Yes...another BLW question

David'sgirl · September 2010

Hi Ladies,

Let me preface this by saying I am not concerned that he isn't eating enough. He is a chunka so I know he is fine. I am just wondering if maybe he is 'behind' developmentally. We have a physio appointment next week but I want to hear from other moms.

1. So we do BLW and he sits in his highchair and smacks the food on his tray. When he picks it up he only holds onto for a very short period. I notice he does this with his toys as well. Should I be concerned that it seems like he cannot hold on to things?

2. I cannot seem to get the right size and firmness for the food pieces. Can anyone post pics?

3. I think he just doesn't like feeding himself (lazy maybe) cause if I hold the piece he will guide it to his mouth and eat it BUT he will not hold it (see #1)

Thanks in advance for your help.

mrs.viv07 · September 2010

first f i LOVE the blankie in your siggy pic!
Gabriel just started really grasping food, he would hold food before but it was almost as if he didn't like the way it felt in his hands. apples were ok and carrots, but banana, peach, anything "slimy" forget it.
as for the consistency i just give him whatever we are eating that night with some exceptions of course but for example last night we had sheppard's pie he does just mash it around and he will get stuff in his mouth but i found this spoon helped with foods that had this type of consistency, it lets him feed himself but not gag himself by shoving the spoon to far which he was doing with other spoons. and it leaves his hands "clean" so he is not put off by the sticky hand feeling.
HTH

David'sgirl · September 2010

Thanks that spoon looks like a winner!

Can you see my siggy pic? I cannot view it because tinypic doesn't allow international hosting any longer. Anyway...my mom made the blanket and we LOVE it. He uses it everyday to play on.

gaijinmama · September 2010

No help in regards to your question. I don`t remember what Misora was doing at 7 months in terms of holding her food. Most of it probably went on the floor.

Just noticed my sig pic also was gone after you said yours was.

gaijinmama · September 2010

Oh I had to start an account with photobucket to get my sig back.

Married2MrWright · September 2010

First of all your LO is adorable! Love the pic!

Our babies are about the same age and I started BLW when DD was 6 months old...she's still in the tasting, feeling, smelling, squishing, playing stage...very rarely does she actually consume much and when she does it's not that much (although there is always evidence in her diaper later)! I was worried too that BLW might be delaying her in some way (especially when I read about my friend's babies wolfing down jars of baby food!) but reminded myself that BLW is not about eating/meal replacement, it's about learning. Our babies are learning to taste, smell, touch real, whole food!

Anyway, what you've decribed seems totally normal...my LO does hold onto toys and books and puts them in her mouth all.day.long but with food she can really take it or leave it. Perhaps because it feels different. And has flavor. She does a funny manuveur where she'll hold the food, bring it to her lips but not in her mouth and sort of panomime chewing. I think she's copying DH and I and figuring out for herself what we're doing with the food. Sometimes it'll go in her mouth, but more often than not right now, it's this panomime of eating/chewing.

I've read that you need to offer a certain food 8-10 times before they decide if they like it or not. That definitely happened for us with sweet potatoes, carrots and apples. Those are her favorites right now and she recognizes them on her tray and goes for them first now!

As for the correct firmness...my rule of thumb is if I can "chew" it between my lips or by pressing it on the roof of my mouth, then it's soft enough for DD (she only has two bottom teeth right now, which she does use to scrape some food, like banana, off and into her mouth).

I'd say, keep offering him food...maybe twice a day...midmorning and midafternoon. I always put at least one "familiar" food and one new one for her to have choices (sometimes just two items, sometimes three). And I always eat with her (once a day we have a meal as a family with DH too) and have some of the same items on my plate and model eating for her. She is into feeding herself with a loaded spoon so we do that too and you might try it and see if he thinks that's a fun way to get the food into his mouth. GL and keep it up!

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