Baby Led Solids Chatter #4

Welcome to the Baby Led Solids (BLS) Information and Discussion Thread. This is a place for sharing your experiences with BLS, and also to ask questions. Please feel free to share your food ideas, successes, and challenges with 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:
Less mess
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

Your previous thread can be found here.

HEAVEN - I do exactly what MT said. I let BJ go for it while out, and just clean up after him. The ABA puddle coats are awsome (tough they don't last that long if used and washed 3 times a day). I always take a wet face cloth when going out, just in a plastic bag (to keep it moist). I clean him up with that, and use wet wipes to clean up the floor & high chair. I always pack food for him just in case i'm fussy with the menu. I'll take a sandwich, or zuchinni slice and heaps of fruit, plus cruskits with peanut butter or cream cheese on it. I never leave the house without a bag full of food for him

MT - Thanks heaps for the feedback. That has been an immense help. I knew I could count on you! :D Just on the raw carrot thing - I give BJ raw carrot peeled, IYKWIM. I of course peel the carrot first, throw away the skin, then peel the rest of the carrot & give it to him like that. It still takes him ages to eat but he really likes chewing on it

STERLA - The thing that kept me sane while starting BLS is the chant.... 'Food is fun until they're one' I just kept saying that to myself. I also gave him a timeframe to eat in. Actually, I still do that now. I don't let him go for more than an hour. BJ quite often chews his food then spits it out so it looks like he is still eating though the food never seems to dissapear. That's one of the signs that he's finished eating

Sterla -I was in the middle of writing you all sorts of tips and then my Mummy duties were being called so by the time I got back to it the thread had closed and I lost it all!!

But pretty much it was what Georgi has said in a nutshell! The mantra 'Food is for fun until they are one' is probably the most important thing! As long as they are getting their milk it won't matter how much or how little food they are getting in. Otherwise just come and ask questions in here any time you are unsure about something or need reassurance. It can sometimes be hard when people are around you saying things like - are you sure they are getting enough?, I never did that with my kids, what about choking? etc and they can make you doubt yourself. That is where this thread comes in to it's own. It really validates what you are doing as a positive thing!

Georgi - You're welcome! And yeah grated carrot, or carrot peelings is fine to eat. I was talking about the carrot in raw chunks/fingers that I just don't give. I forgot about the gratings!!

Thanks for your replies MummyTummy and Georgi. I think that mantra will be said over and over here!
A time frame to eat is a good idea actually - otherwise my DS would be there all day!

When you give your DS/DD food, how much do you tend to give them? I have just been putting an assortment of foods on his high chair tray, and he picks at them - but sometimes it's either ended up all over the floor, or in little pieces he can't quite pick up - but he's still seems interested in more.

I can't believe how quickly my DS is catching on to feeding himself! I broke off some of my Sao biscuit that I was having for morning tea and handed it to DS, and he at it all no problems - only a few crumbs!

As for spoon feeding themselves... my DS has always been good at getting the spoon to his mouth. Actually, when I first started spoon feeding him, I couldn't get him to open his mouth unless he was holding on to the spoon too! So, if I give him a spoon and a bowl of yogurt... I guess he might work it out eventually?

STERLA I only give a piece of each at a time. Then, when he finishes one piece, I replace it with another. So, I may have a chicken tenderloin, a piece of broccoli & a piece of sweet potato, then replace them as they're finished. Once he stops eating that particular food I know he's had enough of it. BJ also leaves the small bits. I also thought he was unable to pick it up, but now he's older, he still leaves the small bits, unless he's really hungry then he'll eat the lot. Once I know he's had enough, I'll then get the second course, which is fruit. He'll always eat his fruit even if he seemed to have had enough of his meal. This is then followed by yoghurt at dinner time. We've had this little routine since we started BLS at 6months. It works for us!

Thanks Georgi - that's really helpful and has given me a few ideas with my DS :).

How do you all go about giving your bub foods that can't be given as finger foods, or that aren't easy for them to eat - like yogurt, porridge, etc. DS loves yogurt, but I don't quite think I'm ready for the mess that would result from me letting him lose in a bowl of it!!!

Messy foods like that can be eaten with a dipper or on toast. For example, spread yoghurt on a weet-bix... or what we used to do is put the yoghurt with the weet-bix instead of milk. If you get the ratio right it is pretty easy for them to eat without being too messy.

But generally we just let him loose!! He does surprisingly well with his hands, and of course this is how he learnt to use a spoon.

Hi :) We have only just started solids here but I have decided I would like to try full time BLS. We have done a little bit, but mostly have been spoon feeding.

DS hasn't quite figured out yet that he can feed himself. If I put a toast soldier in front of him he will pick it up and bang it on the tray like he would with a toy. I moved his hand towards his mouth and then he lets go of it, and starts screaming because it's gone and he wants to eat! This goes on for a while and then he gets frustrated and I end up holding the toast for him so he can eat it. I guess he will figure it out eventually, but should I start BLS when he hasn't figured out that he can actually put food in his mouth?

Thanks for the tips on eating out girls!! I checked out those bib things from mother's direct and remembered I had seen something similar at ikea. But who could be bothered walking through ikea just for that! So then I found some cute ones on ebay! 2 for $13, bargain! So that should solve our problem!

Sterla- I spoon feed things that come on a spoon, e.g. yoghurt and porrige. And I also give DD a spoon so she can try and use it if she wants.

Megan- I would just leave him with it and let him play and he will work it out :)

Hi Megan - Welcome!

I would leave him with the toast and let him explore it in his own good time. Give it to him when you aren't in a hurry for him to eat and just make it part of his play time. It can be hard to sit next to him and see him get confused and frustrated by it, but it really is the best way for him to learn. Once he figures it out he won't look back. And picking it up and flinging it around, banging it on the tray is all part of it too. So, just sit back and enjoy the show!

Welcome Megan :D.

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And picking it up and flinging it around, banging it on the tray is all part of it too. So, just sit back and enjoy the show!

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I love watching DS as he works it all out! Recently he has worked out that if he picks up a smaller bit of food inside his fist. then puts his fist inside his mouth he can get to it :lol:. Looks so funny!

Thanks for the ideas for those runnier foods, etc. A dipper is good - I actually sort of did that this morning - dipped some rice cake in yogurt.

I think I'm going to need to slightly rearrange DS's routine for when he eats. At the moment he ends up eating around the time he is starting to get tired - and when he' s tired he loses interest a lot more quickly. Anyone else found this?

Yeah trying to get them to eat when they're tired never works! Sometimes tweaking is required! I told CC the other day to feed him after he wakes up from his nap instead of before as they had been doing. This is what they have always done, and this is what they do with all the other children. He had been refusing to eat and then just flinging the bowl overboard. I then realised that at home he always eats when he wakes up from his nap. And lo and behold, since the change in routine he is now eating at CC and not pushing the bowl over the edge....:D

Heaven: I tried something you suggested - the kids ravioli with the Rafferty's bolognese sauce. DS absolutely loved it - seriously, he ate every last bit and there was hardly any mess! It's the most success with BLS we've ever had! :D

Sterla- I was just looking at your pics!! So cute!! DD just had some for dinner too!!
Amazing how they don't drop the stuff they really like hey, pmsl, cheeky little buggers.

MummyTummy - I bought a Nuby sippy cup and Maya seems to drink a little more from it. I've also tried removing the valve from the Avent sippy cups so the milk just runs out. Sometimes she'll drink a lot and other times she'll choke on it and give up. So I'm still struggling to get her to drink enough from sippy/straw cups but I want to get rid of bottles now. Anyway, I'll just keep persisting. I think at the moment she is good at getting milk out of a bottle but it takes longer from a sippy/straw cup and she gives up more easily so it's probably just a matter of her getting used to it. Oh and I like the quote from the Baby Led Weaning book. I think Maya is the easily frustrated type unfortunately so loses patience with trying to use sippy cups.

Jennifer13 - I haven't seen the Tupperware ones. I might check them out.

Georgi - I've started giving Maya a bowl or plate with her morning and afternoon teas to get used to it. I've found that she tips the food out on to her tray and then puts a piece at a time back in the bowl before putting it in her mouth. Very cute. So she knows food comes from the bowl to her mouth. :lol: Like BJ and his fork. As for a cutlery I've tried giving her spoons and forks to use and she tries a little and gets very frustrated with it. So I have to put things on them for her or she uses her hands.

Heaven - When I'm out and about I take sandwiches (cream cheese is very easy and less messy) and bananas. As for bibs I have some of those Ikea ones and they are very good! I'd love some more but like you I don't want to go all the way to Ikea and walk around an entire store just for another set of bibs. What bibs did you get from ebay?

sterla - With things like yoghurt I do use a spoon but I put it on the spoon and give the spoon to Maya to use. I figure it's a chance for her to learn to spoon feed herself.

Megan - Welcome.

Moi- The ones I got on ebay were called '2Pcs Disney Charater Waterproof Smock Bib With Sleeves'. I've got them now and they're great!! I thought they looked like they were just made of plastic but they're better than expected, softer material stuff with waterproof backing :D

millie had roast lamb and vegies for tea tonight!! she loved it!

Thanks for the welcome everyone :)
I feel like we have made a little progress. Tonight Noah figured out that he could put the food in his mouth himself and to do that he needed to keep holding it! He has been trying for a week, but would get it to his mouth and as soon as he opened his mouth he would let go of the food. He was getting so frustrated with it.
Tonight we had lasagne and he just sucked the pasta with all the sauce and meat and spat the rest out!