Weaning stories...

[Hope81]

So when did everyone start, did you do BLW or TW and why?
Any particular difficulties that you had? Tips to share?

Trying to get informed, though I have quite clear in mind what I am going to so with Amelie I am an open minded person

 

[MrsR]

I did BLW with both mine (though I'm sure it wasn't called that when DD was young) as when I researched into weaning I could tell BLW would make the most sense for us and our family and TW makes me very uncomfortable. I loved every second of BLW and would choose this way every time as long as it was the right choice for my baby xx highly recommended x

 

[MrsR]

Oops forgot about difficulties etc!
Difficulties-none
Tips-be prepared for mess! Educate yourself to understand the difference between gagging and choking. Don't panic about how much baby is/isn't eating. The main source of nourishment is still milk until they're one. Have fun! Enjoy mealtimes together!

 

[beckyboo1]

We started BLW with Harry when he was around 5.5 months- by this I mean starting with proper meals etc

Previous to this he'd had the odd thing to eat/ mess about with

I had a read up on it and tbh it just made sense iykwim. I spoon feed him things like yoghurt, but its usually with him helping me guide the spoon in

I just didn't fancy starting making purées from scratch and preparing something different from what we eat

As mrs r says its messy but its also fun to watch and lots if people now comment on how good he is at eating (he's 7 months today!!)- especially when we're out.

He's not turned his nose up at everything apart from the couple if tones I've tried feeding him pouches of food ( trying to make life easier for me when I've been rushed) but he point blank won't eat them!!

To me it's worth a go- if it doesn't work go traditional xx

 

[Mrsstuart01]

We started blw about 2 weeks ago and I love it!! I feel so proud every time he eats something new.
I love the hand to mouth coordination it gives them and want him to eat what we eat!
At this stage he is more playing with food and eating little bits so you need to be relaxed and the gagging is difficult to watch but when you trust them its easier. They know what they're doing an I'd rather get past the gagging now than try it at 8 or 9 months as I know people do xx

 

[TORino]

I kind of blw, though I do spoon feed some things depending on what I'm doing and if its possible to get finger foods or not.

I try to ensure at each meal she has something (if not everything) she can feed to herself.

I wanted to do it this way so she would use her hand as much as possible as it was damaged at birth and I am to encourage her to use it as much as I can as told by the physio.

Plus I can't be bothered pureeing everything and letting her feed herself is preferable to spooning everything in while my dinner is going cold lol. She sits at the table with us and we eat as a family, which is good for us too as we had bad eating habits previously.

Her fine motor skills are really good from doing this, she has been able to pick up even the smallest things like grains of rice/raisins for a good while now. And she always hits her mouth

The choking/gagging advice is good, I struggled a bit in the beginning but now it's all fine. It might take you a bit to get used to it.

Oh, negatives are that it's messy lol

ETA - we started about 21/22 weeks but she only had one meal a day and just played with the food until maybe 24 weeks plus.

 

[Nurse 26]

we started at 5.5 months and do a mix of TW and BLW, intorduced finger food from the very start, he got on great with the finger foods but took him about 2 weeks to start eating the mashed food, we never bothered with puree and most foods had lumps from the start.

 

[wifeywifey]

I did blw weaning with my eldest he took to it like a duck to water, he was 5.5 month I think my youngest was my youngest was almost 5 moths and I tw until 6 months, I had to wean him so early on docs advice he refused milk and was losing weight I switched to blw at 6.5 months and he has never been happier and loves it. I found his hand eye coordination came on really quickly and he could eat what we eat which was great. I'm very pro blw I have two kids that will eat anything, feed themselves and my eldest is 20 months and uses a fork or spoon no problem.

Only downside to blw is the mess on the floor lol

 

[xMrsxCx]

There is some good advice in here

Can u switch to BLW at any time? I've been doing abit of both with Abigail and I'm getting nowhere with the spoon feeding, she constantly spits it out and isnt interested at all.. When I've given her finger foods she does play with it but will also eat a little bit.. Now she seems so much happier when she is just left to do it herself but I was worried she wouldn't be eating enough by doing this.. Will she eventually start eating it properly if I change to BLW? xx

 

[Hope81]

thank you everyone, is nice to hear your weaning journeys

my plan is quite flexible as i may need to start before 6 m with amelie as she is over the centiles for height and all the way up for weight it will be impossible to get a decent amount of calories for her with only milk at around 5 months so if her growing rate dosent slow down quite a lot we may need to start earlier. (by earlier i dont mean 3 or 4 months)

unfortunately we cant do blw as i have to go to work until then and she will be spoon fed most definitely at the nursery but its fine with me as i had in mind a combination of 2 anyway.

so my plan (always flexible) is if we can hold until 6 months to start with vegetable purees adding a little later fruits and poultries (fruits later in an attempt to establish a preference for savory tastes) then mashed food instead of purees, red meat and finger foods at 7 months, gluten and egg yolk at 8 m, fish and egg white at 1 year old.
if we have to start earlier it will be vegetable and fruit purees until 6 m (offered after her bottle) and then depending of how she handles food, finger foods with mashed food.

planing of cooking all of her meals from fresh (not really like the idea of freezing food for her) but i may need to freeze some portions when i go back to work so we will see.

its nth set in stone yet so i will keep reading around and considering and ofc we will see what plans my little monkey has too lol...

 

[TORino]

You may be surprised hope, she might not need weaning earlier. My little chubster wasn't giving out signs that she needed weaning in being unsettled etc, and I didn't start properly until she was about 6 months. And T is one large baby! Lol

 

[Hope81]

That wouldn't be so bad not in a hurry as I prefer to go directly to finger foods rather than purée everything in sight lol
They all keep fobbing me, including the hv, that she will need weaning earlier and it makes sense but tilly chops proved again that babies know better

 

[beckyboo1]

Was ^^ H is a big boy boy but we managed on breast milk til we started

I'm assuming the timings if the introduction of food you've mentioned are to do with the guidelines where you are? ( just interested as obv over here its advised to wait til 6 months then pretty much anything goes apart from honey and a couple of other things!!)

Mrs C- how old is Abigail? You can def swap between TW and BLW. You'll find as the dad/weeks go on they realise that the food tastes good and it'll all start going in!!

Harry is now 7 months and I'd say it took him a good 2-3 weeks to get into the swing of things and do what is call properly eating iykwim xx

 

[knopk@]

I have a big boy but he wasnt weaned until 5,5 months . We did a similar to Torino.
He loves his food and always has and i didnt have to mess with purees, there was no need. Bonus!

Tapatalking so cant see signatures

 

[Hope81]

Yes there are guidelines from Greece and though I could probably do what you are doing in uk (I suppose if the British kids do fine on everything from 6 m, Greek kids can survive too lol) I will follow some of them as there are several food allergies in the family and I want to introduce foods very slow and keep the most likely to provoke a reaction for a bit later.
Gluten is a personal choice to be introduced much later

 

[xMrsxCx]

Mrs C- how old is Abigail? You can def swap between TW and BLW. You'll find as the dad/weeks go on they realise that the food tastes good and it'll all start going in!!

Harry is now 7 months and I'd say it took him a good 2-3 weeks to get into the swing of things and do what is call properly eating iykwim xx

Thank you She's 7 months.. she is just playing with food atm, eating a little but more playing.. I will hold it out then and carry on giving her food and hopefully she will start to eat it soon..

I was just worried she wasn't eating enough as the majority of it goes on the floor lol..x