Does anyone else regret BLW with a previous child?

[howtobehappy]

I am not sure if it is just me as I have read through a lot of the posts on here and everyone seems to get on well with BLW, is there anyone that has done this with an older child and regreted it?

I did BLW with my now 3 year old and am now pregnant with number 2 and I am going to go down the traditional puree route this time. I offered my first child finger food from 6 months, she did not know what to do with it and it took her until 7 months to eat anything. Even then it was a couple of bits of cucumber and brocoli. Nothing else would pass her lips until about 11 months old, when she would then eat some pasta, peas and grated cheese, porridge and yoghurt. I stopped breast feeding at 1 year and switched to cows milk, I wished I had used a follow on formula as by about 18 months my DD would hardly eat anything. Just cucumber and porridge. She is now 3 and will no longer drink milk. She will not try new foods. For example yesterday she ate 1 slice of toast all day, and today she has eaten half a bread stick. She will not eat any fruit at all. I think if I had introduced her to lots of different tastes in purees she would have done better. My DD is not underweight so doctors are not worried, they said children can survive on very little.

Has anyone else had this experience?

[FlojoHoHoHo]

No experience sorry. But I went down the traditional route of baby rice and puree veg (7&4yo) and they will eat anything.

[howtobehappy]

Thanks for the reply FlojoHoHoHo Most of my friends went down the traditional route and all of their children eat well, the only friend who did BLW now has a 2 year old that will only eat the organix carrot sticks (or as I call them fake wotsits).

[howtobehappy]

I have been doing some research today on weaning and most cultures seem to start off with some kind of traditional rice or porridge and mashed soft fruit, and traditionally food was pre chewed by a care giver to start the digestion process of the food and to make it easier for the baby to eat. So I guess that is where the idea of purees come from. I just feel a bit angry that I followed the new BLW idea of only allowing self feeding that was promoted by the HV at the time my DD was weaning as my DD was unable to eat many foods and now will not try them. This may not be because I did BLW with her as I see people on here have had good results with babies maybe she would of just hardly eaten any way even if I had done purees to start off with, I'm just wondering if there are any others that did BLW with their previous children and now they are older they do not seem to eat much at all?

[OnlyWantsOne]

I kinda spoon fed stuff & gave bits for them to hold (2 weaned ones are now 2 & 6)

With this baby I will prob do the same - porridge type stuffs for breakfast -
Lots of mashed foods too not so much purée. But to be fair i didn't bother starting to wean either til they were over 7 months & they both just ate what ever I gave them (apart from peas, neither will eat peas)

[ninjasquirrel]

Does your DD go to childcare? My DS is quite fussy at home but will eat anything at nursery. He was BLW, but not strictly - after I started with that I tried to introduce purées as well but he wasn't keen on being spoonfed either. I think I would go traditional route with a second. I suppose there are children who tend to be fussy however they're weaned.

[JingleJohnsJulie]

Really don't think your DDs eating has anything to do with the way she was weaned and feeding purees does not guarantee a superb eater. In fact I've weaned 2, one with purees and one who was a spoon refusing blw by her choice. Both went through a really fussy stage at age 3.

As for regretting the follow on milk, please dont. The NHS don't recommend follow on at all, its just first milk for non bfers till 12 months and hen full fat cows milk till 2 years. As far as I can make out there is no minimum recommendation for milk at 3.

Also, why would blw not introduce her to the same variety of flavours as purees?

There is a book by Carlos Gonzalez call My Child Won't Eat. I think you might find it useful.

Congratulations on your pg too

[howtobehappy]

ninjasquirrel DD has started pre-school now, she will only eat the snack they provide there if it is spagetti hoops (which is only once per week). I have never bought spagetti hoops at home before but have bought some after she ate them at pre-school but she would not eat them at home. She will drink the milk they give her at pre-school, but will not drink this at home, she will only drink diluted fresh apple juice.

She hardly seems to eat anything. This week on Monday she ate 5 cubes of cheese all day, on Tuesday 1 mini sausage in bacon at a family christmas dinner, on Wednesday she ate 2 slices of toast, Thursday 1 slice of toast, and today half a bread stick. With just diluted apple juice or water to drink which I limit to 1 litre a day on doctors advice so she does not fill up on too much liquid.

[poocatcherchampion]

I'm not sure how the type of weaning is a factor here either. You should offer a variety of foods as part of blw, often a bigger range more quickly. Blw will also expose them to textures sooner too, and many say a blw child is less fussy - although I don't know if there is research to back that up.

[howtobehappy]

Thanks JingleJohnsJulie I will have a look for that book now online.

That is good to hear that follow on milk is not recommended.

I think she did not experience a wide range of tastes because she just never picked up meat or fish or fruit off her plate, only certain veg and carbs, then later she fed herself a couple of spoons of porridge and yoghurt a day, but now she just does not like anything anymore. Hopefully it is just a fussy stage, I just feel like I have failed her.

[howtobehappy]

Thanks just read the other replies and maybe you guys are right, she is just fussy and however I would have weaned her she would still be like this.

[JingleJohnsJulie]

You've not failed hr at all. Like I say, I done it both ways and both were just as fussy at 3.

I think 3 is just a naturally fussy age, they are asserting independence. It's how you deal with it that counts and there is still plenty of time to turn her around

[JingleJohnsJulie]

Just seen your last post. Yes, so stop beating yourself up!

[PickledInAPearTree]

I really don't think it's anything to do with how you weaned op. don't beat yourself up.

Ds is terrible with food at times and it is horrible but not your fault!

[exoticfruits]

Just do what suits you- the aim is to eat with the family- how you get there is unimportant.

[gybegirl]

I did BLW with both of mine. One is fussy, one isn't.

[BertieBotts]

DS was BLW and barely ate until 22 months, but I don't think that was anything to do with how he was weaned. I would do BLW again, definitely.

[exoticfruits]

Whether they are fussy eaters, or not, has absolutely nothing to do with it either.

[Piemistress]

I did BLW with DS (now 3yrs) and am doing more traditional weaning with DD. Not sure why really, think I need a bit more structure (if that makes sense) having a toddler to look after too, plus I don't have the spare time to sit while she eats if I did BLW with her. Although i'm doing purees mainly (3rd week of weaning) I am offering her fingers of toast etc.

I think it's more of an age thing rather than how she was weaned though. My DS only eats satsumas, no other fruit. He has his fussy and non fussy days, it's trying not to let it get to me which is hard!

[confuddledDOTcom]

My youngest two (um... not counting the week old baby, but you know what I mean) weren't ready for solids at 6 months. The first of them was like a baby in every way at that age, if you picked her up she pulled her limbs in like a newborn, she couldn't sit up, she started solids at 10 months old (offered earlier just not interested) but she wasn't properly eating for another year, far preferring the boob. The younger one was about 7 months then started solids like she'd always been eating.

I remember saying something to my husband when the elder of the two was about 7 months about her not eating and he said "Well she's just not ready, is she?" it was bit of a "duuh!" statement from him! I don't think he's ever been so pro something in a comment as much as he was then.

Genuinely if your child isn't ready at 6 months, there's nothing wrong with that. Remember the mantra "food's for fun until they're one" and it doesn't mean that from their first birthday they need to eat proper meals either!

[InNeedOfBrandy]

With dd I followed annabel whatever her last name is and dd got puréed sweet potatoe and orange in ice cube trays and all that malarkey, she wa a fussy eater and would gag over anything that wasn't bread or potatoe or sweet corn or green and blacks white chocolate (my grandparents) from 1 to 5, now at 7 she eats almost fine. She still won't sit next to someone eating a banana though.

With ds I didn't do baby led weaning as such but I didn't bother puréeing food, I chopped it and mashed it and let him get on with it. He ate everything he could pick up and he still eats amazingly good now at 5.

Think it's down to personality tbh.

[FushiaFernica]

Just read this thread as it was in active and I thought what on earth is BLW? Did a search- Baby Led Weaning. My dd was born in 2004 so I can't believe how out of date I am already. I did buy the Annabel Karmel book at the time and tried to puree bits and pieces until succumbing to baby food jars as my dd wouldn't eat any of lovinglypureed stuff.

My 8 year old dd does eat a wide variety of food despite my shortcomings. Must admit that BLW does sound a bit 'trying to be perfect' style motherhood.

[Iggly]

How do you know it was the BLW? She refuses milk, slow to solids... Am wondering if there are food intolerances there or reflux type issues.

I don't see BLW as a philosophy - its just letting baby self feed. I have two dc and with my second I let her self feed mushed up food then worked to finger foods. It wasn't strictly finger foods. She had mashed potato as her first taste - just grabbed it and licked it in.

[GalaxyDisaStar]

I did BLW with both of mine. However, I think you need to (in the nicest possible way) relax and be a bit kinder on yourself. BLW won't magically give you a non fussy eater. Nor will purees. They are just different ways of weaning. Offer lots of options, do not pass on anxiety (not sure I would eat a carrot if someone was hovering over me saying 'you like that don't you' every 10 seconds) and you get what you get.

Enjoy your new baby

[Iwillorderthefood]

Did annabell kamel with DD1 she is really fussy, did BLW withDD2 and she has a much more varied diet than DD1.