Baby Led Weaning (BLW)

Hi there,
My bubs is just over 5 1/2 months and have been exclusively BF. Just wondering if there are any parents out there starting their bubs on solids soon and intending on doing BLW.

Initially I am after recipes for the first few weeks.

Anyone interested in taking the BLW journey with us? Maybe start a forum topic entitled 'A day in the life of BLW' for a few months...

Any takers?

Yep its great! DS was exclusively bf for 6 months then started blw. Hes not had anything off a spoon or any puree. Its amazing how quickly their motor skills develop and their ability to eat stuff with no teeth is truely amazing!
I borrowed a copy of the book "baby led weaning" By Gill Rapley - you might be able to get it form a library. It has a lot of the history and reasons behind it.
Also the LLL book "The womanly art of BF" recommends exclusive bf to 6 months, then introducing solids this way too.
The same "rules" apply as to what food to introduce when, but they just arent pureed! Avoid highly processed fooda and foods with added salt and sugar. If their is a family history of allergies then stick to basic fruit/vege to start with and dont introduce too many food at once, or too many foods with multiple ingredients.

Hey my baby is 5.5 months an exclusively BF still as well. We are looking at going down the baby led weaning route too as she loves to stick everything in her mouth and we have recently started giving her teething rusks which she knows what to do with.

I have placed a reserve on the BLW book by Gill R but won't be available until she is 6 months...

Like Kellz said, you introduce the same foods that are recommended but not pureed or mashed, and avoid any foods you are allergic to etc.

How is everyones BLW going? Is your bubs about 7 months and eating well? What new foods are you offering? Keen to know how other mums/dads are going with BLW.

TK is fantastic at feeding himself, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Found a nice breakfast recipe. Mash fruit with a couple of table spoons of Farex baby cereal and make them into balls. TK use to like squishing them in his hands and then eat the bits around his hand. Now he prefers to lick the fruit from rice crackers. LOVES avocado on toast, and gobbles down his dinner of steamed veges and sucks on a lamb chop, beef sausages and fresh fish.

Lots and lots of poos so he is definitely getting food into himself. Nice and lovely weight gains.

He has developed a bit of a rash on his chin and fingers and trying to figure out which food may cause this. Not feeding him any citrus/acidy foods. Thought maybe it was the lemon juice in the shop bought hummus but still there after 4 days...hump!

At 7 months I have noticed he is just starting to use his pincher grip and slowly beginning to learn to release his hand to get at the food when he takes it to his mouth.

Aye for BLW!!!
Dee and TK

We started BLW when Aiden was 6 months- he has started to eat heaps in the last few weeks. We love it and my parents are BLW converts too, they think its awesome!
Breakfast he has porridge made with rice milk and chopped dates, or with mashed tin peaches or mashed fresh pear in it. Or he has cornflakes with ricemilk and the same mashed fruit in it. Followed by a peice of grainy toast with olivani & marmite!
Lunch- He doesnt have as much. Bread or cruskits with hummus or marmite.
Tinned spagetti and toast. Fruit.
Dinner- heaps of different stuff! He loved roast pork and veges the other night! Meatloaf. Spag boll. Caserole. Homemade soup- I give him the meat and vege out of it!
Loves steak and sausages- I just cut up whatever meat into thick chip shapes. Veges- potatoe, kumara, pumpkin, parsnips, broc, cauli, carrots, celery, mushrooms. - roasted /boiled or steamed.
Snacks- plain rice creackers, dates, raisins, fruit. Loves grapes!

My mother-in-law is completely converted (a spoon feeding descendant) and thanks to skype loves to brag to her friends about how clever her grandson is.

Love hearing about how everyones BLW is going...please post your feedback and let me know how things are going.

My mum is the opposite. She keeps saying things like "Oh poor TK, he has to feed himself...you should mash it for him!" or "Oh poor thing having to feed himself".

Funny thing is that when my mum was skyping me, she was showing me how my niece (15 months) was still being spoon fed and turning her nose up at a plate full of lovely mashed veges...

Couldn't quite connect the dots...

Was at Plunket the other day and the mums were talking about weight gain and feeding. When I was telling them about BLW, they all seem amused but just didn't get it either. I was bombarded with questions like "he must chock" or "but he hasn't got any teeth". So have learnt to just not say anything.

Shame because after watching TK very happily feed himself, we couldn't imagine spoon feeding TK...that just seems odd. He loves it so much.

Yeah Ive stopped talking about it too.
I also find it weird when people are talking about whether they should be swapping and giving baby milk before solids now that our babies are 8 months - sounds so complicated- so much easier to just demand bf, and give him meals when we eat! Its great to just all sit down togther for a meal, and no one has to feed baby and let their own meal go cold, or find the time to feed him earlier, and then he would miss out on being part of the family meal too. We love BLW!

ETA - Aiden and I have been very sick and my milk supply dropped right off on Sat, and I rang plunketline for help. The nurse was excellent, and when she asked about how much solids he was eating, I hesitated and said that he doesnt eat puree and we are doing BLW, and she just said- thats ok, whats he had today? Didnt bat an eyelid about it not being "usual" baby food! Yay!

Edited by Kellz