What is Baby Led Weaning? (BLW)

[Lacey's Mummy]

I gave Lacey yogurt from 3 months and tried baby rice but she hated it so went straight onto solids at 6 months. She had mostly solid food but OH's grandma would bring up pureade roast dinners and cottage pie a couple times a week so did still have purée sometimes. The reason I did solids and not purée is because personnally mashed up food tastes gross! Let Ethan decide what he wants to eat. It takes time but he'll really enjoy feeding himself! Like Helen, I can't wait to get charley onto solids!

 

[lauren86]

i still have quite a few pots frozen so will still use them, i read somewhere that you could any purees etc on bread and rice cakes might try that to use them up. It is really funny seeing him hold food he looks at me like a mad woman when i show him how i eat it I can see it will take time for him to get used to it. Xx

 

[MrsR]

I didn't do any weaning until she was 6 months and started straight on blw-no purees x

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

Hiya, just back after a while away (I really should put that in my sig lol) and loving this new section

Jess is 7 months and we started her with BLW a week before she turned 6 months - it was just getting too hard to say no to that dribbling and grabbing for our food! It has so far been an absolute joy and she is loving it and developing a VERY healthy appetite and confidence to try new things. She is FF and has had no issues

Her diet now consists of roasted pepper, parsnips and carrots, steamed broccoli, grilled chicken, cod and pork, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, celery, leeks, home made potato wedges, mash potato, toast, apples, oranges, bananas, plums, organic wheat puffs, cheese, and korma

The reasons for BLW became obvious last week when we went to Ikea and stopped for lunch. I grabbed Jess a few bits of salad, sat her in a chair and let her get on with it while we ate our food and chatted. She didnt make a mess or complain, just enjoyed her food. On the table next to us, a lady was getting really frustrated with her son who must of been about 9 months old, trying to spoon feed him some mush while he wanted to play with the spoon. He ended up getting upset, she got stressed, and all the while her own food went cold. I gave her a sympathetic smile but she just gave me daggers

Just goes to show how much more fun, relaxed, easy and natural BLW is

 

[Yodabo]

I'll be doing BLW when Drake is ready. I can't wait, it really makes sense. It will hopefully inspire all of us to be healthier with our food and teach me to be more creative in the kitchen lol

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

I'll be doing BLW when Drake is ready. I can't wait, it really makes sense. It will hopefully inspire all of us to be healthier with our food and teach me to be more creative in the kitchen lol

Yes it has definitely forced us to be more healthy and eat more fresh fruit and veg!

 

[isobel84]

im thinking of letting Noa sit with us in a chair when we eat and from about 5 month offer him something aswell n its his choice when he wants to start trying stuff. Im set on trying to BF for atleast 6 month but just let him try diferent things if he wants to, is that BLW?

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

im thinking of letting Noa sit with us in a chair when we eat and from about 5 month offer him something aswell n its his choice when he wants to start trying stuff. Im set on trying to BF for atleast 6 month but just let him try diferent things if he wants to, is that BLW?

More or less, yes

Though new recommendations are to not introduce solids until 6 months, but once he can sit unaided it is great for them to sit at the table with you and get used to the sights, sounds and smells of dinner time - its about the social aspects aswell as the food Then when he is 6 months (though I gave in a week before 6 months lol) its easier to just offer some of what you are eating and let him play with it and explore.

 

[MrsR]

Here's some of Seb enjoying breakfast and some plum and pear for snack. He's absolutely loving BLW and so am I! It's soooooo easy!!!!!

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

i was adviced by my neonatal nutritionist and HV today that I shouldnt do it with Ellie as they dont think that babies get all the nutrients they need, I was gutted as I had read up on it so much xx

 

[MrsR]

Yeah blw isn't recommended for prem babies. As for the nutrient part for a non prem I wouldn't worry. They get what they need still from their milk (breast or bottle) the only area that might be a small concern is iron intake BUT it's not a huge issue. Yes babies start to run out of their iron stores around 6 months but it's not like a tap that just switches off! There's still iron there, it's just slowly running out.

If people are really concerned about the iron and nutrients they could do a mix of traditional pureed food and blw. Personally I'm sticking to blw but giving cereal and yogurt with a spoon so he knows how to eat with a spoon as well. It's all play and interaction at the moment and he's loving it!

 

[Lacey's Mummy]

I know it's slightly early but I decided to try charley on some toast today and he loved it and cried when it had all gone! He only gagged once too which is a relief!

 

[MrsR]

Yay charley!!! I started Seb a week early *blush* x the gagging is a liitle scary but once you realise it's the way babies move food around and learn to chew and that they very very rarely choke (the gagging stops them) you start to feel better Seb very very rarely gags but the first time he did OH panicked and i was sat there calm as anything. Seb just looked at me like 'what's daddy doing?' lol x

 

[MrsR]

Awwwwwww just seen pic! He looks well happy!

 

[Lacey's Mummy]

It was seeing seb eating by himself that has made me wanna do it with charley. I'll carry on as normal with purée for a couple more weeks but I'm gonna introduce bits of food now so charley can learn the feel of it and see what he does.
I think I'm gonna have to go get a booster seat for the table now!!

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

yeah I said that Ellie is on her meds, abidec, folic acid and sytrous so thought that she would get all the goodness from them, xx

 

[MrsR]

Aw bless her! My hv was all for blw! It's what you're comfortable with too. I'm not concerned.

Chaz that's great! Glad he's inspired you We have a high chair that clips on to the table and it's brilliant! Means he's right there with us

 

[Yodabo]

You've explained it really well Helen, I'm glad people are getting inspired! The benefits really are worth it!

 

[MrsR]

You've explained it really well Helen, I'm glad people are getting inspired! The benefits really are worth it!

Aw thanks you hon x x

 

[isobel84]

i gave Noa a chip sized bit of banana yesterday and he shoved it in and it was gone!? I will wait to hes 6 month to start properly tho. Now he only gets bits of banana really.

Im nervous about the choking and gagging so i did a 2 hours first aid class for babies tuesday gone and feel alittle calmer about it all now. He gets so excited im scared he will forgett to try n chew n just try n swollow?