Lots of BLS Questions

[milly5]

Hi ladies,
I have a few questions for you -

when giving your LO toast, do you butter it? I have mine buttered, but have been "told" not to give them extra fats but have also been "told" that babies can have it as they need a higher fat diet than we would have, which makes sense, but is buttering the toast considered good or bad?

weetbix - yes or no? I have "heard" that they can't have them as they are an "adult" cereal and fortified with "adult" vitamins, better to have "baby" cereals? (Not quite sure why I am asking this, as DD hates cereals, which leads on to my next question...)

cereals - how important is it for them to have anyway? And if so, what's a good one that miss fussy may like?
and can I make porridge up on cows milk for her? or not yet?

Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"? I have had a few days where DD has not slept, then slept later, which has thrown out the plan and I haven't had time to offer her solids before we have had to leave to go out. I know this is not good (believe me, I'd much rather have her sleeping routing sorted! URGH!) but I'm not sure what I should sacrafice - sleeping or eating? It has been "breakfast" twice, and "lunch" once, but having said that, sometimes when we are out, she doesn't want "lunch" either, so hasn't had those meals as well, other than her BF of course, but she also doesn't take as much BM when we are out either (too many distractions).

Do you all make wonderful healthy wholesome meals at every meal, or do you take some shortcuts too? Eg - prepared sauces for stirfries/pasta/etc. Do you use them? And if so, so you allow your babies to have them? We don't use them all the time, but I will admit to at least once per week. I would love to plan and cook from scratch each and every day, but, well, last night I finally finished cooking dinner at 9.30 so I can't see that happening all the time!

What can I do with all these purees? I made some fruit purees up for DD with the hope of her having some puree food, but she hates them. Any recipes that anyone has using pureed apple / pureed pears would be greatly appreciated! perhaps someone has been creative in making a fruit loaf with some purees added in their bread maker that they can share?

I think that's all my questions for now, but I'm sure to have some more later! thanks!

[krystals]

not sure about the other questions, but i'll answer these two as best I can.

"What can I do with all these purees?" 1/4cup of fruit puree can replace the butter in a normal 20cm cake or loaf pan recipe. Try this one: 3 mashed bananas, 1/4 cup puree, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 2/3 cup of flour. Mix. Bake at 180 for an hour or place in muffin tins and bake for about 20 mins.

"Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"?" I have done this a few times with DS who is 7 months. Actually he usually only has one 'sit down' meal and then grazes a bit on fruit and bread/whatever we're eating. There have been a few days where he's refused food altogether, and when he's been backed up for a while we go just fruit and BF. I don't know who originally said it, but I love it and keep repeating it- 'food is fun until they're one'. As long as bubs is getting her milk, then she should be fine.

[briggsy's girl]

when giving your LO toast, do you butter it? yep - we've always put a small amount on - she was eating pieces from our plates to start with, which inevitably had some there.

weetbix - yes or no? we don't have weetbix here so can't answer that one very well - she was offered it at a friends place and didn't like the texture

cereals - how important is it for them to have anyway? i don't think it's important at all - provided you are making sure your bub has a balanced diet. DD hated all cereals until she was probably 15 months - she just didn't like the texture of them. i figured as long as she was eating balanced meals, it didn't HAVE to include cereal. i go through phases where i will eat cereal for a week or so, but usually not - so i assume she is like me!
and can I make porridge up on cows milk for her? or not yet? there is no real "need" for cows milk for some time yet - it is totally your call as to what to do - but keep in mind that cows milk can be harder for her to digest than BM, so it can cause some belly aches and things. DD was probably 15 months before we bothered with cows milk - and she still very rarely has it. She is still breast fed and gets her "milk" that way.
having said that, she started eating food that had milk in it (cheese, sauces etc) at around nine months with no drama. i recall a train of thought that 12 months is a good point to think about cows milk, but, like with everything else with BLS, we went with our gut, tried her on it, and watched to see if she reacted

Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"? DD wasn't on 3 solid meals properly until probably after her first birthday. Definitely not at 6.5 months. her main nutrition was still the boob, and anything solid was for "fun" - i focussed on "food is fun until they are one" train of thought. Sleep ALWAYS took priority (and still does). provided you are keeping up her breast feeds, there is no need to stress about a missed "solid" meal

Do you all make wonderful healthy wholesome meals at every meal, or do you take some shortcuts too? Eg - prepared sauces for stirfries/pasta/etc. Do you use them? And if so, so you allow your babies to have them? we have always mixed it up - we're not able to make from scratch every day, so we feed her a bit of everything. yes, we do try and avoid jars, but sometimes you just go with what is going to get food into you, rather than cooking from scratch. like anything else, it's about balance. if you're feeding her fresh veg 6 nights a week, but night 7 you decide to have spag from a jar, so what! i don't focus on the nutritional value of one sitting, i focus on her overall diet.

What can I do with all these purees? find a basic muffin recipe, reduce the moisture content a little, and stir your puree through - if you get one with no sugar (or minimal) you can use the fruit and make handy snacks that can be thrown in the freezer and taken with you on those days you can't give a meal due to being out and about

hope that helps!

[~Kim~]

I am going to preface this with I am a very loose rule follower. I have only every done BLS.

when giving your LO toast, do you butter it? I didn't. Mine didn't know the difference either.

weetbix - yes or no? Weetbix and Vitabrits both have a very high salt content, so if that's important to you then no, other stuff is better. THere is a kids one with a lower salt content. Mine had it occasionally until 1 and then randomly afterwards. It's not a favourite but I'd rather that than some of the other kids cereals.

cereals - how important is it for them to have anyway? Breakfast is hugely important to us and I love cereal so that's generally what we have, but there's tonnes of other stuff. Fruit and yoghurt, toast and avo, toast and fruit, eggs, muffins...tonnes of other stuff. I have always made my porridge with cows milk (cos I am too lazy to express that piddly amount) - but we only have one allergy history and it isn't milk.

Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"? Neither of mine ate three meals a day until nearly one, so I'm no expert, but if she's hungry, she'll tell you. She has no idea of 'mealtimes'...that's an adult concept that we introduce them to. As long as she's still having her milk she'll be fine. Food shouldn't be their primary source of nutrition until one - milk should be.

Do you all make wonderful healthy wholesome meals at every meal, or do you take some shortcuts too? Mine have only ever eaten what we are eating at dinner. I make whatever I've got for lunch. It might not be exactly what we are eating but it might be chicken without the sauce etc or plain veges/pasta. I freeze what's leftover for the days I can't be bothered - but that's the same for us anyways.

What can I do with all these purees? neither of mine have ever had purees, but what about adding them to a smoothie, yoghurt, custard for yourself etc?

[Lily Dust]

Hi milly5!

BLS can all be a bit confusing to start with, cant it?!?

when giving your LO toast, do you butter it? We did, might give butter and vegemite (small amounts) or use another spread like cream cheese or avocado.

weetbix - yes or no? We offered, DD wasnt much into cereal in the early days but offered her them.

cereals We offered weetbix but that was about the only one for quite a while. DD now will eat rice bubbles, special k, museli, porridge, actually anything! And I thought she would never eat cereal cause it just wasnt something she liked

and can I make porridge up on cows milk for her? or not yet? We used boobie milk till about 7 months and then started her on tiny amounts of cows milk in her cereal.

Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"? Food is fun until they're 1 if your bub is BF then she is getting most of what she needs anyway. At 6mths a missed solid meal isnt going to matter and if she isnt getting enough booby then she will be hunting you down for it

Do you all make wonderful healthy wholesome meals at every meal, or do you take some shortcuts too? DD eats what we eat, that simple. We eat it so does she!

What can I do with all these purees? We havent done purees here either but I think the others have given some good ideas.

Good luck! BLS rocks

[starangelk]

Hi Milly and welcome to the wonderful world of BLS!!

when giving your LO toast, do you butter it? We don't butter the toast but mainly because we don't use butter ourselves! We do give DD mayo, dip and lots of other fatty toppings though in moderation.

weetbix - yes or no? Once again, we don't eat weetbix so we don't give that to her but I think it would be fine.


and can I make porridge up on cows milk for her? or not yet? Yes, anything small like this is fine but if you are worried about weight etc etc or she doesn't seem to be drinking alot of milk, I would use EBM.

Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"? At first, DD would just eat at whatever meals she was awake for! If that meant she skipped meals then so be it. She was still on mainly milk so it was no drama at all as milk was her main source and food was just a supplement.

Do you all make wonderful healthy wholesome meals at every meal, or do you take some shortcuts too? Eg - prepared sauces for stirfries/pasta/etc. Do you use them? And if so, so you allow your babies to have them? We just feed her what we feed ourselves and yep, I use prepared sauces at times. We generally have a healthy diet and I do try and make sure she has a fruit, vegie and calcium serve each day.

What can I do with all these purees? Mix with yoghurt? Or you could mix them with EBM or even ice and make smoothies?

[Swoop]

Hi ladies,
I have a few questions for you -

when giving your LO toast, do you butter it? Yes, most definitely - they need those fats for brain development

weetbix - yes or no? They're fine to give - as far as i know the only difference is that baby cereals are often fortified with iron, more ground up (and taste disgusting!)

cereals - how important is it for them to have anyway? Not sure, but DD has rarely eaten them. She likes porridge from time to time, with blueberries or apple and cinnamon (good use for your pureed fruit) in it, but her desire for it fluctuates wildly. She will also eat cheerios without milk on the very odd occasion, but she's really not a big cereal fan, she eats eggs, toast, yoghurt, fruit etc for brekkie.

and can I make porridge up on cows milk for her? or not yet? Depentds on how you feel about when you will introduce cows milk, i did it around 8 months I think...

Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"? Yep, I think at the beginning it's definitely a bit hit and miss. BM is still her main source of food now and 'food is for fun until they're one' - no point making meal times stressful because your LO is exhausted etc. Eventually you will probably fall into a new rhythm which will stick, but right now I wouldn't stress about it. i think it all becomes a lot easier once they have 1 sleep a day and your times become quite regular and routine.

[B]Do you all make wonderful healthy wholesome meals at every meal, or do you take some shortcuts too? I don't really use packets, haven't done for a long long time, but that's just personal preference, plus now we know DD has a peanut allergy and potentially other issues I'd be even less inclined to use them. I think the biggest issues you will find with them is high salt content and additives and preservatives. I found a great little app (if you have an iPhone) called the Chemical Maze which I use to look up all the preservatives in things when I'm trying to decide whether to buy them or not - it's really clear and easy to use and tells you what the potential problems are.

What can I do with all these purees? I think there are a few muffin recipes out there, I made an apple, pear and cinnamon one once but can't remember where from... it may have been in that BLW recipe book, but I can't remember. I'll try to find it. Also, i but natural yoghurt and sweeten it with a bit of pureed fruit sometimes.

I think that's all my questions for now, but I'm sure to have some more later! thanks!

HTH - just shout if you have more questions, there's so much to work out at the beginning!

[HotI]

but I'm not sure what I should sacrafice - sleeping or eating?

definitely eating. never sacrifice sleep.

[MummaSue]

Hi ladies,
I have a few questions for you -

when giving your LO toast, do you butter it? Yes, always have.

weetbix - yes or no? Yes and I am mega naughty and put a tiny bit of sugar on it for her. I have mine with sugar - weetbix is rank without sugar.

cereals - how important is it for them to have anyway? Don't really know the scientific answer to that so I'll just say that a healthy balanced diet is important for us all.

Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"? This happens to us all the time, sometimes DD is asleep and sometimes we are out. If we're out over a meal time and we're maybe going to be somewhere that we don't have access to the kind of food I'd give DD, I make a picnic lunch box with some cheese sticks, crackers, grapes, rockmelon etc so that I can still give her something to munch on. And that has been my saving grace many times - one such occasion when we got stuck in traffic for 2.5 hours. Be prepared is my new motto!

Do you all make wonderful healthy wholesome meals at every meal, or do you take some shortcuts too? Eg - prepared sauces for stirfries/pasta/etc. Do you use them? And if so, so you allow your babies to have them? I make my meals from scratch with fresh ingredients. I love cooking. But I also make heaps so have loads to freeze for our lunches too.

What can I do with all these purees? I sometimes buy the Rafferty's garden purees to put on yoghurt. Maybe put them on her yoghurt or cereal?

Hope that helps xxx

[milly5]

HI ladies!
thanks for all your replies.
I think - like just about everything so far - I was getting a bit stressed about "doing it right".

I do have one more question though - peanut butter.
I know "no peanuts" because of the choking hazard, but can she have peanut butter? We have no history of peanut allergies. And if so, is crunchy OK (are the pieces small enough?) or should it be smooth?

[Fleur]

when giving your LO toast, do you butter it? Yep, always did.

weetbix - yes or no? Hmmm.. we did, but not a lot. I mixed it up a bit, she didn't really like baby rice cereal (mush!) but did like baby muesli. At 6 months if you're doing BLS she should be fine with that, and might prefer a more interesting texture. Every now & then I would try her with a bit of weetbix or my own cereal, in the spirit of trying new things. Just not heaps of it.

cereals - how important is it for them to have anyway? And if so, what's a good one that miss fussy may like? Trial & error.... and I don't think it's hugely impotant at this age. She will get her carbs elsewhere, milk is still her main source of nutrition.

and can I make porridge up on cows milk for her? or not yet? I would wait a few more months. You don't have to wait until 12 months, they can have cows milk on cereal but I always waited until 10-ish months.

Is it OK to skip a solid "meal"? Geez, I would always skip the meal over the sleep. A hungry baby will catch up later, a tired baby is horrible. But you will know her better than anyone & what she can cope with. Don't forget the solid meals arent' as important as the milk feeds at the moment. It shouldn't hurt her, nutritionally to miss one. It might muck with her routine a bit though if she's accustomed to it.

Do you all make wonderful healthy wholesome meals at every meal, or do you take some shortcuts too? Eg - prepared sauces for stirfries/pasta/etc. Do you use them? And if so, so you allow your babies to have them? We took shortcuts allll the time. Sometimes the stuff we were having was too processed, or too much salt etc for her. Sometimes I would even :O give her a baby jar, I just let her feed it to herself (still in the spirit of BLS ) When we did make something that was suitable for her I would sometimes freeze portions for her so I had something for those nights.
Time was a big factor too, I'm not terribly organised in the evenings & it's handy to have a backup plan.

What can I do with all these purees? Ahh no idea

[HotI]

I do have one more question though - peanut butter.
I know "no peanuts" because of the choking hazard, but can she have peanut butter? We have no history of peanut allergies. And if so, is crunchy OK (are the pieces small enough?) or should it be smooth?

I think that is one of the few foods that it is recomended you wait until 12 months. The reasoning is around peanut allergies. I haven't given my DD any yet.

[~Kim~]

Yep like HotI I waited with peanuts too.

[MummaSue]

I've given DD peanut butter and she was fine. I think you should be super strict if there are allergies in the family otherwise just proceed with caution as with any other high allergy foods.


I caught DH and DD eating peanut butter from the jar the other day. Mumma was not a happy bunny.

[milly5]

Thanks ladies.
I must admit, after asking about the peanut butter, DD got some (from dad's toast) and she liked it, she liked it off. So at least I know she is OK with peanuts, but I will try not to give it to her again for a while.

Re-reading my original post....
Of course you shouldn't sacrafice sleep! I can't believe I wrote that!!! I guess what I was worried about was trying to fit everything in to her awake time, while still trying to keep to some sort of routine (what's a routine she asks???????). I wish I hadn't lost the instruction manual that came with this baby!

[turtleschell]

Hehehe it's so confusing when solids start, I was so stressed about it. Now DD eats anything, and it's worked out so well.
I think margarine is good for babies, don't they need the extra oils? I was usually too lazy to use it, but certainly didn't think it was a bad thing.
I never gave DD cereal, but have just started giving her rolled oats every morning (they can have cows milk after 6months, in small amounts) and it's awesome, so easy for me and she likes it!
Oh and DD never ate three meals, she still doesn't really. Dinner is more like snacks and fruit time, starts from 2pm.

[Swoop]

Just on the peanuts... I gave DD peanut butter at maybe 8 or 9 months and she was fine. She had it on and off a few times until she was 14mo and she had some satay (for the second time) and had an allergic reaction. She's since tested positive for peanut allergy.

At first I didn't know how this could happen, but allergies can and often do build up over time. We are since discovering a variety of other allergies and intolerances that weren't even vaguely apparent at the outset.

The point I'm trying to get to in this fairly long-winded way is that with all of these high allergen foods you need to keep an eye on your lo over the long term as not all reactions show themselves straight up.

[deletedit]

I think - like just about everything so far - I was getting a bit stressed about "doing it right".

There's a right way to do things? Nooooo

We just give the baby whatever we're having, have since he was about 7 months. For a while he was getting weetbix if we had a particularly baby-unfriendly meal, but don't do that anymore. He'll happily eat pasta, chops, roast, stew, steamed veggies, anything really. Unfortunately a LOT of what he eats is what the toddler leaves lying around the house (she's very messy and tends to leave plates of food in the middle of the loungeroom floor) so he might have jam on toast, leftover sausages, leftover schnitzels, meusli bars (the toasted oats go in one end and out the other unchanged), baked beans, raw apples, those little fruit bars, biscuits, crackers, cheese of varying kinds, and ... peanuts.

I do have one more question though - peanut butter.
I know "no peanuts" because of the choking hazard, but can she have peanut butter? We have no history of peanut allergies. And if so, is crunchy OK (are the pieces small enough?) or should it be smooth?

Yes, peanuts. Not peanut butter, just peanuts. Toddler eats them, drops some, he follows her and hoovers them up. I keep getting into the situation where I go to breastfeed him, and he won't suck if there's something in his mouth. So I have to remove the peanuts/alfoil/contact/stickers/lego/plastic animals/beetles/gravel/leaves/paper from his mouth first. Doesn't matter how much I pick stuff up off the floor, he finds things and in the mouth they go. And the toddler is happy to serve him a tea-set bowl of peanuts and assorted choking hazards because she *knows* he'll pick them up and put them in his mouth and she thinks its a great game.

Never had this issue with baby #2 because there was no toddler in the house. Babies are tougher than you think they are, apparently ...