Giving up on BLW, is it ok to do a mix?

Growingapepper · April 2016

I was so excited to do BLW. It seemed like such a no brainier to just give baby the food off my plate. No purées, no sitting down and feeding her, no squishy food liquid everywhere. I especially loved the idea of her learning to feed herself and manipulate food around her mouth. It seemes like every aspect would set her and us as parents up for success. However, LO turned 6 months at the end of March and we've only been able to give her our food like 3 times, one time with chicken, one time with mashed potatoes, and twice with eggs. The only other foods I've given her are avocado and I tried steaming carrots for her once but ended up taking them away because I cut them too small. Nothing else in out diet seems to be appropriate. Chicken that has been marinated, too salty. Soup, not happening. Pizza, not giving her refined carbs and grease. Salad, I don't think so. Deli meat, too many nitrites. Stuffed jalapeños, I'm not a monster! I really wanted this to work but I don't have time to make her separate meals. I think I'm throwing in the towel and going to start doing a mix of baby foods and BLW. Is it safe to switch between purées and solid chunks of food when we happen to be eating something appropriate for her? Or if I choose baby food do I need to stick to purées, slowly moving up through the stages?

yellowbean15 · April 2016

I'm following because I'd like to know too. Started doing BLW but I also find it's too much work and I'm just a little too anxious with some things. I've been starting to throw purees in on days we aren't eating anything he can but he hasn't been that receptive to them yet. I assume it's fine because there are things in a regular diet that are puree-like and they need to be able to eat those too. But I'm interested to hear from people who know more.

yellow1daisy · April 2016

I think you can do a mixture without problems if that's what you want to do.

I was also leaning toward BLW but I didn't do enough research on it and when the time came I found it easier for me to just make her purees. Plus the idea of BLW makes me a tad nervous so I figured I'd listen to my gut and stick with purees until closer to 9 months.

I don't think you need to strictly follow stages with purees either. I've never thinned out my daughters food unless I was making her a soup. She did fine with it from 6 months. Never choked on anything even when it was quite lumpy. I think if they're ready for solids then they typically know how to eat it safely.

Do whatever is easiest for you and makes you most comfortable. Even with purees there isn't a right and wrong way to do it. Go with your gut.

missliz53 · April 2016

We're doing purées but I'm going to try doing chunks in a mesh feeder since I'm nervous about just giving her chunks of food.

ForeverEverAfter · April 2016

We're doing BLW, but we're much more laid back this time. Jambalaya fettuccine? Sure! Taco meat? Sure! Let her suck on my pizza? Yup! When I plan our meals, I try to make sure at least one component is baby friendly. It usually means we're eating healthier too! I feel bad eating what she can't have because she really wants it (like sausage, or fast food). If we're having salad, I make her a baked sweet potato (few min in the microwave). For meats I make my own spice rubs or marinades so I can leave the salt out, add it afterwards for DH. Tonight she couldn't have the green beans, but she had pork chop and baked potato. Most of their nutrients are coming from breastmilk or formula-food is just a bonus at this age, so it doesn't have to be perfectly balanced.

to answer your question though-yes, mix in purees! No different than you eating a blended soup or yogurt-there are purees in a regular diet. Hardcore BLWers just provide a dipper or preloaded spoon, but I find that too messy for restaurants.

kmcshane0211 · April 2016

Yes! Same boat here. Twice a week I prep her food: steamed or roasted veggie cut into long strips and always have one fruit handy (banana cut like an ice cream cone, strips of pear, avocado,etc.) but she still eats little. I know I'm supposed to be patient and let her lead (the whole premise!) but I do want to see her eat a bit more annnnd I need something to put her daily vitamin in. So, I started making one super smoothie/purée and preload the spoon. She slurps it right off and LOVES it. I swear she'd down a whole bowl of I let her! Seeing her gobble up that smoothie tells me she's love purees so I am going to incorporate those more but will try to let her hold the spoon and slurp.

kkerner87 · April 2016

We pure most of the time. Sometimes I leave it a little more chunky. I won't pure meats though, I think that's gross. I give her flaky fish like salmon and big chunks if chicken for her to gnaw/suck on. She does fine with it.

Growingapepper · April 2016

Thanks for input everyone!

jennsuzanne87 · April 2016

We do both and no issues yet! DS has a bad dairy protein intolerance so I can't eat a lot of things and consequently my milk supply has suffered a bit- so little man gets purees and or solids several times a day. As long as they are able to sit up and attempt to mash things up with their jaws I think small solids are fine. We go between purees and solids almost every meal time, and we give him small bites off of our plate which happen to be healthy- since they can't have dairy and most all un healthy food has it. There are a million different opinions on this and it's hard to know which one to trust, I know- but for what it's worth, my son is thriving on the combo.

Growingapepper · April 2016

@kmcshane0211 you mentioned tacos. Do you give LO spicy foods? Almost everything we eat is spicy..

cmlsu · April 2016

I've given my daughter a mix of both also and haven't seen any issues. I also have given spicy food and she tolerates it much better than I expected. I craved spicy food when pregnant so she must have gotten used to it or something haha. She is fine with all strong flavors we've tried so far (onions, garlic, black olives, chipotle seasoned sweet potatoes). If I am going to let her try something strong or spicy, I make sure to have her a small bit of milk ready and warm in case she needs it, but so far so good.

kmcshane0211 · April 2016

@Growingapepper I didn't mention tacos. Another poster did but I sure could go for some right about now. Mmmmmmmm

Growingapepper · April 2016

Oops I meant @ForeverEverAfter lol ^^^
@cmlsu maybe I'll try! We are huge spicy fans, I also ate a lot of curry while pregnant! Lucky me I didn't get heartburn once

ForeverEverAfter · April 2016

Oh, that was me! I mixed some sour cream into the taco meat so it wouldn't be so spicy.

I BF, so I figure she's been exposed to flavours of our diet. We love strong flavours-garlic, vinaigrettes, blackened chicken. I try to dial it back a bit-like giving her the inside of the blackened chicken, but for the most part she eats what we do. I only cook one meal, but I make sure when I plan that there's something soft for the baby, and something DD1 (3) enjoys (ie she doesn't like salad, so we eat it with a dish she loves that has veg-spaghetti).

ElleKH · April 2016

I've been meaning to comment on this thread, but the little man has been a bit grumpier than normal this week. Sorry I'm late to the party!

We do a combination of both with absolutely no issues. Mealtime has become something to look forward to. It's so delightfully messy and I love seeing how quickly our LO is learning to explore, taste, nibble, bite, chew, slurp, and yes, at times, even gag on food. I was nervous at first, but that subsided after some time. I'm still always on high alert when he's eating, ready to jump in and help, if needed. That hasn't been necessary so far, thank goodness. An added bonus: all of that exploration and manipulation is great for tiring him out before bedtime. It takes a lot of concentration and use of motor skills to handle food - whether it's getting that spoon into his mouth or figuring out how to tackle that muffin.

Because we do a mix, mealtime doesn't have to be messy, which definitely comes in handy. If we're ready to go out on an adventure and just need to eat a bit a breakfast beforehand, I'll whip up some baby cereal with whole milk and fork-mashed fruit (banana, pear, strawberry... whatever's on hand) and spoonfeed him. He usually wants control of the spoon, but if I'm persistent about not letting him have it, he gets the point and does the wide open baby bird mouth for me. Then at dinner time, if he's having a puree, I'll load the spoon up for him and let him feed himself. It's all about balance.

I agree with @ForeverEverAfter - including baby has led to a healthier, more balanced diet for us as well. Such a great bonus.

And spices! Oh, do we love spices. Hubs and I are adventurous eaters and because I BF, little one has already been exposed to a wide variety of flavors and now has a pretty broad palate himself. Don't be afraid of spices. Salt, sugar, honey, additives, and any allergens specific to your baby are what you need to look out for. Everything else, as long as it's healthy, is fine.

I wish you luck! Please let us know how it goes!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/ic/xei5gybeoioq.jpg

ElleKH · April 2016

How's it going, @Growingapepper? What's baby eating these days? I've been thinking of you both.

Growingapepper · April 2016

Awe thank you for checking up @SunSilverfox !

Growingapepper · April 2016

And for some reason my 3 paragraph response cut off lol...
I actually decided to put in a little more effort and give BLW my best shot before giving up. If I was going to switch to purées I would have done homemade so I figured that would probably be about the same amount of work as chopping and steaming for BLW. Since LO very rarely is able to eat what we eat, I prepare enough to last 3-4 meals. We've only been introducing new foods once or twice a week so she's hasn't had many more things than in the original post. She's had carrots, butternut squash, strawberries, and broccoli. She hasn't refused anything yet and broccoli is unfortunately her favorite. It is so messy!!! I've stopped giving her eggs because it seemed like she'd have red marks around her mouth for a few hours after she'd eat them. Nothing crazy, I'd just rather be safe, so we'll try again in a few weeks. Another exciting thing is that she started actually eating the food after only two weeks of "tasting!" But I think it's hard for her to digest right now since she goes 3 or 4 days between poops, but I'm sure that will get better. I'm so happy that I decided to stick it out and keep trying. I'm so confident in her abilities right now, I feel like I can give her pretty much anything and she's not going to choke, we are set up for success and it feels so good! @SunSilverfox

ElleKH · April 2016

Hahaha! Our LO loves broccoli, too. Yes, it's messy, but not as messy as when he feeds himself purees. That ought to make you feel a bit better.

So good news! I'm glad to hear that it's going well. And good call on backing off the eggs, even if she's having only a mild reaction. That could get worse with time and exposure. Maybe try just egg yolks next time since the whites are the parts that can cause rashes, runny noses, and tummy aches.

Good for you for giving it your best before throwing in the towel! I'll be thinking of you and baby. And remember, if it doesn't work out with BLW, there's nothing wrong with switching to purees. Whatever makes you most comfortable. I started LO on homemade purees and they were super easy to make and freeze in batches. It wasn't much work at all - more prep than anything else. It made mealtime a breeze. So best of luck to you, whichever path(s) you take in the joyous journey of food!

TabulaRasa25 · April 2016

We do homemade purees of varying textures with the occasional solids thrown in now and then. It's been fine.

booksandcleverness81 · May 2016

I also do a mix and I don't see a problem with it. Just exposing him to more tastes and textures, and I think getting used to swallowing purees has helped him with his solids actually. Though I still get nervous. Last night he had pork and broccoli and he loved them (has never shown real interest in anything before this) but he kept gnawing off bigger pieces and after fishing them out of his mouth once or twice I just took it away. I think I oversteamed the broccoli too because it was falling apart too easily and ended up in big chunks anyway. Oops, there's a learning curve here right?!

Growingapepper · May 2016

@booksandcleverness81 , I sometimes get really nervous when DD bites big chunks off of things and have to really resist the urge to get it out of her mouth. Especially with things like steak and a whole mouthful of the broccoli tops. But they say it's even more dangerous to fish things out! So I just let her go with it and she alwayyyys ends up either spitting it out on her own or gagging it forwards and coughing it out. It's so scary but her body hasn't let her choke yet, I'm learning that she's designed to not to!

mmd091909 · May 2016

We do both without issue. Sometimes he wants to feed himself and others he wants to be fed. We do a mix of what we eat plus purées. He doesn't have any problem going back and forth. I noticed sometimes he does 'chew' his purées

ElleMF728 · May 2016

Sorry to thread jack but it's BLW related. Has anyone done black beans yet? I can't remember when LO can have them.

cmlsu · May 2016

I did black beans this weekend, and she did fine. Then again, I wasn't aware that it may be an issue... Oops! She loved them though. She's 8 months yesterday.

ElleMF728 · May 2016

cmlsu said:

I did black beans this weekend, and she did fine. Then again, I wasn't aware that it may be an issue... Oops! She loved them though. She's 8 months yesterday.

I didn't think they were but DH made me nervous by saying that he thought they wouldn't be soft enough. I ignored him, DS loved them

kmcshane0211 · May 2016

Yes to black beans!

kmcshane0211 · May 2016

You guys. My 8 MO still eats very little. And She's a very determined little person so attempts to spoon feed usually only result in three or maybe four mouthfuls. She's still waking for breastmilk at night and I feed her Bc without solids I do imagine she's hungry.

Thoughts? Just keep doing what we're doing?

cmlsu · May 2016

kmcshane0211 said:

You guys. My 8 MO still eats very little. And She's a very determined little person so attempts to spoon feed usually only result in three or maybe four mouthfuls. She's still waking for breastmilk at night and I feed her Bc without solids I do imagine she's hungry.

Thoughts? Just keep doing what we're doing?

Have you tried letting her feed herself? I usually put out some cheerios for her to work on her grasping while I'm finishing up dinner. She loves to grab handfuls of things (spaghetti, baked beans, her favorites are the messiest of course!). She also giggles when I grab a cheerio and feed myself. We totally make it a game, manners can come later!

missliz53 · May 2016

I would just keep doing what you are doing and eventually she'll get there. Definately talk to your ped if you're concerned, but my guess is she's just not ready yet. Have you tried letting her feed herself with finger foods or her purées? My lo really like the baby mum mum teething biscuits. And I let her stick her fingers in her bowl and smear her food on her tray because I think it's part of the learning process. I've also found I have much better luck if I can keep her attention with a toy that rattles or jingles or I make airplane noises, ect when bringing the spoon to her mouth. They have such little attention spans right now, it can be hard to keep them interested in eating.

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