Baby Led Weaning Questions for anyone who is/has done it...

[Laur_250]

Hi everyone

We're only 3 weeks away from our start with BLW now Very exciting! I have almost finished the book by Gill but have a few questions based on what i've read so wondered if you could answer and give me some of your personal experiences on them to help, if you can only comment on some dont worry all advice is appreciated (I've seen the thread on this but I'd like to compare your answers to help me get the best idea)......

1. In the book it mentions that from 6 months you should give baby vitamin supplements as they may not eat all they require, I've not heard of this before, do you give them and if so what ones?

2. Drinks- I breastfeed and imagine I will carry on but gradually stop once BLW gets going and he demands less from me, any experiences of anyone else who breastfed and did BLW- when did/will you stop?

2a. Also did you start offering a drink at 6 months, ie. water? If so was it in a cup or beaker and how well/quickly did LO pick it up and get the hang of using one?

2b. Did you find LO needed less milk from you if they were having drinks alongside breastfeeding?

3. Cuttlery- What age did you let LO have a go at using it and when did they start to manage it succesfully?

4. How big a variety of different foods did you give LO day to day?

5. The book mentions that the first couple months are really just playing and exploring with the food and baby probably doesnt actually swallow any for a while, when do you think your LO actually started to 'get it' ?

5b. This being the case and if LO for example doesnt 'get it' and actually eat anything until say, 8 months, is this really Ok that they go on breastmilk alone for this long with nothing else?

6. I like the idea of roasting vegetables, to anyone that does this, what do you roast them in that s suitable? And is it Ok to store some in a tub in fridge for next day to save cooking more?

Sorry lots of questions I just really want to be prepared!! I probably have more that will come to me once I think again so if Ok I will add them later, look forward to hearing your responses!xx

 

[beanie]

1. In the book it mentions that from 6 months you should give baby vitamin supplements as they may not eat all they require, I've not heard of this before, do you give them and if so what ones?

I have never given any ofmone supplements as I believe that with a balanced diet including breastmilk they get all they want

2. Drinks- I breastfeed and imagine I will carry on but gradually stop once BLW gets going and he demands less from me, any experiences of anyone else who breastfed and did BLW- when did/will you stop?

I have let Seren wean herself off me and will do the same with Cally. Seren self weaned at 20 months.

2a. Also did you start offering a drink at 6 months, ie. water? If so was it in a cup or beaker and how well/quickly did LO pick it up and get the hang of using one?

I have always given Cally a beaker of water with meals, more for her to get used to having a cup rather then any real need to give her fluids but she will happily sip water from this now.

2b. Did you find LO needed less milk from you if they were having drinks alongside breastfeeding?

no, this has not been my experience with either of them

3. Cuttlery- What age did you let LO have a go at using it and when did they start to manage it succesfully?

Cally has a spoon and manages great with it (though yoghurt is messy lol). I will try her with a fork when she is a bit older as at the moment she just prefers her hands. Seren was about just over a year I think when she started using a fork

4. How big a variety of different foods did you give LO day to day?

a range - currently Cally tends to have mini shredded wheat for breakfast but occasiona;ly has toast, for lunch it does mainly tend to be sandwiches but can also be toast (if she hasn't had it for breakfast) eggy bread, pancakes, crackers, scrambled egg etc etc. Dinner is whatever we have so usually meat and veg of some sort but also curry, pasta dishes, chilli, spaghetti bolognese, risotto etc etc. Snacks can be anyhting from a pieve of fruit, organix crisps and biscuits, raisons, dried fruit occasionally, some cheerios (she likes these dry in a bowl), piece of cheese etc

5. The book mentions that the first couple months are really just playing and exploring with the food and baby probably doesnt actually swallow any for a while, when do you think your LO actually started to 'get it' ?

by 8 motnhs both of mine were really tucking into their food - before that most ended upon the floor lol

5b. This being the case and if LO for example doesnt 'get it' and actually eat anything until say, 8 months, is this really Ok that they go on breastmilk alone for this long with nothing else?

yep it is perfectly normal

6. I like the idea of roasting vegetables, to anyone that does this, what do you roast them in that s suitable? And is it Ok to store some in a tub in fridge for next day to save cooking more?

Cally loves roasted veg. It is also really nice with cold pasta swirls or cold rice for lunch

there is a couple of BLW threads with some fab meal ideas too

 

[Sherlock]

1. In the book it mentions that from 6 months you should give baby vitamin supplements as they may not eat all they require, I've not heard of this before, do you give them and if so what ones?


We don't give them as I am still breastfeeding and Galen is getting all he needs via that and his food now. I make sure I give him iron rich foods to boost his iron supply (baked beans are good for this for example) and am happy he is fine without needing vitamins.

2. Drinks- I breastfeed and imagine I will carry on but gradually stop once BLW gets going and he demands less from me, any experiences of anyone else who breastfed and did BLW- when did/will you stop?

Galen is over 7.5 months now and we are still breastfeeding. Its only in the past few days he has noticably dropped a couple of breast feeds. Until now he has been having the same amount of boob feeds plus a couple of meals a day and the odd snack. I'll let him self wean as and when he is ready. If that means 11 momths or 2 years old plus then so be it. Whatever he wants.

2a. Also did you start offering a drink at 6 months, ie. water? If so was it in a cup or beaker and how well/quickly did LO pick it up and get the hang of using one?

We have been offering water with meals since we started BLW. Also at other times if he is interested. We tried a feeder cup and a couple of other things and find he prefers drinking it from an open top cup. Atm we are helping hold this as otherwise he spills it all over himself. He will take it from a lidded cup also but tbh isn't really fussed either way. We don't ofer him any other drinks and always drink water anyways. Its water only in our house.

2b. Did you find LO needed less milk from you if they were having drinks alongside breastfeeding?

Nope, not really. LO doesn't take enough water atm. I am sure it will increase as he gets the hang of it more.

3. Cuttlery- What age did you let LO have a go at using it and when did they start to manage it succesfully?

Galen has used a spoon since day one of BLW. We started off loading it for him and holding it out and he would grab it and put it into his mouth. Since then he has a go at getting his yogurt and porridge on the spoon himself but tends to lose most of it. But its getting better. So we have another spoon we use and load it ready for him to grab if he wants it. Too young to use a fork or knife still.

4. How big a variety of different foods did you give LO day to day?

A fair bit. Breakfast is usually porridge or museli with warm milk. Sometimes brown toast and yogurt. Occasionally I do stewed apple or scrambled egg and toast. He loves his porridge though. Lunch if we have it is a pitta with Philly, veggies, maybe some cheese on toast.... sardines or mackeral (homemade). Tea can be anything from beans on toast, spag bol or macaroni cheese to chicken and potato with veggies. `He loves just a plate of roasted veggies (to inclue sweet pots, courgette, yello pepper, cherry toms and parsnip). He also has tried things like stew, rice, fish pie, cottage pie, roast duck, roast potatoes.... he pretty much eats what we do tbh. He has sausages to try for the first time tomorrow If I offer snacks its things like a pitta pocket or an Organix biscuit. He loves fruit (for pudding and snacks) and has eaten apple, satsuma, kiwi, mango, blackberries, raspberries, pineapple, banana etc. Yogurt is only natural plain stuff. None of the kiddy fromage frais or anything (too much sugar). Galen loves his plain yogurt.

5. The book mentions that the first couple months are really just playing and exploring with the food and baby probably doesnt actually swallow any for a while, when do you think your LO actually started to 'get it' ?

Galen got it from day one He was one of those babies who knew what it was all about and seemed to eat full meals from the off. He still does but some days now isn't fussed to eat meals and I never worry about it. I'd say that happens for 2 -3 meals a week. The rest he devours

5b. This being the case and if LO for example doesnt 'get it' and actually eat anything until say, 8 months, is this really Ok that they go on breastmilk alone for this long with nothing else?

Yeah, I'd not worry much tbh. You can maybe try some vitamin/iron supplements if you are worried.

6. I like the idea of roasting vegetables, to anyone that does this, what do you roast them in that s suitable? And is it Ok to store some in a tub in fridge for next day to save cooking more?

I brush mine in olive oil. And then drain any excess off on some kitchen roll before serving. And yes, I store mine in an airtight tub for the next day. TBH Galen never really leaves much anyways

 

[Charlie:-)]

1. In the book it mentions that from 6 months you should give baby vitamin supplements as they may not eat all they require, I've not heard of this before, do you give them and if so what ones? My HV mentioned this to me when she came to the house to give a weaning talk. I looked at them in the chemist but decided that it wasn't necessary as I eat a very balanced diet and have ensured LO eats the same so will be getting some nutrients from the food but also mainly from breastmilk.

2. Drinks- I breastfeed and imagine I will carry on but gradually stop once BLW gets going and he demands less from me, any experiences of anyone else who breastfed and did BLW- when did/will you stop?
Im still breastfeeding and plan to stop when Maia self weans. Some days she seems to be going longer between feeds then the next day she is back to feeding every 3 hours and then some days she drops a feed.

2a. Also did you start offering a drink at 6 months, ie. water? If so was it in a cup or beaker and how well/quickly did LO pick it up and get the hang of using one?
Started offering water with every meal once we started BLW so at 6 months. At first she seemed to take it really well then she wouldn't entertain it at all. I bought a different cup last week and tried that but she just turned her head away so I went back to the tommee tippee sippy cup and she seems to take it now at every meal.

2b. Did you find LO needed less milk from you if they were having drinks alongside breastfeeding? No she doesn't take much water just a few sips.

3. Cutlery- What age did you let LO have a go at using it and when did they start to manage it successfully?
I let Maia have a spoon about 2-3 weeks before I started weaning her just so she could get used to the feel and shape of it and she practiced putting it into her mouth. Then from 6 months on I started to use the spoon for yoghurts and porridge where I load it and pass it to her, she's really good at putting the spoon straight into her mouth. It was very messy at first but she's really got the hang of it now.

4. How big a variety of different foods did you give LO day to day? I give a big variety of foods throughout the day. For breakfast I give either toast and butter or with Philadelphia, porridge, mini shredded wheat, crumpet & butter. Lunch I will give pitta & philadelphia with some cherry toms and cucumber, chicken and some salad bits and a babybel, spaghetti on toast with a shaving or grated cheese, baked potato with butter and cheese, ham sandwich, then I always finish off with a selection of 2 fruits either melon, sharon fruit (one of her favourites), banana, satsuma, grapes, kiwi. Dinner will be whatever we are having, pasta bake, meatloaf, roast dinner, pizza (homemade), curry and rice, chilli, fish goujons and potato wedges, stew, chicken kiev and veg, stir fry, risotto, lasagne and a youhurt to finish with.

5. The book mentions that the first couple months are really just playing and exploring with the food and baby probably doesnt actually swallow any for a while, when do you think your LO actually started to 'get it' ? Maia hardly swallowed anything the first week she just played and messed with it and I even considered whether she was ready for food. Then she started to take small bites and chew and swallow and I could tell by her nappies she was swallowing food. This last week or so she has really started to swallow quite a lot, she is happy to just sit and munch away and easily polishes off her serving with hardly none on the floor or down the sides of her chair and I can tell shes moved up a gear by the state and smell of her nappies too

5b. This being the case and if LO for example doesn't 'get it' and actually eat anything until say, 8 months, is this really OK that they go on breastmilk alone for this long with nothing else? I would think this would be OK, milk is still a big part of their diet, but I'm no expert so don't take my word for it. I'm sure that if you were still offering and letting LO play and feel the food, practice putting food into mouth then some food will be eaten, maybe not loads but then baby will soon get the hang of it and start eating. Maia did eat small bits at first and I mean very small bits so I'm sure each baby will eat at least something they just go at different paces and getting the hang of eating isnt any different form learning to roll over or crawl for example.

6. I like the idea of roasting vegetables, to anyone that does this, what do you roast them in that s suitable? And is it OK to store some in a tub in fridge for next day to save cooking more? I drizzle mine with olive oil then shake the tin so everything is covered, I just today bought a Napolina Oilve oil spray which I though would work great but haven't tried it yet. Storing in the fridge for the next day would be fine.

Good luck, hope you enjoy BLW I do I think its a brilliant way of weaning and Maia loves it too, she always picks out her favourites first.

 

[kalia]

1. In the book it mentions that from 6 months you should give baby vitamin supplements as they may not eat all they require, I've not heard of this before, do you give them and if so what ones?

My health visitor said this was unnecessary.

2a. Also did you start offering a drink at 6 months, ie. water? If so was it in a cup or beaker and how well/quickly did LO pick it up and get the hang of using one?

We gave her a beaker at 6 months and were astonished that she sucked it straight away! She's not big on drinking though, she uses the beaker to chew on a lot too.

2b. Did you find LO needed less milk from you if they were having drinks alongside breastfeeding?

Nope but then she doesn't eat much at all.

3. Cuttlery- What age did you let LO have a go at using it and when did they start to manage it succesfully?

Straight away - if she is having soup or yoghurt it's on a spoon. We use 2 spoons so she can have one. I tend to put a bit on, give her that spoon, fill the other then give her that. There's not a lot goes in teh mouth bit some gets there.

4. How big a variety of different foods did you give LO day to day?

We try to balance over the week rather than day by day. In theory she gets whatever we are eating though sometimes that isn't practicle so she gets whatever vegtables we are eating.

5. The book mentions that the first couple months are really just playing and exploring with the food and baby probably doesnt actually swallow any for a while, when do you think your LO actually started to 'get it' ?

DD is nearly 8 months. She doesn't really get it yet but does consume about a heaped teaspoon of food in total most days now. Maybe.

5b. This being the case and if LO for example doesnt 'get it' and actually eat anything until say, 8 months, is this really Ok that they go on breastmilk alone for this long with nothing else?

They don't need anything other than milk until they are one. The mantra goes 'food's just for fun until they're one'

6. I like the idea of roasting vegetables, to anyone that does this, what do you roast them in that s suitable? And is it Ok to store some in a tub in fridge for next day to save cooking more?
It's OK to store. We haven't roasted as steaming is easier

 

[Laur_250]

Thanks everyone thats great, its so much easier to hear from personal 'real' experiences than just going by the book

I wasnt sure on the vitamin supplement idea either so will just try to give varied foods to start off.

And will get a cup ready to start from 6 months.

I feel better knowing breastfeeding IS enough as sometimes the book seemed to suggest it might not be so will carry on demand feeding and see what he decides.

xx