BLW and Daycare

bethughknee

I still have time to ponder how this might go, but I'm curious to hear about experiences anyone has had doing BLW when your LO was in daycare.

DD is 4 months old and in a center. I haven't asked yet if they have had anyone else do BLW and who therefore didn't send purees. I'll cross that bridge later.

If you have done BLW while working FT, did you wait until LO had mastered eating at home before sending them to DC with table food? Am I over thinking this? (That's usually the case.)

cecilyandgautam

We did BLW as well. In my state, licensed providers can't offer solids to babies younger than 6 months and while we had planned to wait til 6 months, our DD stole some of my dinner at 4.5 months and we didn't feel right depriving her after such a valiant effort. So we had about a month (or maybe two? I don't recall exactly) of BLW at home only at dinner time before we started sending some foods for daycare. Even if you do wait til 6 months, most people start solids with just one meal a day, so that meal doesn't have to be at daycare - it can be during dinner with mom & dad at home. 

Once we felt comfortable with DD's ability to gnaw on a few things, we sent a little tupperware of finger foods to daycare each day. That only lasted about 2 months - by then, the other kids who had started off with purees were now onto finger foods and soft, non-pureed items (like lentils & rice), so we gave the green light for DD to eat what the other kids were having.

I think most daycare providers are used to accommodating parents staggering solid introduction differently in the first year. Different families are watching out for different allergies, have different cultural approaches, and that lends itself to the daycare staff being more flexible with babies <1 than they are when the kids are older and all eating from the same menu, at the same time, with the same quantities. 

bethughknee

@PrivacyWanted Ooooh good call. They do have a policy that someone has to be in the high chair area while babies are eating but I'm not sure it has to be 1:1. Hmmm. Definitely something to ask. As mentioned in the "Who else is both" thread, DD's lead teacher is from PR and encourages table food early ("I gave my son beef at 3 months and he's an engineer!" :P) but I don't know about the ratio thing.

@cecilyandgautum Thanks for all of that! I keep thinking "6 mos or later" in my head but DD is definitely concentrating HARD on us while we eat dinner already. I'm not sure though if its just that she's more aware of what we're doing. When your DD made the valiant effort at table food, was she in a high chair or in your lap? We keep her at the table in a high chair for now. I'm wondering if I should start eating with her in my lap once in a while so she feels like she CAN grab at food eventually.

cecilyandgautam

bethughknee said:

@cecilyandgautum Thanks for all of that! I keep thinking "6 mos or later" in my head but DD is definitely concentrating HARD on us while we eat dinner already. I'm not sure though if its just that she's more aware of what we're doing. When your DD made the valiant effort at table food, was she in a high chair or in your lap? We keep her at the table in a high chair for now. I'm wondering if I should start eating with her in my lap once in a while so she feels like she CAN grab at food eventually.

When she was younger, we found it easier to eat on the floor so she was in my lap during dinner time. She definitely was watching every bite I took and had been for a few weeks. For her first food, she took a swipe at my papusa, I decided not to pry it out of her hands, and that was just a one-off thing until a couple weeks later when she again swiped some food off my plate at a BBQ. At that point, we decided to put her in a high chair for meals - we'd put a few shreds of food on her tray to play with and gnaw on if she felt so inclined. We just let her do her thing and she seemed to really enjoy being included in the meals. 

Actually, that was the easiest meal time ever was. I miss those days.

mlee116

K3am said:

DD flat out refused purees. We didn't even really send her with food until around 8 months or so, since she just wasn't interested. And we sent her with.. weird things. Because she only ate weird things. Like raw spinach leaves. At sometime around 8-12 months, we started sending her with table foods we made, but that were a little less scary for DCP's that don't have experience with BLW, like tons of mini bites inspired by this page (a couple basic recipes) and this book (TONS of recipes and ideas I should have been smart enough to think up on my own but wasn't), since they're all relatively soft and don't pose much of a choking risk.  Although I'm pretty sure they'd prefer if we fed her nothing but puffs.. 

DS was like this too.  He never really cared about purees so after awhile I just quit with them.  I was never brave enough to give him like a whole pork chop or whatever but I did cut up pieces of soft foods first, like sweet potatoes, bananas, avocado, green beans, chicken etc at home and DC.  At around 10 or 11 months, I stopped sending food altogether and let him eat pretty much what the older kids were having.  He liked being included like PP said and getting to eat what everyone else was having.  His teacher liked it too I think bc it was less work for her  

He did really well with it and that's what I plan to do with the next kid.  I hated the puree stage.

vvvvvfee

we did BLW with DS and we relaxed the rules a little regarding what we sent to daycare. at home we let him gnaw on all kind of things starting at 6 months, but initially we sent oatmeal or applesauce or yogurt to daycare. i think we asked her to let DS "lead" with the spoon feeding, which he kinda did anyway. like PPs have said, it's only a couple of months before they become pretty proficient at feeding themselves finger foods anyway. at that point DS just ate the daycare snacks (cheerios, sliced bananas, etc.), and when he was eating even more, we started sending a real meal for him in addition to his snack and bottle(s).

emberlee3

There is no need to rush. DD had GI issues and couldn't tolerate food until 10 months. She refused purées, so we just did table food. Daycare never questioned it. They are just eating for fun and practice, so take it slow.

bethughknee

@cecilyandguatam I eat on the floor ALL. THE. TIME. We're in a good week of her tolerating the high chair right now but I've spent many a meal on the floor with her, for sure. That seems like a great way to let her lead, as well.

Also:
It's so funny to read "it's only a couple of months before they get really good at feeding themselves" with the STM carefree air about things and I'm over here like... "A COUPLE OF MONTHS?! That's EONS! A couple of months ago she wouldn't even nap in a crib! Last week she barely rolled over!" How many FTM cliches am I fulfilling right now??

Leap08

We did BLW with both girls. We started at home with dinner and then added breakfast. We didn't send any food to school for awhile. When I started sending food I sent soft fruits and veggies and let school give Cheerios in the morning. After a bit I started having them offer the school lunch and snacks. Both girls did really well with that so then I stopped sending food.  

jennyelf

My daycare provides all the food and is pretty strict about things (it's military) so no non-purees before 8 months. We just fed LO at home and then at 8 months approved all table food in one day. It wasn't a problem. LO eats fine now at 2 years and never had any problems transitioning to food only at home to food also at DC.

welly01

We did BLW at daycare.  They were definitely scared and skeptical about it at first.  We started with dinner at home and after we felt comfortable with him eating, I starting sending really safe stuff to school (like apple slices and bell peppers...mostly just for him to play with and suck on).  I think it was 8 months before we really started sending food that he'd eat.  We sent all his food until he moved up into the 12-18 mo classroom.  Although, I think towards the end they started offering him a little bit of the older kids food.  For example, if they had corn, they would give DS some.  They probably have food that would be safe to serve, if they are willing, just ask.

A few months ago, our daycare director pulled my husband aside and said that because our son is such a good eater (not picky) she is going to offer the BLW approach to parents in the nursery now.  I'm super excited to have made an impact at school, but I think we just got lucky (for now) that DS is not picky!!

bethughknee

@welly01 That. Is. Awesome. What a great validating feeling. They offer food in the other rooms at our center, I can't remember what room it starts in though. Something to ask about, for sure. Especially since it's included in her tuition so if she starts taking advantage....hooray!

I know every baby is different but do you remember about how long it was between starting BLW at home and you feeling comfortable enough to send some pieces to DC?

vvvvvfee

agree with PP that at around 9 months DS got a lot more proficient with feeding himself. he was also started drinking water out of a straw cup on his own around that point.

welly01

bethughknee said:

@welly01 That. Is. Awesome. What a great validating feeling. They offer food in the other rooms at our center, I can't remember what room it starts in though. Something to ask about, for sure. Especially since it's included in her tuition so if she starts taking advantage....hooray!

I know every baby is different but do you remember about how long it was between starting BLW at home and you feeling comfortable enough to send some pieces to DC?

I don't remember.  But it was probably 1-2 months.  I only sent things that I KNEW he could handle at daycare.  For us, that was large, firm pieces.  It sounds like some people had luck with small, soft pieces.  Once you start, you'll get a feel for how your LO is doing and what they can handle.

ebp913

I didn't read the other responses but I talked to the daycare about it ahead of time and gave them this handout to understand it a little better.  They were fine with it and I chose easy foods for daycare that I knew were less likely to cause gagging, etc.  

https://www.rapleyweaning.com/assets/blwleaflet.pdf

dizzycooks

prettykitty2012 said:

theresat858 said:

prettykitty2012 said:

I broached the subject with my daycare center the other day, and they told me that they don't allow outside food - at all.  They said it had to do with other kids and various allergies.  My LO is 5 months and we haven't started, but now I just wonder if I'm out of luck with BLW.  They also don't appear to allow any outside purees, so we can't even do homemade.  It's a Kindercare, and I'm not sure if all of them are like this.  I didn't press it, but I'm planning on bringing it up again and asking more specific questions, but wondered if anyone here had encountered this.

(I'm in D13 and just found out about this board when @bethughnee posted over there today - I am so happy to have found you guys!)

I'm certain that with a doctors note, you would be able to provide food for your child -- of course avoiding the allergens of other kiddos. 

Will a doctor give me a note just because I want to bring in outside food (like stuff for BLW, or even homemade purees)?  Not that I expect you to know what my dr would do, but I don't have a serious medical reason to want to bring my own food in.  Lots of food for thought. 

The kindercare I spoke with was very against outside food as well and didn't want to accept my doctors note ( which I currently have stating we don't eat processed food and limit sugar intake by choice) which turned out fine bacause their cost was quite similar to the center we are currently at and I was hoping to reduce costs a bit. Anyway, new horizon has been extremely accommodating and I do send 100% of my 2yos food each day and we did blw and plan to do it again with dd2.

cecilyandgautam

How can a daycare have all six month olds on the same solids? I just don't see the practicality of it - so your kid is going to be served a puree of something for the first time, not in your presence? And they claim that's how they manage allergy risks? Doesn't that up the allergy issues? Most parents send only tested & proven safe solids to daycare when baby's first starting out. 

Can you just decline all solids for your baby at daycare for the next couple months? Do BLW at home and then when all the other kids in the baby room have moved onto finger foods, then give the go ahead for your kid to eat what the others are having?

jnnfrrose6

prettykitty2012 said:

I broached the subject with my daycare center the other day, and they told me that they don't allow outside food - at all.  They said it had to do with other kids and various allergies.  My LO is 5 months and we haven't started, but now I just wonder if I'm out of luck with BLW.  They also don't appear to allow any outside purees, so we can't even do homemade.  It's a Kindercare, and I'm not sure if all of them are like this.  I didn't press it, but I'm planning on bringing it up again and asking more specific questions, but wondered if anyone here had encountered this.

(I'm in D13 and just found out about this board when @bethughnee posted over there today - I am so happy to have found you guys!)

DS was in kindercare until his first birthday while we waited to move up on the waiting list somewhere else. We always brought in our own food/purées for him when we started introducing things. They also provided food, so as he got older and better at feeding himself (around 9 months) they gave him the food they provided for the older kids too.

laurakaz13

We did BLW, although I had no clue it had a trendy name until I came to the Bump.  We just fed DD table food b/c we thought it was most natural.  She didn't start eating food until 8 months and we didn't force it. 

At our center, they feed the kids table food in the 0-1 yr old classroom.  They do have purees, but since DD didn't eat them at all, she was basically on milk and some solid fruits most of the time.  By age 10 months or so, she was eating lots of nice fresh fruits and veggies and some oatmeal. 

Outside food was not allowed at our center at all. I do think you're overthinking it a lot.  Don't try to control the situation too much, as you'll likely be disappointed. And maybe your LO will not react to food the same at daycare as she does with you.  Just a thought!