anyone not do BLW but still skip puree baby foods altogether?

athomas2424

I really dont want to do purees, i wanted to start straight on table food...but not exactly BLW.  Just start with little bits of food once LO turns about 7 months.  Has anyone done that?  Just gone straight to little bits of soft foods like toast, eggs, soft meats, etc.

 i rather not do BLW just because its very messy and we eat places other than home a lot so it would be messy and inconvenient and i'm not a fan of the gagging since you give them pretty large pieces of foods.

 i was thinking when he turns 7 months, give some puffs, then maybe a few bits of pancake or toast and fruit and go from there.  i guess if there is really no nutritional value to purees then i dont see the point of doing them.  not sure if that is feasible or what.  just wanting to hear experiences!

Cellis

I just wanted to say that purees have nutritional value (especially if you are making them at home) because it's just a piece of fruit or vegetable. It's the cereals that have no real nutritional value (some have vitamins added to them, but they don't come that way naturally). 

meaglamillion

Cellis:

I just wanted to say that purees have nutritional value (especially if you are making them at home) because it's just a piece of fruit or vegetable. It's the cereals that have no real nutritional value (some have vitamins added to them, but they don't come that way naturally). 

This.

Plus, I don't full BLW. I give small pieces of soft foods and hand it to him to work on his pinching skills and learning to self feed. I don't dig the mess either, so I would rather teach to self feed with less clean up.

pb_bride

Maybe I'm missing something, but if you want to give your LO small bits of finger foods, how is that going to be less messy than BLW-type foods?  

And IMHO, gagging is a good thing.  This was how DS learned how to handle pieces of food in his mouth, and how big a piece he can swallow.  Every time I try giving him smaller pieces, he actually gags more on those than when I give him bigger strips.

 We started off with purees (I made my own) - all fruits and veggies only.  Then on to coarse textured foods (fork-mashed).  Around 6.5 months DS started refusing the spoon so we switched over to BLW-style.  Unless you plan to spoon feed your LO finger foods, it's going to be a mess.

FWIW, we go out to eat once a week w/DS.  It's not that messy.  We have the Tiny Diner placemat, which comes with a catch basin, plus DS wears a long-sleeve smock with a pocket.  When he's done, the placemat and smock goes into a ziploc bag; and I wipe DS's face & hands with a washcloth. Voila and we're done.  The best part is that I don't have to bring any food along; we just give DS foods off our plate.   

jwebb0512

There is nutritional value to pur?es, store bought and homemade.  Store bought isn't terrible like many would like you to think.  I started with pur?es and put fruits in the mesh feeder.  I haven't started solids yet, but plan to in two weeks when he turns 7 months.  I guess I don't see any difference in what you're planning to do and BLW.  Sorry, I'm no help!

kjsmith9

LO is probably more likely to gag on smaller foods than larger chunks if that's the very first foods you give.  And at 7 months, LO may also not be able to pick up those little chunks and put them in his mouth.  DD is 7.5 months now, and is JUST starting to attempt picking up small bits (i.e., the little pieces that fall off the bigger chunks I give her).  Normal pincer grasp development is 7-11 months, so they likely won't be able to do it right away, and you'll end up getting your own hands messy picking up little pieces and putting them in his mouth.

hmontty

Ummmm...there is plenty of nutritional value to purees.

Perhaps you are confusing "nutritional value" with the fact that your baby will not be getting much of his personal nutrition from purees, simply because BM or formula will still be his main source of that. It's true that purees (and table food) are practice at that age, but they still have nutritional value.

I'm not sure why you think steaming sweet potato and putting it in a blender would render it with no nutritional value.

I did purees with both my kids just for a month or so to get them used to manipulating food in their mouths before moving on to chunkier stuff. No biggie.

ChristyML

Like other pps have said, if you make your own purees, there IS nutritional value to them.

We did purees (I made all of them), and he got the hang of those pretty quickly, so I started steaming chopped up veggies (carrots and peas are great starters). I also gave him ripped up pieces of bread.

I use puffs, but only to keep him occupied while he's sitting in his seat, waiting for whatever I'm making to be done.

I've given him little pieces of chicken and other softer meats.

And now, he will be eating whatever we're eating (unless there's honey in it). 

rjeller32

athomas2424:

I really dont want to do purees, i wanted to start straight on table food...but not exactly BLW.  Just start with little bits of food once LO turns about 7 months.  Has anyone done that?  Just gone straight to little bits of soft foods like toast, eggs, soft meats, etc.

 i rather not do BLW just because its very messy and we eat places other than home a lot so it would be messy and inconvenient and i'm not a fan of the gagging since you give them pretty large pieces of foods.

 i was thinking when he turns 7 months, give some puffs, then maybe a few bits of pancake or toast and fruit and go from there.  i guess if there is really no nutritional value to purees then i dont see the point of doing them.  not sure if that is feasible or what.  just wanting to hear experiences!

That's basically what BLW is though. Skipping purees, and going to table foods, in bits. No matter what you call it, it's messy. You definitely don't have to give them large pieces of food either. We do ones that are small enough to not allow her to choke, but big enough to pick up and practice picking them up one at a time.

And purees have nutritional value. It's the same exact food, just mushed. I think you are thinking of cereals...

rjeller32

ChristyML:

Like other pps have said, if you make your own purees, there IS nutritional value to them.

We did purees (I made all of them), and he got the hang of those pretty quickly, so I started steaming chopped up veggies (carrots and peas are great starters). I also gave him ripped up pieces of bread.

I use puffs, but only to keep him occupied while he's sitting in his seat, waiting for whatever I'm making to be done.

I've given him little pieces of chicken and other softer meats.

And now, he will be eating whatever we're eating (unless there's honey in it). 

Even if you don't make them, and purchase them, they have nutritional value. I am confused as to why anyone would feed them to their children if they didn't. They have higher sodium levels and other ingredients for preserving purposes, but they are nutritional. 

Confusing "organic" or "no preservatives" with nutritional. Huge difference. 

tortuga47

Pretty much like every other PP put - purees are packed full of nutritional value. It is a fruit or a vegetable. What is better than that? That being said, I gave my son avocado in chunks right away. He sucks off the tips of broccoli, gums soft veggies, eats shreds of chicken. I do both depending on how he prefers it. In my opinion, starting a child with puffs or bits of pancakes offers far less nutritional value than a puree or piece of fruit or vegetable. And, there is a difference between gagging and choking. Obviously no parents wants their child to choke, but gagging is actually a child learning how to move food around their mouth and know how much they can and cannot swallow. It's actually educational for them.

ngarden01

athomas2424:

I really dont want to do purees, i wanted to start straight on table food...but not exactly BLW.  Just start with little bits of food once LO turns about 7 months.  Has anyone done that?  Just gone straight to little bits of soft foods like toast, eggs, soft meats, etc.

 i rather not do BLW just because its very messy and we eat places other than home a lot so it would be messy and inconvenient and i'm not a fan of the gagging since you give them pretty large pieces of foods.

 i was thinking when he turns 7 months, give some puffs, then maybe a few bits of pancake or toast and fruit and go from there.  i guess if there is really no nutritional value to purees then i dont see the point of doing them.  not sure if that is feasible or what.  just wanting to hear experiences!

I'm kind of confused as to how you think your idea of giving table food is going to be less messy and inconvenient that true BLW. Your child is still going to gag if you cut up his food in small pieces. It's all part of the learning process.

We started with table food. I'm too lenient with the "rules" to actually say we do BLW, but whatever. I just give him whatever we are having for meals/snacks. I started with strips of food and now usually cut it up since his pincer grip has gotten better.

When he gets soft, runny foods (applesauce, yogurt, oatmeal, etc..) I just load up the spoon and hand it to him. It's messy but he loves feeding himself. Food at this age should be fun for your child. It's all about exploring textures and tastes. 

It doesn't matter where we are (friends' house, restaurant..) I always let DS feed himself. Our diaper bag is loaded down with antibacterial wipes, bibs, table toppers and of course a change of clothes  

this decaf life

tortuga47:

starting a child with puffs or bits of pancakes offers far less nutritional value than a puree or piece of fruit or vegetable.

Definitely this.

We make most of DDs purees, green vegetables we buy because I can't get them here in a quality I want for DD. I leave some of the purees a little thicker or simply mashed vs. pureed and we'll probably start giving her chunks of food around 8 months. That's just what we're comfortable with. I don't want her on purees for too long but that's what works for us now.

I also don't think bread, eggs or meat are recommended until 9 months. 

karencz

jwebb0512:

There is nutritional value to pur?es, store bought and homemade.  Store bought isn't terrible like many would like you to think.  I started with pur?es and put fruits in the mesh feeder.  I haven't started solids yet, but plan to in two weeks when he turns 7 months.  I guess I don't see any difference in what you're planning to do and BLW.  Sorry, I'm no help!

This. I gave both girls purees (store bought) but as they were able to 'rake' and pick up food I just started right in with what we were eating. I don't get the "spear" shape of BLW. I don't even consider myself a BLWer. I just give whatever I am eating. Now by 8.5 months DD2 can eat 100% what we are eating (except salad lol, that is a toughie!)

 

karencz

Oh but doing little bits of food is definitely NOT neater than 'traditional' spears of BLW food. I dig a million pieces of food out of the high chair every day. So gross.

zzia15

I did pretty much exactly what I think you are wanting to do.  LO is 8 months old and has never had baby food.  She eats whatever we are eating - spaghetti, toast, full fat yogurt, carrots, beans, etc.  I do steam veggies so they are soft enough for her, but besides that I just cut food up in to small enough bites for her to eat.  She doesnt really feed herself yet, except for crackers/steamed carrots that sort of thing.

cmhicklin

Pureed fruits and vegetables have more nutritional value than puffs, toast, pancakes and eggs....