Extremist...?

[little_O]

Does anyone else get the "wacko" face when you try and explain BLS?

I swear people think I am some sort of extremist mum for thinking its good. Why is it makes sense to me and other mums think its nuts? Most guys find it logical too.

How do you go doing it with family members? Last night I gave dd some homemade bread (Italian crusty end bit variety) and she LOVED it. Happily chewing with her gums, making it soggy, eating what she wanted.

MIL kept saying to me... "Should I mash some potato? What else can I give her? Should I make something else up?". I said no she is happy to just eat the bread at the moment. "I'm scared she'll choke!"...so I explained it all again. Nope. Next minute she's getting some mashed up potato put in her mouth , which she spat out. FIL said "she doesn't want it! Leave her with the bread!"

Really not sure what's so strange/hard/unusual about BLS!?

[emmjayt]

It scares people. You are right, guys all seem to get it, and my FIL loves watching it. My MIL offered to mash up potato for DD and 20 minutes later wanted to give her a Tim Tam. Most of the mums in my mums group

[emmjayt]

Awesome premature DD post. The mums in MG are all battling with their Mums who are scared to let the bubs have anything other than purée. It's different to what they did and it scares them. Thank goodness my mum dud it with all of iui

[emmjayt]

Gah, I give up. No more posting while bf'ing.

[Jellyfish]

My dad LOVES telling strangers all about it, he thinks it is brilliant. My mum always does the "Are you SURE I can give her x? Are you SURE she won't choke?" but is supportive and follows my lead. It isn't extreme or odd but it is different to what they used to do so there can be apprehensive but I know my mums concerns come from love so I just understand and reassure. One of my SIL has now done BLS with her second and asked me some advice. Don't think I've really discussed it with many people, I just sort of do it. I think most mums I know either do it or are aware of it.

[Mum2twoBoys]

I did this a bit with my DS, just didn't follow any real program. But gave lumps to him and let him chew bones etc. Now he's eating exactly what we eat. I just purred fruit to put in his cereal and yoghurt. And make mashed vegies, to put with meat and pasta etc or make into salmon patties. DS loves feeding himself and eating finger foods. But my SIL has four kids, and her dd who is only 3 months younger than DS hates lumps and still gets given a lot of purees. Oh well, each to their own.

[Heaven]

Yes, lol. My grandmother was really against it! I personally couldn't even fathom why you would get so worked up about food. It didn't seem strange to me at all. But you know what!!!! That same Grandmother now tells people all about it and how great it is!!!!!!!! And how she has never seen my kids choke on things the way hers did when they were learning to eat!!!! The proof is in the pudding...or bread

[Charlotte91]

No-one seems to get it. My mother has been offering to feed DS for the last 2 months. We haven't started BLS yet, but he's getting really interested.

[Butterfly Dawn]

Nobody here gets it. Hubby is always slipping in mouthfuls of stuff- to make sure she gets fed lol
In the early days people seem so eager to push food into a baby. My mil put dd off rice totally for about 6 weeks because of her inability to "let it go" and then filled her up on choc bics. Needless to say, I keep dd away from her if we are eating with them. She still spoon feeds our 4/5 year old!
baby knows and learns at their own pace

[Liz]

Yeah, it usually comes from the need to 'know' how much food they've eaten, and it's usually related to stuffing them full so they sleep

Our experience has been mostly BLS with the odd fork mushed plateful, or spoon feeding rice etc. We have great eaters now that eat anything and everything. We didn't get trapped on the puree roundabout at all.

I tell people that you only need to puree food if you start solids early. Once they're 6 months they can do finger foods. Since we start solids after 6 months, we have no need for puree. I do use the odd jar of pureed fruit to sweeten up a bit of muesli, but that's about it. People are amazed when I pull out a little box of finger foods for a baby, when it's common to take along squeezie packs of yoghurts or fruit purees.

You should see the shocked faces when I tell them I don't introduce water until 12 months! LOL. Not on purpose usually btw... just happens that way here, that 12 months rolls around I go 'oh.. I spose I should get you a sippy cup or something soon'. All drinks are breastmilk otherwise!

I also get comments (mainly from IL's) about what bub is eating. We don't give bland food here.. they get family food. So if it's got chilli in it, they eat chilli. They eat curries and spices and all those goodies. I've never understood the need to make baby food bland. How boring!

[HotI]

My Mum thought it was all abit wierd when i started bls with DD. now she has seen dd and more recently DS start this way, she loves it and talks it up to others.

i wouldn't be happy with anybody forcing food into my kids mouths, or going against what i have decided.

[Novella]

My mum is super scared about choking so I tend to give softer options like banana and watermelon when around Mum otherwise she sits on the edge of her seat, she doesnt say anything negative but I know how she feels

Must admit I dont 'follow' BLS or puree we mix and match with what suits. Some days I dont want to deal with the mess of BLS so we do puree, or if Im busy in the kitchen she has solids, depends on what food we have at hand too and how much time we have.

Liz we also get funny looks when I say they had the smae as us be it curry, thai, mexican. If they dont like it they wont eat it especially when they are feeding themselves. DD has not eaten some foods Ive offered but had extra breast feeds, they dont go hungery

[buffy1]

Most family has been really supportive and thinks it's great, bar one SIL who is terrified of choking. She can't watch DD eat.

Strangely it's been my younger friends that find it strange.

[Teeki]

Gah, I give up. No more posting while bf'ing.

Lol!! DD used to do this, fling her arms around and hit buttons

Most people were great with us doing BLS. Last Christmas, my Mum was concerned DD wasn't eating enough so was trying to coax her to have more until I explained she'll have as much as she needs/wants. FIL was a nightmare though. First he wouldn't watch because he was certain she would choke, then he was worried she needed something mashed because she wasn't eating enough. He didn't listen when I said she'd get everything she needed from breastmilk to make up for 'not eating enough'. At one point I caught him putting his finger in her mouth with mayo on it. Obviously much better for her to eat than the veggies she was playing with!

[AngelPants]

My mum actually came across bls and told me about it so she's all for it! The people I have issues with are FIL, who thought is DS1 was eating normal food, not puree, he could have sticky date pudding with cream at 6mths! also DHs gma who still stresses about DS1 getting enough (hes 16.3kg at 2.5yrs, I think he's fine!!!) & eating food he needs to chew or chop up.

[k4t]

My DD is just past 4 months and has no interest in food yet. I asked my Mum what she did for me but she can barely remember so is not fussed how we do it. Oddly the in-laws haven't said anything at all yet. I wonder what they'll think? Thankfully lots of the Mums in my mothers group are doing bls

[onthefly]

It's so normal to me that I get surprised seeing spoons of puree now and have to remind myself that that is what most parents still do.

The sooner they're actually chewing and eating the better!

[Teeki]

It's so normal to me that I get surprised seeing spoons of puree now and have to remind myself that that is what most parents still do.

That's how it seems to me - so normal and logical, I don't get why people make/buy purees. But even though it's normal for me, it certainly isn't for others and I'm amazed to see so many people saying other mums in their group do it! I was the only mum out of 14 doing BLS with no purees, and one other did a combo.