Hi CAH!
my DS is only 6.5mths too and no teeth either - so we're pretty much at the same stage...
I think the general concensus is don't worry too much about foods at all... BLS is all about letting baby decided what and how much etc - i can't remember who wrote it previously, but just bare in mind that "until they're one food is just for fun"... so don't worry if she doesn't want anything one day then eats everything you give her the next day.
Edward sucks on most things, squashes stuff on his head, squishes it in his fingers, sticks stuff in his mouth, spits it out and sometimes even swallows some! My advice would be to accept that it's going to get messy (we eat outside as much as possible!) and make sure food time is always a fun, shared time...
I find that bigger pieces of food are easier for DS to hold on to and get into his mouth... as a beginner too here's some things we've found quite successful so far:
Brocilli
zuchinni (steamed and cut into big 'chips')
pears (DSlikes to hold the whole thing, so i just bit some skin off and he'll suck the juice out, then i'll bite off more skin and give it back etc)
cucumber
anything meaty/chicken/fish DS will suck on for ages
avocado
banana - again i just give him half a banana at a time - easier than slippery little bits
cruscuits
toast with vegemite
mango
i can't think what else - but he'll try pretty much everything! hope that helps - this is a great place to come bounce ideas off others too and let us know if you find anything that is an absolute winner!!!
Thats kind of reassuring Alimoy, thanks! I think I've perhaps been going wrong with the sizes, maybe too small, I'll try bigger bits & see what happens! The thing is though I don't think she actually eats anything its more just lick it, sometimes move it around the mouth then spit it out. I was thinking that maybe she hasn't got rid of that tongue pushing out thing (she was a month prem so we could be more like 5.5mths) but we did have a few weeks when she would happily eat puree stuff so i'm not sure. I just tried some cous cous which she seemed pretty keen to try but I think she actually only swallowed a tiny bit then she'd had enough & was more interested in the light fitment above us Of course we ended up with the traditional head in the bowl. To be honest I think the real prob is her teeth, think she just sees everything as a teething stick at the mo. I shall keep trying though, keep telling her she can't stay on the bottles for ever!
Hi Everyone, another newbie here
CAH, I am at a similar stage to you, DD is just over 6 months and was born 5 weeks early!
I unfortunately don't think that my MCHN is on board for BLS (I mentioned that we gave DD wheat bix yesterday and she was horrified - is it too early for wheat bix???), and the people in my MG seem to like following the 'rules', so thought I would find you guys for support, advise, & guidance
Cheers!
CAH, I offered my DD all of the same stuff being discussed on here since she was just over six months - well before she had teeth. She was a bit slow in the teeth dept, but not in the food dept! She could gum things to death and never had any choking episodes as a baby.
Well I dunno if its all the experimenting we've been doing but this morning madam didn't want a bottle for brekkie, she promply tucked into some pear & yoghurt - all spoon fed by me which is a miracle!! I have put some bits aside from last nights roast dinner for her to try later on, nice piece of "handle" sized beef, some potato & roast veg. We shall see!!!!
Elliskirsty I am not surprised the MCHN had a fit, I have no plans to mention it, they are so old school about stuff its ridiculous, I was told to introduce 1 food at a time for 3 days blah blah, I mean come on baby is bored stupid of pureed pear after 3-4 days!! Unless there are allergies in the family I think you can be a bit more adventurous. As for the weetbix I'm not sure whats in it, I mean in terms of does it possibly contain nuts, I looked at Special K yesterday just out of interest & that def states it may contain nuts so guess we need to be careful of stuff like that. I have tried DD on organic porridge which she liked for a couple days & then completely went off it, lol, lil minx! If your DD liked it then go with it.
CAH, it's very common in the early days that they eat very little. It's all about experimenting and learning textures, taste and for them to control what is going in. For the first week or so DS couldn't figure out how to even get the food near his mouth! If I had food in my hand, he would push my hand to his mouth, but didn't understand that he could do it himself! lol needless to say, there wasn't much going in! About 6 weeks later and we're going really well. He eats similar to what AliMoy listed above. His favourite would be avocado spread on toast, and he is just polished off a whole slice of toast with vegemite.
Have you tried just putting the food on her high chair tray? I don't use a plate or bowl because he just plays with it or tries to throw it on the ground.
Elliskirsty, I give DS weetbix and he loves it. I have bought the kids weetbix which has a lot less salt. I'm not sure why the MCHN was horrified (something to do with wheat possibly), but I am following the guidelines in the ABA solids booklet which has a big focus on family foods. I don't make any separate meals for DS. He has what we're having every day. We don't have a history of allergies at all in our family, so he is having a big variety of foods quickly rather than introducing everything slowly. Everyone in my mothers group were feeding by the "rules" too as advised by their MCHN (most see the same one). They had no idea at all about BLS and when I explained it to them were all very interested. There is probably half our group now doing BLS.
Of course we ended up with the traditional head in the bowl. To be honest I think the real prob is her teeth, think she just sees everything as a teething stick at the mo. I shall keep trying though, keep telling her she can't stay on the bottles for ever!
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