Starting solids? - Baby Led Solids Chatter #2

Food for going out...
Cut in to bite size peices for snacks
Watermelon
cantaloupe
pear
grapes (you will prbably have to peel and half to begin with - MJ eats them whole)
Kiwi fruit
Sao Biscuit
peices of cheese
for meals
Avacado sandwich cut into fingers
hommus " " " "
Quiche (i Make one a week and Mj has left overs for lunch - from about 7-8mths onwards)
Penne or swirl pasta with avacado mixed in and maybe chicken peices if up to it

There are tons of things that you can take with you, or you can let your little on have some of what you are eating.
At playgroup i take a muslin wrap for her to sit on as its really messy, otherwise she sits in a highchair where ever we are.

Our CMHN's run a starting Soldis leacture at 6mths and they show the BLS video - loads of parents hate it and a few complained about it, but for me (who had already decided i was heading down this track) it was great as it meant that not as many people turned their noses up at me and thought that i was 'pushing' my baby!!!

Thanks for the ideas SJ

What sort of bread does everyone give their bubs? We eat multi grain but I'm not sure if that's a bit much hard to give DD?

She has what we have - Helga's pumpkin seed, it's soft but has lots of grains....
She loves it, but the grains come out the other end the way they went in :rofl:

Re bread: We have wholemeal- I found that white bread balls up in his mouth too much and I like wholemeal better anyhow. He's getting pretty good with it now.

A question for those of you who give your LO's weetbix....do you put cow's milk over them and mush them up? Can they have cow's milk yet??

We use wholemeal bread, i was told not to use grain breads yet as there tummys are not mature enough.

DS doesnt have weetbix yet as only having lunch and dinner at present BUT he did have some frothy milk (babycino without choc) the other day as other babies at mothers groupo had 1 and he was getting excited!!! He loved It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I might try DD on a babycino tomorrow (no choc of course)...
I mentioned to my GP I was doing BLS - she seemed oblivious to its existence but remarked that Beth "was in no danger of fading away" LOL

I used grain bread... the ones with the black poppy sead on top from Bakers Delight... it was always a charming nappy to clean after that went through... little black seeds everywhere haha

Jessica- I put water with the weetbix and pear and microwave it for 20 seconds then stir it all together with some EBM. Not sure about cow's milk. It would only be a little bit but I had read it shouldn't be given until 12 mths but I'm not sure how different it is to giving them other sorts of dairy?

Cows milk in cereal and cooking is fine at this age, not to be use as a drink until 12 months thou.
MJ has soymilk on her cereal as she prefers the taste to cows milk

MJ also eats cheese and yoghurt which of course is dairy

We use multigrain bread here - like with most things, the bits that can be digested pass straight through!

Thanks SJ for the food ideas.

Ashlyn is really loving her foods. I'm glad we're doing BLW because it slows done how much she is eating. Danielle took to foods so fast that she refused the breast so I'm hoping to avoid that problem this time. Last night Ashlyn ate spinach and ricotta canneloni. I thought the sauce was really rich, but she loved it.

Oohh, the little monkey is having a good laugh because she just tipped a bowl of watermelon on herself. Best go clean her up!:lol:

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Oohh, the little monkey is having a good laugh because she just tipped a bowl of watermelon on herself. Best go clean her up!:lol:

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hehehehheee how cute is she!!

I'm off to buy some bananas and rockmelon in the morning!

We've got the all clear from the surgeon (after he had surgery on Monday March 2nd) and we saw the Child/Youth Health nurse who agreed wholeheartedly with BLS when I described it to her...

We've all agreed to do only soft foods for now until his 1st Birthday in April - which will be 6 weeks after his surgery so everything should be quite strong and healed by then.

He's had banana before (in those little meshy things) and loved it. He's also had banana custard and yoghurt and loved both of those... so I know the banana is safe, but I think he'll like the rockmelon too... so that's the first new food to try!

Will let you all know how it goes!

cant wait to hear nettie :)

For bread we use wholemeal mainly, because I think multi-grain bread falls in the category of nuts and seeds doesn't it?

Yep, milk is fine in cereal and cooking but not to be given as a drink until 12 months. I was wondering the same thing when I first started so did a bit of research on the matter. Unless there is a direct allergy link to dairy (ie. parent or sibling only) then it isn't necessary to avoid it.

SJ mentioned soy milk, the thing to be careful about it is that is full of oestrogen, a predominantly female hormone, so that if it is given to boys it can cause a "reaction" such as growing little man-boobies!! No issues for girls though!! :) So this is my reason for not using it!

While we're talking about bread, what are people putting on bub's sandwiches?

While we were out and about yesterday, DH and I got some Baker's Delight pizzas and were trying to eat them with Liam grabbing at them constantly. So we decided to give him a bit of the bread to play with.

He had an absolute ball and seemed to know instinctively what to do. It was white bread (no toppings on it) and he ended up 'eating' about 2 big handfuls of it! When I say 'eating' - a lot of it got mushed up on the clothes & us! He was soooo happy about it!

Then this morning I gave him 1/4 a banana which he had great pleasure in smooshing everywhere (including his mouth!). He destroyed that - so I gave him another 1/4... which he did the same to!

must go - he's yelling out for me now!

Nettie, my little man loves Bakers Delight food as well- I had a ham and garlic thingy and he was desperate to have some, and he LOVED it.

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While we're talking about bread, what are people putting on bub's sandwiches?

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We gave her creamed corn yesterday - didn't seem too fussed, seems to like her vegemite or avocado a lot more. Haven't got any hommus to try yet, but will do!

We tried her on tinned spaghetti last night - she LOVED it. Sat there for about an hour playing and shoving it in her mouth - throwing it across the room haha - so yeah, have to get more of that. She likes my fried rice, and doesn't like baked beans too much.. lol

Her favourite thing I think (other than any type of fruit) would be zucchini. She LOVES it.

I started Mia on baby cereal this morning. She had a ball! sticking with the BLS i just loaded the spoon. She got it everywhere but got some in her mouth loL! she just had more fun than anything! and it stayed down!!!!!!! yay!. so Mia is now on solids.. nearly 5 months :) just breaky for now.. prob for 2 weeks or so. Gonna take it realllllllly slow with her.

Emily had some pizza today and garlic bread she loved them both! As well as a lamb cutlet. It was great for her to hang onto and munch on.

Arimeh- good idea with the creamed corn! I think my DD will like it.

Pixie- I don't really give DD sandwiches yet but soldeirs of toast with philly cream cheese and she LOVES it! Also hommus works well too.

eej I do the soldiers of toast too rather than sandwiches.... vegemite always seems popular, avocado, hommus and banana well, it depends on the day! Tried to give her some tuna last night, she wasn't a fan. I tried giving her some of my risotto last week, and she wasn't too sure what to make of that either. I had a BBQ with my MG today and they only started solids in the last couple of weeks but almost every one of them was shoveling some puree into their bubs! I felt like I was starving my little muffin - I just gave her some bread and a cracker to munch on.

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I felt like I was starving my little muffin - I just gave her some bread and a cracker to munch on.

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Pixie chick - if Beth is anything like Miss M - I'm sure she would let you know if she was starving ;)

Pixie I think that sometimes too but come back to the "food is fun until they're one" saying. Those babies prob drop their milk feeds a bit sooner than ours and I think we are teaching good eating habits rather than potentially over feeding.

Question: when you guys give things like risotto/ pasta etc, how do you do it- just put it on their tray and let them pick at it? Just wondering how these smaller or "sloppier" foods work.

Jessica,

When I give DD my fried rice - I load up the spoon and put it in front of her face, she grabs it with both hands and whacks it in her gob ;)

Jessica I do the same as Arimeh with the small and/or sloppy foods. Load a spoon up and hold it so they can either take the spoon and shove it in their gob by themselves or at least guide the spoon to their mouth while you still hold it. I also put a little bit of it on the tray so that he can have a play with it and get to understand the texture and how to pick it up (if it is possible even - yoghurt is a real challenge ;)) All part of the learning process.

Pix - Just think about how envious they will be when you put a wonderful array of foods in front of Beth and she picks them up and eats them all by herself, and all those other Mums will be so sick of spoon feeding their children and trying to get them to eat whatever mush is on hand even when they don't want it and feeling like it is a never ending food battle! Beth won't starve!

On sandwiches and toast we put vegemite, creamed corn, pasta sauce, peanut butter, pretty much anything that is spreadable! Except honey!

Just a reminder to all posters that this is a Baby Led solids thread. This is described on the first page:

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What is BLS?

Baby Led Solids (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.

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If you are not following this method (ie you are introducing solids before 6 mths, using purees/rice cereal/etc) then please refrain from contributing to this thread.

You are welcome to share other experiences on introducing solids that doesn't fit the Baby Led solids method HERE.

I have always been told if you are letting them feed themselves with a spoon its still BLS.

Well Ash had spaghetti bolognaise and he loved it! Ended up all over the floor but he DID eat some! I will have to upload some pics on my facebook in a minute.

oh that would be so cute to see missymoo!!!

do you girls put anything down on the floor so its all easier to clean up???

I suppose everyone will have a different definition hey Hollye. I'm guessing for the purpose of this thread though, we go by the above definition, so there's no confusion?

Could you make more messy food like rice solid somehow? Like...I dunno...add egg and bake/fry it into sticks somehow? I have no idea...

well she will be having toast, i just wanted to start her slow thats all. I dont make the rice cereal all runny like normal, otherwise it slides off the spoon before she gets it in her mouth.

The point of BLS is not that you can't use a spoon, it is about letting your baby lead the way. If you are spoon-feeding purees and rice cereal before 6 mths and before they are capable of feeding themselves with finger foods, that is not BLS. BLS is a certain way of introducing solids and it isn't for everyone. Much like infant-led breastfeeding and no-cry sleep solutions, they each have certain guidelines. It's best to find a thread that replicates your preferred method, so that you can share your experiences with parents who are in the same situation.

Babies rarely have the coordination to spoon feed themselves at 6 mths. Most can't really do it adequately at 12 mths!

umm ashton was only 3 weeks off 6 months and it was still BLS
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Mia has had arrowroot biccies aswell and is MORE than capable of feeding herself. So this IS my preferred option.

better go... little darling needs to catch some zzzzz's..

Okay ladies,

you're getting in a tizz over something simple: the definition of BLS is when the child feeds him/herself right from the word 'go'. Spoonfeeding a child pureed foods or cereal as their first solid food is not techinically BLS. That your child later learns to feed themselves solids after this spoonfeeding happens is fine, and completely your prerogative (I spoon fed Charlie myself) but it's not, in fact, BABY-led solids.

If anyone has any further issue with this, or needs me to explain the definittion in more detail, please PM me.

ok cool. so i am doing BLS because Mia is feeding herself.

so.. as i was saying, not sure if anyone seen.. but do you put anything on the floor under the highchair to help clean up the mesS?

Hollye - we use her muslin wraps that we don't use anymore. I collect everything and throw it over the balcony for the dogs (makes sure they are getting their daily dose of vegies!)

Then I just wash it at the end of the day with the rest of the washing.

lol Mel, cant forget about the dogs. Ive got muslim wraps! they come in very handy with her spewing!! lol bibs and nappies just werent big enough!!

Hollye, I bought a cute pooh plastic mat at big w for like $10 for under P's high chair. Works well.