it :) Perhaps her intolerances only flare up with highly concentrated things like milk/yoghurt etc, not just small traces in food.
For us we have a very clear indication of when DS has had any traces of milk or soy - he vomits all day long! It's why I could no longer b/f, as the smallest trace in my diet was still affecting him :(
It's so hard to say she's just cut teeth so she's not herself and has all the symptoms which I put all down to the teething. She did vomit more than usual after but I thought it might have been reflux. Ok ill just stick to buckwheat. Thank you for pointing that out far out until I atleast get her tested I must check what's in the food I give her. I feel like a terrible mummy:( I had to stop breast feeding for the same reason as you. She was so sick on my BM.
It's so hard to say she's just cut teeth so she's not herself and has all the symptoms which I put all down to the teething. She did vomit more than usual after but I thought it might have been reflux. Ok ill just stick to buckwheat. Thank you for pointing that out far out until I atleast get her tested I must check what's in the food I give her. I feel like a terrible mummy:( I had to stop breast feeding for the same reason as you. She was so sick on my BM.
Oh god LoCo, don't feel like a bad mummy, not true at all! Firstly you haven't even been given a definite diagnosis yet, so how are you supposed to know for sure? And secondly, as Cue mentioned earlier, it's amazing how many random things have milk or soy protein, it takes a long time to learn them all or remember to check every.single.ingredient aarrgghh!
Her symptoms may well be from teething (haven't reached that in this house yet!), but just maybe make a note next time you give a cruskit to see what happens? X
I'll get her checked to ease my mind atleast then I'll know what I'm dealing with. Thank you girls.
So do you girls give bubs Goat formula to??
I had to stop BF too, for the same reason - it was really hard to make my diet completely free of soy and dairy. I was basically starving myself and suffering from PND so just had to give it up. DD is on a prescription formula called Neocate LCP. It's been a lifesaver.
I found the corn cruskits at Coles today. No milk of soy! Just need to check the salt to make sure it's low enough for dd to have them.
Elijahs Mum
18-03-2012, 15:36
I'll get her checked to ease my mind atleast then I'll know what I'm dealing with. Thank you girls.
So do you girls give bubs Goat formula to??
My DS has ways had goat formula since I stopped breastfeeding at 3 months, my naturopath is very anti cows milk protein for babies so we researched and put him on Karicare goat ( he still has 1 bottle of a night time at 17 months )
We also started him on goat yogurt at 6 months as well, plus we all love goats cheese!
he does have the odd cows milk smoothie but I only have A2 milk in the house although sometimes he has almond milk and I found quinoa milk which is great for a variety!
I'll get her checked to ease my mind atleast then I'll know what I'm dealing with. Thank you girls.
So do you girls give bubs Goat formula to??
No, my DS is on prescription formula like Cue's - although ours is the Elecare.
I asked our Paed about goats milk when his intolerances were diagnosed. Interestingly she said they no longer recommend this as a replacement for those with intolerances. She didn't elaborate though so I may ask her 'why' at our appointment next month.
My DS has ways had goat formula since I stopped breastfeeding at 3 months, my naturopath is very anti cows milk protein for babies so we researched and put him on Karicare goat ( he still has 1 bottle of a night time at 17 months )
We also started him on goat yogurt at 6 months as well, plus we all love goats cheese!
he does have the odd cows milk smoothie but I only have A2 milk in the house although sometimes he has almond milk and I found quinoa milk which is great for a variety!
Yes dd has thrived on the goat karicare but interestingly it still does have lactose doesn't it? I guess not as strong as cow as she doesn't get sick on it at all.
Ok so goats yogurt I did not even think of this. I was wondering how to give her yoghurt. Ok I'll go to the organic store tommoro. Elijahsmum you have been such a great help thank you:)
Sorry what's a2 milk?
No, my DS is on prescription formula like Cue's - although ours is the Elecare.
I asked our Paed about goats milk when his intolerances were diagnosed. Interestingly she said they no longer recommend this as a replacement for those with intolerances. She didn't elaborate though so I may ask her 'why' at our appointment next month.
That would be interesting if you could ask:)
I gave DD fish today ummm it just breaks and falls everywhere. Do you guys have any tips? Should I make it into fish balls or something so she can actually hold it?
I gave DD fish today ummm it just breaks and falls everywhere. Do you guys have any tips? Should I make it into fish balls or something so she can actually hold it?
Oh it's tough when their grip isn't too good! Dd constantly drops things or mushes them up in her hands. She hasn't got that pincer grip or coordination quite sorted yet.
I think fish balls would be a great idea.
Oh it's tough when their grip isn't too good! Dd constantly drops things or mushes them up in her hands. She hasn't got that pincer grip or coordination quite sorted yet.
I think fish balls would be a great idea.
Ok will try that. It's so hard she squishes everything as hard as she can before putting it in to her mouth. This BLW is messy I must admit.
Haha yeah it certainly is! Yesterday I was changing her nappy and there was food in it! How the heck did she get food in her nappy?? Seriously, it goes everywhere.
Elijahs Mum
18-03-2012, 17:15
A2 is cows milk but from specially bred cows! It contains a different protein so is a lot easier to digest, it does still have lactose though ( as does goats milk )
I have been making salmon nuggets for DS since he was 7 months old;
About 1/2 cooked salmon fillet flaked
1/2 cup rice crumbs
1 egg
4 steamed broccoli flowerettes
Either 1/4 cup cooked peas or corn
Table spoon chia seeds
Fresh coriander
Mix all together in bowl ( add more rice crumbs if too wet) put into patties or nugget shapes and fry in small amount of olive oil until brown, they are great to freeze and really good to take out if you are unsure of what you are having for lunch/dinner ( I have also made with cod or tinned tuna)
What an awesome recipe thank you so much I'll do this tomorrow night as she didn't get much of the mushy fish in today.
I'm going to try that recipe too - thanks! I do have 2 questions though if possible please?
Egg - I read no egg before 9-12mths??
Rice crumbs - normal supermarket?
TIA
Elijahs Mum
18-03-2012, 19:57
If you have no allergies in the family eggs are fine (no runny yolks yet ) from 6 months
I have seen rice crumbs at Coles in the health food section or at any organic shop!
Just wanted to say a thank you to all who replied on this thread especially elijahsmum. We are going really really well with the blw. I've calmed down heaps to. She's actually getting more in belly now so less in her hair and on the floor lol :)
Thanks again.
Elijahs Mum
22-03-2012, 19:53
So glad she is doing well! They honestly are a lot more capable at that age than we think! Keep up the good work :)
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