Please read if you waited until 6 months before weaning

[mumtotwo]

My baby is approaching 4 months but I've decided to wait until 6 months if I possibly can before weaning. My dilemma is whether to follow the traditional weaning method at 6 months or to try baby led weaning.
I've read the BLW book and it sounds great and makes a lot of sense. I've also read a lot of positive posts on here about it. However, I've heard that there's not much research on it and that unicef have issued a statement saying they do not endorse it.
My HV is very respectful of peoples choices in parenting. She says she would be supportive of someone choosing BLW but does not have any experience of anyone doing it. She does promote waiting until 6 months but is still used to people spoon feeding their baby.

Please could you tell me which method you chose (traditional / BLW ), what do you think were the pros and cons and do you think you made the right decision. I would be especially interested in hearing if you had any difficulties with BLW as there seems to be very little information available about this.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Jade&Evie]

I really suggest BLW. Although we started weaning at 4 and a half months because of EVie's reflux as soon as she hit 6 months (in fact a week before ) I switched over to BLW and I haven't looked back.

I hated going out with jars- Evie didn't get on with the purees anyway- she seemed to puke most of them up

Now, at almost 10 months she eats EVERYTHING- the only thing she hasn't like is a pickled onion at Xmas I put this down to the fact that because she is feeding it to herself she is less fussy IYKWIM. I didn't see my HV at all from 6 months to 9 months so I didn't even ask her opinion on it ( it wouldn't have been listened to anyway ) If we go out for lunch she can now feed herself a sandwich (she picks it apart first) and she's only ever gagged once or twice in 4 months.

Annabel Karmel has just released a finger foods book on the back of BLW. There's a lot of BLW's on here

 

[LilysMummy]

I didnt even realise I was BLW until somebody pointed it out on here. Its just the way things fell. Now when we go out we order her food and she feeds herself. She is no trouble what so ever

 

[keli]

I weaned BLW and its been super. Cooper eats what i eat and has since 6mths old. I see mums spoon feeding their babies and i just feel so glad i did it this way! I really recommend it! Weaning Cooper has been a pleasure. I also feel BLW is putting your baby in control of the amount he/she eats taking the pressure off you. I know Cooper will eat if hes hungry

 

[Charlie:-)]

I waited till 6 months and followed BLW too.

In my experience I havent had any problems with this way of weaning. I would recommend BLW to anyone its such a relaxed and stress free way of weaning. For me the pros are no messing about having to make up ice cubed portions or having to blend the food, I just give Maia the same as what we are having and have done from day 1. We can all sit down as a family where as with puree spoon feeding Maia would have to be fed first then me and hubby could have our tea. No need to worry about taking jars of food with me when we go out for the day as she just shares mine. We can eat out in restaurants as again she just eats some of ours.

Cons - its messy but it would be equally as messy with puree spoon feeding, cant think of any more.

There are lots of benefits to BLW all of which you will have read about in the book so I wont harp on about those

 

[kalia]

unicef have issued a statement saying they do not endorse it.

I have the impression that this is putting you off so I wanted to explain. It's not that they don't recommend BLW, they do not have a policy on it so neither endorse BLW nor mush. The reason for a statement being issued which essentially says nothing is because Gill Rapley, the person who has done big research and promotion of BLW, including suggesting that spoon-feeding babies pureed food is unnatural and unnecessary and that it could cause health problems later in life was (or is, I'm not sure) the deputy director of Unicef's UK Baby Friendly Initiative. These statements, although backed by her research, were not made by Unicef and the research was not done by them or on their behalf so if you like they just don't know what is best one or the other and do not wish to be seen as promoting one method over another because they don't have a policy on this.

I hope that makes sense, I'm not sure I've been that clear.

There hasn't been that much research as far as I am aware on BLW but I'm also not aware of much research saying that mush is best AFTER 6 MONTHS. (not shouting, just stressing). Mush is better before then as the gut is not mature enough to cope so puréeing food makes it easier on the stomach.

I don't think this alone should sway you but I bet we were on solids at 6 months. Because babies used to have mush from 12 weeks old by 26 weeks they would have been on finger foods and solids.

We have done BLW for a few reasons. I liked the idea that because the gag reflex is so far forward she could learn to move food in her mouth very safely.
I want her to explore the world, food included, and that includes finding out the smell, texture, shape and taste of food.
She has no desire to be spoonfed and will purse her mouth shut but is happy to chew on things for herself.
It makes our life much easier - friends have to feed their baby before they can eat, DD can eat at the same time as us.
Although the different meal times may not be a big issue at home if you go out for lunch with friends for example it makes a big difference. At home you cab just throw a handful of frozen peas into whatever the food is so that it cools quickly, that cooks the peas and you can have a hot meal while baby has food at the same time.
It's easier not to purée the food.
Often you don't have to make anything special (unless your meal is unhealthy ). We can season food at the table so that there is no salt in hers, or even put hers in a bowl and then season ours before serving.
I believe (though I haven't read this about BLW) that it helped develop her pincer grip - she loves to pick up little bits of food and put them in her mouth. This has led to her being able to pinch us really hard though so maybe that classes as a disadvantage

The downside is the mess. We eat in the dining room which has a carpet so we put a couple of muslins under her highchair to get the food that gets dropped/thrown. As OH said though, we'd have that when she started on finger food anyway so we might as well get it over with now

My mum kept mushing food for DD and I decided she could do that if she wanted at her house as she was convinced this was the right way. It didn't last long - within a few meals she too had started just giving the food in chip sized pieces because DD prefers that and it's easier.

 

[kalia]

Annabel Karmel has just released a finger foods book on the back of BLW.

Oooh, is it any good? The finger foods in her other book (we were given it) were all more suitable for toddlers as they contained salt. OK, I could just have missed the salt but I'm lazy and couldn't be bothered with her recipes

The BLW website is fantastic for recipes and ideas.
http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/

 

[Laur_250]

We waited to 6 months and then went through BLW, we're exactly a month in now and though he is still not eating huge amounts, his weight gain is good and he's grown healthily which just confirms my belief that spoon feeding him jars of pureed food every meal would of been a waste of my time. This way he can eat a bit of whatever we eat, great when we're at a resteraunt.

 

[lfc_sarah]

BLW is better IMO

good luck xx

 

[daftscotslass]

Removed.

 

[charlotte_]

what is baby led weaning?

 

[kalia]

what is baby led weaning?

Instead of puréeing and mushing food you start baby on finger foods instead. You have to wait until they are 6 months (which is what you are supposed to do anyway). This site explains it really well http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/

 

[beanie]

I had done both purees and finger foods with S and my experience of that made me more determined to do BLW from the start. For me it is a much more natural approach that is very baby centred in that they decide what they eat, how they eat, when they eat etc. I really like the fact that C has from a very young age sat at the table with us, and has been able to eat at the same time we did. She now joins in, waiting for her meal then tucking in when she gets it, joining in with our conversations. I don't have to get a cold meal whilst feeding her. Bbaies were weaned much later in the past then they are now, and I find BLW really compliments breastfeeding and fits in perfect with it so that was another reason I chose it.

How funny that AK has brought out a book about finger foods - esp since she has always been against blw as it would cut into her profits.

 

[Jade&Evie]

How funny that AK has brought out a book about finger foods - esp since she has always been against blw as it would cut into her profits.

i think they call it jumping on the bandwagon....

 

[kalia]

How funny that AK has brought out a book about finger foods - esp since she has always been against blw as it would cut into her profits.

i think they call it jumping on the bandwagon....

 

[trixipaws]

can someone please explain what exactly is BLW? not sure i know what it is

 

[mumtotwo]

Thanks everyone.

Trixipaws - it's basically missing out the spoon feeding stage and going straight to self feeding. Starting with fingerfoods or offering a spoon for baby to use themselves.

Kalia - thanks for clarifying unicefs position, it's useful to know they're not actually against BLW.

I was wondering if anyone has had any problems with either method - for example, iron deficiency, food refusal, choking.
I weaned my first child at 4 months and by 6 months she could easily manage finger foods so I know it's possible but she got used to lumps gradually rather than having them straight away.

 

[beanie]

I have had no problems with any of that with either child. C did have a choking episode but that was entirely my fault, I thought she had finished eating but she still had some in her motuh and I was jiggling her about when she started choking. I will never do that ever again!!!

Both have gagged but this is very different from choking, and is part of them learning how to eat food.

 

[Jade&Evie]

The only choking incident we've had has been recently and that's because she shoves too much in!

 

[mumtotwo]

Thanks everyone. I think I was already swaying towards BLW - just needed some reassurance that it's the right think to do.
Funny that no-one replied who had waited until 6 months but still followed the traditional weaning route. BLW seems to be the norm on here (unless you wean before 6 months) but in my area most people have never even heard of it! Maybe I can start a trend!!!