Baby led weaning

to add my thoughts, which I would apply to any weaning process either puree or finger foods..... the 4 day rule is actually quite a good one, the reason for it is so that if any food disagrees with your child (i.e gives them reflux, constipates them, bloats them/makes them gassy or upsets their tummy) then it is very easy to identify which food in particular has caused the problem without having to eliminate all the foods they have eaten lately. If you don't want to do it with every food (and it would take years if you did it with every food you introduced) then consider doing it with foods commonly known to cause issues like gluten, dairy, wholegrains, seafood, nuts etc. I tended to avoid giving too many complex carbs (potato, bread, rice etc) during the first 6 months. Starch is not well digested and can lead to constipation and discomfort. If you are breastfeeding then breastfeed in conjunction with offering foods, especially starchy foods as breastmilk actually contains an enzyme to counter the baby's own lack of digestive enzymes for complex carbs Bits in the poo are undigested foods, this doesn't mean your baby has an intolerance, it just means that young babies don't digest a lot of foods all that well. If you gave carrot puree, you might get a giant orange poo, still with most of the carrot in it but less obvious to your eye. The truth is regardless of the form a 6 month old baby doesn't digest complementary foods all that well, which is why its so important that the bulk of their nutrition comes from milk. Nutrients from meat are actually absorbed better when it is in pureed form, so you could consider making some meat purees/pates and using them as spreads on crackers or sandwiches if you are wanting to avoid spoonfooding altogether. Always remember that BLW is primary about being baby-led. If you decide that you want to give lots of finger foods from day one, that's a great idea, and will certainly develop their motor skills but will not neccessarily constitute BLW (IMHO). More important that the texture/form or type of foods that you give is your attitude to feeding/mealtimes in general. Like demand/on cue breastfeeding, you are trying to teach your baby to eat to their body's own cues, rather than to your schedule, or to the quantities you read in a book. Of course its still your responsibilty to give your baby a nutritious selection, and then to trust that they will eat the amount they need. You need to be very aware of the salt content of some foods, such as bread. I think its important to share the meal with your baby whenever possible, that's how babies would learn in nature, watching what mummy ate, thus knowing it was safe and copying her. I personally think its ok to let your baby eat from your fingers (i.e hold the banana while they chew from it if that's what they prefer) and I also spoonfed because my baby was fairly communicative and would grab my hand with the spoon and guide it to his mouth rather than trying to do it himself. So long as you are always allowing your baby to have a voice and a choice in regards to food, you are being baby-led and this will help enormously in their attitude and trust in regards to food. HTH

Bits in the poo make for interesting conversations with your DH- you just wait!!! We didn't wait the 4 days as we also have no known allergies/food problems & we changed foods pretty much daily from the beginning.

... Just wanted to double check if its alright to have all the bits in nappy or does it indicate inability to digest a particular food. Also, wanted to check if you ladies followed the 4 day rule? We don't have a family history of allergies but I am treading the path with caution. I think DS was quite bored with the same stuff today (carrot and broccoli) - he threw all of it on the floor, and didnt have much :(. Maybe he needs more variety. The carrot in the nappy is a perfect indication that he took lots in. :) If there was an allergy or intollerance problem then there would be symptoms...rash around his mouth or on his body; discomfort or pain in the tummy; smelly, frothy or loose stools etc. Sounds to me like he's fine. If you have no history of allergies in the family, then power on with other foods. My daughter's second meal was a chicken leg. Half of the fun of going straight to real food instead of purees is that baby can eat the same foods as you and eat them with you. As you prepare your meal, keep him in mind and remove a portion of each food before adding salt/sugar/chilli etc. Serve it all in safe, fist gnawing size pieces and sit down to eat with him. He'll love it! (Even if it's just a sandwich for lunch.) :D

Tanya, I've just sent you a message on FB - just wanted to give you a heads up in case it goes into your "other" folder under messages and you don't see it. Enigma1979, if you can let me have your e-mail address I'll send you the handout. Just drop me a line on sian.breastfeedingqa at gmail.com .

Hey could I have the handout as well , my DS is 4months and had silent reflux , do u guys think I should start solids or juices. He is completely FF <em>edited by Enigma1979 on 24/03/2012</em>

Tanya, I've mentioned your group to a few people - glad to hear it is still (or again!) active! . Thanks BFC! I am just happy to help people out with information when they have questions around it, so I am happy to organise things on an 'as need' basis. I will try and come along to the next Breastfeeding Q&A given I have just had DD!

BLW is soooo much more fun for both you & your bubba!!! We started with well steamed brocoli but quickly moved onto toast strips, as well as chicken, pasta, beef, potato wedges etc... My 16 month old DD now eats such a varied diet with a great appetite & uses spoons & forks by herself very well! And she naturally loves healthy food, we never 'make' her eat anything... If your 6 month old isn't interested in solids yet, don't stress, they will get there eventually- my sisters boy wasn't into solids until almost 9 months of age, happy just with his breast milk until then & he is now a strapping 8 year old who will eat anything.... Soups are particularly good if they are teething & don't really want their solids... Good luck & Enjoy!!!

Imolinar, just sent you the handout. Sorry for any delay - I don't always check EW that often. Tanya, I've mentioned your group to a few people - glad to hear it is still (or again!) active! Breastfeeding Q&A will be covering BLW again at our next seminar in Dubai (14th April); if anyone's interested, details for the group are in the [url=http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=168861'>Breastfeeding Support in the UAE (January 2012)[/url'> thread or e-mail sian.breastfeedingqa at gmail.com .

We did BLW with DS (he is now 2 years old) and I have just had DD (3 weeks old) so I am hoping that we will be able to do the same with her in just over 5 months time! Gill Rapley's book is definitely a good starting point, and there is quite a lot of information on the internet (and there have been a few threads about it on here as well) - this is one of the ones I remember, but I know there have been quite a few others as well that will have lots of useful information - http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=132463&Page=0 - Sorry, it is a bit lazy to post a link to previous posts, but I am a bit short of time. I did actually start a group on facebook for support around this here in Dubai at the beginning of last year - we did meet a few times, but that initial group (I am guessing) has now finished with BLWing their children, but I have just had some more people join, so I will be organising some more discussions. If you are interested, search as Baby-Led Weaning - Dubai, and it should come up. Good luck!

can I please have the handout?. My email is I M O L I N A R at hotmail dot com. Thank you

I started mine with sweet potatoe wedges, brocolli florets & parsnip wedges... it was easy to move on to different tastes & was good fun too! Enjoy :)

nams_new...have you read the BLW book by Gill Rapley? It's an easy read and has some good ideas on how to get started. If you're ready to just have a go, then the basic 'rule' is that any solid food should be in pieces big enough for them to grab and have some sticking out either side of their wee fist. Whatever you offer they will gum & suck for AGES and softer foods will get smooshed into crevices you didn't know existed! :D Safety...your little one must be sitting fully upright and unsupported. You must be watching at all times. Be cautious with any choking risks like small chunks of raw carrot, whole grapes etc. Watch your baby eat and you'll soon recognise gagging, which is not choking...if they are making sounds and expelling food, they are not choking It's SO much messier but so much easier and more fun that the whole cook-puree-freeze-thaw-serve palaver. ;) My little one's first solid meal was a huge piece of lightly steamed broccoli...I wanted to keep it simple so I could see how she's react, if she was interested or ready etc. She was! :D Her next meal was a whole chicken leg. Now that kept her interested for a LONG time! (with the chicken leg, the only thing to worry about is that fine pin bone so just pull that out). After those first two meals, she ate the same foods as the rest of the family...like kpea, we had no history of allergies to worry about. Some foods I had to remember to leave bigger, fist-sized pieces for her and that was the only difference. Of course, no added salt, but I haven't added salt to family meals since number one son was born...the adults add their own S&P at the table. BLW is fantastic. Oh, and perhaps put age appropriate cutlery out with every meal. Eventually the little one will pick it up and learn to use it by watching you. <em>edited by Green-ish on 11/03/2012</em>

me too please leeleedxb at yahoo dot com

BFC - would you mind sending me the handout please? My baby turned 6 months a couple of weeks ago and is SO not interested in solids. I've tried purees (fruit, veg, yoghurt etc) so am thinking of going down the BLW route. My email is angiemama28atgmaildotcom. Thanks heaps x

Hi nams_new, I have a handout from when Breastfeeding Q&A covered BLW and introducing solids at a seminar last year - drop me an e-mail if you'd like me to send you a copy. I'm sure you'll get some great info and suggestions from the mums here, but I can also recommend a couple of Facebook groups which might be of interest. Sian xx

Be prepared for lots of mess! I did blw with my second kind of by accident (laziness....) but compared to more of a puree approach a meal definitely takes a lot longer. I didn't do the veggies first thing, but basically offered a variety from very early on. I guess we don't have family histories of allergies etc so I wasn't so concerned. Straight away meat was the biggest winner for sure. There is a lot more gagging and that's a bit of a scare but it eases up as they learn to handle the food a bit more, although some things that might seem good blw foods I stopped offering as they seemed to be a problem for my dd ( eg green beans) - guess it depends on the baby. Think overall the key is to relax - let them take their time, eat when they're hungry, and obviously also offer pureed food as well so they get to experience the sensation and tastes of things they can't yet chew. Good luck!