Hi all

Has anyone tried this method of weaning?

I've found loads of articles but haven't yet found anyone who's actually done it.

I'm interested in how you found it and what sort of foods you used.

Obviously Ben's only just 3 months so I have a long way to go but I just wanted to find out as much as I can now.

TIA

Juliet 

We did it though we do also give mashed foods on a spoon but DS thinks a spoon is just another type of finger food I think!  HTH

Kelly x






Zander's baby diary




Edited by moderator to remove link not permiited by BW rules

We did it this way. I started by offering steamed sticks of veg from around 24 weeks, although he didn't really eat anything until 26 weeks. He wasn't very into the veg for ages. At 26 weeks we started with rice cakes, toast fingers and bread sticks and there was no looking back. We gradually introduced  fork mashed up root veg, which he pretty quickly learned to smear into his mouth with his hand. Then moved on to things like bolognase and after that pretty much normal meals chooped up or mashed a bit. From memory it took a couple of months before he would eat pieces of steamed veg. He didn't seem to like the slippery texture. Things like risotto with veg mixed in were a much bigger hit.

It was hard to have confidence and not spoon things in, especially when all of my friends had been weaning for months already. But, he firmly resisted the spoon on the few occasions I tried, so I just had to let him go at his own pace. I also found that my friends all thought I was mad and were very worried he would choke. Just as the guidelines say, we never found this to be a problem.

I found he was at least 7 months before I noticed the bf reducing at all, which I personally found pretty disheartening as he fed every 2hrs during the day up to that point!

In retrospect the only thing I would do differently would be to go slower. We were up to 3 meals a day within 2-3 weeks on my HV's advice, but he did get a little constipated. It took 4-6 weeks for him to learn how to eat properly, and if there's a next time round I would go much slower over this period and not worry whether they really eat anything much or not -they get all they really need from the milk. Easy to say now, and the peer pressure from friends and HV at the time was enormous, especially as ds was small (0.4 centile).

It is very messy. Invest in a splat mat and bibs with sleeves (they look very big on such a little baby, but work really well). Going out and about can be tricky, although I've always found philadephia sandwiches and blueberries (which he loves) to be the most portable and least messy option!

My only other tip is don't underestimate what they can eat with their hands -for example porridge is no problem!

Good luck

Marianne x

Yeah I'm sort of doing it with my youngest (8m). I must admit the past month I've been getting a bit frustrated that she's not really taking much food in, in terms of quantity, so I have been (oh bad mum) spoon feeding her a little, but she's still very much in control of the whole thing. I *know* when she doesn't want any more!

There are some great yahoo groups and sites online which can put you in touch with other blweaners. Her first food was raw pepper btw, she's now 8m and loves many raw veggies.

Jessica xxx

Sort of.  Like a lot of the others we've been encouraging finger foods right from the off and not blitzing things smooth.

We have had success with : oat cakes (Nairn's yellow packet, quite fine oats), toast, french toast (eggy bread), raisins, apple, banana (can get a bit slippery), rice cakes, home made chips, carrots, parsnips, pear.

Morag

Yes...altho the same as some of the others not as "completely"as i would like.I started to wean the same as my eldest..then with my b/f peer supporter training we had a lady come in to talk about baby led weaning and it just seemed so right so i stopped whizzing carrots to oblivion!He now "eats"all types of veg..steamed and raw,fruit,rice cakes,toast with various spread,dried fruit and just about anything else thats suitable...i cant help myself tho i sometimes have to spoon a few bits of "mush"in..i think its a hard habbit to break!He doesnt eat alot tho...but hes about 24lb so i think hes doin fine!good luck!

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Hi Juliet (waves) - I am reading up about this too at the moment- i didn't do it with dd so keen to try this time. Maybe we can share notes when they are ready!!