I'm kinda over BLW....

Lindseylouwho

So, we decided to do BLW when DD turned 6 months. We have only done this a handful of times (crazy schedules, illness, etc) but every time we do this, DD ends up throwing up. And I don't mean gagging. I mean full on puking, EVERYWHERE. We have given her sweet potatoes, avocado and watermelon. All have been super soft. She seems to really enjoy playing with the food but as soon as a piece gets in her throat, she gags, and then makes herself throw up! I have to stop eating and give her a bath, which is not enjoyable while I am trying to have dinner. Anyone else experience this? She hates ebing spoon fed and I would like to skip purees (especially since she is 7 months now), but I don't know what else we can do at this point? Should I try to introduce some purees so she gets the hang of swallowing? We did give her some yogurt a few weeks ago (snuck her antibiotics in it) and she did ok but hated being spoon fed, she wanted to do it herself. Any advice for us? Thanks!

pixieprincss

It sounds like you just need to keep at it since you've only done it a few times so she gets over that feeling OR wait and then try again when she's older. 6 months is the minimum, but that doesn't mean that she's ready for solids yet even at 7 months. Personally, I would probably just keep on EBFing (or FFing) and then give solids a try again in 2-4 weeks.

If you keep on offering: do you have to bathe her during your dinner? Waiting 15 minutes to wash her off so you can eat is a valid option in my book (provided she isn't screaming or miserable).  Do you have to try solids during your dinner? What if she tries a  snack when you snack? If she liked the yogurt, then go with that. Let her spoon feed herself. If the spoon doesn't work, she may jusy scoop it with her hand, but that is ok. Let her decide how and when it gets from bowl to her mouth. The more opportunities you give, the more chances for her to work through what she needs to.

Jena503

I didn't do BLW but we moved from purees to solids in about 1 month. When I introduced food to DS at 6mo he wanted nothing to do with it. About 6 weeks later he was all over it. I wouldn't worry about it right now. Take a day or two off and then offer her something again. Try the loaded spoon thing. Offer a puree. Whatever. Just relax and go with it, she'll be fine.

stdldb29

We ebf until 8 months and then started some food, but it was mainly purees for about a month or so (they were thick). 

 

Good luck! 

Becid24

What about the pur?e pouches they sell? My son loves them now he can suck the food out but until she figures that out you could help her by squeezing a little at a time into her mouth. 

brienne00

beci24:

What about the pur?e pouches they sell? My son loves them now he can suck the food out but until she figures that out you could help her by squeezing a little at a time into her mouth. 

This is what I was going to suggest as well. My daughter was the same way with chunks of food at first so I broke down and got the purees. She loved them. She is also super independent and wanted no help from anyone so, I just got the pouches and she loved to squeeze and eat herself. Sure it's a mess some times but now she can down a whole one without spilling a drop. She feeds herself pretty much anything now but still eats a pouch of purees a day. Its a good way to get her leafy greens in without worrying about choking.

cecilyandgautam

I know it sounds counter intuitive but the softer items, like avocado, sweet potato, and watermelon are actually rather difficult first foods for a BLW baby, or at least they were for us. More fibrous items, like a slice of beef roast or a skewer of steamed broccoli is a lot easier for our daughter to handle as she's getting the hang of it. The pieces need to be about 2" x 1" (in case you haven't read the book) so they can hold on to one inch & put the other inch or so in their mouth. Items that don't break apart so easily allow them to learn how to maneuver food in their mouth before it breaks into pieces they can gag on. 

Watermelon was really problematic for us the first 3 times as well. Avocado is still too squishy for her to manage on her own so we put it in a nibbler. Baked sweet potato is also too mushy for her to grab effectively - we had better luck roasting slices of it to make "fries." 

It's a lot of fun when it starts to come together. Trying a few fibrous options before giving up. 

bluejayway

Just take a break and try again in a few weeks. Babies mature at different rates. My DD1 didn't really ingest much food until she was almost a year. I started at 6 months with baby cereal, moved to BLW, and just let her play mostly. She was EBF, gaining weight and healthy, so I didn't worry too much about it.

Sticks of toast were good...easy to pick up!