xp: dr doesn't approve baby led weaning

Kyleedawn08

so at our 4 month check up, we talked about starting solids since we will be hitting 6 months and hopefully introducing before his next appointment. he said he didn't like the idea of baby led weaning for any baby before i even mentioned it... but he also said not to start with veggies (like we planned to) and do iron enriched rice cereal first (haha.. NOT happening). the plan was, to do homemade pureed veggies and fruits as well as some baby led weaning, after doing research this way just makes sense to me. it is what i have been planning on and am comfortable with. this is the first disagreement our ped and i have had, should i just throw everything he said out the window, or follow the advice of our trusted dr?

sbevmc09

What were his reasons for not liking it?

Honestly, for something like this I would just do what you're comfortable with.  I would imagine he wasn't able to provide any compelling reasons.  

But this advice is also coming with me and for several years I've been smiling and nodding at a lot of our ped's advice and then doing what I feel is right.  

My advice, they're there as a resource.  They don't know everything, nor do they have firsthand experience with everything.  Listen to their advice, consider it, and then do what you feel is best.   

Kyleedawn08

sbevmc09:

What were his reasons for not liking it?

Honestly, for something like this I would just do what you're comfortable with.  I would imagine he wasn't able to provide any compelling reasons.  

But this advice is also coming with me and for several years I've been smiling and nodding at a lot of our ped's advice and then doing what I feel is right.  

My advice, they're there as a resource.  They don't know everything, nor do they have firsthand experience with everything.  Listen to their advice, consider it, and then do what you feel is best.   

he said they aren't ready for real solid food and could choke or not be able to digest.. which is the exact opposite of what i have seen through research.  

this decaf life

Obviously you're doing what you think is right vs. what your Dr advised when it comes to cereal and I think you could do the same with BLW. I think there are definitely some grey areas when it comes to how/when/what to feed and you should really do your research if you choose BLW. If that's what you go with I would suggest simply never bringing it up with your Dr.

Our Dr said at 6 months to start with grains/veggies/fruits but that's about all he said and I don't know enough about BLW to know whether it's something I'm interested in. I'm thinking we'll soften and mash most of her foods but not necessarily into a smooth puree so there is a little texture. I want to let her get messy & try to feed herself as much as possible. I'm really looking forward to introducing avocado + bananas. 

dulcemariamar1

You should do what you feel is best for your LO. BLW is not a right fit for my family but there. Is no one right way to parent.

IncogNeato

My awesome pedi is fine with whatever but he did eventually urge me to add some cereal or an iron supplement just to make sure that DD1 got some iron. She hated the supplement so we just used some oat cereal to thicken things.

BLPL101

I didn't bring it up with my pedi, but she did and doesn't support it either. She talked about choking.

Wild_flower25

you're the mom, do what you are comfortable with.  I didn't even ask about baby led weaning nor was is brought up, but I'm still going to try it.

Mason&Mama

sbevmc09:

What were his reasons for not liking it?

Honestly, for something like this I would just do what you're comfortable with.  I would imagine he wasn't able to provide any compelling reasons.  

But this advice is also coming with me and for several years I've been smiling and nodding at a lot of our ped's advice and then doing what I feel is right.  

My advice, they're there as a resource.  They don't know everything, nor do they have firsthand experience with everything.  Listen to their advice, consider it, and then do what you feel is best.   

This is pretty much exactly what I was about to write. A pedi is a resource, and they are not the be all and end all of child-rearing. 

zonagirlie

There's a difference between choking and gagging. Gagging is totally natural. You should never give food of any kind without supervision. Period.
It sounds like your doc is old school and probably hasn't done any research into infant nutrition. That doesn't mean the doc knows nothing. It just means you have to broaden your resources. Check out infant nutrition studies and resources. There are some awesome articles written by pedis specializing in nutrition.
Think of it his way, if you had a GI problem you'd go to a GI specialist. Pedis are not specialists in nutrition and they all have to seek out knowledge for new info just like any other doctor. You as the mom, you've gotta do your due diligence and figure out what will work for you and gain the most knowledge for the health of your baby.

nycitygirl1

We will also be introducing veggie purees first, then fruit purees. We probably won't do baby led weaning but I don't think there's anything dangerous about it. I agree with your choice to not introduce the rice cereal (not a lot of good nutritional value and babies don't have the enzymes needed to digest grains until they're closer to one).