Yep, the main questions/concerns I heard from my MG were about choking, and introducing foods quickly (they all thought you should do one new food every 4 days).
Elliskirsty, I just let him use his hands for those kinds of foods too. The spoon is there and occassionally he picks it up and manages to get the right end in his mouth, but he's happy enough using his hands. No plate, or bowl, just straight on the high chair tray.
elliskirsty, my DD loved yoghurt and it's a bit hard to do anything but spoon feed yoghurt! I gave her a spoon at the same time and she would 'help'. It wasn't long before she was capable of spoon-feeding herself, definitely well before 12 months she was a pro with cutlery and didn't need my assistance. As for not wanting any more, well, DD could probably have eaten nothing but yoghurt if she'd have had the chance! I only gave her a small tupperware container half full.
i've been stalking this thread because i'm planning to try BLS with DS & we'll be starting at 6 months, so a little over a month from now. i think i'm quite lucky with my MCHN centre because they actually promote BLS & i'm actually going to a talk they run next week on it.
i have been wondering about the whole sitting up before solids though - i've read that babies should be basically sitting unassisted - is that right? i think DS is ready in other ways but i'm not sure that he will be sitting totally on his own in a month's time. or am i reading it wrong & they don't have to be completely unsupported?
Sloane, my DS was nowhere near sitting unassisted at 6 months. I just propped him up in his high chair with a towel to keep him upright. After a couple of weeks he didn't need to be propped up in his chair anymore as the back of the chair is enough support for him. Even now at nearly 8 months, he's not sitting unassisted. I think it's just important that they are sitting upright (supported or not) rather than being reclined like in a bouncer or high chair.
It's 'one' of the indicators, but every baby is different and I guess it's up to you to determine whether from the other readiness indicators you think he's ready. But that's the beauty of BLS - you are offering the food and if he isn't ready and doesn't want it just yet, he'll show little interest.
FWIW, although my DD was sitting up unassisted by 6 mths, it took her a good month or so before she got into the whole solid food thing. Until then, she took in a little bit, not much and basically messed about. You will be able to tell when they suddenly want to eat what you put in front of them!
thank you he can sit on my knee without any problem but you couldn't just sit him on the floor, if that makes sense? as you say, it's up to him if he wants to eat it or not. the other signs are promising but he's thriving on BM so i don't feel any pressure for him to eat!
EK - We did that - load the spoon and let Jett put it in his mouth himself and we also just let him use his hands. It is another sensory experience for them, so even if you you keep handing them the spoon they are going to want to dig their hands in at some stage anyway!!
Hi all. I've been MIA again. I've quickly skimmed through posts and welcome to the new people.
Last time I posted I was having trouble getting Maya to drink from a sippy or straw cup. Well I took away her bottles and then she started using her straw cups more and now she is capable from drinking from any straw cup I've tried.
I have always had trouble getting Maya to eat meat though. She won't eat pieces of meat for some reason, so I do have to mash it a bit, so that she can still grab it with her hands. I'm not sure why she won't eat pieces of meat though.
I tried a cheesy + vegetable pasta sauce this week and Maya loves it. She can't get enough of it.
Oh and suddenly foods Maya used to love she refuses to eat. She will no longer eat potato (at all!!!) or any sticks of steamed veges. I'm not sure what to do about that. I have to hide her veges in with her other foods now (things like casseroles). Is it usual for them to suddenly dislike things they used to eat with no problems?
Just wanted to say I am so excited cos Maya ate some chicken for the first time. I roasted it and it was very moist and juicy. She didn't eat a meal's worth but I'm hoping it's a start to eating more meat.
Also I have a question: Is there any particular type or brand of spoon that is easier for babies to use? Maya understands how to use a spoon but isn't successful in getting anything on to her spoon. She will make digging motions but can't scoop anything up.
yay for the chicken! Hopefully it will be the start of some meat eating. And well done Maya on drinking from a straw!!
And yes there is lots of foods that Jett used to eat but now refuses, or has refused and now has gone back to them. It is more about what they need from food right now, rather than what they like and dislike so you just keep offering the food and leave it up to them to decide if they do or don't want to eat it. In that respect we never make Jett another meal just to get him to eat something. He gets the main meal and dessert (fruit and usually yoghurt or custard) and that is what he gets. If he refuses any or all of that he doesn't get something different.
As for spoons it really is just a matter of practice. One day she will just get it. But what she is doing now is just as important as getting it right - it is the start of spoon control. We have a number of different spoons, so different sizes, different weights and also different textures - ie. some are soft silicone, some are plastic and some are stainless steel. Personally I like the stainless steel ones, they don't hurt their mouths on them any more than they would on a plastic or silicone spoon, and they are just like Mummy and Daddy's! The only important thing to remember is to give them a child size spoon, otherwise it is the equivalent of giving them salad servers to eat with! Same deal with cups later on - give them child size ones or it is like trying to drink out of a bucket or mixing bowl.
Thanks MummyTummy. I can't help offering something else when Maya refuses to eat something cos I always worry she'll be hungry. I know I shouldn't offer an alternative though.
With using a spoon it's really that Maya wants to be independent and gets so frustrated when she can't scoop things up with her spoon by herself. I guess I was hoping maybe there's a spoon better designed for this age, to help her succeed. Then again the other day she did succeed in scooping up some yoghurt using the handle of the spoon. She was so proud of herself.
MOI - I am like MT... Either BJ eats what he's served or he gets nothing else. He always gets fruit after his meals & fruit plus yoghurt after dinner so I'll give him a little more than usual if he doesn't eat his main meal. As for the spoon, BJ has different kinds of spoons too, but the one he can use the best has a handle that goes right around. Imagine bending the handle all the way back so it forms a circle, so the tip is touching the spoon bit. The spoon came in a pack with a plastic bowl & lid. We were given it so I can't tell you where you can get it from. Sorry, not much help I know.
Hey MT - How are you feeling? Did you get much MS? (Sorry, not BLS talk I know)
oh i'm going to try Edward with a spoon and see what he does - i could never really figure out how yoghurt would work lol
Heya are you guys all a lot healthier than me, or do you have 'naughty days' every now and then when you just can't be bothered cooking and dinner or lunch ends up being chicken and chips or something - and what do you do with BLS then? for example a couple of weeks ago we got chicken and chips and i thought i'd just give DS some chicken but he grabbed himself a chip (okay, or two) and LOVED it!! I felt so guilty that my 7mth old was munching on a deep fried chip, but it's not like it's every day, or even every week or anything... then yesterday my mum was over and we had those heavan icecreams, DS was on grandma's lap and grabbed her icecream and pretty much devoured the whole thing!!!!
Ideally i think i should try not to be eating unhealthy food around Edward because he is very determined and doesn't seem to be fooled if we're eating one thing and he's eating something else, but around Xmas time esp it sometimes gets tricky - what are thoughts on this?
I gave Lily her first try at solids last night. I gave her some banana that I had mashed with a fork. I only gave her about a 2-3cm piece of banana as I didn't want to over feed her as she's never had anything in her tummy but breast milk before. She absolutely LOVED it and wanted more, but I wouldn't give it to her incase it gave her a tummy ache. Are there any recommendations as to how much you should feed your baby at the beginning? I know you should breastfeed them first, but what if they just want to keep eating? It's been 11 years since I introduced solids, and I wasn't as cautious then.
AliMoy - Even though I just started Lily on solids yesterday, she had been looking interested in food for a little while now, so she would, if I allowed her within arms reach grab anything and stick it in her mouth.
Can I suggest putting DS in a high chair so he can't reach your food (when there is something that you don't want him to have) and if he does manage to get something that you'd rather he not have, take him into another room and do something fun with him so he doesn't want to eat the rest of it (like the ice cream).
It's up to you as to what you do and don't let him have, but if you really don't want him to have sugar or oil you'll just have to remove him from where it is as he won't understand that it is no good for him.
If he throws a tantrum and then you let him have it because you don't want him upset, he'll know that's what he needs to do next time, and you'll end up with a tantrum everytime he doesn't get what he wants. Just make your decision and stick with it. Good Luck. I know it can be difficult. I still don't eat certain foods in front of my 11 year old if I don't want her to have them!
Ooh this thread has had a bit of a work out in the last couple of days!!
Moi - I understand - that is why our meals always consist of two parts - main and 'dessert' with dessert always being a healthier type of dessert - such as fruit and dairy! But beyond that if he refuses both (and sometimes he does) it means he really just isn't interested in eating. It could be because he is not feeling 100% or perhaps he is tired, or even just plain not hungry. But part of BLS is respecting that and letting them lead the way. It is hard to take that step back though!! I also find that Jett eats heaps in the morning (way more breakfast than I do!!) and then by the end of the day he just picks. And I was talking to a friend about it the other day and he has two kids, and one is the same as Jett, and the other eats little for breakfast but eats a massive dinner. So keep an eye out for this sort of behaviour too.
Georgi - All good - 17 weeks now!! Very little MS, I didn't get much with Jett either - I'm just really lucky I think!
AliMoy - yeah we get the occasional bad days too, but that is just it - occasional. Joey makes some good suggestions about how to deal with it. But the other thing to try to remember with BLS is that food is just that - food. Try not to think in 'good food' 'bad food' kind of categories because ultimately bubs/children will always want the highly desirable 'bad food'. So if you treat all food equally (and I don't mean give junk food every second day or anything) but not being seen to favour one over the other, and certainly don't use food as reward or punishment then fruit and veges will have the same status as ice-cream and hot chips. This is kind of a hard concept to work with though, because we know that there is 'bad food' and 'good food'.
So I guess what we do - as in your example when we get chicken and chips, if we have it at home we cook veges as our main side and then Jett gets the chicken, the veges and a couple of chips (because Mum and Dad are having them) and that is his meal. No fuss and bother over eating veges first, no extra chips - that is his meal. If we are getting C & C while we are out then we usually get a side of their vegies, or roast vegies if they have them, and then the same deal.
And as for ice-cream - we usually have it when Jett is getting his fruit and dairy dessert and it never seems to bother him. If we do happen to have it as an extra then I either give him something I prefer him to have (which he usually doesn't mind) and perhaps a couple of tastes if it doesn't seem to distract him. But again - don't make a fuss either way about it. It is neither reward or punishment. It is just food.
In saying all that 7 months is young so I would definitely try to limit the exposure to these foods as much as possible. But remember that right now for DS it is all about learning new tastes and textures and exploring ALL foods. So don't beat yourself up about it.
Joey - there aren't really any recommendations about how much to feed. I pretty much just followed Jett's lead. He was super interested in food right from the start so as he ate something it would get replaced on his tray and eventually he would just stop eating and start experimenting with gravity, or squishiness etc. Then I knew he had had enough. I also didn't do the BF first unless it was part of the routine time. I would put his meals at the time when it was meal time (usually the same time as me) and follow that. I would offer a BF afterwards to quench his thirst because he didn't want water. It didn't affect his breast feeding in any way and it always seemed to allow him the time to learn about the new food.
Georgi and MT - The majority of the time Maya does eat her meal. The only time she won't eat it is when I'm introducing something new that she doesn't like. That's when I then go defrost something I know she will eat. So it's not a regular occurrence. I also do main + dessert (of fruit and yoghurt) and she eats well nearly every day. It's only when there's something she hasn't tried before and dislikes that she won't eat anything.
Alimoy - I do pretty much what MT does. I don't make a big deal of good or bad foods. If we are eating fish and chips, we also give Maya fish and chips but we also always have salad with every meal so Maya does too. Maya LOVES ice cream (and I really LOVE ice cream), so if I am eating some ice cream while she's around I will give her some but I don't eat it often in front of her.
joey123 - As MT said there aren't any recommendations on how much they should eat. I also just followed Maya's lead and gave her as much as she would eat.
Last night we had roast chicken for dinner and Maya actually ate quite a bit of chicken for once. BUT didn't eat her veges. Ah well at least she's improving with eating meat.
Also last night she was a bit more successful with getting her yoghurt on her spoon by herself. She was so proud of herself.
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yay for the chicken! Hopefully it will be the start of some meat eating. And well done Maya on drinking from a straw!!
I know I shouldn't offer an alternative though.
She was so proud of herself.
Ah well at least she's improving with eating meat.
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