Baby Led Solids Chatter #3

[Visitor8]

sorry. Just one of those days and I read it allllll the wrong way.

[MantaRay]

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.

[beckoes]

alot of interesting posts the last few days, made me first of all question the way i have chosen to do things, which is easy when so many around me question it too, but i now feel very sure and happy with BLS and what my DD will gain from it! this is my first so i have very little experience with doing it any other way but this just feels natural and right for us! interesting to hear all the different stories and sittuations others are in. DD is currently sitting, eating a veggy pasta bake i made yesterday and LOVING it!!!

[amberj]

Just wanted to check in and see how everyone is going, and say how proud I am of my little man. Tonight I made very mild chicken curry with carrot and broccoli in it (yeah, I know, who puts carrot in a curry, right?!!) and I put some on Peter's tray, together with some rice. At first when he put the broccoli in his mouth he made the Face of Extreme Disgust, but then he tried it again and he had an awesome time sucking away on it all. Hours later I found broccoli still in his mouth!!

But rice.....well. Lets just say I think I will be cleaning that up for the next month...

[[M]umma[M]ia]

ive been abit slack with the BLS thing as we have been so busy and somedays its just easier to feed her myself, which she hates, she grabs the spoon and the bowl. I have to get back into the swing of things.

Tho im seeing the benefits of BLS already, everything i give her to feed herself she will eat.. like ANYTHING!

[Captain]

Well done Peter eating his broccoli. LOL at it still in his mouth after so long.

We're going along well. Ashlyn loves her food, but what I find amazing is the way she is learning to use her hands. She can now pick up her food and turn it around so she can get the bits she wants. Still haven't found any food she doesn't like, though I think she finds porridge a bit boring.

I am having issues with my milk supply though. Don't know why which is really frustrating. Hope we can work it out soon though.

[ezymay]

Captain Em wasn't keen on porridge bit I found some organic apple and cinnamon porridge and she loved it!

I gave her a little bit of our singapore noodle from chinese the other night. It was quite hard for her to eat but she tasted it which was good.

Thanks SJ and MR for your reasurance.

[nagromeyk]

she grabs the spoon and the bowl

Holly - Same thing happens here, so frustrating!

everything i give her to feed herself she will eat.. like ANYTHING!

Yep K is like that too which I think is great!! The past two nights I have given K vege thats was done in the oven that we had for our dinner so he's tried potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, parsnip, and carrot plus peas, asparagus, mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli 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!

Meat wise he is going great with that too - last night we had rump steak so I gave him a piece and he sucked all the juices out of it and the night before he managed to finish off a chicken tenderloin LOL so I guess you could say we are going good here hehe

Yesterday's breakfast consisted of 1/4 cup of porridge and nearly a whole banana LOL He can now hold onto pieces of banana really well - such a clever boy, I'm so proud!

[Sammiejane]

I know that it is really frustrating, but try and let them hold the bowl and spoon, or if you have to feed them, have 2 spoons and t them self feed with one. It is more messy but so much better for them in the long run.

MJ is now self feeding wth a spoon and a fork... she will still get her fingers in occasionally, but most of the time it is with a spoon now, Yoghurt is incredibly messy, but she is getting better each day and i figure that she will put it all together soon!

[nagromeyk]

or if you have to feed them, have 2 spoons and t them self feed with one.

Yep thats what I do with K - but usually him reaching for the spoon is his way of telling me he's had enough, well thats how I interpret it anyway

[kylieb77]

I just wanted to say hi. We are starting BLS with Logan who is 51/2 months. He just got his front two teeth and no longer has the gag reflex. Have started with soft fruit such as pears, and toast both of which he loves. I love watching his little face when he tries something new. He is still BF and this is offered before food as per the guidelines. Look forward to following this journey with you all.

[[M]umma[M]ia]

wooohoooo kylie!!! welcome!!!!!!!!!!

[SamiH]

I am a big BLS thread lurker

My little man just is not interested in food - we share a pear which he mushes around in his mouth and spits out inadvertently I think with saliva, loves mushing a bit of banana - but anything else couldnt care less.

I have tried - swt potato, potato, carrot, pumpkin, broccoli, chicken mince, porridge - you get the picture.

He too has started to wake again during the night for a feed - earlier than normal - 3am - !!! I have even thrown away $$$ opening a few jars but he just wont touch it.

Its been a month and I am still hopeful of course, and it brings me to tears that he is not interested as it is so frustrating - dinner time he wants to sit on our laps and touch our stuff - but is too tired to eat etc. So I try to do it earlier in the day, but sometimes he cracks it even getting put into the highchair so I dont bother!!! Should I still *sigh*

He will take it in little pieces off my fingers, but not off a spoon. He can grab it but gets very frustrated losing it on the way to the mouth with the slipperty stuff.

What a test!!

Hopefully next time I post I will have a success story - he has a dietician appt made for 8.5 months as recommended by my MCHN (hard to get into so made it just in case) but I hope I dont have to use it!

[MantaRay]

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!

The one thing I really regret with DS1 is trying so hard to get him to eat. Looking back now (and after getting lots of advice from MCHNs, paediatric dieticians and paeds), I think I made his eating worse by trying so hard to get him to eat, and always giving him his favourites just to get him to eat. The advice I was given (which I now believe) was that they will eat when they are ready. Just offer food and if he eats it great, if he doesn't just take it away without fuss. I was also told that even touching food and playing with it all part of the learning experience - just let them do that and take their own time with eating. I am sure it would be different with an underweight child who was losing weight, but otherwise, just keep offering and they will one day eat.

And you know what - it happened. Literally overnight. One day he refused food, the next day he ate things he'd never tried before. Just like that. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

So because of my experience, I can say to you (even though I know how much you feel like you need your little one to eat), don't worry. It will happen. If it was me, I would just offer finger food, just something that you are eating anyway when possible, and just leave it at that. It gets eaten or it doesn't, but in the meantime believe it or not, he is learning, and he will eat when he's ready.

GL hun. I hope it happens sooner rather than later for you.

[~StarBright~]

Hi All!!

We have been experimenting with spoons lately!!

nagoreyk- Shane oes that too- when he grabs at the spoon that was usually my cue that he was over it and just wanted to play - but lately i have been letting him grab the spoon as it goes to his mouth- and he manages to get it in there- and SURPRISE SURPRISE he now gives the spoon back when he has eaten what is on it and i put more on- i have tried a few times to aim his hand to the bowl so he can fill the spoon up himself, but he's not keen- baby steps!! lol

We have been trying new things lately- i braved my fears and we have now become fans of Arrowroots!! He loves them!! also Kiwi fruit and orange that he loves to suck on and Avacodo on his sandwhiches and also tonight he had steak!!! He chewed on it for a bit- but i dont think he swallowed any!! lol

Oh also he has worked out that if he drops food on the floor- that the dogs (i have two of them- but one in particular) will come along and eat it!! I was in the kitchen and he was in his highchair in the lounge room and heard him cacking himself laughing!! I peeked around the cornere to see him purposly dropping his toast on the floor and laughing as the dog ate it!! lol Needless to say- now the doggies are OUTSIDE at meal time until he is done and THEN they can come in and clean up the mess!! lol

loving BLS SB

[Visitor8]

hmm I wonder if I am still welcome in here since I am doing both? We have found a good balance in 3 jars of junk and lots of finger foods a day.

Well today Ashton had a roast lol He loved it

[amberj]

I'm really trying with the spoon thing when I give Peter yoghurt. I think the problem is that I didn't start with BLS and when he wanted to grab the spoon at the start, I discouraged it, so now he doesn't reach out for it anymore (unless he's finished and wants to play).

But I did have to tell this funny little story. Today I was giving him some yoghut and I filled the spoon and then held it near his hand for him to take. His hand didn't move so I kind of moved it closer and wiggled it. Then I look up and his little head is leaning down as close to his hand as he can get it and his mouth is open as wide as possible like this hungry bird. He desperately wanted the spoonful of yoghurt and couldn't work out why I wasn't putting it in his mouth like normal! Poor little man!

[kylieb77]

I tried cruskits and avocado this morning - a huge hit!! He sucked off the avocado and in the process the biscuit dissolved. He is definitely swallowing small bits. What fantastic inventions the plastic scoop bibs are, stops so much from falling on the floor.