Kate,
I'd probably go with the too close to a milk feed - I think I read something about at least 1/2 hr between milk and solids. The beauty of BLS is you can leave it for a week or so at your DD's age before trying again if you don't think she's ready/
Kate, it might take her a couple of weeks to get the hang of the gagging thing. Have you tried with a bit more of a gap?
LOL at your comment to DH. I had a discussion with my sister on the weekend while we were visiting as to why I didn't need to buy a food processor to puree DD's food as a baby (she's TTC next year). Gotta spread the BLS word.
We are doing BLS with DD and I've started her with toast, carrot, broccoli, apple and pear. She gagged on a bit of apple the other day and I freaked a little but she got it out. I think I just need to relax a little! She's also had porridge and yoghurt and I take her baby spoon and dip it for her and she eats them that way - she loves that!!
I get some funny looks and responses when people ask about her "being on solids" but I love the way we are doing it. And DD is such an independent little thing anyway so it suits her down to the ground!!
Tried broccoli again and got gagging again (but no vomit). Gonna leave that for a week or two.
Toast she sucks on happily. Cucumber and water melon she had been fine (used them as a teether). But stuff that is going in her mouth more she just gags on (steamed broccoli, steamed carrot, steamed apple, steamed pumpkin). Is this saying she is not physically ready yet? She happily puts them in her mouth but doesn't seem so happy with the whole gag thing.
I have read up on-line, and ordered Gil Rapley's book a week ago but it hasn't arrived yet. I kinda thought it would be more intuitive anyway so didn't order the book any earlier.
Kate, I have found the same thing with DD, so am thinking I might just give another week of really hard things (apple etc) and toast for breakie as she seems to like that. The book says that if there are any issues, just leave it a week and try again.
We had broccoli tonight and it got launched over the side of the high chair I then tried some carrot and capsicum, same thing!! Hehe, wee rascal!
Ah, I'm glad to see this thread has been resurrected and it's lovely to see some people starting out with BLS now, it's good to have the opportunity to put a bit back in after all the questions I've asked although I'm sure there are still plenty more where they came from
Kate, I think you're right that a lot of it is intuitive, but I liked having the book for the background info (read to shout MIL down when she questions my actions lol). What did you do about the gagging in the end? It is really nerve-racking in the beginning, but i found DD came on in leaps and bounds and now she is a little piggy!
Sue, I offered loads of hard foods initially too, I think I was too nervous to offer anything that she could do much else other than suck (and maybe get a little bit e.g. cucumber seeds). Over time I realised DD was becoming more confident and i gradually started to introduce other foods too. It's great that your DD is already managing toast... it'll only be a matter of time before she's handling loads of other foods.
Just an update as to where we are: DD is doing fabulously with her eating, she's really enthusiastic and chomps her way through a lot of food these days - she's also moving up the percentiles, so the food is obviously helping her find her equilibrium. She's still not a chubba bubba, but she's on the 15th percentile (on the WHO charts) which is great considering she was right off the bottom of it not so long ago. I've found she gets on a lot better with lots of little meals rather than 3 main meals a day... she grazes most of the day. She's gradually slowing on the breastfeeds, 4 or 5 during the day and 2 through the night now as opposed to every 2 hours religiously a few months back.
There's a couple of questions I wanted to ask those of you who have a bit more experience:
- DD isn't really interested in meat unless it's processed cr*p! She likes ham bacon, meatballs that I've made in the food processor, and the odd bit of roast chicken, but she spits everything else out (while blowing a raspberry....) or else won't even contemplate putting it in her mouth. I try to supplement with other sources of protein as often as possible (lentils, beans, eggs etc) but I do sometimes wonder if she will be getting enough protein.
-We still have a bit of an issue with gagging sometimes here. it's usually when she's eaten cheese which is her ultimate favourite food, so she shoves as much as she can in her mouth in one go (I always thought BLS was supposed to stop them doing this??) gags and then vomits, usually her entire stomach content. It doesn't bother her; I usually have to jump to action to stop her shoving food into her mouth again with a vomit-covered hand (sorry....) but I have found myself wondering a couple of times if there's a problem causing this. I don't think it's normal, is it? She did have reflux as a little one... I wondered if that could still be present.
- Anyone done BLS when dieting themselves? How do you manage it? DH and I are looking a bit porky!
Right.... DD calls from her cot so that's it from me.
Hey!
We are just plodding along. DD is just not interested some days *sigh* She's such a boobie girl! Although, she had some of my rice the other day when I had lunch at a friend's house and LOVED IT! So might incorporate some more rice meals into our dinners this week.
Balmaingal, DD gags at every sitting, but she is getting so much better at just gagging a little and then spitting whatever it is out. And she is also a reflux baby so it may be related. Poor wee cherub gagged on some pear skin the other day, we got such a fright as she had some phlegmy vomit along with it. I do freak out a little but just have to remember that she is getting better at this and really needs the practice.
We had pizza last night, our weekly treat - and DD had some crusts with cheese on them - LOVED IT! I think that she also just loved the fact that she was doing exactly what mummy and daddy were doing. She loves to be in the thick of it which is why BLS suits us down to the ground!
Balmaingal, just wanted to give my opinions on your issues:
They don't need much meat, but I'd avoid the processed stuff as it's often high in sodium. Have you tried giving her bones - like lamp chop bones - with a bit of meat still on them? I'd just keep offering other meat and wait until she takes it.
Do you think it's the cheese itself or the way she's eating it? Maybe only give her a small bit at a time if she's got no self-control around cheese (which I completely understand!).
Yay to the rice Sue! And pizza... one of DD's favbourites too - we make our own so that it's not too salty etc and she loves it. What are you doing about food for your trip? DD didn't really want to eat on the plane, just milk all the way.
Thanks Jennifer... I haven't tried a lamb chop (or anything else on the bone) for ages, last time she wasn't interested so it just slipped my mind, but will give it another go. I am concerned about the sodium, plus I do try to steer away from processed stuff too, but I let her have small amounts here and there. I was just concerned about needing the meat for iron. Actually, I just remembered that I tried a beef casserole a couple of weeks ago and she ate some of it, so might try a few more meats that way...
With the cheese, I think it's because she's stuffing it in her mouth. I've started giving her smaller bits and only one little piece at a time and it does seem to be a bit better. She's inherited my love of cheese I think!
I've just started to introduce bls to ds2 and it went down a treat! We had breaky and lunch out on the weekend, breaky he gummed/sucked his way through some multigrain toast and lunch he chowed down on a marinated pork rib and some rockmelon! I just WISH I'd had the camera out with the pork rib!!! He was loving it!
Now that I've kind of started, do I need to give him food every day or can I start slowly by giving it to him when he's awake and happy sitting with the family at mealtimes? He's definitely ready, grabbing food from our plate, his co-ordination seems to be good with getting things to his mouth etc...
What did you start your kids on? I've bought the Gill Rapley book and am starting to read that but would love some 'real life' advice on what foods to start with first.
When you were starting did you sit about 30cm from your bub poised ready at any moment to hoik a piece of food out of their mouth if they started gagging? I feel like I'm all tense just waiting for it to happen!!!
Doodlebug I'm pretty sure when you're starting out it's okay to just offer bub food when you guys are eating, and they're awake and happy and not hungry. Because you keep the BF up there's no probs if they don't join in for every meal. We've been doing BLS for just over a month and it's only the last week or so she's fallen into a sleeping pattern that means she's awake at all 3 meals. Although we did move dinner heaps earlier because we want to eat as a family.
As for starting, pretty much what we were eating, nothing too spicy or salty, and just made it into finger size pieces. Toast is a given, breakfast muffins, crumpets, tried lots of different fruits, vegies, chicken, steak, lamb, I'm actually amazed at how relaxed I've been in offering her things. And because she eats when we do we are always generally sitting at the table next to her, and yep I watch like a hawk, and she's had some good gag fests, but does a great job of clearing her throat and then dives back for more. It was chaos with a stick of cheese last night, gag, more, gag, more, she was loving it but just had to pace herself lol One of us tends to stay at the table with her whenever she's got food, but we have relaxed a lot.
I was only thinking of this thread today because I wanted to be able to gush about how amazed I am at DD's eating already! (Everyone around us isn't comfortable with BLS so we don't tend to talk about it much) She tries everything, and is now quite capable of picking things up and takes actual bites, chews and swallows, then bites again. She does spit things out now and then, but she is eating so much more. When she really likes something (carrot especially) she eats it going 'mmmm mmm mmm' and really lets us know she's enjoying it. She's happy to be spoon fed the odd bit of weetbix or yoghurt, but otherwise BLS is going really well for us, so I just had to share
Hey ladies My DD is 5 months old and we are planning on doing BLS with her. I bought the book and can't wait to implement it. My nephew is 2 weeks younger than DD and SIL was telling me today they have started him on carrot sticks. THey had originally planned to wait until 6 months. Her reasoning was that he doesn't actually eat any of it anyway and he's just learning to put the food in his mouth and chew. So that got me thinking.........is she right? DO I really need to wait until 6 months when I am planning to give steamed carrot and broccoli to her as her first foods?
Did you all wait until 6 months? DD is sitting in her high chair playing with toys while we eat atm but she is very interested in what we are doing and is able to grab things and put them to her mouth easily.
My DS was about 5 1/2 months - Christmas Day seemed like a good time to try (6mth would have been 6 Jan). He just played with the cucumber & tomato we gave him to try. Was more interested in the roast parsnip on Boxing Day than the salad type veg.
Hi girls, I have a 9 month old and is eating full meals ( what I eat) and I was going to cook honey soy stirfry tomorrow. My question is is it safe to give him cooked honey?
Thanks
Lisa
Starangelk- i waited til 6 months to give her steamed food to 'eat' but gave her some cucumber sticks to use as a teether a week or so before. She had also 'stolen' a strawberry and a suck of my apple. i kinda justified it (to myself??) cos she was born at 41 weeks so if she was born on EDD or 38 or 39 weeks (still full term) she would already be 6 months.
In saying that, she has been having solids for 3 weeks now and still not much gets swallowed and i reckon that will happen in her own time, i don't think starting earlier would make it happen quicker.
LisaBear- good question, i know honey is still regarded as bacteria risk in BLS but not sure if cooking would kill any bacteria.
Starangelk - it's so exciting getting started! Our DD actually swiped a stick of cucumber from our plates at just over 4 1/2 months, and we continued to offer hard veges, more as teethers than anything else thereafter. In my head this seems way too young now, and especially as our little one had growth issues, but at the time it seemed fine, and I very much doubt anything much went in before 6 months.
Lisabear - I've a feeling it's ok if it's cooked, although I never found a definitive answer so as a precaution didn't offer until after 1 year.
I looked up honey in the BLS book, and it only mentions raw honey. not sure what definition of raw honey is, and if cooked would kill any potential bugs. sorry
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I then tried some carrot and capsicum, same thing!! Hehe, wee rascal!
and it's lovely to see some people starting out with BLS now, it's good to have the opportunity to put a bit back in after all the questions I've asked
although I'm sure there are still plenty more where they came from
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