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BABY LED WEANING

Would any of you mummies that are doing BLW be able to help me please.

I really want to do BLW when DS is six months (he is currently 18 weeks) but I keep having a crisis of confidence whether or not I'm doing the right thing.

I think its probably because friends with babies are all starting to wean ... but I can't help but worry if I'm doing the right thing holding him off until 6 months.

Also, I'm not sure how to start ... I've got the BLW book but I would find it much more reassuring to speak to other mummies that are/have done BLW and find out your experiances.

Thanks

K x

Replies

  • Hiya,

    I also planning to do this with DD (16wks) but don't know anyone else doing it.I would also appreciate any input from mummies already doing it. Like Smithyswife I am alittle nervous.

  • Hiya.

    The first thing I would say is go with your gut. You know your baby better than anyone and will know if he is ready for weaning. Forget the 'signs'. Just watch him and see what he seems to be telling you. You will know. And if you aren't sure then they probably aren't ready for weaning yet.

    We actually started the weaning process at five months when we started sitting Peter in his high chair and giving him spoon to play with. Then we gave him some soft fruit and steamed veg to play with at about 5.5 months. At six months we started offering him food at mealtimes (whatever we were eating) and let him make a mess. He didn't really start eating anything for another months or so and now he eats pretty much anything offered to him. (He doesn't like papaya, apparently, but otherwise he is one of the least fussy eaters I have ever met.)

    One other thing I did for myself was buy a box of baby rice when he was about 20 weeks old. It is still unopened in the cupboard but it helped me knowing it was there if he ever did give me what I considered a definite sign that he wanted food.

    I do remember how stressful the weeks leading up to weaning can be, and totally sympathise but this really is a situation where mummy knows best, so just trust yourself and your baby and you will be fine.

    Best of luck and do ask if you need any other advice, either on here or by e-mail.
  • i started blw pippa at 25 ish weeks and i'm so glad that i did, i've not got other children so don't know a great deal about traditional weaning and how easy/hard that is though. The main thing to remember is that milk is the main source of nutrition until one so food is just for fun, if you try to remember that you'll be a lot less stressed. Pippa played with her food, not eating a lot till she was nearly 8 months and now at 10 months there's no stopping her. She'll eat anything you give her, has a fab appetite and it's so easy to feed her, all i do is cook a bit more than i normally would and let her try it. We eat out a lot and don't have to take food with us she just share's my food, people are always astounded when they see her eat and normally think she's a lot older than she is. The one bad thing is the mess, but pippa doesn't make too much mess now and all babies make a mess at some point. It's also got us eating healthier as whatever we eat she eats so are more carefull. Honestly i could go on all day i love it :lol:
    any questions just ask
    xx
  • I did a bit of both. I started weaning at 5 months as ds was a big boy and hungry but just not interested in milk. He started grabbing anything i was eating. I initially started with purees but v quickly (by 6 months) moved to finger foods. He is now 7 months next week and apart from his weetabix for breakfast he is on all finger foods and feeding himself. Up until 6 month he didn't really have the coordination to hold many foods, hence why we started with purees. I have found that within the last 2 weeks he no longer gags on things and has a lovely chewing motion. He will eat pretty much whatever is going. I was out at lunch this week at Loch Fyne and he ended up having one of my salmon fishcakes which he loved, followed by a slice of granny's teabread with butter!
  • What BLW book have you got - any advice ona good one???! THANKS
  • Hi The book I am reading is Gill Rapley baby led weaning x
  • ohhhh thanks I will have a lottle look at that one.
  • have to agree with history girl! only you know your baby and when your baby is ready, my first was sort of weaned at 9 wks, with her being properly done by the time she was 15 wks, my second on the other hand showed no interest in food what so ever until 6 months, so he wasn't weaned until then, and then my youngest lo started on baby rice at 14 wks due to him downing bottles etc. as for the one i'm carrying, she will be done when she shows signs of readiness.
  • That's great, thanks so much. I may well be coming to u with questions when we actually start. I did give DS a bit of crust of my bread today which he sucked on for a bit but I don't think he's ready yet! Am going to start sitting him in his highchair when I eat so he can start to learn what it's all about. Thanks again.

    Kx
  • I can throughly recommend BLW. I started with my DS at 5.5 months (simple steamed veg and soft fruit) and it took him a few weeks to get the hang of it but then he was eating everything! I used the book for advice and there is also a website. He mostly ate the same as us and now at 1 year is a fab eater. It's so much easier to let them get on with eating themselves and no battles as they can control everything! Great for you to eat together too. There are lots of recipes you can adapt from the annabel karmel book too. My lo gagged a few times at first but no choking and he ate lots of harder things, just shows they can do it! Good luck you will both enjoy it xx
  • Can u remember what you gave your lo's when they first started BLW ??? IE for breakfast etc etc. Also, when did you give them meals ? With their milk or inbetween milk feeds ? Did u start with one meal a day to start ?

    Thanks
    K x
  • We started with steamed veg and soft fruit. Then as lo started to actually eat more food introduced food at all 3 meals. For brekkie I gave fruit, toast or cereal. It was the one time I spoon fed for porridge or weetabix that he couldn't pick up himself. We gave him food at the time we had our meals so we all ate together. Milk feeds inbetween. I didn't follow a regime, I just offered foods at each mealtime and went with his lead. You don't have to start with one meal, just go with what your lo wants. Now we mostly eat together and usually eat at the same.The book is great to dip into. Really gives you confidence to go with your babies lead and offer all types of food once they hit 6 monthsxx
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