Baby Led Solids Chatter #4

[MummyTummy]

Yes it is normal, yes it happened to us and yes it happens every now and then still.

I think it is different phases that they go through. And suddenly they don't like something they've always liked....frustrating!!! It could be for a physical reason - not feeling well, teething etc. It could even be him trying to assert his independence with you, or it could be just that at this age they just get so busy - there is so much to do and learn that eating just gets in the way. (Yes it is true, sometimes eating just isn't a priority!! )

But yes it shall pass but there really isn't anything you can do to get his interest back until he is ready. So just keep offering the variety of tastes and textures and eventually he will just start eating again. Don't make a fuss and don't try to force him to 'just have a few mouthfuls'. He won't starve himself, and remember this is Baby-led solids, with the emphasis on baby-led. If this is him asserting his independence, and he sees you are leaving it up to him to make the choice then he will realise that you aren't going to give him a battle over this so he will just start eating again. But you might find he starts a battle elsewhere - Jett chose getting in and out of the car!!

So I know it is hard, but take a deep breath and just follow his lead. And just keep telling yourself that he won't starve himself, his survival instinct is just too strong!!

[Sterla]

Thanks MummyTummy, that's exactly what I needed to hear .

*Deep breath*

[Megan]

Sterla, we're going through the same thing here. DS didn't eat much at all over the weekend and then last night he ate everything in front of him. Tonight, back to not being interested. He is throwing a lot of it on the floor. When he sees that I am getting food ready for him he starts squealing and flapping his arms everywhere like he can't wait to get stuck into it, but then he just plays and barely eats!
I walked in on DH tonight feeding him with a spoon He was worried he was starving. Didn't make a difference though because DS wasn't going to part those lips! lol

[MummyTummy]

Megan - Poor DH!! Nothing like going up against a stubborn bub!! I remember Jett doing a a fair bit of throwing on the floor around 7 or 8 months. I think it might be because they discover gravity and want to see what all the different food can do!! It is all part of it though and once they reckon they know what it all does the throwing won't be quite so interesting and they'll just eat. Or figure some other creative thing to do with it

Just remember variety is really important around these times too. Some babies choose to just eat what they need at that particular time - eg they love broccoli but if they have it every day they suddenly don't want that, but what they choose to eat is potato when they don't normally touch it. IYKWIM!! And they will only stick to one type of food but that's ok. They will make sure they get what they need at the time. As long as the variety is on offer!

Sterla - you're very welcome!!

[Megan]

lol, that something else creative appears to be smearing weetbix through his hair. Luckily he doesn't have much hair yet! Breakfast was good this morning. He ate almost a whole banana and a little bit of weet bix. Much more than he has been eating.
He had four breastfeeds over night last night. Usually he will wake for 1, sometimes 2 so I'm tired this morning. Obviously he just preferred BM over solids yesterday.
Variety is something I am struggling with at the moment. Dinner is fine as he just has what we're having, so there's variety there. I'm a bit of a creature of habit as far as my own breakfast and lunch go, so trying to think of different things for DS to have is getting harder!

[joey123]

what do you put with your wheet bix when you feed them to bubs? BM or something else?

[MummyTummy]

Megan - you're lucky he doesn't have much hair! Jett has always had lots of hair and he still smears weetbix through it when he's tired!!! One of the reasons we always have a bath or shower in the morning after breakfast!! Sounds like something is up with him, possibly sore throat? That could be why needs more BFs rather than solids just now. But he knows what he needs best and BM is definitely not a bad thing to need! I do feel for you with the overnight feeding though.... I remember it well!

As for variety for breakfast and lunch, yep I'm with you there. I always have the same things too so I must admit Jett gets the same. We did things like alternate milk and yoghurt in the weetbix and also the amount of milk. Sometimes Jett just likes a tiny bit of milk so he can pick the weetbix up and crunch it himself. Other things to try are

• cheese on toast
• scrambled eggs
• plain pancakes
• fresh fruit
• porridge - can add variety of fruits to this
• yoghurt
• toast with a variety of toppings
• baked beans on toast
• raison toast or english muffins

I hope you find some inspiration there!

Joey - We always added cows milk. I know some people start with BM or formula but it isn't necessary. As long as you aren't giving them milk to actually drink while they're under 12 months it is fine to add it to food.

[Megan]

Thanks MT! That has helped. It all seems obvious when I read the list! lol Pancakes and scrambled eggs will probably be on the menu this week!
Come to think of it, he was very restless last night (we co-sleep), flinging himself around in his sleep and grizzling a lot. Maybe he was having a bad day with something like a sore throat like you suggested. He seems to ok today. Probably the most happy and bubbly he's been in a week.

We went out to the park earlier since it's such a nice day here and I just made him a vegemite sandwich and took some sticks of honeydew melon. He did really well and seemed like he was enjoying his food. So nice to have a happy, easy mealtime.

Joey, I use cows milk in the weet bix too. I have found DS doesn't really like his weetbix crunchy so I pour a bit of boiled water on the biscuit to soften it and then a bit of cows milk. I probably only use the equivalent of about 2 tablespoons.

I think it was in this thread, someone mentioned 100% fruit spread? I looked for it at the supermarket yesterday and couldn't see any. What brands make it, and is it usually just with the jams?

[MummyTummy]

Yeah that was me I think.... Yeah it is with the jams and I did struggle to find it originally, but then the supermarket started arrnaging their shelves in such a way that all the 100% ones were up one end and the 25% ones at the other and everything else was in between!! But I can't imagine every supermarket does that!! The brand we have at the moment is St Dalfour. I believe SPC make one, but I haven't yet found that on the shelves, and I think IXL might too but I really can't remember because we keep getting the St Dalfour ones. They are in a skinny jar and look a bit more fancy than the standard brands from France!! I'll have a look when I go to the supermarket next.

[AliMoy]

Hi - Edward changes his feelings towards eating everyday, yesterday he ate everything that came his way without dropping much more than a crumb and today he was definitely testing gravity (and a little bit of hair-styling with banana)... problem is though that he seems to eat much better when he's sitting on the floor, when he's in the high chair it's all about playtime, perhaps i need to set up the dining table a little more japanese-esque.

[MummyTummy]

Alimoy - there might be something in that. We always fed Jett in the Bumbo right up until just before he turned 1. Not much got dropped over the edge in the Bumbo, but anytime he was in a highchair it was definitely playtime. The other thing with the Bumbo was that he could still reach what did fall off the tray so he could clean up by himself!!

[joey123]

I have heard that they are not trying to be painful when they throw stuff over the edge, but that they are experimenting with gravity and listening to the different noises the different foods make as they hit the floor, and that some bounce, some splat, etc. Not that it makes it any easier to clean up knowing that!

[tk1999]

Hi ladies - I am planning on doing BLS with my DD in a few months time. We were discussing introducing solids @ MG this week and I had mentioned that I was planning to do BLS and it was like there was an elephant in the room - no one knew what I was talking about... so I thought I would put together an info sheet that I could give to them next week as some were interested but we didn't get a lot of time to talk about it because we have 'important' things to discuss like how to best puree foods.

I have taken some of the ideas you have discussed in this (and other BLS) thread(s) but not really directly quoted anyone but I wanted to make sure you were happy for me to use your discussions. I would appreciate your feedback and any other things you think I should include/remove. I will also be PMing this to Kelly for her permission to use the info.

Baby Led Solids (BLS)

What is BLS?
BLS is also known as Baby Led Weaning or Infant Led Weaning. It is way of introducing solids. Instead of starting with pureed foods, it involves starting with finger foods. Traditionally purees were introduced as a first food, as babies were starting solids at 3 months or so. Now the recommendation is to start solids at 6 months, and by this age babies are capable of feeding themselves finger foods.

Interestingly, many parents naturally follow the BLS method with second and subsequent children. Physiologically, it has been shown that choking is less likely when a child is feeding themselves at this age, rather than having a spoon of food put in their mouths.

Why use BLS?
The many benefits include:
• Easier and less time-consuming, as food doesn’t need to be pureed or spoon-fed
• Children enjoy feeding themselves, and it is good for their development to do so
• Exposure to a great variety of tastes and textures earlier
• Children are eating adult foods sooner, so that the whole family can eat the same meal

Things to Remember

• Food is Fun until their 1! – Provided that the child is receiving milk (either Breast Milk or Formula) it won't matter how much or how little food they are getting in.
• You may like to give your child a timeframe in which to eat – after one hour (or so) you may wish to clean up.
• Offer a variety of textures and tastes – your child may not like something first up but you may choose to offer it again in a few days.
• It's all about experimenting and learning textures, taste and for the child to control what is going in.
• Offer one ‘piece’ of a few things and then replace the ‘piece’ after it is eaten.

Some Foods to Try
These foods may assist you in finding your feet with BLS.
• Avocado
• Banana (either offer a whole banana or half a banana – this will likely be easier than smaller bits)
• Broccoli
• Chicken Tenderloins
• Cucumber
• Pears
• Plain pancakes
• Porridge - can add variety of fruits to this
• Scrambled eggs
• Steamed carrot sticks
• Toast with various spread or used as dippers for sloppier foods such as yoghurt, soups etc
• Yoghurt
• Zucchini

Thanks in advance

xox

[Megan]

We were discussing introducing solids @ MG this week and I had mentioned that I was planning to do BLS and it was like there was an elephant in the room - no one knew what I was talking about...
xox

lol, that sounds familiar!! I think it's a great idea to educate your MG! I think everyone in my MG waited until 6 months to introduce solids, and since learning about BLS quite a few of them are giving it a go. More than a month later I still get lots of questions from them. I'm still learning too, but it's nice to be able to discuss your experiences with other people, lend support and share ideas.
I think what you have written will give them a good idea of what it is, and how it's beneficial. I think it's important that they know the focus is really on family foods. There is no need to prepare separate meals, and they should try a big variety of foods.

[joey123]

th19999 thank for putting that together, will pass it on to dh to read, and the food list is AWESOME

thanks

[MummyTummy]

TK - That looks pretty good. I have no problem with you passing it on, I think the more exposure it gets as being a 'normal' way to feed your child the better it will be for all!!

The other thing you might like to put in there is answers to peoples objections. I think alot of people like the idea in theory, but are too scared because of the objections. For eg: choking, allergy risks, mess , speed of introduction of foods, are they eating enough, people might think you're weird etc!! I know you briefly mentioned things like the choking, but if you put a list and answers then I guess it kind of acknowledges their concerns and gives a solution.

I have to run now but if you need help with this list let me know and I will drop by later!!

[AliMoy]

Yeah i agree with MummyTummy - it'd be great to have a few "facts" for people - for some reason 'instincts' are never a good enough reason for people
other than that i think it's a great handout to let people know there's a more natural alternative.
nice one

[elliskirsty]

Hi all, I'm wondering what you all did in the early days when it came to feeding bubs 'mushy' foods (porridge, wheat bix, yoghurt, etc). Did you let them use their hands, or put food on the spoon and hand them the spoon to feed themselves, or something different?
I normally load up the spoon and hand it to Pia, however, is this letting her choose what she wants?