Baby Led Solids chatter #5

[Persephone1]

Just subscribing. My LO will be 5mo this Sunday and we'll be doing BLS soon. He's currently desperately trying to eat off my plate and becoming very agitated when I won't let him. Its very cute but I'd like to stretch it out a little longer before I give him anything, and we don't even own a highchair yet (going to Ikea next week!) So excited for BLS!

My MG think I'm a hippy for doing BLS but one of them started her LO on pureed food recently and commented that "he wants to feed himself and gets really frustrated when I won't let him." Yet she thinks BLS is weird! They're all paranoid about choking risks and I've given up explaining why BLS is safe.

[studymum]

Persephone - You'll get that heaps, explain it once and then let the results speak for themselves after. I still constantly get "should you give that to her", what a whole apple, yeah she loves it. You'll also get "how many jars does your lo do a day?", and a tut-tut at the reply, cause apparently shoveling in as many jars is some kind of goal to some people (sorry just a little vent). BLS isn't a new concept, nor a hippy one, its been around for centuries and used by many cultures. After all, its because of retail companies that the idea they have to start on puree has become the norm, if we all did BLS, they would go bust. The day I had to go shopping last week we had run out of fruit and bread, so while having lunch with friends I opened a heinz 1-3yr tin for DD2 (she actually loves the occasional one, like its a treat ), they freaked because omg it said over 1 on the tin, which apparently means I can't give it to her. Goog luck, I am sure your DS will just love it.

[MummaSue]

Persephone, I've had the same response from a lot of people, mainly ones back home. I just quote bits from the book LOL.

I have a friend who has 4 kids (OMG, yeah 4!!). She did purees with her 2 older boys (7 and 6) and BLS with her two little girls (2yrs and 10 months) and she says that her girls are MUCH less fussy eaters than her boys. The book also says that BLS babies are much less fussy. It was really good to hear it anecdotally though!

I love the BLS way. I could not be ar$ed making up purees every day (although I would if I had to - but thank goodness for BLS). My best friend does purees with her little man, who is now 13 months. He still doesn't feed himself as she says that she can't handle the mess She was shocked (and I think a little freaked) to hear that DD knows what to do with a spoon.

BLS ROOLZ.

[studymum]

Shoshana, one of the reason I was interested in BLS was the fact the DD1 found it difficult to move from lumpy foods to regular solids. I loved making her foods though, I spent hours making up amazing recipes and freezing them for her. She just could never get past them and onto what we ate, so as she started to refuse the lumpies, also refused to move onto proper foods, reducing her diet. Even know at 2 1/2 she is a fussy eater. My gp says she has one of the most restricted diets of a child her age that she has seen, she doesn't consume a whole lot though cause she is not a big eater which makes it hard to get her to eat anything new, its cheerios, jam sandwiches, yoghurt, cheese, meat, sometimes apple and banana, and that's all she eats in a day. There was one stage she wouldnt eat dairy either, the gp was about to do tests but she improved a hint. I feel awful about it and sometimes blame myself but my gp assures me its not our fault, as we have beautiful diets, eat a variety of foods and only buy fresh fruit and vege and staple ingredients, everything is made, inc our yogurt, pasta, pretty much everything. I wish I had known about BLS back then.

[MummaSue]

I wish I had known about BLS back then.

You know about it now though and that is the main thing. Your DD1 sounds like she knows what she wants. My mum tells me that I wasn't a big eater, she struggled a lot to get me to eat anything (I was started on "solids" at 6 weeks old). I love my food now!

[studymum]

That she does, she is a very strong willed child. The dr was more concerned with the fact that at one stage for almost 2 months, she didn't consume any fruit, vege or dairy (exc a small cup milk) and that her nutrition might be lacking. She improved a bit and we have her back on dairy, with occasional bits of fruit, still no veg. But gp happy with this at the moment, she is still growing, might that be slowly but she is generally health and a very happy child, developing nicely. It would just be nice to be able to explore the joys of food with her (we love good food and I love eating hehe), I am waiting, one day it will just happen.

[MummaSue]

I had DD at the GP today and she was asking how her solids intake is going. I was telling her about BLS and that DD has varying degrees of interest. My GP told me that I need to be more "forceful" with her.

Dude, seriously? I aint forcing DD to do ANYTHING at this stage thanks very much.

Anyway, this morning we had some crumpet and peach for breakfast. It was going well and then she vomited up the crumpet

I'm actually offering her meals, but also snacks too - when I have fruit at morning and afternoon tea I make sure and offer her some too so that she is at least getting loads of practice. She'll just do it one day won't she?