Baby Led Weaning

I've just realised that there seem to be a few of us who are doing this or have taken this approach to starting solids. I thought it would be a good idea to have an OB thread to discuss/share ideas etc. I know there is an actual forum (and yep, I'm a member there too) but thought an OB thread might be helpful

So I'll start. DS is 6 months old (so we've been experimenting with food for just under a week). We're having lots of fun but there are a couple of things I'm a bit dubious about him trying - like rice, which I' think he would have great fun playing with, but the bits are so small!

What have your babies tried? What has gone down well, or not so well? And should I be scared of rice or not?

Its pretty much skipping the 'stages' of baby foods and going straight to finger foods.

Basically baby sits with you when you eat and has some of what you're having. You don't give the baby anything though or put anything in his/her mouth. They pick up what they want and get it to their mouth.

That is not the best explanation sorry. Will come back in the morning when my brain is working and do a better job (unless someone else wants to help )

I'm quite keen to try DS on sushi as well (since I it) but had a bit of hesitation about the potential salmonella / listeria issue. They say in 'the BLW book' that you shouldn't give babies runny eggs for that reason, so I was wondering about sushi...

(Having said that he has already devoured steamed mussels, hapuka and ceviche so I don't really know why I'm nervous... Might be the rice element too...)

Thank you Bizzy

Now let's see if I can go straight to that thread from here...
BLW thread with links etc

I never got to the library before xmas but hope to go tomorrow before we go away. But I have been thinking about BLW and have a few Q's:

Do you still follow the Plunket recommendations as to the age that you introduce specific foods?

How many times a day do you offer food to begin with? Once a day like "traditional" solids introduction? Or more often right from the beginning?

If it is messier then what are some tips for when you are out and about? And do you normally take some finger foods with you? Or feed baby some of whatever you might have if you eat?

I gave Ben a rusk last night while we ate dinner and he loved it. I put it in his hand but left him to it, he only got it up his nose a few times! Managed to get a good chew and suck on it and made a lovely mess

I have an 11 month old DD and she has been BLW since 6 months. I absolutely LOVE it and am so glad we went down this pathway. Basically we started with roasted and steamed vege "chips" and fruit (except raw apple which is a bit of a choking hazard, as are hard carrot, whole grapes and cherry tomatos and peanuts). She sat with us at christmas and tucked into a full roast turkey meal, and is a really fantastic eater.

We started with one meal a day and worked our way up from there. Shes now on 3 meals and two snacks a day, and has just this week decided that she doesn't need her lunchtime bottle. Linzy, it is messier to start with, but now if my DD throws things over the side it means she's either full or doesn't like what is on offer. I put an old basinette sheet underneath the highchair to catch everything, then just throw it in the wash. Easy peasy.

I was pretty anal about salt to start with, as they're only allowed 1g a day before they're one and thats not much, but I'm starting to relax a bit about it now. Good snacks for taking out are rice cakes with avocado and cream cheese (plain Healtheries cakes and Tararua spreadable are the lowest salt) are always a hit and easy to pack. Sliced cucumber, peanut butter sandwiches and cheese and brocolli muffins from the BLW website recipe section are also easy snacks to take along. If you go to www.babyledweaning.com/forum there is a recipe section with loads of ideas. The rest of the forum is also briliant.

Oops, I've gone on a bit sorry! I'm just a bit enthusiastic about it as I'm the only one I know doing it so I don't get to talk about it that much!

I'm pretty much the same as Joscia - I just give him some of what I'm eating. We went out for lunch on Christmas day and he just sat in the highchair up at the table with a selection of veges to try and did really really well.

We've only been going for nearly two weeks here and he has tried a lot of different things. Yep it is messy but yay for summer and eating outside and two dogs who are great at cleaning up afterwards

Oh forgot to say, I tend to give him something whenever I'm eating so he gets to explore food several times a day

Not too messy foods for out and about:

Omelette cuts in to strips, little sandwiches (vegemite are a favourite in this house), dried fruits, rusks, crackers....

Linzy, why don't you have a look at the BLW forum? I know it's been mentioned before, but there will be a threads there with people starting in Dec/Jan who are in the same boat. And on the site generally there are heaps of tips for what to try when starting out.

It's just a matter of looking at what you'll be eating during the day and picking out a few things that he might try too. You can just start out slowly with one 'meal' a day so there's bound to be something suitable that you're already having.

Don't worry too much about the gagging. It varies so much between babies, but the more he does it now, the sooner he'll get the hang of controlling the food to chew and swallow it.

You could also try sitting him on your lap at the table so he can reach the food for himself until he's tall enough for the highchair tray.

Good luck!

if you make the porridge normally and not watery then let a small bit cool down it goes quite thick and can be picked up like a pancake almost...

mac and cheese would be great - or even just pasta with nothing on if you are worried about the cheese and stuff. or make the mac and cheese with penne or some other pasta that might be easier to grip.

Edited by Bizzy