Pros and cons of blw

[LEMONADEGIRL]

Would anyone be able to help me with a dilemma that dh and I are currently having please.
Ds is comming up to 6 months and we are discussing weaning. I have read up on blw via the blog and threads on mn and discussed them with dh.

It does sound like somthing I want to try but dh would like to know why we should move away from traditional weaning. Could anyone explain why it is better to blw than puree.

Thank you x

[MrsBadger]

the pragmatic reason is it's much less work for you!

[terramum]

Because its actually based on sound evidence-based research

[littleEasterlapin]

It allows them to regulate their own food intake; I see it as the solids version of demand feeding, if you like.

Aitch will explain it better.

You can always give it a go, and switch to purees if it doesn't work for you. They are still getting most of their calories from milk at your DS's age, and a few weeks mucking around with finger foods won't hurt him. And he might really like it.

My DH was pretty sceptical, but was won over when we went out to dinner with 2 other couples and their DSs; useless mummy here managed to leave the nappy bag (plus food) at home, so I just got him a selection of steamed veg and he worked his way through them (aged about 7mos). The other parents were gobsmacked and DH started boasting about BLW

[GingGangGooley]

No more difficult "won't eat lumps stage"

No blenders

No Icecube trays

No spoons

No Stress (pretty much)

Easy peasey

Fun for you and baby

Baby gets to explore food in its true form

Encourages good eating habits

Teaches them to eat properly and uses numerous muscles in their face sooner and help aid more babbling and speech.

They know when they are full

hmmmm i could probably think of more but i am tired boohoo!

The only con i suppose is if you are a worry wart because they can gag a bit but thats just a process of learning how to eat that they will have to go through anyway so why not now and get it out of the way. Read this Choke Vs Gag oh look that turned into a pro! lol


Oh and it can be messy!

My DF also preaches about it now and even MIL was impressed once she saw it!

Good luck x

[AitchYouBerk]

to answer your husband's question...

'traditional' weaning, ie with purees would still be likely to be necessary if you were weaning at the 'traditional' time. until only a few years ago, the govt guidelines were for weaning at 12 weeks. no baby would be able to feed themselves by hand at that age, they would all need spoon feeding.

however, if you ask your parents you'll hear that by 6 months babies were being fed by spoon and also were being given finger food.

now that the guidelines have changed to 6 months there's been something of a 'disconnect' in the thinking of HVs etc. they seem to be working on the assumption that the babies who started at 12 weeks took 3 months to 'learn' how to eat finger food and that's why we were all okay to eat toast at 6 months.

but that's not the case, clearly... it's just that we were developmentally ready at that age. babies walk when they're ready, crawl when they're ready, eat when they're ready. (and isn't it an interesting coincidence that the WHO thinks their guts are ready to digest food at around the same time as they start picking it up and eating it all by themselves? )

you can spend your own time pureeing and spoonfeeding if you want, of course. or you can do a mixture of both, loads of people feel more comfortable doing that. but you don't have to.

[redbeki]

At 6 months.Doesn't most of the food get dropped on the floor.I think blw is very interesting in theory,but the practicalities of it .mmm,I'm not sure.
I do a bit of both with my lo.She has mush and finger foods,and still has plenty of milk.Why not use the info as a good guide line.Just don't tell your parents,or they'll probably freak!

[AitchYouBerk]

well i suppose if you've never actually tried it then your concerns will remain forever theoretical, redbeki.

[harpsichordcarrier]

at 16 months most of the food gets dropped on the floor

[AitchYouBerk]

yes please, harpsi. mine. five articles down, the one about starting off...

dd's really super-tidy now, freakishly enough.

[littleEasterlapin]

God, if only... DS is just shy of 1, and today he redecorated the kitchen with spaghetti and meatballs and got a bright orange face in the process!

I think we can safely say that BLW is not for the anally tidy. My aunt, bless her, would be hiding under the highchair with the Jif...

Incidentally, DS also still has lots of milk. In fact, I really must get around to weaning him

[AitchYouBerk]

dd, at 15 months, has only quite recently decided to cut back on her milk. about a month or so ago, i think.

[terramum]

Yep DS didnt really start having more food than milk till he was about 18 months....I am leaving him to wean naturally (although do refuse him feeds occasioanlly if I am busy). He is 2 yrs & 8 months now & still feeds anything between 2-7 times a day

[LEMONADEGIRL]

Thanks all of the responses

To be honest I think dh is a bit worried about the mess and the choking though it will be me predominatly dealing with it

If ds turns into anything like his mother then he will be wearing his food!!

GGG- all very good reasons for why I want to give it a go

Aitch - thanks this the kind of info that will help dh understand. Of course family are still shocked that haven't been giving ds mince and onions from 6 weeks but that is a whole other story

[AitchYouBerk]

well then just ask your MiL how she managed to spend 7 and a half months spoonfeeding. you'll soon find she didn't and that the early-weaned babes were on finger food from, oh... 6 months. i've turned a lot of oldies that way.

[LEMONADEGIRL]

you mean some oldies accept these new fangled ideas

[Enid]

I think you will find most people do a mixture

keep an open mind and dont feel as if you have failed if you end up spooning something in now and again.

[AitchYouBerk]

and it does no harm for any parent to do an infant resus course, imho.

[AitchYouBerk]

wow, enid, you really are obsessed with failure. my dd has never let me spoon a single thing into her mouth... does that mean i'm a failed spoon feeder in your eyes? [not beating self up about it]

[frenchleave]

I started off with BLW, but my problem is that DS doesn't seem to like carrot, broccoli etc. I've tried dozens of times, he'll pick a piece up, brush it against his lips, pull a totally over-the-top disgusted face and drop it on the floor. Every time. I got a bit fed up with the waste in the end. I tried the same veg in purees but they were a bit fat no too. The only veg he will eat so far, in their natural state is potato, sweet potato, oh and he ate a French bean once, probably because it had been cooked with bacon and onion . He does, however, love hunks of meat, and makes all the right chewing movements before swallowing.

So what do you do with a fussy baby?

[Enid]

Most people I know seem to do a mixture of blw and spoon feeding

impossible to fail that way

[BizzyDint]

frenchleave- blw doesn't mean carrots and broccoli. it means anything you like. if he doesn't like plain steamed veg try roasting it? dd loves fried veg at the moment, although we call it sauteed! you could do bubble and squeak type things, any veg, mixed with mash, then bake in a lump...veggie patties.

[AitchYouBerk]

ggggrrrrrrrrrrr. are you baiting me with your 'mixture of BLW and spoon feeding', woman? most people i know do purees. then some do a mix of finger food and puree. but of those people i know who have tried BLW (a small sub-section, lord knows) very few have used purees as well.

and frenchleave, if he likes meat let him have meat. maybe he thinks he's okay for vitamin c right now? i'd also advocate cooking veg until it's unnappetisingly squidgy, my dd used to drop al dented stuff off the table without so much as putting it to her lips. what's he like with fruit?

[LEMONADEGIRL]

thanks again

Hope he does get on with blw, babies on blog look so adorable and would love to see the looks on face of family over sunday lunch

[redbeki]

oh but I have tried it,or I wouldn't posting my comments.It is a really good way to feed a baby,I'm not saying it's not.But in my experience most of the food gets spat out or thrown around.I suppose that's the whole point of the blw.It certainly makes meal times more fun

[AitchYouBerk]

oh, righto. well i can't deny it's messy in the beginning.