Help with BLS...please

[Baby14]

I am really keen to do BLS with DS and have read the Gill Rapley book but I am still a bit unsure about what I am doing.

So, we started this week with some watermelon which DS seemed to like. Yesterday I gave him a teething rusk and he loved it!

Today, I steamed some brocolli and cut up some avocado and put these on the tray of his high chair. He was really unimpressed and seemed to hate the squishy feeling of the food, he screwed his face up before he even got it to his mouth!

Once he tasted it he got really agitated and really didn't like it....he got a whole body shiver...you know like if you eat something really sour?

So, I am wondering:
What were your first experiences were like with BLS?
Did you offer vegies first, and if your LO didn't seem to like it did you offer something different next time? I am thinking of offering some carrot and brocolli tomorrow to see how that goes?
Should I offer fruit now? Or will this make him less inclined to try the vegies as he is used to sweet fruit?

Sorry this is a bit of a ramble, I thought that I was all prepared but I just assumed (stupidly) that he would enjoy his vegies.

I agree with 'food is fun until I'm one' and don't want to get too stressed about him not liking his first taste of vegies but if you have any suggestions about what I could do differently or try, I would be very grateful.

TIA

[Oorki Galoorki]

i think keep offering food, its not a big deal if he doesnt take to it straight away. that is the point he will do it in his own time..

[Malyna]

At the beginning DS used to put things in his mouth and then spit them back out when he didn't like it... He does the whole body shiver thing. Keep offering them the food and you can do more than one food at a time.
They tend to eat whatever quantity they need to eat. Most of DS's food is smeared all over the highchair. I give him porridge for breaky (had to mix some jam in to start with, now he likes honey), whatever I'm eating for lunch and whatever we have for dinner.
Slow cooker meat is really good (you know the kind that melts in your mouth). DS gobbles it down.

[Fleur]

We started with broccoli & she loved it, still does, but there were loads of things that took her ages to get used to. Avocado she still doesn't like.
Banana we had quite a few goes at & now she will eat almost a whole one at one go sometimes.

Sometimes it's not the taste but the texture, too.

Just keep offering... I think I read somewhere that it can take 100 tastes sometimes for them to accept a new taste (although not always). I would offer a couple of different things in one go if he's not interested just try again later.
It's not hugely important that he eats great amounts of solids right now, so don't stress about it, just let him go at his own pace and he will get there

[Barb Glare]

Having food spat back at you goes with the territory of starting solids - whether you are spoonfeeding or not. It's their perogative not to like everything you dish up - in fact that's the whole deal with baby led solids they lead the process. Just like us there will be some things they like and some they don't like. No big deal.

[Jennifer13]

I give him porridge for breaky (had to mix some jam in to start with, now he likes honey), whatever I'm eating for lunch and whatever we have for dinner.

Not to pick on you, Malyna, but honey is not advised before your baby is one, due to potential infant botulism. Honey potentially contains a bacteria that can develop toxins in the body that is harmless in older children and adults, but can be fatal in young babies. It's a particular problem in babies under 6 months, but it's not recommended before one as we're not sure exactly when a baby's system can handle it.

As the PPs have said - just keep offering foods, trying them out and funny reactions are part of the deal! It sounds like your baby is exploring his new foods well. I generally gave DD the same kind of stuff we had for dinner/lunch, either as leftovers or because that's what I had in the fridge.

[Baby14]

Thankyou all for your replies!

DS has been sick with bronchitis for a couple of days but is on the mend now thankfully

Because he has been unwell, I have increased his BF's and offered some solids only in the afternoon after he has had a big sleep and a BF. He has tried carrot, cucumber and banana as well as some more broccoli...Balmaingirl you described the look great..'mum, you're poisoning me!'

I would like to introduce meat this week but am a bit scared about how to do this. Malyna, I like the idea of slow cooker meats but do you cut these into large bits? When I use the slow cooker I usually dice the meat into approx 2cm squares, should I make the bits bigger? Also, I am not a great cook and usually use the packet mixes and just chuck in the meat and vegies Are these ok for DS to eat? He is only just 6months.

I'm also not sure whether I am steaming the veggies for long enough, should they be really soft? I have been steaming them so that they are softish but don't squish up as soon as he grabs them but wonder if that is right or whether they should be softer?

So many questions....I don't know anyone IRL who is doing BLS so really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions and offer advice

[Malyna]

Not to pick on you, Malyna, but honey is not advised before your baby is one, due to potential infant botulism. Honey potentially contains a bacteria that can develop toxins in the body that is harmless in older children and adults, but can be fatal in young babies. It's a particular problem in babies under 6 months, but it's not recommended before one as we're not sure exactly when a baby's system can handle it.

As the PPs have said - just keep offering foods, trying them out and funny reactions are part of the deal! It sounds like your baby is exploring his new foods well. I generally gave DD the same kind of stuff we had for dinner/lunch, either as leftovers or because that's what I had in the fridge.

I waited until he was one to give him honey. Before that he had jam but then I'm pretty sure I'm going to mommy h3ll for sure with everything I do wrong for DS.. LOL!!

[Jennifer13]

Nah Malyna - I don't think there's any such thing! Just wanted to clarify that for the Mums on here whose bubs aren't one yet.

[Swoop]

We get the whole shiver and 'mum you're poisoning me!' look with most new foods (pineapple was by far the most extreme, and therefore most amusing!), but if DD doesn't pick it straight back up and give it another go, she'll usually give it a try and like it the next time I offer the same food.

Avocado was a funny one for us - persistently rejected in chunks/slices, but she loves it on toast or cruskits. I also find her faves aren't always classic foods you would imagine for a baby - tomato, mushrooms and anything spicy are always big hits here so it's worth giving a really broad variety a go.

It's frustrating when you prepare something then it get's rejected. What you're doing sounds fine though, I'd just continue offering these and new foods... part of BLS is letting them explore the foods, which it sounds like your DS is doing, so all good

[Swoop]

Your poor DS - glad to hear he's starting to feel a bit better and I hope he's back to 100% soon. It sounds like he's still doing a grand job with his veges and fruit though - glad to hear he's trying them!

We don't have a slow cooker, but it sounds like a great option for first taste of meat. As long as the pieces are of a size that you think DS will be able to pick up and access the food in his hand it should be fine. If he's still mastering opening his palm to get at the food inside (it's hit and miss with DD) you probably want to make the chinks a bit longer so that they can peep out from inside his fist. I was nervous with meat too at the beginning, and I think there were a good dew gags initially, but now, in such a short time DD is handling it like a pro.

The things to look out for on the packet mixes are the sodium levels and the preservatives. My friend gave me a link the other day to a list of preservatives to avoid with kids which I keep meaning to print and stick on my fridge... I should post it here too. It wouldn't be hard to make the dish yourself... Just google Slow cooker recipe for whatever meat you're planning and I'm sure something suitable will come up.

With the veges, if he's eating them then I'm sure they're fine. You can always experiment cooking them a couple of mins longer and seeing if he finds them easier.

ETA: I don't know anyone IRL who lives nearby who's doing it either - I love having this forum