SJ, that was a great post. I think the thing to keep in mind for those worried about this issue, is the end goal. We all know that milk is the primary source of nutrition until 12 months, and we all know that some babies eat more than others (my own two sons are at either end of this scale). What we are trying to achieve at this stage is good eaters down the track. There is no competition to have the baby who eats the most or who sleeps through the night the earliest. What we want are first and foremost healthy kids, and then down the track healthy kids who are good eaters. BLS is a great tool to achieve this goal.
Some BLS babies might eat less (although not all, you should have seen DS2 eat at that age LOL and he hasn't stopped since!), but this doesn't matter. They are getting all the nutrition they need from bm, the lessons they learn from BLS are what's important, more so than the actual food they are eating. They are learning to eat according to their own appetite, not the quantity that someone thinks they should have and puts in their mouth for them. They are learning about texture and taste. They are learning valuable skills with learning to feed themselves.
I know this won't be the right option for everyone, and that's ok. But those who do feel that this is the right option for them shouldn't be worried if their children are eating less, provided they are showing all the signs of getting enough (you know, the wet and dirty nappies, putting on weight etc). Anecdotally for me, my BLS DS is a far, far better eater in terms of both quantity and variety than my non-BLS DS. I have no doubt that part of this is genetic, DS2 has been a better eater since the very first day I introduced solids. But I think BLS certainly played a part, and in no way harmed his appetite or growth.
HTH.
and surprisingly didnt gag on most things as much as I thought he would, yay!! Yesterday for lunch he had some pieces of cucumber too!
Sami. I know from experience how frustrating it is. My first DS had very little interest in food until he was nearly 12 months. I didn't realise at the time how common this in with bf babies - for some of them they don't seem to need much else other than the milk until they are older. He isn't a bad eater now, I'd probably even say good, but his brother is such a fantastic eater so I think that makes his eating seem worse than it is. Certainly he eats enough, and he is healthy, but he is not too keen on vegies!
Bookmarks