Hey
Baby is 3 months old so I’m still 3 months away from it yet but im seriously debating blw. Has anyone else done this?
Baby is 3 months old so I’m still 3 months away from it yet but im seriously debating blw. Has anyone else done this?
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I did a mix of mostly BLW with some spoon feeding. I thought BLW was great and preferred it. The best advice I could give is to relax and treat it like play - your baby doesn’t need to be eating much at first as they are still getting the bulk of their nutrition from breast milk/formula. Make it fun, don’t stress if most of it ends up on the floor because the goal isn’t just to get food in them, but to let them explore the food at their own pace. Also keep offering the same foods - my daughter literally would not even touch cheese for months before finally trying and enjoying it. Different textures keep things interesting, I found that cucumber and melon would go down well with teething. Also found that she would gag/choke (which is normal) less if I offered her very large pieces of solid food (big enough so she could hold it while nibbling) as she’d gnaw on it rather than trying to put a whole smaller piece in her mouth
Try not to stress out about it, I know it’s easier said than done but in a few months you’ll be wondering why it was such a big deal
Try not to stress out about it, I know it’s easier said than done but in a few months you’ll be wondering why it was such a big deal
We didn’t do baby led weaning because no matter how much people told me it was safe o was paranoid that one of them would choke so I preferred ding the purées etc. That being said we didn’t stop them from playing with the food and putting their hands in it and in Their mouths.
Did it with all of mine. Really easy, they had what we had, we don't eat high salt foods but obviously you have to make sure that you have foods suitable for baby. Gill Rapleys baby led weaning book is good for the theory and the reasonings behind it. There's loads of cookery books but you don't need them, the beauty of blw is that baby just eats your meals. They just started weaning by themselves, picking up the food.
Choking wise, traditional weaning is more of a choking hazard as by using a spoon you can bypass babies natural gag reflex. My three did gag noisily on food at times but that wasn't scary because that was their tongue thrust reflex doing its job. Its also messy but easy to clean up. It's funny to see a six month old eating a sandwich
Choking wise, traditional weaning is more of a choking hazard as by using a spoon you can bypass babies natural gag reflex. My three did gag noisily on food at times but that wasn't scary because that was their tongue thrust reflex doing its job. Its also messy but easy to clean up. It's funny to see a six month old eating a sandwich
Yes it’s good, be relaxed with it, don’t expect them to eat much to begin with - ‘food is fun till 1’ is the saying I remember and don’t worry if they gag, it’s normal.
If I could go back in time and repeat the weaning process with my son I would as I was a stressy mess the whole time. You can't do a mixture of spoon feeding and BLW - it's one or the other. I recommend BLW whole heartedly and remember, and really remember (unlike old me), food before one is just for fun.
My daughter is currently 11 months old and she always nearly chokes on lumps of food! I have to purée all her dinners.
I’d suggested giving them smooth purées first, then at 7 months old give them the lumpy/textured purées. If you are strictly led weaning I’d suggest starting them off with things like scrambled egg, over cooked broccoli and cauliflower, banana and raspberries. Always start with the softer foods they can suck before swallowing.
My sister is strictly led weaning, she did with both of her daughters and they eat lumps really well. It’s okay for a baby to cough on food but if your baby goes quiet, red and is clearly choking - be prepared! There’s so many times where I’ve been nervous with my daughter but I think they sense your emotions. Try to relax, be prepared and I even looked up how to deal with a choking baby before giving my daughter solids.
always have water nearby too
your baby will have a natural gag reflex, if the food is too big or they struggle to swallow you will see their tongue poke out where they’re trying to drop the food out of their mouth.. When my daughter does this I squeeze the food so it’s crushed up then feed her it.
I don’t want to worry you, just saying my experience. It works for some babies and others it doesn’t. I think you will know what to do when your baby tries food. You can always start with purées then build up to led weaning. I do both with my daughter, I find that led weaning has taught her more but spoon feeding has made our connection stronger
I like communicating with her while she’s eating, I like to have my full attention on her when feeding her and the best stimulation for babies is communication; this also takes her attention away from getting bored and needing the TV on when eating like most people do with their children.
good luck!
I’d suggested giving them smooth purées first, then at 7 months old give them the lumpy/textured purées. If you are strictly led weaning I’d suggest starting them off with things like scrambled egg, over cooked broccoli and cauliflower, banana and raspberries. Always start with the softer foods they can suck before swallowing.
My sister is strictly led weaning, she did with both of her daughters and they eat lumps really well. It’s okay for a baby to cough on food but if your baby goes quiet, red and is clearly choking - be prepared! There’s so many times where I’ve been nervous with my daughter but I think they sense your emotions. Try to relax, be prepared and I even looked up how to deal with a choking baby before giving my daughter solids.
always have water nearby too
your baby will have a natural gag reflex, if the food is too big or they struggle to swallow you will see their tongue poke out where they’re trying to drop the food out of their mouth.. When my daughter does this I squeeze the food so it’s crushed up then feed her it.
I don’t want to worry you, just saying my experience. It works for some babies and others it doesn’t. I think you will know what to do when your baby tries food. You can always start with purées then build up to led weaning. I do both with my daughter, I find that led weaning has taught her more but spoon feeding has made our connection stronger
I like communicating with her while she’s eating, I like to have my full attention on her when feeding her and the best stimulation for babies is communication; this also takes her attention away from getting bored and needing the TV on when eating like most people do with their children.good luck!
We did a bit of both. I read that purée just teaches them to swallow whereas BLW teaches them to use their mouths to taste and chew
It can be it daunting so educate yourself on the difference between gagging (very normal) to choking
food before one is just for fun - we would often have a few spoons of purée and then some pepper sticks/ carrot sticks to feel out how he felt
Ella’s kitchen melty puffs also a good halfway house as they disintegrate into nothing but allow them to hold and use mouth eye co ordination
It can be it daunting so educate yourself on the difference between gagging (very normal) to choking
food before one is just for fun - we would often have a few spoons of purée and then some pepper sticks/ carrot sticks to feel out how he felt
Ella’s kitchen melty puffs also a good halfway house as they disintegrate into nothing but allow them to hold and use mouth eye co ordination
I chose to do traditional style weaning, so essentially spoon feeding with finger foods. My little one was never fussed on her milk and took to food straight away. So by 7 months was having three puréed meals a day. Then started introducing lumpier, then mashed, then just chopped foods gradually over the next few months. She’s 13 months now and does really well and feeds herself most of the time (with her hands, we’re still working on her using a spoon herself). I do think she was slightly held back by lack of teeth until literally about a week ago though!
I really liked the Annabel Karmel book. The recipes and meal guides literally take you through each phase from purées to just normal meals.
I really liked the Annabel Karmel book. The recipes and meal guides literally take you through each phase from purées to just normal meals.
This - there is no mix of spoon and ‘baby Led’ you may use a mix of spoon and finger food but you can’t mix spoon feeding and BLW. Baby led us when you basically put the food in front of the child and wait for them to feed themselves. This is impossible if you are spoon feeding them:
I exclusively BLW (the only way it’s properly done) about 7 years ago, found it really simple and easy.
Happy I’ve found this thread as I’m struggling with this! With my son (now 2.5) I did strictly purée food at first as i was terrified of the idea of BLW due to choking! So when my daughter turned 6 months at the beginning of this month I was confident we would do that to, however she just refuses the spoon so am kind of being forced into BLW! does anyone have any tips or advice on best foods to give her? The thing is I’ve just started slimming world so don’t really think my meals will be appropriate for her
does anyone have any tips or advice on best foods to give her? The thing is I’ve just started slimming world so don’t really think my meals will be appropriate for herLet her have what you are having but just make sure that it is low salt and, obviously, not overly processedHappy I’ve found this thread as I’m struggling with this! With my son (now 2.5) I did strictly purée food at first as i was terrified of the idea of BLW due to choking! So when my daughter turned 6 months at the beginning of this month I was confident we would do that to, however she just refuses the spoon so am kind of being forced into BLW!
I have completely BLW fed my child. The only real con, is that out and about is impossible to feed him without getting messy as he is all for feeding himself.
My first 3 children, I dismissed it as claptrap and did traditional puree and jar feeds only. I wish I did BLW, my 4th lad first started with strips of toast with cream cheese then eating whatever I ate.
My first 3 children, I dismissed it as claptrap and did traditional puree and jar feeds only. I wish I did BLW, my 4th lad first started with strips of toast with cream cheese then eating whatever I ate.
I started out doing purees and finger foods and quickly moved towards BLW as it's so much easier - I found doing the purees soul destroyingly boring!
Never had a problem with choking, but you can do a baby first aid course with British Red Cross to put your mind at ease. Look at the NHS website on introducing solids, it's really comprehensive and helpful: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/solid-foods-weaning/.
Never had a problem with choking, but you can do a baby first aid course with British Red Cross to put your mind at ease. Look at the NHS website on introducing solids, it's really comprehensive and helpful: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/solid-foods-weaning/.
I did a mix of both purées and finger foods.
With finger foods started out with things like toast fingers or little bits of really soft pasta.
It worked well for us but my son is a brilliant eater — always has been since that first taste of carrot. Just do whatever you’re comfortable with. There’s no right or wrong way and all kids take to weaning at their own pace
With finger foods started out with things like toast fingers or little bits of really soft pasta.
It worked well for us but my son is a brilliant eater — always has been since that first taste of carrot. Just do whatever you’re comfortable with. There’s no right or wrong way and all kids take to weaning at their own pace
We did traditional weaning with my eldest & started that way with my youngest (9 months). I was absolutely paranoid about solids at first. But recently, like others, I’ve realised how much easier BLW is! We’re doing a bit of a mix, I do spoon feed purées/porridge/yoghurt but my little one also loves feeding herself. She loves pasta, veggies, toast, sandwiches - most things her sister eats which makes my life so much easier!
We did a mix of both and it worked well. It's all just about experimenting I think. I make up some purees and then also did finger food. Good luck! X
I liked Annabel karmel too x
I did blw with both and they're good ish eaters. They'll try anything, whether they'll eat it all is another matter lol. I don't think there is a right way to wean between traditional or blw just be relaxed and I think most babies will do fine. And just remember whatever you think now most of us will be bribing our kids to behave with a happy meal in a couple of years anyway.
I loosely followed BLW. Started off at 6 months with very soft boiled veg (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot batons) and stuck with this for 2 weeks or so. Then did the same but with soft fruits, e.g banana. I found that using finger foods encouraged my little one to be more independent and she could choose from the start what she wanted from in front of her. At around 7 months I gradually introduced foods such as toast fingers, scrambled egg, roasted potatoes cut into fingers, omelettes...basically whatever we were having. My little girl is an amazing eater and will now eat anything I put infront of her, however whether this was down to my approach I’m not sure as me and her Daddy are massive foodies
Just experiment and find what your little one prefers at first to make eating fun. If its purees, so be it! Don’t stick firm to a belief as I genuinely believe some children are good with food and weaning; some aren’t, regardless of how you choose to approach it. Some of my friends’ babies hate ‘sloppy’ textures like yoghurt after BLW, some won’t eat solids til they’re ready. Just give plenty of options, lots of different textures and remember it’s something like a baby can take 12 attempts at one food to decide whether they like it or not, so plenty of exposure. Also remember ‘food is for fun’ before 1 year old so don’t stress, enjoy it and go with the pace your little one wants!
Just experiment and find what your little one prefers at first to make eating fun. If its purees, so be it! Don’t stick firm to a belief as I genuinely believe some children are good with food and weaning; some aren’t, regardless of how you choose to approach it. Some of my friends’ babies hate ‘sloppy’ textures like yoghurt after BLW, some won’t eat solids til they’re ready. Just give plenty of options, lots of different textures and remember it’s something like a baby can take 12 attempts at one food to decide whether they like it or not, so plenty of exposure. Also remember ‘food is for fun’ before 1 year old so don’t stress, enjoy it and go with the pace your little one wants!