Unfooding/free fooding

Thank you x yeah if we do it I'll probably do a journal like I did with blw x I need to speak to DH first as he is away at the moment x
 
Sounds very positive Sarah x does your daughter have lunch box or school dinners? You could give her a fair bit of food in a lunch box and let her choose what she wants? It's so interesting to hear everyone's thoughts, experiences etc xx

She makes something before she leaves in the morning but also has money too. Most of her friends go to the chippy but she's not bothered. The only thing I do worry about at her age though is as she chooses what and when to eat, is if she is actually eating, you know what teens are like and the pressure to be skinny, just lately shes always checking her weight and looking at calories so there can be a downside too as no matter how you educate them about food as children they will always do thier own thing as teenagers. Shes probably lost a stone in the last year and didn't need too so I do ask her every day what she's had and hope she's not making it up! I know it's all about giving children control and trusting them but I guess there comes an age particularly with girls when maybe more monitoring or control is needed. I'm starting to think she's anemic too as we're veggies and I'm not sure she's getting enough iron, shes also really against vitamins so won't take them either!
 
Oh I know that pain! My niece is 13 nearly 14 and her eating has become awful lately! When we stayed with them for a week she barely ate and rarely in front of others! She is 'chubbier' than most of her friends but it's muscle from her martial arts classes not fat. Unfortunately she can't see that and recently got really worked up over shopping with a slimmer friend. It's awful! Oooops-appear to have derailed my own thread! Lol x
 
Personally I think the idea behind it makes sense - ask your child what they want for breakfast, rather than just saying "here's yor cereal" but I also think the people in that article took it a little far - the child is allowed to get down from her high hair and wander about eating food? What does that teach them? I think family
Evening meals, all sitting Round together eating are incredibly Important. And, I also think its important that children
Know if you've gone to the effort of cooking somethjng, they should make the effort to eat it. I would also worry that this way would actually create a fussy eater - no, I'm Never trying the papaya, because I love grapes af pears.

And actually, I disagreed with the blogger who suggested actually that children should be treated like adults and able to
Make choices - being a child is about learning and gathering information to
Enable you to make good choices in adult life. I believe kids need some sort of structure etc

Anyway, hope I have made sense! just wanted to put
My opinion in :)

I'd be really interested to hear how you get on if you decide to do
This!
 
I'm not sure I like the idea of my child wondering about eating either! Imagine the extra mess! I see it more about giving them a choice about what to eat and to eat when they are hungry. I think I'm still hung up on being made to finish my dinner and not liking it as a child, I think part of the reason I became veggie was because meat repulsed me as a child but I still had to eat it. Both my children will always have that choice and my DD became veggie at 12 because she chose to. I've never made my her eat anything she don't like and she can leave stuff on the plate if she's full, I'm still the same now, I rarely finish a meal and I am really fussy too, luckily my friends all know not to be offended if I don't clear my plate!
 
I'm not sure I like the idea of my child wondering about eating either! Imagine the extra mess! I see it more about giving them a choice about what to eat and to eat when they are hungry. I think I'm still hung up on being made to finish my dinner and not liking it as a child, I think part of the reason I became veggie was because meat repulsed me as a child but I still had to eat it. Both my children will always have that choice and my DD became veggie at 12 because she chose to. I've never made my her eat anything she don't like and she can leave stuff on the plate if she's full, I'm still the same now, I rarely finish a meal and I am really fussy too, luckily my friends all know not to be offended if I don't clear my plate!

That's really interesting about you being veggie but allowing your children to choose as I know a few veggies-all who have never given their children a choice. I'm not fussed about them wandering about but Sebastian tends to sit as soon as he has food no matter where he is (he was sat on the kitchen floor today with a bowl of grapes for example) so I'm not as worried as if I didn't know he did that (man I hope that makes sense!). Spoke to DH today and his only concern is the possible food wastage as well. Think we might try it though and see how we go. Still undecided at the moment. Although I bought some biscuits today and they were next to the grapes and Sebastian decided he was having the grapes instead. If he'd asked for the biscuits or both he could have had them but it was really interesting. I think the thing that appeals the most about it is removing the 'good food' 'bad food' labels and just having everything as 'food'. We don't use food as a treat anyway but this way food is just food iygwim?
 
It makes interesting reading.
AJ is past the weaning stage but thought I'd pop in :) Hope you dont mind.
I plan on BLW in the future and my Sister is planning to BLW her youngest. My only concern with free fooding would be wandering around eating and the risk of choking.

AJ is now 3 and is a fussy eater. He has always had a choice from the moment he was able to choose what he wanted. We didnt so BLW but wish we had. Starting nursery has increased his appetite and is trying new foods too (he doesn't eat at nursery). Oh and he chooses not to sit at his little table, we dont have a dining table :(

AJ snacks/grazes but does have set mealtimes (though he needs them much more now as he's in nursery and coming home hungry)Though it helps that he can go to the fridge and choose himself now.
For example this morning he asked for yogurt when we were having cuddles in bed. He then chose to have 'Mammy's cereal' Special K and a cup of milk. Lunch he chose what he wanted and wanted 'just that'. He had tea with his Daddy, AJ's choice. He then had a slice of bread, some salad, milk before bed and a yogurt as he was still hungry.
The only large gap in the day when he doesn't eat is when he is at nursery as he refuses to snack there and I will only stop him from grazing shortly before a planned meal.

We waste loads of fruit and veg, as we always have some in so AJ has a choice.
 
That's really helpful! Thanks x it's good he's trying new things at the moment but a shame he doesn't eat at nursery. Think this is a lead on from blw so not weaning as such iykwim. The possibility of choking crossed my mind too! As I say, Sebastian is great at plonking himself wherever he is as soon as food appears so I guess it's not so much of a worry for me at the moment. I'd def still keep a set dinner time meal in the evening just to encourage the social aspect a bit more rather than anything else. I hadn't really thought about the fact we already have a wide range of food in (ie lots of different fruit and veg etc) and now I've thought I realise we don't waste barely any of it! I wonder if that's because, except for the fruit which is out constantly to be accessible, I dish out the food though? So although we have lots of choice in at say lunch time I only offer a choice of perhaps 2 vegetables? Hmmmm. Food for thought (no pun intended ;))
 
Not that I am a mummy properly yet.

However, I just had a read through the link you popped up here.
And I think it's a really good thing to try, I think if you don't let children explore and have foods they want, or feel for etc, and only eat what you eat, they become fussy.

At least, this way, you're not forcing them to eat what you want them to eat, you're letting them have their own views, even at such a young age.

I think it's deffo something I'll consider when my bean is getting into food!
 
I've just seen this abd it's proper got my head in a little quandry! I can't make up my mind what I think about it! I'll admit, at first thought I was like that's a load of bollocks :blush: but actually, thinking mire about it some aspects make sense and most I actually do myself! I don't like the grazing all day thing, it just doesn't sit right with me! But I do offer choices at every meal and didny even realise I did it! Like breakfast, o ask what they want, today one had cereal, the other toast; lunch they do get asked, but usually go for a sandwich anyway! And dinner time I ask what they want and 9 times out of 10 they get it!

As much as I encourage eating at the table too, ATM it's kind of free reign, usually with them eating on the sofa, purely because there aren't enough hours in the day for mendicant over them watching :blush: it's kind of hectic here lol!
 
Hehe x I forgot about this thread!

Well we've mostly been letting him get what he wants when he wants between breakfast and dinner. We always eat breakfast and dinner at the table with one or two exceptions when we've had a picnic (either outside or inside) and its working really well. He's been ill the past three weeks though and hasn't been eating much at all. He gets the choice of what to have for breakfast (though since his favourite word is 'no' at the minute it can be interesting) and I'll make a proper dinner but offer bits and pieces with it and he can pick those. Usually he tries everything and then chooses one or two things again.

I must admit we are NOT free fooding sweets/crisps/chocolate. Mainly because they're not part of our daily lives anyway. If we do have some in he does have bits but we don't make a big deal about them being a 'treat' he just gets a bit.

Sounds like fun at your house Alice :D
 
It's always fun and games :lol: as much as I want us to all sit down together and eat, i have to admit meal times are usually my get things done times :blush: I've had E sitting on the bathroom floor eating cornflakes whilst I shower a fair few times :lol: note yo self: make more of an effort to eat at the table!!
 
i like the sound of this but i worry it would end in whats happened to oh's cousins dd as she only eats plain pasta, sweetcorn and certain ham in a sandwich along with most of the bad stuff.

i offer h a set main meal with veg/ fruit varieties on the side with most meals. usually after his nap i'll let him have a biscuit or some cheddars.
 

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