Baby Led Weaning

vintageutopia · April 2014

I am familiar with what it is, but my question is why is it so much better than starting babies on purees? Yes, I have read that the gagging is "normal", but if I can feed my baby something that doesn't make her gag and she grows to be an excellent eater like my older two, then why would I do it?

I have a 7 & 9 year old, so BLW was not popular then. They never had difficulty transitioning to chunky/pieces of food and they are not picky eaters, in the least.

I am just curious.

roo1oo · April 2014

It also seems like it doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing. You can give them purees, but you can also give them some food while you're eating your own meals and let them explore.

vintageutopia · April 2014

Thank you for the thoughtful answer.

My 8 month old picks up food, but she doesn't bring it to her mouth, so this probably wouldn't work for her. She picks it up, holds it, then turns to me and opens her mouth. Lil' stinker. She manages little chunks just fine, but I have to throw them in there.

I don't worry too much about the mess, though. We have an overly eager dog that dances under her chair.

linzeek44 · April 2014

I agree that it's not necessarily better; whatever works well for your family is best.

Here's what I like about BLW-

Feeding never became a control battle. No turning away at a spoon, no "here comes the airplane" kind of coaxing. We offered, he ate it or didn't eat it.

No spending meals feeding him. We all sit and eat dinner together and I don't have to spend my meal spoon feeding him.

No packing up food for a restaurant or outing. He could eat what we ate from 6m on.

No buying baby food or prepping separate foods.

dholton · April 2014

BLW newbie... Just reached the 3 month mark so we're aways off but trying to be informed! Still trying to wrap my head around the ratio of how much food he'll eat to how many bottles he'll take at 6 months. Still exclusively breastfeeding now.

What do you start with at 6 months if no "cereal" or sweet potato purees? Are you all still breast/formula feeding as well?

Thanks for the info!

eblom · April 2014

I tried BLW and the gagging freaked me out a bit. There is a lot of social pressure where I live to do BLW because it is more "normal" and I felt bad I wanted to do purees, too. Then I started asking myself, how "normal" is it to get avocado, banana, etc, year round (especially where I live in the midwest)...not normal at all! So now I do what is best for us and try to ignore social pressure...for us, that's a mix of BLW and purees, at least for now. Good luck!

JilllyBean · April 2014

I think it is silly to be perfectly honest. The babies hardly consume anything and it makes a huge mess. Also, I see people feeding their kids 'what they eat'. Sometimes I don't think that is very healthy. For us, purees are easier. We don't eat at 430/5 when he eats dinner. I open a pouch, he eats the whole thing and we are done. He's eating really healthy foods, spinach, peas, carrots, etc. with no salt or added sugar. I think people get too caught up in the whole BLW thing. I just see no value in it.

JilllyBean · April 2014

msspeedymarie said:

JilllyBean said:

I think it is silly to be perfectly honest. The babies hardly consume anything and it makes a huge mess. Also, I see people feeding their kids 'what they eat'. Sometimes I don't think that is very healthy. For us, purees are easier. We don't eat at 430/5 when he eats dinner. I open a pouch, he eats the whole thing and we are done. He's eating really healthy foods, spinach, peas, carrots, etc. with no salt or added sugar. I think people get too caught up in the whole BLW thing. I just see no value in it.

I think buying expensive pouches of puréed food, rather than just giving the kid unprocessed fruits and vegetables that cost a quarter of the price, is silly. To each her own.

Hmm, looks like you said you had no problem with purées above. Seems like that isn't the case. The main thing that turns me off about blw are people who are holier than thou about how it's so much better and purées are food from the devil. Like I'm force feeding my kid preservatives. Wrong. Relax.

And I figure I can afford 80 cents a day to feed my kid. The pouches aren't breaking the bank. I've made them myself too and it isn't always cheaper when you are buying organic.

kwalk1 · April 2014

BLW is so much better because they learn so much from trying to feed themselves. By the time they reach the age of 6 months they are more than likely capable of putting the food to their mouth and trying to eat or suck or whatever. Also like PP said they don't really NEED food right now, but it's fun for them to try. If you start with table food right away then their gag reflex is all the way at the front of their mouth so that they don't choke on their food, also like a PP said. And to the other poster that said it's silly, you have to eventually give them table foods and it will be the same exact thing then as it would be if you started at 6 months. You're going to have to deal with a big mess whether you start right away or whether you wait till 9 or 10 months.

ETA: My DD is about to turn 10 months old and she will eat everything you put in front of her! It took a couple of months but now she can't get enough!

JilllyBean · April 2014

I just think it's a fad. Feeding kids isn't new. My 8m old eats real food too. I just didnt give him a hunk of steak when he was 4m old. Whatever works for you.

JilllyBean · April 2014

somerandomchick said:

JilllyBean said:

msspeedymarie said:

JilllyBean said:

I think it is silly to be perfectly honest. The babies hardly consume anything and it makes a huge mess. Also, I see people feeding their kids 'what they eat'. Sometimes I don't think that is very healthy. For us, purees are easier. We don't eat at 430/5 when he eats dinner. I open a pouch, he eats the whole thing and we are done. He's eating really healthy foods, spinach, peas, carrots, etc. with no salt or added sugar. I think people get too caught up in the whole BLW thing. I just see no value in it.

I think buying expensive pouches of puréed food, rather than just giving the kid unprocessed fruits and vegetables that cost a quarter of the price, is silly. To each her own.
Hmm, looks like you said you had no problem with purées above. Seems like that isn't the case. The main thing that turns me off about blw are people who are holier than thou about how it's so much better and purées are food from the devil. Like I'm force feeding my kid preservatives. Wrong. Relax.

And I figure I can afford 80 cents a day to feed my kid. The pouches aren't breaking the bank. I've made them myself too and it isn't always cheaper when you are buying organic.

You were saying its silly/stupid to do BLW but get snippy about others being holier than thou when they respond in kind? :-@

Please point out where I say it is stupid.

Baby Led Weaning

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