BLW/solids question

[jefa]

A is almost 7 months and fed exclusively breast milk except for the 2 or 3 times I've attempted solids. We'd prefer to try BLW vs purees but I have one problem. A doesn’t really put things in his mouth. He would prefer to study toys or bang them together or on the table. He'll put his fingers in his mouth and we only use a pacifier at night and only if he's extra fussy. So food just gets stared at and maybe poked a little and that's it. Do I just keep putting the food in front of him and hope he figures it out? I've tried helping a little by putting the food to his mouth but he's totally uninterested. Is this normal? Did I wait too long to introduce food or will it eventually click?

[sonpetitlapin]

D had issues at first with food. First, he doesn't like you putting food in his mout of anything. He liked to pick things up himself. At first he just had no interest and loved playing with the food instead. We just kept offering it to him and Big D would eat in front of him making nom nom sounds and exaggerating eating while Lil D watched. Lil D even started making the nom nom sounds when he was eating.

He may not be ready to eat yet, but keep offering food, eventually it will click. We are BLW, no purees, cereal or baby foods. We do give him Mum Mums and he likes those.

[sunfrogger88]

We also did the exaggerated chewing and sounds and E loved it. I would just continue to offer. It will click soon!

[jefa]

I've read the whole "food before one is just for fun" sentiment and that fits with my personal philosophy. I have always wanted to try to keep nursing for at least the first year. So that's my goal in that respect. But my pediatrician made it sound like by 9 months he should be adding in consistent solids, and I suppose we still have 2 months to get there...

[jefa]

Jun 20, 2016 11:42:10 GMT -5 @mattsgirl2004 said:

We did BLW with DD1 and are now doing it with DD2. For the first few months, babies tend to play with the food more than anything and that's totally normal. The main source of food for the first year is BM or formula, so eating solids at this point is just about learning and exploring. My DD1 didn't really start to eat the food until closer to 9 months or so. Just keep offering the food. Also, and if you're okay with getting messy, I let my DD's sit on my lap while eating and pull food off of plate. They both really enjoyed it and it was a suggestion in the BLW book. Keep doing what you're doing and he'll get the hang of it eventually.

so do you not worry about feeding one food at a time for allergy purposes? I'm not typically so anal about things and we don't have food allergies that run in our family, but I've been trying to introduce one thing at a time. But I guess if it wasn't that big of a deal and he wants to gnaw on my pizza or something, I'd let him.

[sunfrogger88]

Jun 20, 2016 12:23:49 GMT -5 jefa said:

Jun 20, 2016 11:42:10 GMT -5 @mattsgirl2004 said:

We did BLW with DD1 and are now doing it with DD2. For the first few months, babies tend to play with the food more than anything and that's totally normal. The main source of food for the first year is BM or formula, so eating solids at this point is just about learning and exploring. My DD1 didn't really start to eat the food until closer to 9 months or so. Just keep offering the food. Also, and if you're okay with getting messy, I let my DD's sit on my lap while eating and pull food off of plate. They both really enjoyed it and it was a suggestion in the BLW book. Keep doing what you're doing and he'll get the hang of it eventually.

so do you not worry about feeding one food at a time for allergy purposes? I'm not typically so anal about things and we don't have food allergies that run in our family, but I've been trying to introduce one thing at a time. But I guess if it wasn't that big of a deal and he wants to gnaw on my pizza or something, I'd let him.

Anecdotally, we don't worry. We don't have food allergies, though.

[fuzzylogic]

We don't have food allergies in either family (I'm allergic to honeydew but that's pretty specific and avoidable) and have just gone right into giving her all sorts of things. I don't wait three days to see if there is a reaction (that's kind of old thinking, anyway), I offer her several things at once so she can choose what looks the most fun to her (asparagus or really any green veggie is her first choice pretty much every time) and I let her spit, blow raspberries, smash, throw or whatever to her food. Some of it makes it into her mouth.

She pretty much eats a variation on what we eat. She ate spaghetti with meat sauce last week (I just salted our individual portions), and tried blackened chicken off my plate when we went out to lunch today. She seems to like spicy things and hasn't met a pork item she doesn't love. Obviously she doesn't get salty things, or lettuce or things she can't gum, but for the most part it's the same. She loves it.

Every kid is different, and does things in their own time. I honestly have no idea how much actual food she's eating, but as she gets more teeth and better motor skills, solids will replace the BM as they should. I hope to make it to a year, as well.

[jefa]

Jun 20, 2016 14:30:43 GMT -5 fuzzylogic said:

We don't have food allergies in either family (I'm allergic to honeydew but that's pretty specific and avoidable) and have just gone right into giving her all sorts of things. I don't wait three days to see if there is a reaction (that's kind of old thinking, anyway), I offer her several things at once so she can choose what looks the most fun to her (asparagus or really any green veggie is her first choice pretty much every time) and I let her spit, blow raspberries, smash, throw or whatever to her food. Some of it makes it into her mouth.

She pretty much eats a variation on what we eat. She ate spaghetti with meat sauce last week (I just salted our individual portions), and tried blackened chicken off my plate when we went out to lunch today. She seems to like spicy things and hasn't met a pork item she doesn't love. Obviously she doesn't get salty things, or lettuce or things she can't gum, but for the most part it's the same. She loves it.

Every kid is different, and does things in their own time. I honestly have no idea how much actual food she's eating, but as she gets more teeth and better motor skills, solids will replace the BM as they should. I hope to make it to a year, as well.

This is helpful,and what I initially thought I would be doing. I don't know why I second guess my instincts sometimes. I've already attempted food with him a couple times and tried to help him with it, but lately, and like you said, I just let him do what he's gonna do. Kinda like how I still nurse to sleep and the pediatrician raised an eyebrow at that. Idgaf, yolo We'll just keep on keeping on!

[mtnmomma13]

While we aren't doing BLW, I'm curious about the consistency of food when people do that method. DD seems to LOVE gnawing on anything we give her, and would gladly shove whatever I'm eating in her mouth. I generally give her some of whatever we're eating, just chopped/minced up really small. All of that to say, I'm not sure what size/texture of items all you BLW'ers are doing, but I'm curious. And also curious if doing both purees and some of the BLW ideas together is a big no-no...I guess my only concern would be if she is going to be confused.

[pearlvirus]

mtnmomma13 the idea is to give most things in long strips. Bigger pieces are much easier for them to grab and gnaw on. There are a lot of people who take the combo approach. The only drawback I've heard is that a lot of babies start refusing the purée!

[kensie5226]

mtnmomma13, we do both. Purees/yogurt at DC and BLW at home. We started off giving her strips and she did wonderfully, but now she takes HUGE bites and has started to gag/choke a lot. So I've been breaking little bits off and putting them in her tray. Since she doesn't have a pincer grip yet that mostly goes to the dog. But, I also offer small bites from my fingers (I don't put it in her mouth, I put it near her lips) and she likes to eat that way. Like pearlvirus, said she doesn't love purees. We've actually started to go up to Stage 3 for DC since she wants some texture.

[fuzzylogic]

mtnmomma13, I do chunks or long strips. Veggies are easy, many come that way! Asparagus and green beans are a favorite. Squishy things work well, too. Ripe raspberries and peaches get smashed up and put in her mouth.

She loves pork chops, so I'll give her a strip to suck on. Really, she just sucks on it, but pork chops don't shred like chicken. She'll shred the chicken with her two little teeth and gum it for all it's worth. Sometimes I have to rescue a too-large piece from her but most of the time it's fine.

She'll eat purees, especially when paired with yogurt. But she tries to take the spoon away every time and I grow tired of wrestling it from her.

[flutterfly88]

Jun 21, 2016 7:56:37 GMT -5 fuzzylogic said:

She'll eat purees, especially when paired with yogurt. But she tries to take the spoon away every time and I grow tired of wrestling it from her.

I always have at least 2 spoons on the go for this reason!

We're doing a mix of BLW and cereals/purees. At his 6m check-up, my doctor advised us to introduce foods rich in iron, as she said by this point most of the iron stores he had at birth would be depleted.

[mtnmomma13]

fuzzylogic, pearlvirus, kensie5226, thank you ladies! I guess I'm just anxious about her getting a piece that is too big and choking. She does have pretty good motor skills/aim when it comes to puffs, so maybe I'll try the raspberries. Thanks again!

[sunfrogger88]

Jun 21, 2016 7:56:37 GMT -5 fuzzylogic said:

mtnmomma13, I do chunks or long strips. Veggies are easy, many come that way! Asparagus and green beans are a favorite. Squishy things work well, too. Ripe raspberries and peaches get smashed up and put in her mouth.

She loves pork chops, so I'll give her a strip to suck on. Really, she just sucks on it, but pork chops don't shred like chicken. She'll shred the chicken with her two little teeth and gum it for all it's worth. Sometimes I have to rescue a too-large piece from her but most of the time it's fine.

She'll eat purees, especially when paired with yogurt. But she tries to take the spoon away every time and I grow tired of wrestling it from her.

yummeecookee fuzzy gave some really good BLW advice!

[fuzzylogic]

Jun 21, 2016 10:06:20 GMT -5 mtnmomma13 said:

fuzzylogic, pearlvirus, kensie5226, thank you ladies! I guess I'm just anxious about her getting a piece that is too big and choking. She does have pretty good motor skills/aim when it comes to puffs, so maybe I'll try the raspberries. Thanks again!

Get ready for that too-tart face lol.

Their gag reflex spot is farther forward at this age so it's actually pretty hard for them to choke. She will gag, but once she learns where that spot it she won't gag as much. E's new thing is shoving a bunch of things in her mouth and then showing them off.

[ldubhawksfan]

Jun 21, 2016 10:06:20 GMT -5 mtnmomma13 said:

fuzzylogic, pearlvirus, kensie5226, thank you ladies! I guess I'm just anxious about her getting a piece that is too big and choking. She does have pretty good motor skills/aim when it comes to puffs, so maybe I'll try the raspberries. Thanks again!

I second this thank you. I've been very hesitant to try BLW and DD doesn't seem that into food, but I also didn't know quite how to do BLW.

[kensie5226]

Also, now that she's been having for awhile she loves spices. Last night she had garlic and cumin in her avocado and she had garlic breath! It was so funny.

[yummeecookee]

Jun 21, 2016 10:59:59 GMT -5 sunfrogger88 said:

Jun 21, 2016 7:56:37 GMT -5 fuzzylogic said:

mtnmomma13, I do chunks or long strips. Veggies are easy, many come that way! Asparagus and green beans are a favorite. Squishy things work well, too. Ripe raspberries and peaches get smashed up and put in her mouth.

She loves pork chops, so I'll give her a strip to suck on. Really, she just sucks on it, but pork chops don't shred like chicken. She'll shred the chicken with her two little teeth and gum it for all it's worth. Sometimes I have to rescue a too-large piece from her but most of the time it's fine.

She'll eat purees, especially when paired with yogurt. But she tries to take the spoon away every time and I grow tired of wrestling it from her.

yummeecookee fuzzy gave some really good BLW advice!

Yes she did. Next up, me working in the guts to give him these things.
Porkchops!! I can't even imagine watching him cram that in his mouth.

[sunfrogger88]

Jun 21, 2016 12:17:24 GMT -5 yummeecookee said:

Jun 21, 2016 10:59:59 GMT -5 sunfrogger88 said:

yummeecookee fuzzy gave some really good BLW advice!

Yes she did. Next up, me working in the guts to give him these things.
Porkchops!! I can't even imagine watching him cram that in his mouth.

I just wanted to make sure you saw it :-)

[allycat]

I think F's favorite thing in the world is Siggi's yogurt (well - aside from when I give him a small taste of ice cream). We've tried doing long strips of meat but, because he has 2 teeth, he tends to bite chunks off that are too big. So now I shred/cut it into tiny pieces and either feed it to him myself or let him try to pick it up. He's getting there.

Eta: I would say she'll get into it when she gets into it. F has only gotten crazy about food in the last week or two, but we've been giving him stuff to try since he was about 5.5 months.

[yummeecookee]

Jun 21, 2016 12:19:24 GMT -5 sunfrogger88 said:

Jun 21, 2016 12:17:24 GMT -5 yummeecookee said:

Yes she did. Next up, me working in the guts to give him these things.
Porkchops!! I can't even imagine watching him cram that in his mouth.

I just wanted to make sure you saw it :-)

When I gave C those pancakes the other day, I cut them into strips like you all do. He tried to jam the entire strip in his mouth- and pretty much was successful. Is that what all your LO's do?
Everyone feel free to answer, not just Sunfrogger. I was wishing there was more of a biting off motion, less of a "must fit entire strip into mouth" motion.

[sunfrogger88]

She either shreds them or jams them in. Not a lot of finesse yet lol.

[sunfrogger88]

But she does also take off hunks of stuff. As much as she can anyway...no teeth here yet.

[kensie5226]

yummeecookee, she used to take perfect dainty bites, now it's like half the strip. She almost always spits it out. It makes me nervous, but I just stay on guard. I've had to wrestle a couple of big pieces from her and at least once she scared herself. BLW isn't for the faint of heart. (Neither mom nor my sister will sit at the table with us while she's eating real food.)

[littleowl913]

E loves chicken! I've been too afraid of giving him pieces that he can grab but I've given him puffs. Watching him get it to his mouth is liking watching slow-mo lol. Apparently it's too slow for him because after one of two puffs, he tries to just grab the puff with his mouth.

[sassypantzz]

Jun 21, 2016 12:57:44 GMT -5 littleowl913 said:

E loves chicken! I've been too afraid of giving him pieces that he can grab but I've given him puffs. Watching him get it to his mouth is liking watching slow-mo lol. Apparently it's too slow for him because after one of two puffs, he tries to just grab the puff with his mouth.

I have a whole video of DS doing that!  He just tries to lick it off the tray.  It is hysterical

[fuzzylogic]

Yup, she crams entire strips in. She loves to shove a strip of buttered toast in, or several green beans lol. I just kind of let her go at it.

Am I weird that giving her big pieces of food and watching her cram them in doesn't bother me, but watching my MIL put tiny pieces of watermelon in E's mouth does? Give the kid a piece and let her do it herself, she's entirely capable. But giving her little pea-sized things seems more dangerous than letting her pace herself.

[fuzzylogic]

Jun 21, 2016 16:36:13 GMT -5 @mattsgirl2004 said:

Jun 21, 2016 16:27:00 GMT -5 fuzzylogic said:

Yup, she crams entire strips in. She loves to shove a strip of buttered toast in, or several green beans lol. I just kind of let her go at it.

Am I weird that giving her big pieces of food and watching her cram them in doesn't bother me, but watching my MIL put tiny pieces of watermelon in E's mouth does? Give the kid a piece and let her do it herself, she's entirely capable. But giving her little pea-sized things seems more dangerous than letting her pace herself.

That's not weird at all. In fact, with BLW nobody should put food in the baby's mouth except the baby. Also, bite size pieces at this point can be more dangerous. They're still rolling food around in their mouths with their tounges and getting used to chewing and swallowing. As counter intuitive as it sounds, bigger strips and chunks are better for now.

Please tell this to my MIL because I don't think she would believe me even though she has watched me feed E :/

[schmella]

We do a combo because we actually started solids because the monsters needed more calories (DD started refusing bottles & her weight plateaued). So while I love the idea of BLW, I needed to know they were actually digesting things. Also, some things we did BLW with in the beginning seemed to sit just fine with them, but when we mashed and got more than a few bites into their systems really messed with them, so if you're concerned about allergies, I'd just point out that getting a few bites definitively IN THEM has benefits. We do BLW at dinner and mashed stuff for breakfast & lunch (when its the nanny).

We got a lot of side eye around the BLW stuff, and it helped to talk about the difference between gagging and choking. Choking means food is blocking your child's airway and they cannot breathe. Gagging, which is really what happens more often, is when your child is coughing and attempting to dislodge food from the back of their throat. Not to say its not scary, but generally if your kid can cough & cry, that means they can get air. My kids gag pretty frequently, but I've only ever had to clear DS's airway once, and it was because he took a HUGE bite, and he probably could have dislodged it himself but it freaked me out.

I think soft, ripe fruits are a more comfortable place to start- I gave pear slices with the peel (I use an apple corer/slicer), cut a banana in half, or a quarter of an avocado in the beginning. Big chunks of watermelon have been a hit, berries have required a little more convincing- they are small and they arent' that coordinated!