# 2009 Baby Led Weaning Support Thread



## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

Since the old thread is so long and a lot of those babies are nearing toddlerhood, I thought I'd start a new thread for mom's. Post your BLW questions, offer your BLW experiences and advice!







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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

My intro:

My dd will be 6 months old tomorrow (!! where did the time go?!) and I plan on BLWing with her. She is my third child and I have moved to solids both ways: the standard AAP route and the BLW route.

My oldest son did BLW before I knew anything about BLW. LOL He just didn't want runny baby food, absolutely refused to have anything to do with it or momma mashed foods. When he was 9 ish months old he started sampling table foods and gradually tranisitoned himself. His table food eating never impared his breastfeeding- in fact he didn't self wean till he was 5. He has a very healthy appitite and love of fruits and veggies. I am very happy with how his transition worked out.

My second son has Down syndrome and was receiving home-based therapy as an infant. His speech/occupational therapist insisted that we start with rice cereal and other commercially prepared baby foods as she said it was "important" to make sure he had a regulated texture to learn from. It was against my every belief, but I felt at the time that I didn't know enough about Ds to know if she was right or not. I trusted her advice and followed the AAP feeding schedule. I like to call it the Gerber Schedule  This path completely backfired on us. He became texture adverse and phsycologically dependant on those evil little jars. We have spent the past 3 years trying to unlearn this behavior and make the transistion to table foods. It has been an emotional and difficult road for him and our family.

I began reading about the Rapley book before my dd was born and realized that it was a philosophy that I agreed with. I am so glad to have the research available to support me!

As part of my son's feeding therapy, I am going to include him in my BLW time with my dd. I am hoping that the two of them can BLW together and that we can all enjoy the experience.

My dd is sitting independently, has 2 teeth, picks up objects and brings them to her mouth and shows a lot of interest in our food. Yesterday I decided to kick off our adventure and offered both kids a banana. I gave Eleanor 3 baby palm size pieces to play with and gave Sean the remaining banana in the skin, peeled open. He wanted to hold it and eat it like his older brother.

Sean took several tiny bites of his banana, chewed and swallowed them. Eleanor played with her pieces and brought them to her mouth a couple of times, licking and sucking on them before dropping them. They both enjoyed playing with their snack!

At this time, I plan on giving them a food to try once a day, every other day for a week before trying a new food.


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## Pyrodjm (Jan 9, 2007)

DD is 6 months old and seemed to be showing interest in food. So we set up the high chair and gave her a few pieces of ripe banana. I handed her one and when she put it to her mouth she got this sick/disgusted look on her face and dropped it. She then procedded to gnaw on the high chair tray. Never touhing the banana again.







I offered her another piece more informally the next day, same look. I guess she is not ready. It was hilarious to watch, though. We will wait for a while and then offer banana again or maybe avocado or sweet potato. I ordered the Gill Rapley book. I doubt I will follow the method exactly, but I am interestd to see what it says.


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## kaliyah'smama (Aug 11, 2008)

Let us allow this thread to provide support to those who have begun or are beginning the practices of self-feeding/baby-led weaning (BLW) this winter.

We began allowing DD to play/explore/eat foods on her own on her 6-month birthday in November (2008) and we have thoroughly enjoyed this journey (as have her grandparents who watch her 3-days/week and who were extremely cautious and doubtful....). We have been met with success! However, sharing the experiences (and questions) with others would feel hugely supportive for me.

So, here we begin.


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## EzzysMom (Mar 24, 2008)

My daughter didn't like bananas until last week (9 months). It must have been a taste/texture thing. Wouldn't stop me from trying a different food, although I'd put it on the tray and make her pick it up


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## LynGi (Sep 23, 2008)

My son wasn't too interested in foods until he was 7 months, but now at 16 months he eats like a pro. He also eats EVERYTHING under the sun that's offered to him! Our family has been delighted by him eating "real" food from the get-go. They were all sort of under the impression that babies HAD to eat "baby food". Now they see how silly they were!

It's a super easy process, especially since your daughter is leading the way and setting her own pace.


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## eksmom (Jun 29, 2004)

Subbing... we started BLW with DS when he was a little over 7 months (beginning of December). We suspect he is sensitive to dairy and soy. I eliminated those from my diet in July/August and will stay off them at least until his birthday, and so will he.

However, we are not following a 4 day rule. With my DD, we made all her food (purees), followed a very strict schedule, etc. I am enjoying how it is less of a science project with DS. He did gag some in the beginning and still does occasionally, but he is making progress and learning how to handle food in his mouth. He consistently eats with us at dinner, but I am thinking it might be time to increase that to offering him something at another meal.

DH has been extremely supportive and keeps saying how it just feels so right to him to do it this way. My parents don't get it and don't respect it. It makes me sad that I feel like I can't let my mom have some fun with feeding him, but she is prone to do things like put a spoonful of applesauce in his barely open mouth and use his lips to rake it off. He would much rather feed himself and get his hands involved and my mom can't deal with the mess. I love BLW though - I love having the responsibility of how much he eats taken off of me and put solely on him, with no real way for me to interfere.

The most recent new thing we tried was blueberries, and he really enjoys them. I cut them into halves or fourths, though - some were not as ripe and I was worried about giving them to him whole. Wouldn't a whole blueberry be kind of like a grape as far as a choking hazard?

I can't find the BLW book by Rapley anywhere locally but I would like to order it. For those of you who have it, does it still make sense to get it now that we're 2 months into starting solids?


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

I started a new blw thread earlier today. Can a mod merge these, please?


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

EzzysMom: I thought about starting with avacodo but didn't have one at home, so went with banana. That will be our next food.

Dana: our babies are a week apart! I ordered the book last night, can't wait to get it.


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## EzzysMom (Mar 24, 2008)

It's so funny to watch my daughter eat! I usually give her 2-4 things to pick from, and she picks up and eats things and I replenish whatever she's eaten. Last night she quite literally went through 3/4ths of an avocado! Only a few pieces slipped through to the floor. I just kept giving her more, and she just kept eating it! She ignored her favorite food (broccoli) and just kept eating the avocado. (Then I had none left for my chips, sniff sniff) Last week she just threw the avocado on the floor. We'll see what happens at lunch today, I'll have to go buy more avocado.


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## MamaStarbird (Oct 21, 2008)

Subbing! DD is just over 7 months so she's been trying out finger foods for about a month now. She's still not eating a whole lot but who cares! She loves it and it makes life so much easier being able to put her in the tripp trapp chair and let us all enjoy a meal at the table together.


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## runnerbrit (May 24, 2006)

DD has been self fedding for about a month and a half. I always nurse her before giving her solids so she does not eat a whole lot at any one time. She loves it and so do we. Her favorite food is black beans. To date she has eaten; banana, avocado, squash, zuccini (?), carrots, green beans, broccoli, onion, bell peppers, black beans, apple and turkey.


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## not_telling (Mar 31, 2008)

nak

i posted at the end of the old (fall) thread and am happy there's a new thread....

ds is 6 months and 1 week. he's had apple, avocado, pear, banana and, last night a bit o' sweet potato. i've offered them in a variety of ways. apple i've offered as a wedge with some skin on and ds has enjoyed sucking and gumming it (no teeth yet!). he's gotten small pieces off and gotten gaggy. avocado i offered as a wedge with some peel on for easy gripping (a suggestion i found here) - but a piece of peel ended up coming off in his mouth (!!)...i fished it out and probaby will stay peel-less for a while. i've also offered avocado in small cubes and also mashed on mommy's finger. ds seems to like it. banana has gotten gaggy-face, gagging-leading-to-spitting-up, but also coming-back-for-more. pear went over well and small pieces of a really ripe wedge were swallowed pretty easily.

my understanding is that babies will often make "oooo" faces and get gaggy with new foods and that it's not necessarily reflective of not liking a particular food. also, they say, about kids and food, that sometimes you need to offer something at least 10 times before a kid will love it.

i bought and read the rapley book a couple weeks ago. i think i may end up doing a mix of chunks and purees (or kinda pureed) foods at first. i understand about the gag reflex slowly making its way toward the back of the mouth and that a baby will gag with food relatively forward in the mouth...but, their mouths are not that deep to begin with, so even gagging near the front of the mouth still seems awful close to the throat for me...









anyone got good lentil recipes for babies? dh and i are not really lentil eaters, but i know they are a good iron source. i bought a bag of beautiful french indigo lentils and want some easy ideas


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## EzzysMom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *not_telling* 
anyone got good lentil recipes for babies? dh and i are not really lentil eaters, but i know they are a good iron source. i bought a bag of beautiful french indigo lentils and want some easy ideas

here's one I like for adults, don't know if i'd do tomato with the kiddos, so maybe not so helpful







http://www.5dollardinners.com/2008/1...-burritos.html


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## njbeachgirl (Oct 8, 2006)

Hi all! We're doing BLW as well. Henry is 6.5 months old now. He is enjoying playing with his food







I'm not sure he eats very much which is fine by me. He is having fun with all the new textures.

He has tried: avocado wedge with the skin on- his favorite so far, banana (didn't love it), sweet potato oven fries, whole steamed carrot, pear slices, quinoa veggie cakes that I made. He probably only eats a small bite or two. Most of it ends up in the highchair seat.

He has also stolen multigrain bread from me and LOVED chewing on it. So much for holding off on wheat but not a big deal I guess since we don't have allergies.

Glad to have this group here! My mom thinks it's weird that we don't feed him baby food.... and freaks out about him choking. But it is really just gagging.


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## NormaJean13 (Dec 28, 2007)

Hi everyone! I'm new to BLW, so bear with me. DD just turned 6 months yesterday and last night at dinner she ate some sweet potato puree. She made a face, but she does that all the time anyway, and then ate it. She really seemed to enjoy it. I didn't, however, like cleaning the reddish poop out of her cloth diaper. I guess I better get used to that









My mom (she watches her during the day) is going to give her some banana and maybe some crumbled up rice cake. I'm glad they're starting to come around to the idea of BLW (no cereal! ack).

I am glad this forum is here. Seems I always have questions. For example, tonight I'm going to have grilled cheese and salad. I'll offer her cucumber and green pepper, but what about bites of the grilled cheese? It'll be hormone-free cheddar and wheat bread (no allergies whatsoever with me and DH).


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## Siera (Nov 11, 2008)

My DD is now 6 months and we too are starting some BLW'ing and a few purees. I'm really just trying to see what she likes at the moment! We've just done sweet potatoes, which she makes the scowling face at! I am curious how you make sweet potato fries. I tried some last night and they just didn't look very safe -- thin edges got a little crisp and even though I peeled the skins off, baking in the oven created a kind of "skin" around the fry and I'm not sure how DD, with no teeth, would be able to eat that? At the same time, I'm not too keen on the recipes I've seen so far. Mix with 1/4 cup olive oil? That just doesn't sound very good to me. Any suggestions? Thanks!


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## EzzysMom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Siera* 
I am curious how you make sweet potato fries. I tried some last night and they just didn't look very safe -- thin edges got a little crisp and even though I peeled the skins off, baking in the oven created a kind of "skin" around the fry and I'm not sure how DD, with no teeth, would be able to eat that? At the same time, I'm not too keen on the recipes I've seen so far. Mix with 1/4 cup olive oil? That just doesn't sound very good to me. Any suggestions? Thanks!

What doesn't sound good? I make them for me and her (mine get some salt and pepper) and they are delicious! At that stage I'd probably bake them whole and cut them into fry shape for her.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

hawk likes to hold and suck on apples. when i tried to take it away from him yesterday, he started crying. "my apple!" he said. lol! so, i gave it back to hiim until he put it down. if i won't give him food that i'm eating, then he goes onto the breast right away.

my MIL desparately wants me to start mush, just like she desparately wants me to do bottles so that she can feed him. i told her about BLW, but she doesn't believe in it because she did FF and then fed dh as people did back then, yk? but, she mostly wants to relate that way to hawk and i can understand that emotional desire.

i'm not going to give in to it, but i get it. LOL

everyone else seems supportive of BLW, but even if they weren't, they could stick it. LOL!

it just makes sense to me. so far, hawk has sucked on apple, red bell pepper, cucumber, carrot, and a green bean. perhaps not in the books either, but he's happy and we're happy. oh yeah, and i let him suck on a piece of grape fruit that i held.

after playing and sucking on the food, he went on the breast!


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## hrsmom (Jul 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NormaJean13* 
Hi everyone! I'm new to BLW, so bear with me. DD just turned 6 months yesterday and last night at dinner she ate some sweet potato puree. She made a face, but she does that all the time anyway, and then ate it. She really seemed to enjoy it. I didn't, however, like cleaning the reddish poop out of her cloth diaper. I guess I better get used to that










My LO made a face everytime she put food in her mouth for quite some time. I started letting her try food at around 6 months, I think. She didn't have that much interest, and I remember at first I didn't offer food every day. Nowadays she eats whatever I put in front of her, and rarely makes a face. I do primarily self-feeding, but I do feed her soup with a spoon!

I just discovered this week that a baby almost ten months old can put away a LOT of raisins! The first handful I gave her disappeared (and not into her lap or onto the floor!) and so I gave her another handful. I thought that was enough raisins. Can a baby overeat on things like that? My understanding is that they will not overeat, but at the same time maybe as mom I should make sure to offer her more than just raisins, for example?


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

Subbing! DD is 5.5 months old and I've been "reading up" on starting solids. I enter this new phase with trepidation though...would love to keep it simple and baby led, just concerned I'll let all those outside influences creep in to my head and tell me to get it going before she is really ready. So this support thread should be great!


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

actually, I should mention I'm reading Super Baby Foods. Do y'all recommend that, or is there something better I should be reading instead?


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## accountclosed2 (May 28, 2007)

Regarding sweet potato "fries", they are DD's fav food, has been since around 7 1/2 mts. She didn't get her first tooth until she was 9 1/2 mts old, but had no problem with them. she would kind of nibble holes in them, and suck out the mash inside! around the time her first tooth cam in she started taking them apart in her mouth, but removing every single piece of the "skin", placing them on the table! Now, still with only one big tooth (and 3 that have just barely come through), she polishes all of it off!

I highly recommend Rapley's book.


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## jennchsm (Jun 24, 2008)

Subbing. 

DS is 10.5 months adjusted age, and we started BLW when he was 6mAA. These days, it seems like he eats everything! He loves grapes in particular, so much that we've learned to save those for last, because it's all he'll eat.

Blueberries are also a big hit. A PP above asked about blueberries and whether you should cut them up. I don't, but my son has several months' experience with self-feeding now, so I wasn't worried. I cut grapes in half because they're so big, not just because they're round. HTH!


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## baileyann3 (May 12, 2008)

I'll join! Macey is 8.5 months and we kind of had a rocky start. We had avocado and she wasn't at all interested (at 7 months) so we waited a week or two and tried banana. She ate some and then had a BAD reaction. Crazy gassy , cried for about 4 hours . We almost went to the ER! Then a few weeks ago I gained my courage back and started again ( leaving out banana and other latex foods)

Now she's has apple, sweet potato, and zucchini. She mostly plays but seems to be getting the hang of it!

Glad to be here! What should we try next? Boy I wish it wasn't winter and there were more foods in season


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## aquamam (Sep 19, 2008)

Count me in too. My DS is 8.5 months old (same bday as yours baileyann3!).

I'm not going to do the hardcore Rapley thing, but I do like the approach generally so we're adapting it to suit our family.

So far banana chunks, sweet potato fries, broccoli, pear and avocado, and last night was japanese yam tempura with the batter peeled off - a hit! DH has terrible allergies so we're being pretty careful on the introduction side of things.

We are also doing some purees and mashes - the grandmas love to feed DS (try to anyway!) and I don't see the harm - they're all having fun







Also DS loves to spood feed himself.

DS is also obsessed with rice cakes, puffed rice, and cheerios.

I look forward to some good ideas from other mamas, and to hear your challenges and successes


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## birdie22 (Apr 1, 2005)

My 8.5 mo has been self-feeding for a couple of months.

We're pretty loosey-goosey about it. We don't have allergies in our family, so we're diving in with both feet. DS gets offered whatever we're eating for dinner, as long as it's squooshable.

His absolute favorites are carrots and beans, especially when they're cooked with meat. Penne with marinara. Stir fried turkey and broccoli. Western omelet. Mmmm... it's almost dinner time.

He also enjoys the occasional waffle straight from the freezer when his teeth are bothering him.









BTW, it's a good thing he likes strong flavor, because yesterday I dropped a big jar of garlic and it splashed all over him (plastic container, so no broken glass, just lots and lots of minced garlic). The outfit he was wearing smelled like a breadstick when I took it out of the dryer.


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## spirit4ever (Nov 4, 2004)

dd is sticking her nose up to most purees now, when just last week she was loving them!! which is fine, now i've offered bits of banana and avacado..

just wondering how everyone is offering the food?


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spirit4ever* 
dd is sticking her nose up to most purees now, when just last week she was loving them!! which is fine, now i've offered bits of banana and avacado..

just wondering how everyone is offering the food?

I am not offering any purees. I've just been giving her a few chunks of banana to try. Banana Show Down

She had her second attempt tonight and enjoyed playing and licking them.


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## baileyann3 (May 12, 2008)

I am offering large and steak fry sized chunks of food. If it's soft when it's raw, then perfect if not, then I steam the veggies.

How long are you mamas gonna wait until you do two ingredient or multi ingredient foods?


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

DS turned six months this week and so far he's tried a chunk of banana a few times and just polished off a spear of broccoli - which he SO enjoyed gnawing on. It kept him happy and busy while we had our own lunch.
He's not too interested in the mashed sweet potato - which I gave him because we were having it - but I'll try the suggestion of making "fries."


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

Subbing.

My twins are 7.5 months and we are slow to start on the solids introduction. Plus they've been sick with a cold this past week and I haven't really bothered. Baby ds seems to like small chunks of things and has had banana and pear chunks. He's also enjoyed mushing up pieces of avocado and sweet potato and sucking it off his fingers. Baby dd does not like the chunks so much but she liked sucking on a big piece of banana. I've also offered them plain brown rice cakes and they play with them a bit.

I remember my dd1 wasn't that into food until around 9 months so I'm not in a big rush. Plus I just don't seem to have the time. We have no allergies so we'll probably be pretty relaxed on what/when we offer things aside from the big ones like peanuts, dairy, etc...

My question - we eat a lot of oatmeal here. Would you make regular oatmeal and give it to baby in a bowl to kind of play with and suck off their fingers? Or would you grind it up first?


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

I've noticed a lot of people saying they are not doing purees... what is the reasoning for that?


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## Pyrodjm (Jan 9, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckennasmomma* 
I've noticed a lot of people saying they are not doing purees... what is the reasoning for that?

Here is some info: http://www.baby-led.com/


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

oh great, thanks! I really just need to get the book I think!


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## LeahC (Sep 10, 2007)

Subbing!

Evelyn will be 8 months old in 4 days














and we have been doing BLW since she turned 6 months old. We also started with banana, which she was not impressed with the first time we gave it to her, but by the third attempt she wolfed down a 1/3 of a banana.

She now loves sitting down and eating. She gets very excited when she sees me getting her bib for her and starts to squeal. I would say her two favorites are sweet potato wedges and avocado. A close third would be hard boiled egg yolks. I give her the whole yolk and she will play with it for a bit before she crushes it in her palm. She always lets out this little baby sized diabolical laugh when she does that.

I have also exposed her to some chicken breast. I wasn't planing on it, but last weekend I made homemade chicken soup and had taken the chicken out the broth to shred. The meat was so tender and falling apart and she was watching me intently from her highchair, so I figured what the heck. She really got into it.

I have given her soften apple wedges and shredded fresh apple and she much prefers the shredded fresh apple (don't blame her- I don't like cooked apples either!). She has also had acorn squash, butternut squash, both steamed and boiled carrots, blueberries, pears, peaches...I feel like I am forgetting things. Oh, shredded cheese! She had a lot of fun with that.

I just picked up some whole milk yogurt for her to try this week. I'm sure a bath will be needed after I let her go to town with that.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

hi, i'd love to join. DD is 8 months and we delayed solids until a little over a month ago. she gets some purees a couple times a day only. she is still very ambivalent about eating solids, which is fine with me! DH is the one that was pushing solids because it was his 'project'- making food himself from produce he picked out and getting involved in feedings. i posted about this here, if anyone cares to read some history: http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1012453

my goal is to BF and give EBM for as long as possible. i work full-time so have been pumping since day one in order to build up a supply of frozen milk. we were doing great for a while, and then the holidays came and i gave myself a break from pumping on the many days i was off from work. now my frozen stash is only a few bags ahead and i'm concerned about running out of milk for her. part of me was hoping that DD would accept more solid food so that she wouldn't need as much milk, but i know that she should still be getting the same amount of milk. i just don't want to have to move to formula.

i told DH about the let's-not-do-purees thing and explained the BLW/feeding philosophy. he still thinks we should try feeding her and be persistant. about a week ago DD started gagging on the purees and throwing up, so fortunately i think he has gotten the point. he is now ok with letting her lead the way. he'll still try to feed her, but if she closes her mouth and turns her head, he won't force it. i guess cleaning up a huge puddle of vomit was a large enough deterrant! lol


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## Surfer Rosa (Jun 3, 2005)

I'm interested in this concept as my DS is really keen to eat!

zoebird-we had the same kind of apple eating experience a while back. Ro grabbed it out of my hands and started sucking on it-the look of delight on his face was priceless! I took it away (he hadn't had anything to eat other than BM at this point), and he started crying in protest...so I let him suck away for a bit, while I pondered my ideas about food/BLW.

He was showing me he was ready, so I tried some food: sweet potato. He was grabbing at the spoon with the second bite. This kid LOVES food. He's tried sweet potato, squash, banana, avocado, and carrot, and loved every bite. I'm not making purees like I did with DD, but I am mashing it up a bit. I want to try offering strips of things, as his grip is pretty good (and when it comes to food, his aim is pretty good!)


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## PaigeC (Nov 25, 2008)

Hi all, I'd like to lurk on your thread. I'm due to delivery my baby girl any day (I'm having contractions right now *crosses fingers*). So it will be a while before I'm introducing any solids but I'm an advocate of BLW so I'd like to sponge all of your experiences!


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi Everyone-
I have been trying this BLW thing for a couple of weeks, but my dd doesn't seem to understand, or maybe she doesn't have the coordination. When she does eat little bits ( I have put little chunks into her mouth, they come out almost completely undigested (sweet potato and carrot). Tonight I mushed up banana and potato and she loved it..... I mean, almost licking the bowl....

So, I think she is ready (almost 8 months), but doesn't have the coordination. What to do?


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chloe'sMama* 
Hi Everyone-
I have been trying this BLW thing for a couple of weeks, but my dd doesn't seem to understand, or maybe she doesn't have the coordination. When she does eat little bits ( I have put little chunks into her mouth, they come out almost completely undigested (sweet potato and carrot). Tonight I mushed up banana and potato and she loved it..... I mean, almost licking the bowl....

So, I think she is ready (almost 8 months), but doesn't have the coordination. What to do?

How is her eye-hand coordination with toys or other objects? Does she grab at them and bring them to her mouth? When you give her chunks of food, is she bringing it to her mouth and mouthing it? If so, then it would seem like she's figuring it out. My dd is just 6 mo old and she loves to mouth things so she seems to be focused on the exploring part of food. She isn't eagerly eating anything yet, but she's only had banana a couple of times.

I'm curious about giving food that is normally mushed, like applesauce. Do you just wait until they have the coordination to use spoons themselves? I haven't gotten my book yet so I don't know how to approach that.


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## birdie22 (Apr 1, 2005)

I don't know what the book says, but here's what we do:

First, I don't give spoonable foods very often. I'm just too lazy about cleanup. Second, I might use it to dip something else that he can manage, like dipping a rice cake in mashed potato, or dipping a cracker in apple sauce. Third, I have on occasion put yogurt right on his tray for him to smoosh around and lick off his fingers. And finally, sometimes I help him with the spoon. (This last one happens when I want to share my soup in restaurants, or when he's eating the expensive baby yogurt that I can't bear to waste.)

There's no wrong way to do it. Whatever seems logical to you at the moment, yk? The main idea (for me) is that the baby is in charge, and that it's real food.


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## kaliyah'smama (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eksmom* 
I can't find the BLW book by Rapley anywhere locally but I would like to order it. For those of you who have it, does it still make sense to get it now that we're 2 months into starting solids?

It's a great book. Personally, I love having resources I respect and trust available to me so that I can can be reminded of important facts when having conversations with others about my parenting choices! I bought it via UK's version of the US online book purchasing company (am I allowed to note the name in these forums? I'm new to MDC). I hope you find it if you decide you'd like to have a copy - and enjoy the read!!


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## kaliyah'smama (Aug 11, 2008)

Kaliyah (should I be referring to her as DD?) continues to eat absolutely everything (with the exception of extremely spicy food - even medium-spicy works for her!). We eat a vegetarian diet and are sure to diversify her foods. She loves veggies and consumes them in large quantities (especially grape tomatoes!). She is with my in-laws three days/week and it seems that everytime I call, DD is "eating." Hmm. Okay.

So, my question is, at what point do we begin to become cautious about her "self-initiated" feeding (we do determine WHEN she eats as she typically has eats whenever we do) and/or the quantity of her consumption? (She was over 20 lb at 7 months and born 9 lb 3oz so she is a big baby).


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## birdie22 (Apr 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kaliyah'smama* 
Kaliyah (should I be referring to her as DD?) continues to eat absolutely everything (with the exception of extremely spicy food - even medium-spicy works for her!). We eat a vegetarian diet and are sure to diversify her foods. She loves veggies and consumes them in large quantities (especially grape tomatoes!). She is with my in-laws three days/week and it seems that everytime I call, DD is "eating." Hmm. Okay.

So, my question is, at what point do we begin to become cautious about her "self-initiated" feeding (we do determine WHEN she eats as she typically has eats whenever we do) and/or the quantity of her consumption? (She was over 20 lb at 7 months and born 9 lb 3oz so she is a big baby).









Welcome to MDC!

I'm not sure whether you're concerned about what foods her grandparents are feeding her, the fact that she's not eating on a schedule, or worried that she's eating too much. Maybe all three.









My personal take on it is not to worry about much of anything unless it's interfering with nursing. Particularly the fact that she's eating at random times... grazing is often recommended for young children because their tummies are so small.

Presumably if she was with you, she would nurse, but if she's at her grandparents, she may lean more toward solid foods as opposed to a bottle. (I'm not too sure whether less EBM is equivalent to less nursing; maybe somebody who pumps more than me can advise you on that.)


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## aquamam (Sep 19, 2008)

So DS (9 months) is totally into carbs - if it were up to him, rice cakes and Os would be the only things on the menu! We've had success with broccoli and sweet potato fries, but crunchy-yet-dissolvable things seem to be what he wants.

We are offering the fruits/veggies first, and then puffed rice, rice cakes or Os after (mostly b/c it keeps him occupied and still joining in at the table while the rest of the family finishes dinner). Not sure what Rapley would have to say about this (I borrowed the book from a friend and skimmed it at that), but just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat, or has any suggestions as to what else to offer my carbo-loving kid.

thanks!


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

My six-and-a-half-month-old just started gnawing on food - broccoli, asparagus, sweet potato, avocado and oat teething biscuits, so far - once or twice a day and seems to like it.
The problem is that he suddenly has a rashy bum - which he's NEVER had before. I've read it can be linked to solids.
Should I lay off them for a while? Could it be one of the foods?


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## Pyrodjm (Jan 9, 2007)

We finally have a food Natalie likes, apples! I lopped off a bit of apple on one side and gave her the rest of the apple to hold/taste. She went ot town sucking and gumming the exposed white part. This is totally different from the horrible faces and noises she made when she tasted banana and avocado. Funny, DH and I both hate avocado and banana. We will offer them to DD again though.


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## aquamam (Sep 19, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Megan73* 
My six-and-a-half-month-old just started gnawing on food - broccoli, asparagus, sweet potato, avocado and oat teething biscuits, so far - once or twice a day and seems to like it.
The problem is that he suddenly has a rashy bum - which he's NEVER had before. I've read it can be linked to solids.
Should I lay off them for a while? Could it be one of the foods?


Megan73, I am doing the classic "wait 4 days" thing between offering new foods - lots of allergies in our family. You could try reintoducing them one at a time to see what's triggering the reaction. (sure sounds like a reaction to me)


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aquamam* 
Megan73, I am doing the classic "wait 4 days" thing between offering new foods - lots of allergies in our family. You could try reintoducing them one at a time to see what's triggering the reaction. (sure sounds like a reaction to me)

Thanks - that's good advice.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

i have a question... generally, is it ok to offer fruits raw? we've introduced apples and pears but we've steamed them and mashed them first. she loves apples but it would be so much easier to offer some pieces raw. DD is 8 months old and only has one tooth.


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## EzzysMom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
i have a question... generally, is it ok to offer fruits raw? we've introduced apples and pears but we've steamed them and mashed them first. she loves apples but it would be so much easier to offer some pieces raw. DD is 8 months old and only has one tooth.

I was comfortable offering them to DD raw around that time. I'd slice them somewhat thin but long (the eternal french fry shape).


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## EzzysMom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aquamam* 
So DS (9 months) is totally into carbs - if it were up to him, rice cakes and Os would be the only things on the menu! We've had success with broccoli and sweet potato fries, but crunchy-yet-dissolvable things seem to be what he wants.

We are offering the fruits/veggies first, and then puffed rice, rice cakes or Os after (mostly b/c it keeps him occupied and still joining in at the table while the rest of the family finishes dinner). Not sure what Rapley would have to say about this (I borrowed the book from a friend and skimmed it at that), but just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat, or has any suggestions as to what else to offer my carbo-loving kid.

thanks!

I must say my daughter is very similar, although she loves broccoli and avocado too. The O's and rice cakes are just clearly the favorite, I offer them as dessert unless I'm just really lazy







:


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## xochimama (Oct 11, 2006)

subbing.

we did the superfood diet w/ dd1. it was great nutritionally, but when I went back to work and she started p/t daycare at 12 mo., she just REFUSED her fabulous home-made purees (tofu, yogurt, mustard greens and brewer's yeast--she used to gobble it up...) She wanted the daycare food.







: We've had food battles ever since, and at 3 yo she is a picky picky eater. Arrrrrgh.

SO, the plan this time around is basically the same stuff nutritionally, and in that basic order, BUT BLW feeding!

My babe is 5.5 months, showing interest, so sometime in the next couple weeks we'll be starting...

glad to be here and get some tips, particularly re: gagging, size of food chunks, etc. ...


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## jennchsm (Jun 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
i have a question... generally, is it ok to offer fruits raw? we've introduced apples and pears but we've steamed them and mashed them first. she loves apples but it would be so much easier to offer some pieces raw. DD is 8 months old and only has one tooth.

We offered raw fruits from the beginning, in large pieces. In the Rapley book, she suggests you give a young baby an entire apple. You take a big bite out of it to expose some of the flesh, and then let them hold it and suck on it. It works surprisingly well!

By 8 months, my son was getting slices of apple and pear, and he'd bite off chunks (with his 2 teeth) and push them around in his mouth for a while before spitting them out again. Now at 11 months (all ages are adjusted, he was a preemie) he will take tiny bites from a slice of apple and mush them with his gums before swallowing them. I don't bother peeling the slices, as it doesn't seem to matter to him.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jennchsm* 
We offered raw fruits from the beginning, in large pieces. In the Rapley book, she suggests you give a young baby an entire apple. You take a big bite out of it to expose some of the flesh, and then let them hold it and suck on it. It works surprisingly well!

By 8 months, my son was getting slices of apple and pear, and he'd bite off chunks (with his 2 teeth) and push them around in his mouth for a while before spitting them out again. Now at 11 months (all ages are adjusted, he was a preemie) he will take tiny bites from a slice of apple and mush them with his gums before swallowing them. I don't bother peeling the slices, as it doesn't seem to matter to him.

thanks, i tried this today and had to quarter the apple since it was huge... anyway, it was the one thing she didn't put in her mouth! everything else she'll gum but not the apple. i'll keep trying. she will eat homemade apple sauce so it's not the taste that doesn't agree with her.

thanks for the suggestions.


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## starlightsound (Feb 18, 2006)

We'll join in! DS is loving avocado right now... and peas!


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

Hi all! I have a 9 month old DD who we're doing BLW with. Right now she plays with the food (usually whatever we're eating) but doesn't actually eat anything. We're avoidng wheat and nuts but the rest is fair game.

Her favorites are carrots & turnips, broccoli, and meat of any kind.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

still trying to give her raw apple. i told my mom to quarter & core an apple and give it to her today, to see if she'll start to gum it. nothing doing. so my mom takes the apple and puts it in the little dish from which she usually feeds her purees. what does DD do? she turns over the dish, letting the apple fall out, and then gnaws on the dish! she's doing this on purpose to tease us, i just know it!


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## not_telling (Mar 31, 2008)

When are y'all gonna offer meat to your baby (or when did you)? And how will you prepare the meat?


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## IHeartO (Nov 16, 2008)

Hi All,
I have many questions, but I'll start with the ones coming to mind this late in the evening...

Can anyone offer more clarification the cooking vs. non-cooking of fruit. I had never heard of BLW as a term, but I suppose it pretty much matches the philosophy we decided to adopt for DS who is 6.5 months. We have been giving him raw fruit, (apple, pear, banana, avocado so far - he has also had broccoli steamed, and a puree of prunes as I am not sure how else to offer prunes at this point). He seems to be dealing just fine by gumming it all (he has no teeth yet). Are there any reasons beyond choking hazard to soft cook the fruit? Just want to make sure it is not too much for his digestion.

We started off a bit fast - feeding lots of foods right around his 6 month "birthday" a few weeks ago, but then I felt it was too much, too soon, too rushed so we have backed off a bit. Are most of you feeding every day? Always at a meal time, or more just when it feels right? We offer DS once a day generally (but not every day) but it doesn't necessarily coincide with our meals - is it better to do it when we are eating? Do any of you not feed every day? It just feels like a lot to go from EBF to a whole bunch of options but then maybe this is just me! (see below)

DS does seem to enjoy some purees - we have offered prunes and apples this way but he enjoys self feeding with a spoon - what is the philosophy behind not offering _any purees? As long as he is feedng himself what is the objection?

Lastly, I have been feeling a bit sad, for lack of a better word, in a way about this whole new transition. Is this normal!? I know that this introduction of solids is totally normal and inevitable, and so far it is not interfering with BF at all, but I guess I am just feeling anxious that I am making good decisions, and also noting that it is the end of our EBF days. Anyone else felt this way or am I just crazy







?

Thanks all. Glad to have found this thread._


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Oh yeah, that's right, this thread exists.









So, anticipatory question, if there's no rash or anything within a few days of a new food is that food 100% okay from then on?

I don't anticipate allergies, but I don't want to be too laid back.


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## LeahC (Sep 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *EzzysMom* 
I was comfortable offering them to DD raw around that time. I'd slice them somewhat thin but long (the eternal french fry shape).

We usually grate fresh apple and pears and givem to DD that way. She loves to play with the shreds and just gobbles the fruit up!


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## LeahC (Sep 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *not_telling* 
When are y'all gonna offer meat to your baby (or when did you)? And how will you prepare the meat?

I have given DD some meat already. I wasn't planing on it, but I made homemade chicken soup a few weeks back and was shredding the cooked chicken meat for the soup and thought it would be the perfect texture for DD to try. I gave it to her along with some cooked whole carrots (also from the broth) and she absolutely devoured both.


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## kaliyah'smama (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *not_telling* 
When are y'all gonna offer meat to your baby (or when did you)? And how will you prepare the meat?

DH and I are vegetarians. We were originally prepared to feed DH whatever was best for her nutrition needs - meat included - though I've never prepared meat and assumed a lot of learning was ahead of me. Our "board-certified holistically-oriented" pediatrician suggested that DD should be eating whatever we're eating at meals - as an authentic part of OUR family.

So, she has not head meat to date. Rapley, in BLW, suggests that meat can be given as a first food, if I remember correctly - and an excellent first food, as it is such an incredible source of iron and, (again, if I remember correctly), there is a chance that iron absorption from breastfmilk decreases once solid foods are introduced....therefore, iron-rich foods become very important.

Though DD has not had meat, her iron levels were above normal at her 9-month visit.

Do you have Gill Rapley's book?


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## kaliyah'smama (Aug 11, 2008)

Thanks for the welcome and the reply.

Now 9 months, DD has continued to eat almost everything we're eating. She happily smeared a thickened tomato-based bean and pasta soup across her tray yesterday, cautiously picking through the mess to find the beans she wanted to "pincer grasp" and insert into her mouth. She seems to love legumes of all kinds.

We have been sporadically spoon-feeding her yoghurt which she initially devoured. Now, she initiates the end of her "yoghurt-feeding" at any given meal and I think we've discovered that she becomes super-stuffy and mucous-logged following her yoghurt consumption. She then has trouble nursing and it typically lasts through the night.

Could this be an "allergy?"

If so, might she be aware of her body's response and ending her yoghurt feeding as a result?


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

I've ordered the book.

We tried broccoli this morning. She adored it and mangled it with her hands. She did put it in her mouth and I'm pretty sure at least a few of the little specks that make up the florets got into her.

Don't you just love that "what on earth??" face/try it again pattern?


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
I've ordered the book.

We tried broccoli this morning. She adored it and mangled it with her hands. She did put it in her mouth and I'm pretty sure at least a few of the little specks that make up the florets got into her.

Don't you just love that "what on earth??" face/try it again pattern?

Yes, I love that face! You may find the broccoli later in her diaper.

I made a pot rost this week and gave dd her first meat. I gave her a 1/8" slice, cut into "sticks" and she loved sucking on them and chewing on it. She also seems to enjoy cooked carrot sticks.

PP, I have given dd raw and poached apple slices. She seems to like both.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

Ok, we are ready to try some solids! I think I would like to start with avocado. But I'm worried that it may be too slippery. Should I mush it up first, or just give some slices? Then should i let DD just play with it, bring it to her mouth, etc? I know that BLW discourages spoon feeding...

I guess I'm wondering if anyone has some "first timer" tips for us. DD and I are both beginners here!


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckennasmomma* 
Ok, we are ready to try some solids! I think I would like to start with avocado. But I'm worried that it may be too slippery. Should I mush it up first, or just give some slices? Then should i let DD just play with it, bring it to her mouth, etc? I know that BLW discourages spoon feeding...

Give your LO a wedge of avocado with the skin left on - it provides a "handle" so they can hang onto it. Don't worry if very little seems to make it into the baby though - it's just for fun at first.


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## calpurnia (Sep 26, 2004)

i coated a slice of avocado in crushed up rice cake (can't remember where i read this tip) to make it more easily handled. definitely helped some but it's a tricky food to manage!


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## aquamam (Sep 19, 2008)

We've had good progress over the past month. A PP gave the tip of black beans, and they've been a big hit for our DS! We've also done navy beans and chick peas. It was a big relief to me as the only things he would reliably eat prior to these were Os and rice cakes.

We still offer fruit at breakfast and veg for lunch and dinner, but it's hit and miss. Only broccoli and sweet potato fries are interesting (finally gave up on making the latter, I found some organic frozen ones at my grocer and it's about a million times easier to pop a few in the toaster LOL).

How is everyone else doing?


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## accountclosed2 (May 28, 2007)

DD is over a year now. She loves fruit. And meat. She'll eat beans and lentils happily. She likes potatoes and sweet potatoes baked in the oven (with lots of oil - well, she needs it, my skinny little one!). She will eat cucumber sticks. Oh, and she eats natural yoghurt, if it has plenty of grated or mashed fruit in it, and sometimes oatmeal porridge, if we mix in banana. But anything she doesn't want gets dropped down the side or deposited in our hands: most veges, avocado (bummer!), rice, pasta, bread, crackers... The only "bread-like"thing she'll eat is home-made (sugar-free) muffins - but that's just because they contain over a cup of grated carrots and are very sweet and juicy!

And I was adamant not to raise a picky eater!


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

We have successfully entered the world of solids! We ended up starting with sweet potato fries, which she really didn't have success in eating that way so I ended up mashing them with a fork and touch of breast milk. That worked better, but when she pooped them out they were pretty much undigested. Then we tried avocado. With the peel on she got a little down, but did much better with it smooshed up with breast milk, and it seemed to digest great. Today we tried some banana. I cut off the bottom of a banana, peeled it down but left the end as the handle, and she was great at gnawing off bits of it! I was really impressed! That was just today so hopefully it digests well.

DD is loving it. So far I'm just doing the one try a day. When did you/will you move to more than one meal a day? (DD is 6.5 months old)


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Lina got to sit on our laps and have fun with dinner(s) this weekend. She was







: about hummus and eggs and bagels and kugel and lasagna and probably swallowed all of an eighth teaspoon of anything.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Hi

I did Gerber-schedule, rice cereal, jars with DS1 now 4. A fairly brief stint though as I remember it, because I never did "junior foods"--I remember starting stuff like mashed avocado (I really thought i HAD to spoon-feed LOL) and toast bits at about 7 months. (started cereal at 5)

DD (now 2) I did some spoon feeding and fork-mashing. I think I might have bought a jar of prunes once when I thought she was constipated







other than that there were NO jars in our house. And I did a whole lot more self-feed (the avocado, bananas, stuff like that were in bits on her tray for her to pick up, lol
I also didn't stick as strictly to allergy-avoidance and stuff like that, she ate things like guacamole and chicken-curry crockpot stew early LOL. (that was a cooking experiment







one of those days when I opened the fridge and went hmmmm I have chicken..carrot..potato...and opened the cabinet and dumped whatever sounded good in the pot...)

I still did cereal early but it wasn't Gerber.

DS2 I will definently do a lot more like DD...but I think this time even more self-feed, spoon feed only soups, yogurt, anything that doesn't stick in a clump that we eat with a spoon. (in other words, I think he could self feed a clump of mashed potatoes, for example, but yogurt would be harder and well, there's a line I draw for mess-factor,







)

I have a theory about introducing solid food---if they can't eat it in a form that's easily recognizable and commonly served to adults, then they probably are not ready to eat that food. (If you can chew it, you are likely ready to digest it.)

and that purees don't teach anything---if the point of solids is to learn how to eat food, then give food that requires learning how to eat food,







as in how to chew. How to bite off pieces (when appropriate developmentally). Learning to like the different textures. Learning to like what your family eats. (I don't know too many people who eat strained peas or plain, cooked spinach for example. I do know lots of people who eat spinach on pizza, in lasagna, raw in salads.....you get the idea.)
in other words I think there is little point to getting your kid to eat something (like plain spinach) that you don't serve.

I don't know so far my theory has not steered me wrong. DD was 6 months two summers ago, and one of her first absolute favorite foods was sucking on a piece of watermelon! didn't hurt her a bit---I just had to hold it to keep her from getting a big chunk in her mouth. and she LOVES spicy stuff, ethnic foods, anything like that. actually what she does NOT eat is your typical "American kid" fare.....lol


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

Wow...we're almost 9 months here. Where does the time go? I'm feeling a little guilty because introducing food is going sooo slowly. With two babies and two older children I'm trying to find time to get them seated, prepare something and deal with the mess. I try for once/day but sometimes we miss a day.

Yesterday I found some organic applesauce kicking around so I thought I would try that - even though it was spoon fed. Baby ds was not a fan but baby dd was hilarious. She would hold her little fists up beside her head, open her mouth and frantically move her head around so I could get the spoon in as fast as I could. Of course then I would miss her mouth because she was moving around so much. But...man....she gobbled that stuff right up







. She also really enjoyed the watermelon wedge we gave her the other day. She would suck on it and any time she got a piece she would just spit it out.

So, far baby ds likes peas although he doesn't really eat them. He just moves them around in his mouth and then spits them out.

I am looking forward to the summer with all the yummy, FRESH, fruits and veggies. They will be 1 in June which is perfect timing to enjoy all the fresh stuff. Not to mention being able to eat outside to minimize the mess in the kitchen!


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## Pyrodjm (Jan 9, 2007)

Just a little update. Sweet potrato fries and parsnip fries are a big hit here. I toss them in a little olive oil and bake them. DD loves them and actually eats them. Broccoli was a no go. She just was not interested. We also offered bits of our salad while dining out. She didn't seem to want the the cucumber and lettuce at all. LOL. I love that I can be relaxed with feeding her and let her choose to eat or not eat at her own pace.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

What's your weirdest successful food? So far, ours is a hunk of raw onion. Just a rectangle from one layer of the onion. She picked that right up off her plate and gnawed away.


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## MissE (May 12, 2007)

Hi Mommas..may I join in? DD is almost 7 months and completely different from her big brother (now 2). He'd steal my food off the plate at 5 months and she is just not interested in eating at all. She loves to sit at the table with us, making chewing movements with her mouth and looking at the forks and spoons going back and forth but she won't keep anything in her mouth. I've only tried banana so far and a tiny bit of applesauce today. It comes right back out with a big gag and some weird noises. I guess she needs a little longer.


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## kaliyah'smama (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
What's your weirdest successful food? So far, ours is a hunk of raw onion. Just a rectangle from one layer of the onion. She picked that right up off her plate and gnawed away.

A dill pickle. Probably not the best food to offer (salt, salt, salt) but DD (6 months at the time) grabbed it off my place and devoured it!

Others?


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Subbing! DD will be 6 months in just a few short weeks and I'm soaking it all in!







:


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Avocado caused







: I left it in the peel, but she popped it off the peel soo fast and then had an enjoyable half hour trying to get the pieces to her mouth.









I've really got to get some pictures of all this.


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## OrchideZ (Mar 2, 2008)

I am very interested in doing BLW when DS turns 6 months or so.
What are some of the books I should get for recipes and things aside from the Rapley book?
Also, I have heard that lamb is a great first meat (sweeter than other meats and high in iron). Any good lamb recipes for babies to share?


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## winter singer (Feb 12, 2009)

Hello all!

We've just had our first few days of solids (DD turned 6 months old on monday). We've been following Rapley's method loosely. Dh had bought a jar of organic apple and blackcurrent sauce before we discovered Rapley and didn't want to waste it, so we've offered DD that, but the way we do it is that we just put a little it on a spoon and then hold it in front of her. A sort of hybrid method? Anyway, she will almost always grab the spoon and put it in her mouth (at various random angles, and some sauce usually disappears en route!) and she's already getting quite expert at sucking everything off it.

Since she's seemed to love the sauce so much, we've also tried organic yogurt the same way, which she liked too, and yesterday we were eating dahl (spicy lentil stew) with quinoa and I offered that to her on a spoon, and she liked that too! Very exciting. I hope this isn't cheating though - I don't want to put her off chewable stuff by offering too many purees/mushy foods. We would never just shove them into her mouth mind you, we always let her be in charge of where the spoon ends up.

I've also offered steamed broccoli, carrot and potato, slices of raw apple and chunks of banana. She picks them up and they get as far as her mouth, and she does some sucking and gumming, but little of any actually gets swallowed. She's had a little organic rice cake and bread too (no allergies in my family luckily, so we decided to chance it).

I'd been feeling a little sad about moving past the EBF, but it's just a real pleasure to see her having such a great time at meals. We already couldn't imagine her not being at the table with us. She's having such a great time and her delight is infectious.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OrchideZ* 
I am very interested in doing BLW when DS turns 6 months or so.
What are some of the books I should get for recipes and things aside from the Rapley book?
Also, I have heard that lamb is a great first meat (sweeter than other meats and high in iron). Any good lamb recipes for babies to share?









The Rapley book only has recipes for some fun dips and suggestions for things babies might enjoy dipping into things.

But she does offer some cooking advice for cooking for your baby, from which I give you
"Lamb for your BLW Baby"
Take favorite lamb recipe
Set aside small portion of lamb.
Prepare main portion as normal.
Prepare small portion without ingredients containing salt.
Spend meal trying to convince baby that his/her portion of lamb is just as fun as your portion.
Decide to learn to like lamb without salt.


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

My son was not interested in solids until 7.5 months. We mainly just fed him whatever we were eating. If I was worried about choking, I put it in one of those little mesh feeder bags and he got the food out of it. One of my favorite baby photos is of him and dad each holding and eating a nectarine.

My daughter wanted solids at 4.5 months. First thing she stole and put in her mouth was a piece of pizza. I just wasn't ready for her to have solids that young. I wanted her to have only breastmilk until 6 months. However, by 5.5 months it was apparent that she disagreed with me. I sliced an avocado and fed it to her. Next morning I held a banana while she ate it. There was no sampling phase for her. Within a couple days dinner was half an avocado.

She is adopted and we know nothing about the biological father, so I have been cautious about what foods to offer her. I am particularly leary of wheat. Plus, she just seemed too little for all of this. There is a huge difference between a 5.5 month old and a 7.5 month old when they first want solids.

She is now 7 months and I am ready to offer her more foods. I'm glad I found this thread because it reminded me to let her do more self-feeding. We have been feeding her banana, applesauce, egg yolk, avocado, peas, and a few other random things. The main thing she self feeds is rice cakes. I came here in search of other ideas and am glad to have found the Rapley book. I just ordered it.

I think tomorrow I will give her the whole banana and see if she will self-feed.

It is kind of important that she not cut back on how much she eats. I was able to build up a good milk supply, but I do need to supplement some with donor milk. Since she started solids, the amount I need to use has decreased. I have enough milk to get her through to a year, perhaps longer, if she keeps up solids as much as she's been eating them so far.

I look forward to more ideas on foods I can let her self feed.


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## winter singer (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
"Lamb for your BLW Baby"
Take favorite lamb recipe
Set aside small portion of lamb.
Prepare main portion as normal.
Prepare small portion without ingredients containing salt.
Spend meal trying to convince baby that his/her portion of lamb is just as fun as your portion.
Decide to learn to like lamb without salt.









:


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

DD went to town on black beans this week. She had the cutest way of holding themto feed herself. She sort of balanced one on the top of her index finger, using her thumb to support it and placed it in her mouth. She ate a lot of them! I found the skins in her diaper the next morning....


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

So lots of folks have mentioned sweet potato fries. However, no one has said how to make them. I'm sure there's more than one way. Can someone(s) tell how you make them.


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## Juniper3 (Jul 16, 2008)

Hi everybody! My son wasn't interested in food at all until almost 8 months, so for the past few weeks I've just been giving him little tastes of things here and there. He seems intrigued by thenew flavors, but goes right for mama when he's actually hungry.

So far, he _loves blueberries (I squooshed them for him between my fingers and he sucked out the innards) and watermelon, and really enjoyed sucking the juice out of a slice of clementine (I don't make a habit or offering him citrus just yet, but we have no history of food sensitivities and clementines seem less acidic as far as citrus fruits go). He likes gnawing on whole apples if you take a bite first to break the skin, and seemed to do ok with sweet potato and avocado, though neither excited him. He likes bananas, but has trouble eating them. Seems to bite off chunks too big to swallow and just pushes them around his mouth until he gags. Hated broccoli







. He loves to drink water from a cup or suck it from a spoon. I like the emphasis BLW places on exploring food in all it's textures and variety, but that being said some foods are nice pureed (homemade applesauce...) and I see no reason not to let him try that as well. I am looking forward to summer when all the berries and peaches come into season!_


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## StoriesInTheSoil (May 8, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mybabysmama* 
So lots of folks have mentioned sweet potato fries. However, no one has said how to make them. I'm sure there's more than one way. Can someone(s) tell how you make them.

I just cut sweet potato into fry-shaped pieces, maybe brush with a wee bit of olive oil, then bake them until I feel like they are done. Maybe 15-20 minutes? This is not specifically for babies though as I've never made them for DS- only for myself. Sweet potatoes are my favorite food, yum!!

I guess I should Sub here. My son is almost 7.5 months. A couple of days ago we gave him a few chunks of banana to try out and he just squooshed them around, mashed them up, and spread it all over his bare belly, his head, and the sides of the high chair. When he put it in his mouth he just looked confused and took it out again. We tried again last night and he mashed up the banana and then chewed on his bib and then nursed more.

I'm not really super interested in him eating so I'm not too worried. If he won't swallow solids, can I still call him EBF??









He sits unsupported, grabs for things on our plates, is learning pincer grasp, crawls, pulls to standing, etc. etc. etc. but seems to have no interest in actually EATING food.







:


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Melon for the win!


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## kaliyah'smama (Aug 11, 2008)

She was so serious tonight, sucking in strands of whole-wheat spaghetti, and covering her face (and sweet little outfit) in tomato/roasted red pepper sauce. What a joy dinner was!! I'm already missing the experience of tonight's mealtime....


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

hi mamas,

does anyone out there have a 9+ month-old who still isn't all that interested in eating? DD still is having a hard time figuring out the chewing thing and ends up gagging if the food isn't already small enough to swallow, or in pureed form. she will gnaw on apple, and i gave her about a 4-inch piece of banana to hold and bite on, but she was biting off chunks that were too big and i was afraid she would choke on them. she still has trouble picking up small pieces of food- her pincer grasp is there but if the food it sticky she has trouble and it ends up just sticking to her fingers and never makes its way into her mouth.

should i be concerned?


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## MissE (May 12, 2007)

As for the sweet potatoe fries. I cut them into strips and then roll them in some egg white that I whisked up before. Put on an ungreased cookie sheet and put in the oven at 375 for a few minutes until done. Make sure to not burn the egg white...it burns rather quickly.

As for us. DD is now 7 mo...and still likes her noonie the best. No interest in food, she does make chewing motions with her mouth but that is about it.


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## LeahC (Sep 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MissE* 
As for the sweet potatoe fries. I cut them into strips and then roll them in some egg white that I whisked up before. Put on an ungreased cookie sheet and put in the oven at 375 for a few minutes until done. Make sure to not burn the egg white...it burns rather quickly.

As for us. DD is now 7 mo...and still likes her noonie the best. No interest in food, she does make chewing motions with her mouth but that is about it.

Just an FYI- that egg whites are considered an allergen and most avoid introducing the whites of eggs until the baby is closer to the age of 1.


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## CallMeMommy (Jun 15, 2005)

Ooh, I'm joining.

So just some reassurance - I can give my baby "regular" foods and not worry too much about him choking? That whole "nothing smaller than a toilet paper tube" mantra they cram into your head when you have a small child is just screaming "NO!" at me. DS hates purees and has an incredible gag reflex - kid gagged on a Hyland's teething tablet this weekend so hard he threw up. Is it reasonable to think I can cut him a big chunk of apple and let him gum it to death? My first was also a "Gerber-schedule" baby so this is new territory for me.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LeahC* 
Just an FYI- that egg whites are considered an allergen and most avoid introducing the whites of eggs until the baby is closer to the age of 1.

Yes, and strawberries, citrus, wheat, dairy, soy, tomatoes, shellfish, and nuts.

1. Once the gut's closed up, which it will be for a baby who learns gradually to move the food to the back of the mouth for swallowing, the allergen risk is much less.

2. If you've (generic "you") a baby with a sensitive gut, odds are you've already removed the food culprits from your own diet and will be very cautious about attempting to reintroduce those foods.

3. Early avoidance as a way of preventing allergies is of disputed merit.


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Can anyone recommend some early high calorie, vegetarian foods. So far we are giving avocado, egg yolk (from our chickens,) and cottage cheese.

Any other ideas?


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## eksmom (Jun 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mybabysmama* 
Can anyone recommend some early high calorie, vegetarian foods. So far we are giving avocado, egg yolk (from our chickens,) and cottage cheese.

Any other ideas?

What about good oils such as olive and flax?


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## snuggly (Feb 9, 2009)

Hi everyone, I'm so glad to see this support group here.

My little one is almost 5 months and is very interested in our food. She stares, waves her arms and smacks her lips. So far we haven't offered any food yet, but I can tell it's getting close to time. I've been research BLW and it seems to make quite a bit of sense. My question is how do you get started? What foods to offer and how often? Also, does anyone have experience with starting BLW alittle ahead of the 6 month mark if you baby is telling you they are ready?


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *heidib24* 
Hi everyone, I'm so glad to see this support group here.

My little one is almost 5 months and is very interested in our food. She stares, waves her arms and smacks her lips. So far we haven't offered any food yet, but I can tell it's getting close to time. I've been research BLW and it seems to make quite a bit of sense. My question is how do you get started? What foods to offer and how often? Also, does anyone have experience with starting BLW alittle ahead of the 6 month mark if you baby is telling you they are ready?

From 4.5 months to 5.5 months my baby kept grabbing food and showing all kinds of interest. I wanted to hold off until 6 months, but finally gave in. I kind of wish I'd waited a couple more weeks.

Anyways, I hadn't read the book listed here and was afraid of choking, so I would hold pieces of avocado or banana and let my baby bite them off. Quickly she was eating at least half an avocado for dinner and similar amounts of food for lunch and breakfast. WHenever she wanted to stop, we stopped, though so it wasn't forced eating.

I was concerned about nutrition so would offer her an egg yolk (boiled) from my chickens for lunch, except she didn't like it. Because my son was anemic at 9 months (despite not starting solids until 7.5 months) I thought it important my daughter get a yolk a day for the iron. The pediatrician said she'd need vitamin C to absorb the iron so I gave her the yolk with applesauce. Lots of spoon feeding.

She's 7.5 months and I just read the book so am trying to introduce more chunky foods--broccoli stalks, strips of gluten free toast. After we do that, then I feed her since that's what she's used to. She'll eat peas, small bits of broccoli, beans, etc.

I'm on the fence about how much we've fed her. She always leads the amount, and it's huge. I worry she hasn't gotten enough breastmilk. However, she's adopted and I am nursing her and am a bit shy on how much milk I make so I need to supplement her with donor milk. She has dropped the amount of donor milk we use each day from 6 to 2 ounces. I have a limited amount of donor milk available. At 6 ounces a day, I can keep her supplied until a year. At two ounces a day I have extra milk to get through next winter's cold and flu season, if needed. I don't know if my body will keep up iots current supply, so my situation is a bit different than that of people with bio babies.


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## EzzysMom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *heidib24* 
Hi everyone, I'm so glad to see this support group here.

My little one is almost 5 months and is very interested in our food. She stares, waves her arms and smacks her lips. So far we haven't offered any food yet, but I can tell it's getting close to time. I've been research BLW and it seems to make quite a bit of sense. My question is how do you get started? What foods to offer and how often? Also, does anyone have experience with starting BLW alittle ahead of the 6 month mark if you baby is telling you they are ready?

My daughter was dying for food at the table every night and trying to grab. I gave her cups and spoons and bowls to play with to keep her occupied. She enjoyed getting to use those utensils and it put her off just long enough to get to six months. Now she's screaming for food off of my plate at 11 months, and she's got a bunch of new foods to wait for before that'll happen. (just started cheese today as the first dairy, no wheat, or soy yet)


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

My perceptions may be colored by my baby's personality, but my 6.5 month old DD has been really interested in whatever we were doing or eating, but not really too interested in actually eating it. Her grabby/fascinated phase isn't so much about eating as just about exploring.

At this point, I just give her pieces of food that would be ok for her to eat if she actually chose to put it in her mouth. She only rarely actually does. Everything else goes in her mouth though!


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Last week I tried frozen bm pieces and DD loved them, but her tongue thrust is still there and she kept pushing the pieces back out. She didn't swallow a one! So we are still waiting. Regardless, she enjoyed the cold and the texture and had a blast playing with the pieces.


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## oneluvmama (Oct 15, 2008)

Hi - can I join??

DD is 6.5 months old and over the last few weeks she's had a taste of banana which she made horrible faces at







an avocado slice that she instantly mouthed but then quickly decided she rather have mama milk, and a French teething biscuit that she preferred banging on the table. She is SO darn grabby at dinner time, but when she puts the food in her mouth she seems to be a little turned off by it. I don't think she's quite ready yet, but we will continue to play and follow her lead.

I also did BLW with DD1 and some of her first foods were small pieces of banana, steamed sweet potato, and steamed broccoli. Then we gradually started giving her bits of what we were having for dinner and she was an excellent eater until her little sister (and moms "new" milk) came along. Now she'd rather nurse too.









I am interested in the book some of you have mentioned. Can I ask where you're ordering it?


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *oneluvmama* 
I am interested in the book some of you have mentioned. Can I ask where you're ordering it?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0091923808


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Do you guys offer multiple foods at the same time? We're only a week into this, and I'm still just so apprehensive about giving too many different things even though I know I shouldn't be. So far we've only offered sweet potato and banana, both of which went really well.

So when do you guys feel comfortable offering more complicated things? Lately I feel so guilty eating in front of her b/c she really wants whatever I have -- which is always something like chips and guacamole (made from scratch, but what about all those spices?) or like a black bean taco or something. Any opinions on things like these?

TIA!


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## aquamam (Sep 19, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 
Do you guys offer multiple foods at the same time? We're only a week into this, and I'm still just so apprehensive about giving too many different things even though I know I shouldn't be. So far we've only offered sweet potato and banana, both of which went really well.

So when do you guys feel comfortable offering more complicated things? Lately I feel so guilty eating in front of her b/c she really wants whatever I have -- which is always something like chips and guacamole (made from scratch, but what about all those spices?) or like a black bean taco or something. Any opinions on things like these?

TIA!

I do now, but I didn't for the first two months (we have allergies in our family, so I'm being careful). I did try my best to make sure he had a variation of what we were having - so for your example above, you could offer avocado slices, mine also LOVES black beans. I also put some of his food on my plate so he could "have" some


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

I'm planning on doing BLW with my son. Sitting is still a bit dicey so I'm still waiting. I'm not sure on what to look for with the pincer grasp though. Is there some easy test for that?

Also I see people in this thread recommending Rapley's book. I am hesitating to purchase the book due to lack of time to read. Is it easy to read in small portions or perhaps there's a website that is just as handy?

Thanks!


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

Oops duplicate post


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *allisonrose* 
I'm planning on doing BLW with my son. Sitting is still a bit dicey so I'm still waiting. I'm not sure on what to look for with the pincer grasp though. Is there some easy test for that?

Also I see people in this thread recommending Rapley's book. I am hesitating to purchase the book due to lack of time to read. Is it easy to read in small portions or perhaps there's a website that is just as handy?

Thanks!

Here's a good article: http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedseli...lw/engels.html

I bought the book and flipped through it pretty fast. Didn't read everything, just important sections. Maybe I spent half an hour or an hour total.


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## honeybee (Mar 12, 2004)

Huh. I didn't know there was a name for this. I've just always called it "don't force-feed your kids and try to shove food down their throats."


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mybabysmama* 
Here's a good article: http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedseli...lw/engels.html

I bought the book and flipped through it pretty fast. Didn't read everything, just important sections. Maybe I spent half an hour or an hour total.

I read mine while nursing Lina in the car on a longish car trip right after getting it. The end of the trip was dinner with the relatives and I went from careful pieces of one or two things to letting her just take what she wanted off my plate.


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## frontierpsych (Jun 11, 2006)

We are sort of doing BLW. DS has had a few scoops of homemade purees, but nothing significant. He prefers to chew on frozen fruit and LOVES pickles and saurkraut!


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## hrsmom (Jul 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
I went from careful pieces of one or two things to letting her just take what she wanted off my plate.









We made that transition rather rapidly as well. My LO was 7 1/2 months old at Thanksgiving, and from that point on I gave her lots of different things, all at once.

Like honeybee said, it's basically just not forcing your baby to eat! I love that aspect of this approach to solids.


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## calpurnia (Sep 26, 2004)

does anyone have any suggestions for finger foods for a baby that loves crunchy/dry stuff? (not texture averse i don't think since she will also eat banana, pear, pureed fruit (horrors!) etc) she LOVES toast, oatcake, ricecakes, "tomato puff" things, cheese straws, all that sort of thing. i made v crispy potato cakes in the oven the other day, but i'm at a bit of a loss as to what to offer her. i don't like her having too much grain in her intake.


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## letniaLynne (Jun 2, 2006)

Joining!









We offered foods with my first in this manner and it worked out wonderfully! She was not a real "food" eater until almost 2yrs. She loved fruit and would eat that ALL day but really just lived on BM. Now at 3 she has a HUGE appetite. Also since she always self fed first with her hands then really early using silverware by 18mths she could eat almost anything with a fork or spoon very neatly and totally independently. I just loved how it all turned out.









I am looking forward to BLW with my DD2. She is just starting to show real interest and excitement over food at 8.5mths but GAGS on anything that is not totally smooth. I know she just needs more time and practice. So cute when they are covered head to toe in the mess!







:


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## Thing1Thing2 (Apr 30, 2008)

Did anyone notice constipation when starting blw? (nak) my 10 month old just started really eating the foods I give him, instead of just playing with them or shoving them in his mouth and choking. It seems he is always pushing and has hard poop.

I feed him banana, pear, blueberry, avocado, rye toast, broccolli....

I think those foods should be non constipating...


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

I think banana can be binding. I've also heard that avocados can be hard to digest. DD had banana and held poo in for 4 days -- though it wasn't hard for her when it was ready to come out. But it was the longest she EVER went b/w poo's.


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## EzzysMom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BonnieNova* 
I feed him banana, pear, blueberry, avocado, rye toast, broccolli....

I think those foods should be non constipating...

Well there was a bit of a difference since it becomes more solid compared to all liquid BM poop, so it might feel strange to him. Bananas are definitely constipating. Pear and blueberry should be a laxative effect, I think the others are in the middle.


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## LoveLife (Feb 8, 2007)

I'm joing the ranks. I ordered and read Baby Led Weaning and definitely enjoyed it. DS will be 6 months in 1 1/2 weeks and is showing all the signs of interest in food. Right now I'm just giving him spoons, etc to play with at dinner. While it keeps him busy, he often stops and stares at us making chomping noises with his gums. LOL.

I'm still holding off until the 6 month mark. I think that its harder to keep DH at bay though, not DS.


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## OrchideZ (Mar 2, 2008)

Haven't posted in a long while on MDC but we got our Tripp Trapp chair and our copy of Baby Led Weaning both on the same day yesterday.
Baby is now almost 6 months minus a week or so and so tonight for dinner, we put him in his chair at the table.







:
He was so bewildered and excited, kept looking from one of us to the other and smiling.
Finally he picked up the cucumber sticks and the thick apple slices and played and seemed to enjoy the food. He also had a few sips from his Born Free sippy cup of water for the first time ever and that was thrilling to him.
All in all, a great first dinner experience.
I want to make him some sweet potato fingers to eat next.
The book is a nice resource...very basic and accessible but gave me the confidence we needed to begin.
His tongue thrust is gone and his pincher grasp is good, sitting up so well and he seemed to like sitting with us.
We put a placemat for him along with a rubber Kiddopotomus mat (with catch tray) in front of him. The catch tray caught a bunch of apple so I recommend this one.
Oh yes, I took a bunch of pictures too.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

DD tried matzoh ball and brisket this weekend! woohoo! we had tried chicken previously and she was not interested, but today she also ate some chicken!







:

we're going to try black beans and mango next, i think. she's finally gotten the hang of her pincer grasp so it's going a lot more smoothly.

i feel much better because she really wasn't all that interested only a few weeks ago. but things seem to be going at a much faster pace now. i guess she is finally ready!


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## aquamam (Sep 19, 2008)

How are all the baby led babies doing? This thread hasn't received much action lately.

I'm wondering at what age you introduced or plan to introduce:

wheat
soy
dairy

DS is 11 months and I haven't knowingly introduced these yet, as we've been doing some food eliminations for mama due to suspected food allergies for babe. (no improvements but I lost 20 lbs LOL). Although 2 weeks ago DS found DDs discarded veggie (soy) ham and cheese sandwich on the dining room floor and had a few good chews!


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## snuggly (Feb 9, 2009)

We just have to hold her off/distract her another couple of weeks here... Then the fun eating can begin! I'm planning to do BLW and dd is acting SOOOO ready but I want to wait until she is the full 6 months. I have cheated slightly and given here things that she can teeth/gum on and get a little flavor but no food (raw celery stalks are a favorite) so we can have dinner in (slight) peace.

Dh and I have been having many discussions about the "perfect" first food for BLW. We're leaning towards very ripe avocado slices or maybe yam... Any other ideas?


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

I think avocado and sweet potato/yam are a great place to start.

DD is now almost 8 months and our latest successful food was zucchini. I sliced it in to long skinny slices, and boiled them a little bit to soften the skin. She loves feeding them to herself! But she often gets too many bites in her mouth so we just take the zucchini stick away until she can swallow what she bit off. Her pincer grasp is getting better all the time so when we give back the rest of the stick she is able to manage it pretty well.


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

I'm still giving DD some opportunities, but she's really not interested. I gave her some chunks of cooked butternut squash the other day. She mostly likes to play with it by squishing it between her fingers. The texture must be fun. It's funny that anything and everything else (socks, paper, toys, electrical cords) will go in her mouth, but she won't put food in her mouth.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

We shared oatmeal w/ cinnamon and an apple for lunch today. Such a mess!







And that was with firmly cooked oatmeal, cooked extra long then left to sit before eating, I think it's like oatmeal cake that way.

Lina's new kick is to want to have food offered to her with my spoon. And then she takes it off the spoon with her hand.







Fortunately, for goopier things she's willing to just guide the spoon into her mouth.

(____)---- spoon
(_ How much I fill the spoon when I offer her something goopy: less than a baby spoon can hold
(__ How far she puts it into her mouth
( How much of the stuff she actually takes off the spoon no matter how much I put on it.

And she takes the spoon into her mouth much more slowly than I would've put it into her mouth if I ever fed her with a spoon.

I was just noticing this today. Spoon-feeding must feed babies waaaaaayyy too fast.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *calpurnia* 
does anyone have any suggestions for finger foods for a baby that loves crunchy/dry stuff? (not texture averse i don't think since she will also eat banana, pear, pureed fruit (horrors!) etc) she LOVES toast, oatcake, ricecakes, "tomato puff" things, cheese straws, all that sort of thing. i made v crispy potato cakes in the oven the other day, but i'm at a bit of a loss as to what to offer her. i don't like her having too much grain in her intake.

Could you make other crispy cakes? Like beans, squashes?

Dried apple slices, cut very thin those are nice and crunchy.


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

I ended up ordering a copy of BLW. It's a very accessible book but I find it hard to find time to read it. I'm planning to start this weekend. I was a bit surprised by the recommendation to offer them a variety of food right from the start.

I'm really looking forward to it.


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## tpintsch (Jun 26, 2008)

I've been practicing BLW with my DD for a month now. She is 8 months old. She has eaten

Banana
Avacado
Sweet Potato
Peas
Green Beans
Carrots
Spinach (whole leaf)
Mango
Papaya
Strawberries (her favorite)
Winter Squash
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Watermelon
Cantelope
Honeydew Melon
Brown Rice (steamed)
Oatmeal
Ham
I love letting her feed herself. She really gets so eager when I put her in her highchair. She opens her mouth and starts flapping her arms when she see's me coming with food. Its a lot of fun.


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## LuminosaJane (May 10, 2007)

I'm new to this thread and am starting to explore BLW for my dd. She's just 5 months, so I'm not planning on starting until 6, but I do have a few questions for you all.

1) We tend to eat local seasonal foods and neither bananas nor avocados fall into that category for us. Sweet potatoes might still be around in May when she turns 6 mo, but they're not really in season either. For those that are feeding seasonally/locally what first foods are you introducing? (We're in Oregon FWIW).

2) For those with a trip trapp chair, what do you put on the table to protect it?

Thanks!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Green beans'll probably be available in a month in Oregon. Hmm, that's kind of a hard problem since leafy greens are the early ones and those are more difficult for little ones to manage.

Really, anything that can be made into a knob on a chip shape will do. We did broccoli first with Lina. She loved asparagus when it came into season, but I had to nibble off the outer skin (surprisingly good, btw) before she could get any of it into her mouth and that's after she'd had a month of practicing.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

We had roasted red pepper and tomato soup for lunch today. Such a mess!







Lina was in







and wanted to







:.

I started off doing it like yogurt or a thick soup, I take a spoonful, she gets the spoon with a smaller amount pre-loaded. That really didn't work and I didn't feel confident letting her have the spoon in case she tipped it.

Next I just dipped the spoon in to lightly coat it in the soup and let her have at it while I drank from the bowl. Much better. I just kept aware of what she was doing with the spoon so I could tell when she needed it refreshed with more soup or grab it when she was about to drop it on the floor.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Question for the BTDT mamas, how/when did working with a spoon or other dipper happen for you and your LOs?


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## snuggly (Feb 9, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *allisonrose* 
I ended up ordering a copy of BLW. It's a very accessible book but I find it hard to find time to read it. I'm planning to start this weekend. I was a bit surprised by the recommendation to offer them a variety of food right from the start.

I'm really looking forward to it.

That is interesting! Did all of you have success with starting with a variety of foods right from the start? What is the reasoning in BLW for that approach? -Heidi


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

Started last night. He got some broccoli, sweet potato "fries" and a strip of steak. Hadn't really planned on the steak but figured why not. He seemed to like the steak most of all. The broccoli and sweet potato also got gummed quite a bit. Got some adorable pictures of him gumming on a broccoli stalk.

This morning during breakfast, he got banana and avocado. He didn't seem too impressed. Perhaps he wasn't into the mushier textures.

Heidi - The reasoning is that since BLW isn't introduced until 6 months that the chances of allergies are lower to start off with since the digestive system is mature and ready to handle food. Also BLW babies will only eat tiny amounts at first which decreases the chance of digestive issues. It does mention that if you have food allergies in your family, you may want to be more cautious with potentially allergic foods.


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## momofadella (Mar 19, 2009)

We're doing BLW for our 8 month old daughter. She's been self feeding since about 6 months, but is still pretty much exclusively breastfed. My question is for mamas who have done BLW before. When did your baby cut out nursing? I want to nurse Dd at least until she's 2, we might even CLW. I'm concerned with early weaning with the introduction of solids. Any advice would be appreciated or I'd love to hear some personal experiences that would put my mind at ease. thanks


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## tpintsch (Jun 26, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momofadella* 
We're doing BLW for our 8 month old daughter. She's been self feeding since about 6 months, but is still pretty much exclusively breastfed. My question is for mamas who have done BLW before. When did your baby cut out nursing? I want to nurse Dd at least until she's 2, we might even CLW. I'm concerned with early weaning with the introduction of solids. Any advice would be appreciated or I'd love to hear some personal experiences that would put my mind at ease. thanks









I loosely followed BLW with my first DS. He nursed until he was 3. We would have days where thats all he wanted to do. I still don't give my newest DD 3 solid meals a day. So most of her nutrition is still breastmilk. (She's 8 months) I am not a structured person though, so YYMV. I would rather offer her some of what I'm eating (healthy of course) than come up with a whole other menu for her.


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

Had a scary experience at lunch today. My littly guy was happily gumming at a slice of pear. He must have gotten a chunk off and he gagged on it. Turning red and coughing and all. Freaked me right out for a few minutes. I'm glad I have the BLW book because that reassured me. Also remembering a friend tells me that her mash fed baby has gagged a few times eased my mind.

He was eager to continue working over the pear afterwards so he wasn't as tramatized as I was.

We had a fun diaper this morning. A chunk of tomato came out the same way it went in.







:


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

My babe has gagged on avocado. It made her regurgitate some breastmilk since she had just nursed. Kind of scary, but I think it's part of learning to eat.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

It's funny about the gagging - it only happens to my son when I try to spoonfeed him purees.
I started with BLW, got worried that at eight months he wasn't eating anything so I started trying purees. It made him gag and have massive pukes every.single.time. Not to mention the fact that he had zero interest in eating the purees and pushed it out of his mouth.
So I finally got the BLW book and am feeling renewed confidence that he will eat when he's ready. He actually ate a teeny bit of pork chop, sweet potato and green bean last night and gnawed on an apple and cheese at lunch.
We're both MUCH happier.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

DD gags a lot but it's because she's way too excited about feeding herself, and doesn't finish chewing/swallowing what's in her mouth before shoveling more food in. so we need to watch her closely to make sure her mouth is empty before offering more. and i remind her to chew which she then mimics, so it's a work in progress.

new foods this past week:
asparagus
cantelope
quinoa cake
tilapia
barley









things have gotten much much easier now that her pincer grasp has been mastered. she's quite the pro now!


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Yesterday morning, I changed DD's diaper and saw what I thought were peas in it. But I had never offered her peas, so me and DH were wondering what could this have been??? Then I remembered I had given her a sugar snap pea to munch on in the car from our take out when she was upset on Sunday night, and had bit off the end so that she could get the flavor better. She must have squeezed out the peas and eaten them! Little booger never even let on that she swallowed anything!

Last night she tried steamed broccoli. What a mess! I don't think she cared for the mess, she's too much of a neat eater. But more got down the hatch than I thought. This morning I opened her diaper after a poo, and little single florets were everywhere! I think it's hilarious, and great that she's able to eat with us!


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## Yiskah64 (Jul 24, 2008)

We're going to the store today to pick up some avacado for soon to be 7 month DD. I can't wait! It'll be her first food (except for a leaf we found in her diaper the other day). Thanks for all the information 

On a side note I hate trying to explain this to other moms. I feel like they think I'm either being cheap and not wanting to buy baby food, or I'm being lazy, not wanting to make my own baby food, or I'm just being neglegent and not doing what's best for my baby ("my son gagged on table food at 10 months!- in repsonse to me saying what we're starting with). I know it shouldn't bother me (and I should be use to it by now with all these alternative parenting decisions we've made) but I still want to scream, "I'm not a bad mommy! I really am doing what's best!!"


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

"Yes, it's really common for older babies who've been fed purees to have problems with table foods. That must have been scary for you."


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

You know, I don't think I've encountered other moms IRL doing BLW. I know some moms who cloth diaper, babywear and even a few ECers. But I've mostly heard about homemade purees/mashes. I do try to spread the word about BLW.


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## aquamam (Sep 19, 2008)

I am really enjoying baby led eating with my DS, but I realize it's not for every family, or even for every child. I tried it with DD and she wasn't into it at all, just wanted me to feed her (still does sometimes too, at 3!).

I don't feel it's a superior form of feeding your LO, but it's sure more fun (and more messy!), and it works for our family. In fact, sometimes I think DD got the healthier end of the stick in the early days, from all those fabulous organic purees I whipped up. DS often ends up with bits from my plate - french fries or pizza crusts. I always start the meal by offering yummy steamed organic veggies, but he's way more interest in the junk I sometimes end up eating. (note to self: start eating healthier food!







)


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

Blackberries were on sale today and I figured why not. Messy! But he did seem to have plenty of fun.


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## namistenicole (Jun 14, 2007)

I'm jumping in mid-stream here, sorry if this has been answered before...

When you guys mention seeing the food in the diaper (peas, broccoli florets), is this normal or does it mean their system isn't digesting the food? I gave DD some chunks of banana the other day (size of my finger tip) and they came out in the same form. I assumed this meant she wasn't ready for solids. Granted she is only 5 mo. In an older baby is it normal to see the food still in chunks?


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## Thing1Thing2 (Apr 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *namistenicole* 
I'm jumping in mid-stream here, sorry if this has been answered before...

When you guys mention seeing the food in the diaper (peas, broccoli florets), is this normal or does it mean their system isn't digesting the food? I gave DD some chunks of banana the other day (size of my finger tip) and they came out in the same form. I assumed this meant she wasn't ready for solids. Granted she is only 5 mo. In an older baby is it normal to see the food still in chunks?


It's totally normal. Not to be gross, but if you took a look at your poo, there would be chunks of food in it as well.


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## LaurenAnanas (Feb 26, 2008)

We offered baby girl some chunks of sweet potato last night and she was so confused!

She mushed it all around her tray and when she finally tasted it, she got suspicious and gave us the funniest looks. It was like, "Are you sure?" There are some pictures on our blog, link in my sig.

I think she liked her post-dinner bath better than the food!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LaurenAnanas* 
We offered baby girl some chunks of sweet potato last night and she was so confused!

She mushed it all around her tray and when she finally tasted it, she got suspicious and gave us the funniest looks. It was like, "Are you sure?" There are some pictures on our blog, link in my sig.

I think she liked her post-dinner bath better than the food!









So cute! You'll find yourself giving her new things just to see that face.







Hey, if she hated it she'd stop putting it in her mouth!


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Well, we started TWO (or was it 3?) DAYS BEFORE the official 6 mo b-day! He had sweet potato. I just put some I'd fork mashed (a 'blop') on his tray.

He made "yuck" faces mostly and spit out quite a bit. That was day 1 and 2. (I offered twice day 1, once day 2)

He's been sitting in his chair at the table a couple months now.

yesterday I gave him some avocado. Got a "yuck" face. Some interest in licking it off my thumb though LOL (I was breaking it up to put on a wrap. He licked off what was left on my hands, spit out little bits)

Today he got avocado and sweet potato. He was more interested in the sweet potato, barely had anything to do with the avocado. The cutest was when he had a handful of the potato and was trying to get it into his mouth (appeared anyway) but then got his THUMB instead and sat there happily sucking his thumb.









Dad gave him a chunk of mango today in his swing, he LOVED that thing! Sucked it, dropped it, cried for it







(by the way he was NOT swinging just sitting!)

He must have eaten *something* because when he pooped today I saw a little orange bit of sweet potato.

I am going to try the 'sticks' instead of my blops though, I think he'll have better holding success.

Though really his favorite thing today was when I gave him a baby fork! (He wanted mine SO BAD







)

I actually don't know, he seemed really interested in food, making little chewy motions and noises, squawking at us watching us eat, but now that I'm giving it to him, he really does not seem to care for it too much--except maybe that mango







(and the cry may have really been more a nurse cry, as shortly after that I took him to nurse and he did and fell asleep--he's pretty mellow though and will hang out with something to suck on or being held by me after picking up for quite awhile, even when what he wants is nursing. I guess he is confident he WILL get it







)


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

hey all... I was just directed to this thread after posting about my 5.5 month old who absolutely loves food. I was keen on waiting the full 6 months but anytime I try to eat she actually lunges for the food and shoves it in her mouth...she'll try anything and so far she's liked everything she's stolen and put into her mouth. She even tries to drink from my cups...she actually has been successful the two times I've helped her.
So far she's had, gazpacho (that was the first time she lunged and stuck her fingers in my bowl), avocado, pita, a piece of lettuce, and sucked the juice out of a clementine slice.
We have a Baby Safe Feeder but I'm sort of feeling like it might be more frustrating for her than just giving her the food. Any thoughts on that? I'm new to this and I don't yet have the BLW book.
We're off to buy a highchair today!!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juliav* 
hey all... I was just directed to this thread after posting about my 5.5 month old who absolutely loves food. I was keen on waiting the full 6 months but anytime I try to eat she actually lunges for the food and shoves it in her mouth...she'll try anything and so far she's liked everything she's stolen and put into her mouth. She even tries to drink from my cups...she actually has been successful the two times I've helped her.
So far she's had, gazpacho (that was the first time she lunged and stuck her fingers in my bowl), avocado, pita, a piece of lettuce, and sucked the juice out of a clementine slice.
We have a Baby Safe Feeder but I'm sort of feeling like it might be more frustrating for her than just giving her the food. Any thoughts on that? I'm new to this and I don't yet have the BLW book.
We're off to buy a highchair today!!

I think that if you're supervising, there's no need for those mesh feeders. And they really ruin the whole point of solids at that stage, which is letting the baby explore textures.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Has anyone's babies refused solids when they were cutting a tooth? Over the past few days all she's wanted were her Puffs, but I don't know if it's because of the tooth that just cut today, or due to the mystery virus she had which caused a high fever tues night/wed morning. i hope she gets her appetite back- she hasn't even been interested in her favorites, bananas and sweet potato fries!


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## fruitlove (Apr 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
Has anyone's babies refused solids when they were cutting a tooth? Over the past few days all she's wanted were her Puffs, but I don't know if it's because of the tooth that just cut today, or due to the mystery virus she had which caused a high fever tues night/wed morning. i hope she gets her appetite back- she hasn't even been interested in her favorites, bananas and sweet potato fries!









This is quite common with my daughter. She only wants to nurse.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
I think that if you're supervising, there's no need for those mesh feeders. And they really ruin the whole point of solids at that stage, which is letting the baby explore textures.

Thanks for the reassurance, I was feeling the same way about it in my gut... I'm struggling right now with parents who are either adamantly against our parenting decisions (my mom believes we should be using a bottle so _other_ people can feed DD, that ECing is "circus tricks", etc.) or somewhat supportive but not comfortable with them (my dad, doesn't bug me/tries to be supportive, but thinks I'll roll on DD in bed and choke her with "real food").
We got a beautiful SVAN highchair today!! So I'm really excited to let Ophelia go at some avocado tonight and get all messy!!


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

Don't think I have posted on this thread before, but we are doing BLW for the most part with ds (just a few purees in the beginning). I've sorta had a hard time finding foods he was interested in. He loves whole wheat crackers, and whole grain breads, but is not very consistent in anything else he'll eat. Tonight he tried meat for the first time and it was a huge success!







: Tender strips of steak off my plate at our favorite Mexican restaurant. He had such a good time munching on his steak strips and waving them around in the air. I brought home all the left overs for him to have again tomorrow.









Thanks for letting me share our meal time success story, it's so great to see him interested in and enjoying different foods!


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

tonight we had spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and meatballs. I gave DS a lettuce leaf (pretty much ignored), a noodle--rotini (threw it on the floor), a chunk of the toasty edge of the garlic bread (gummed a lot, seemed to like it!) and a meatball chunk, which he seemed to LOVE, sucked and sucked on that thing LOL

I did not give him tomato sauce as it just seems too acidy for a little guy? I *thought* about dipping his noodle in it. Would that have been OK??


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## BarracudaBaby (Apr 19, 2009)

First post here and so excited about BLW. It's great to find so many other moms who are doing it--the other baby message board I go to is all about purees and puffs only.

We just got the Rapley book and I have read about the first 5 chapters. After unsuccessful and frustrating attempts at rice cereal and mashed banana, DS has now tried chunks of apple, banana, canteloupe, honeydew melon, broccoli, and pancake. THe best was the apple--I gave him a whole one after I had taken a few bites to expose the flesh. He LOVED it and was quite upset if he dropped it or when I took it back to take another bite.

I think our biggest hurdle is going to be cooking more nutritious meals that are suitable for baby also. DH and I are not very good cooks and do a lot of frozen stuff and takeout. Please post any resources for healthy recipes, hopefully that a beginner could follow!


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

peaceful_mama - I have given lightly tomato-sauced noodles to my LO. He seemed to do fine with it although he wasn't hugely impressed by them either. I've been thinking about meatballs and suspect my guy would enjoy that....

BarracudaBaby - I don't have suggestions. I'm not a big cook either (hubby doesn't cook at all). Hopefully some mamas will have suggestions for the both of us.

Papaya was a big hit this morning. Although I'm not sure how much got swallowed because I don't think he has chewing down yet so more might have dribbled down his front than anything else.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BarracudaBaby* 
DH and I are not very good cooks and do a lot of frozen stuff and takeout. Please post any resources for healthy recipes, hopefully that a beginner could follow!

Bags of large chopped frozen veggies, fruits, and prepped veggie trays (prepared by me or purchased) are my fall back options for when I'm eating not-for-baby food. A bag of whole carrots is another good thing, takes about 20 seconds to peel one for her to nom.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Anyone combine BLW with some spoonfeeding?
The doctor was concerned at my son's last visit that I'm not spoonfeeding iron-fortified cereal and meat and that he could become iron deficient.
I'm thinking she may have a point - none of the foods that he manages to actually eat well are high in heme iron. I'm thinking I may try spoonfeeding some meat once a day while continuing to let him self-feed all the things he already eats - bread, bagels, banana, kiwi avocado, broccoli, omelet, cheese and whatever we're having for dinner.
Thoughts?


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Megan73* 
Anyone combine BLW with some spoonfeeding?
The doctor was concerned at my son's last visit that I'm not spoonfeeding iron-fortified cereal and meat and that he could become iron deficient.
I'm thinking she may have a point - none of the foods that he manages to actually eat well are high in heme iron. I'm thinking I may try spoonfeeding some meat once a day while continuing to let him self-feed all the things he already eats - bread, bagels, banana, kiwi avocado, broccoli, omelet, cheese and whatever we're having for dinner.
Thoughts?

That the iron in rice cereal isn't heme iron either and that the bread and bagels are probably fortified exactly like the rice cereal if they're commercially purchased. Also, that broccoli has plenty of iron and having it with a source of vitamin C will increase absorption. My third thought is that sucking on meats would give iron if he's sharing your meals. Then I thought that if you were doing homemade bread/bagels, you could mix blackstrap molasses into the dough.

Finally, if the doctor didn't mention testing his levels, she's not actually worried about them, she's just paying lip service to how babies are "supposed" to eat.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
Finally, if the doctor didn't mention testing his levels, she's not actually worried about them, she's just paying lip service to how babies are "supposed" to eat.

You're clearly right - the doctor wasn't THAT concerned.
I actually talked to the practice's dietitian and she e-mailed me a useful list of iron-rich finger foods.
That said, I think I may do a little spoonfeeding of iron-rich food on top of self-feeding. He just ate a tablespoon or so of mashed kidney bean then fed himself a piece of bagel and some mango. Thanks for the reminder about combining non-heme iron sources with Vitamin C.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing, right?


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## LuminosaJane (May 10, 2007)

We are just getting started with BLW. In fact, babe ate for the first time last night! She loved carrots and cauliflower and even sucked on a piece of meat.

My question is, do you all eliminate all salt from your diet/kitchen prep? I read that Rapley suggests no more than 1g a day for babies. We don't eat a lot of pre-prepared foods, but we do salt our ingredients before cooking. Should we stop this all together?


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

Baby Girl and I shared a green smoothie today and she really liked it! I tried to use a straw to drop it in her mouth, but my straw was one of those chubby ones so I couldn't get good suction. Instead, I used a medicine dropper. Next time, I think I'll try a little cup. She does pretty well drinking from a little cup. I just have to be prepared for a bit of a mess.


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Megan73* 
You're clearly right - the doctor wasn't THAT concerned.
I actually talked to the practice's dietitian and she e-mailed me a useful list of iron-rich finger foods.
That said, I think I may do a little spoonfeeding of iron-rich food on top of self-feeding. He just ate a tablespoon or so of mashed kidney bean then fed himself a piece of bagel and some mango. Thanks for the reminder about combining non-heme iron sources with Vitamin C.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing, right?

Megan, you might try letting him self feed the beans as well! My dd loves to self feed cooked black beans, she just goobles them up. And I see no reason to spoon feed meat (sounds so gross!) when the baby can suck the nutrients right out of a strip on meat. I give dd long finger sshaped strips of chicken & beef too chew and suck on (have since she was about 6.5 months) and she does great with it. She also likes small chunks of fish that she can pick up and feed herself.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LuminosaJane* 
We are just getting started with BLW. In fact, babe ate for the first time last night! She loved carrots and cauliflower and even sucked on a piece of meat.

My question is, do you all eliminate all salt from your diet/kitchen prep? I read that Rapley suggests no more than 1g a day for babies. We don't eat a lot of pre-prepared foods, but we do salt our ingredients before cooking. Should we stop this all together?

I still lightly salt our foods when I am cooking. If anyone wants extra salt, they add it to their own serving.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

regarding the iron: if they are still being 90% breastfed, then aren't babies theoretically getting enough iron from the BM?

new foods this past week:
peaches
mangoes
goat's milk yogurt

does anyone know if you can freeze yogurt into cubes to save for later? in our area, the plain goat's milk yogurt only comes in a huge 32 oz container which will never get finished by the expiration date (plus i had to mix it with a small container of blueberry yogurt to make it palatable). thanks for any tips/ideas.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MySunflowerBoys* 
Megan, you might try letting him self feed the beans as well! My dd loves to self feed cooked black beans, she just goobles them up. And I see no reason to spoon feed meat (sounds so gross!) when the baby can suck the nutrients right out of a strip on meat. I give dd long finger sshaped strips of chicken & beef too chew and suck on (have since she was about 6.5 months) and she does great with it. She also likes small chunks of fish that she can pick up and feed herself.

He hasn't perfected his pincer grip yet - when he does I'm sure he'll be eating beans and fish on his own and I'll drop the spoonfeeding. I don't think spoonfeeding meat is gross - it was roasted capon minced with pan juices! He LOVED it. He was happy to suck on meat and poultry strips but I don't think he was getting much from them.
I'm concerned because I've had to supplement him almost since birth - about 10 oz a day of formula a day in a Lact-Aid - and I've read the iron in BM isn't as well absorbed if it comes into contact with other foods in the stomach.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
regarding the iron: if they are still being 90% breastfed, then aren't babies theoretically getting enough iron from the BM?

It's true that anemia is rare in breast-fed babies (breast milk isn't that high in iron but it's very well absorbed) however the La Leche League suggests babies be offered foods high in iron when they start solids, including (from Kellymom.com):
* breastmilk
* winter squash
* sweet potatoes
* prune juice
* meat & poultry (beef, beef & chicken liver, turkey, chicken)
* mushrooms
* sea vegetables (arame, dulse), algaes (spirulina), kelp
* greens (spinach, chard, dandelion, beet, nettle, parsley, watercress)
* yellow dock root
* grains (millet, brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, breads with these grains)
* blackstrap molasses (try adding a little to cereal or rice)
* brewer's yeast


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## brennan (Feb 1, 2009)

Subbing! DD turned 6 months this week and while I thought that we would wait another month or so, she was showing all the signs a month ago (including sitting unassissted) and well....I gave her half a banana (whole) this morning and she was so happy! I'm cooking up so sweet potato fries as I type and we're going to do that after she naps! My little baby is growing up too fast







:


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
(plus i had to mix it with a small container of blueberry yogurt to make it palatable). thanks for any tips/ideas.

Mix it with fruit and a sweetener instead. That'll do the same thing as the blueberry yogurt without increasing the volume as much.

Also, try putting the yogurt into places you'd normally use sour cream.


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## Pyrodjm (Jan 9, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Megan73* 
That said, I think I may do a little spoonfeeding of iron-rich food on top of self-feeding. He just ate a tablespoon or so of mashed kidney bean then fed himself a piece of bagel and some mango. Thanks for the reminder about combining non-heme iron sources with Vitamin C.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing, right?

Have you tried spreading the iron rich foods (purees, mashed beans, etc.) onto the breads that he can hold and eat by himself? I put a bit of pureed veggie onto rice cakes for DD. She seems to like it.

I made little hamburgers (2-3 in. diameter) for DD with less seasoning than I would normal use last night. It was a hit! She had a ball biting the burgers, crumbling the rest and then eating the little pieces. Since we were having burgers also, it required no special preparation. I'm going to try it the next time we are having ground turkey too. Such an easy iron-rich finger food.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pyrodjm* 
Have you tried spreading the iron rich foods (purees, mashed beans, etc.) onto the breads that he can hold and eat by himself? I put a bit of pureed veggie onto rice cakes for DD. She seems to like it.

I made little hamburgers (2-3 in. diameter) for DD with less seasoning than I would normal use last night. It was a hit! She had a ball biting the burgers, crumbling the rest and then eating the little pieces. Since we were having burgers also, it required no special preparation. I'm going to try it the next time we are having ground turkey too. Such an easy iron-rich finger food.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll try putting the beans or meat on pita or bagel, which he loves to eat by himself.
He loves meatballs, too. I made a batch the other day and it was so cute to watch him as he held one in both hands and gnawed away. I think I'll try making salmon cakes next.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Liver? Is it safe to feed them liver? I mean I know it's supposed to be pretty good for you, but I have heard warnings not to overdo it while pregnant. I thought maybe it was because it filters the blood and might have more toxins or "junk" in it than other meats?

What age would be safe if I wanted to give DS (now 6 months) lamb liver from lamb DH slaughtered??


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

Hi there
I haven't posted on this thread before but we've been feeding our baby solid solid foods for about a month now. I'm surprised to read that so many families are feeding their babies wheat. I am avoiding wheat because I'm concerned about allergies, although we don't have any history of food allergies in our immeadiate family. Should I be concerned? Baby is 7.5 mos old. When is good time to feed him wheat products like toast and pasta? Or do you all think it would be okay now?

DS loves eating by the way. And we love feeding him! He likes broccoli the best, and then peaches. yum!







:


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

I remember doing cheerios and toast with DS1 at about 7.5 months.

DD I don't exactly remember, LOL. I'm sure like 8 monthsish.

DS2 I gave a noodle the other day. He grabbed a cookie and shoved it in his mouth but that was not INTENTIONAL LOL. I didn't see any issues...but now that I am thinking more about it I think I will wait a little while longer just because there are so many other wonderful healthy things to have him sample. We also don't have allergies.

someone else here said because we have waited longer, our allergy risk is *greatly* reduced.

If you're concerned though, avoid whatever it is you are concerned about for awhile, till you feel it's OK/right.

for example, with my first, dairy was a major issue. So with the others, I am avoiding things like yogurt. Lots of people start yogurt around 8 months, I don't do it till about a year. Same with cheese. And I have all my kids on goats' milk, not cow because it worked for DS1.

A lot of it is your own judgment about your child and family.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Now here is a question....I know what I just said about your own judgment









I don't remember how old the other kids were when I started eggs. We do a lot of hardboiled, so it would be easy to separate a yolk.

When is an ok/good age for egg yolks?? (I know the white is supposed to be the more allergenic...)

ds is only 6 months so I'm thinking a little while yet, it's not going to stay together well. Right now, he is into holding onto big long chunks and sucking, or in the case of very well baked sweet potato, mashing it in his fingers and eating. (though he might also like that better in a fry type cut..)


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

I just gave DS his first egg yoke yesterday (he's 7.5 mos). I've been meaning to cook up some eggs for him for a while but just now got around to it. I gave him a hard boiled yoke. Yes, it was crumbly and he didn't really like it (too eggy I guess) and it was hard to pick up. I'm thinking that I will cook rice and beans for him and put some egg yoke into that. Yokes are supposed to be great brain food.


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

It's amazing how quickly they learn to eat. Just last week and two weeks ago my baby was sucking on hard fruit pieces, like apple and not-so-ripe pear and today I realized that he is biting off big chunks and eating a lot more (no more just sucking the juice). I noticed today especially because he was choking on his apple ALOT more than usual (hopefully the progress will continue . . . )







:


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## LaurenAnanas (Feb 26, 2008)

We haven't offered anything other than plain fruits and veg yet, but I imagine we start offering other things withing the next month or so (she'll be 6 months on Friday).

My mom swears by egg yolks on toast for babes, and we'll probably give it a try: Mash up a hard boiled egg yolk with some soft butter, spread on toast, cut into fingers or triangles.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
Mix it with fruit and a sweetener instead. That'll do the same thing as the blueberry yogurt without increasing the volume as much.

Also, try putting the yogurt into places you'd normally use sour cream.

hey, thanks for that tip! i was going to add some blueberries (she LOVES blueberries!)- i started buying the organic frozen ones because it's really hard to find organic fresh blueberries consistently, and they leak so much juice so i'm sure they would be great in yogurt- and add some agave nectar... any contraindications for infant/toddlers and Agave nectar? DD is 11 1/2 months.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

and another question. anyone freeze yogurt to extend its life? i've read that the cultures can survive freezing and thawing, but does it do anything to taste/consistency?


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
any contraindications for infant/toddlers and Agave nectar?

Nope.

BTW, your baby might be okay with yogurt without sweetener. Lina was chomping down on plain berries and oatmeal and loving it even though I had to add some honey to my portion.


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

Anyone else have a picky eater? How did you get him or her interested in different foods? Ds seems to turn his nose up at so much... I'm reading all the yummy stuff your lo's are eating and thinking, man, ds doesn't half that much! He loves bread, and kind, but if i try to be sneaky and spread some avocado or sweet potato on it, he acts like i've poisoned him! he also likes plain yogurt, apple slices, broccoli, steak, and crackers. but most everything else we've tried he's got little or no interest in.


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gagin37* 
Anyone else have a picky eater? How did you get him or her interested in different foods? Ds seems to turn his nose up at so much... I'm reading all the yummy stuff your lo's are eating and thinking, man, ds doesn't half that much! He loves bread, and kind, but if i try to be sneaky and spread some avocado or sweet potato on it, he acts like i've poisoned him! he also likes plain yogurt, apple slices, broccoli, steak, and crackers. but most everything else we've tried he's got little or no interest in.

My DD isn't wild about lots of foods we offer. I think it's just that she hasn't had enough exposures to certain foods to like them. How many does it take for a baby/toddler to accept a new food? 10 exposures or something like that? (Unless it's ice cream or french fries







.)

DD always "sorts" out brocolli florets from anything else on her tray onto the floor. She doesn't really care for quinoa or banana, either. But she loves green smoothie, sweet potato fries, avocado, and portabello mushroom (who would have thought?).


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

DS is already starting to eat "better"

like last week, he had a piece of mango and it was juice-sucking time. Yesterday he had a piece and a whole chunk of it was completely stripped off the skin!

Now tonight I gave him some mashed up (squished plain) baked regular potato (I suppose I could have 'mashed' it with some mama milk, I didn't think of that! LOL) along with some avocado and banana... I really don't know though how much he ate compared to how much I found stuck in his lap!


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Yesterday I tried some rye toast w/a little bit of margarine on it and DD didn't like it one bit. She ended up really choking on it so I gave her some mango instead. Wow. She hated it! I mean, she wanted to put the food in her mouth but as soon as the flavor hit her tongue she squeeshed up her face and spazzed! It didn't go over so well!

I need more ideas! This kid seems to be pickier than I hoped! So far she really only likes asparagus.









Do you guys make your own rice cakes out of brown rice or are you talking about rice cakes you buy in the store? Like Quakes?


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## minmoto2 (Dec 23, 2004)

Subbing







Last night we gave our 7.5 mo ds a chunk of avocado for the 1st time. It was hilarious watching his face as he would taste, grimace, taste, repeat.







He is a sn baby, as he was born w/a birth defect in his esophagus/trach that had to be repaired surgically. A lot of kids w/his prob have difficulty w/food/textures because it feels weird to swallow past the repair site. His docs/surgeon gave the go ahead whenever/however we want to feed him. We think blw will be helpful in helping him learn how much he can handle at one time, and we are hopeful it will teach him to chew more effectively.

I found grass in his diaper 2 days ago, so we decided if he can swallow grass...


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 

I need more ideas! This kid seems to be pickier than I hoped! So far she really only likes asparagus.









Do you guys make your own rice cakes out of brown rice or are you talking about rice cakes you buy in the store? Like Quakes?


just yesterday i bought some organic plain brown rice cakes (can't remember the brand...from the natural foods store though) and smeared some avocado on a chunk and let dd have at it. she loved it, but honestly she hasn't turned down anything yet. including dirt, rocks, pine needles, etc...I think she just wants to put EVERYthing in her mouth!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *minmoto2* 
I found grass in his diaper 2 days ago, so we decided if he can swallow grass...

















So far so good!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

For people with picky babies, have you tried offering your food? Remember they've been getting the tastes that you eat. For instance, if you eat a lot of garlic, garlicky potato wedges might go over better.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

DD totally surprised me last night. DH was making stir fry and for bleeps & giggles, I gave her a snow pea to hold, to see if it would make it into her mouth. Well not only did she chomp on it, but she finished the entire thing. And she has been extremely picky with veggies. Then after she 'finished' her dinner- and i use the word 'finished' loosely because if i kept giving her pieces of pear or more puffs (to which she has developed a very expensive addiction) she'd keep on going- she saw me snacking on another snow pea, grabbed it out of my hand, and chomped on it some more.

for those with picky eaters, it's worth a shot. DD has refused many other veggies, but this she enjoyed. i think it was also the texture- crunchy, but still soft enough that she could mash with her gums (she only has two front bottom teeth, with 3 tops *almost* poking through).


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

^ What am I missing? What are these elusive puffs you guys talk about?


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 
^ What am I missing? What are these elusive puffs you guys talk about?

LOL if your LO already has good pincer grasp, don't start! DD points to them from across 2 rooms, she loves them so much. we started with them months ago to help develop her finger skills. they are cheerio-like cereal but they melt in the mouth so they're not difficult to process. now she won't stop eating them! they have been her 'dessert' after a meal.

we use the happy baby organic brand.


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

I haven't posted in a while. Things are busy. Twins are 11 months now and here's some things they've been enjoying:

watermelon (they both LOVE wedges of this and eat it so fast)
grapes (cut up)
apricots (dd inhaled one yesterday for the first time)
apple (ds loves eating the whole apple after it's peeled and I've taken a bite or two out)
banana
applesauce mixed with egg yolk - yuck to me but they love it!
yogurt - hit and miss
guacamole (ds LOVES this stuff)
raspberries
blueberry smoothie
roasted carrot sticks
endamne
green beans
"o" cereal
melba toast crackers

I'm sure there's more but that's what they eat on a regular basis. I mostly feed them oatmeal or something in the morning with some fruit. Lunch is whatever I manage to throw together and dinner they eat whatever we're eating. Last night they had pasta and tomato sauce for the first time and green beans.

I'm finding it hard to find the time to introduce more foods and to deal with the constant mess of eating. Feeding two babies plus meals for the rest of the family is overwhelming some days.


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

Well I don't have twins but I still find it difficult to get it together sometimes to feed the babe 3x a day.

Anyway, he's 7.5 mos and I try to feed him 3x a day but it turns out like this (this is an average, like I said, sometimes we miss one). I am always trying to introduce new things but there are some mainstays right now like broccoli, avocado, apple and banana that he seems to eat almost every day. I'm trying to work up to feeding DS what we're eating and I guess that would make things easier when it comes time to feed. The trouble with us is that we are in the habit of eating after he goes to bed so I end up saving some for him for the next day. So baby always gets leftovers









*morning*: apple or banana (usually he's not hungry and this is just a time for us to get some breakfast in us with the baby in the high chair)
*
midday*: yogurt or applesauce, more fruit or maybe broccoli and avocado

*evening*: veggies or like tonight, maybe chicken

Should I be concerned with protein more at this phase?

and

Does anyone prepare brown rice for their babies? I'm looking for a good recipe.


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beautifulboy* 
Should I be concerned with protein more at this phase?

Nope, you don't have to go for anything like a "balanced diet" with solids at this age. "Until they're one, it's just for fun." You could feed him all veggies, and as long as he's still nursing, he'll be fine.


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *VeganCupcake* 
"Until they're one, it's just for fun."

so cute! He is still BFing and will be for a long time, hopefully.

I'm sorry I can't offer anything to the moms who have picky eaters. My babe is really into eating and trying new things. Today he tried chicken at home and then later at the beach he tried number of shells, some small handfuls of sand and a rock.


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## Swandira (Jun 26, 2005)

Hi, all! I'm sure this has been asked before, but can someone give me a quick rundown of what BLW is about? I have two older kids who both hated to be spoon-fed, and I'm way too lazy/cheap to make or buy pureed stuff for this little guy. I can't be bothered to spoon-feed a not-interested baby 3X a day, either.

So what do you ladies normally offer to six-month-olds? Because my guy will be six mo in a couple of weeks, and seems very interested in food. How do you keep them safe from choking? And when do you offer a spoon? Do you help them sometimes -- with applesauce, for instance, or just let them figure it out?


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## Swandira (Jun 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beautifulboy* 
I'm sorry I can't offer anything to the moms who have picky eaters. My babe is really into eating and trying new things. Today he tried chicken at home and then later at the beach he tried number of shells, some small handfuls of sand and a rock.

My little guy did the same thing at the beach this week. He didn't seem to enjoy sand very much as a snack. I'm not sure it was intentional, though; he's a new sitter, and when he wants to roll around on his belly, his current method of getting there is just to do a face-plant.







This sometimes means he gets to eat nonfood items, such as sand and carpet-lint.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Swandira* 
So what do you ladies normally offer to six-month-olds? Because my guy will be six mo in a couple of weeks, and seems very interested in food. How do you keep them safe from choking? And when do you offer a spoon? Do you help them sometimes -- with applesauce, for instance, or just let them figure it out?

We started with broccoli because it was in the house. After a week or so of getting used to the idea, I let Lina have a go with just about everything except major choking hazards like whole nuts. But early foods to play with were sweet potato, banana, onion, avocado.

I've done a few finger sweeps of her mouth when she was having obvious trouble working a too big bite back out of her mouth, but that's the closest she's come to choking. She's done lots of gagging, more so now that she's older and able to take larger bites of food. But she generally figures out what size bite she needs to take for the given food within 2-3 bites.

For "spoon foods" because I don't care for the mess, I'll put some on a spoon and let her guide the spoon (that I'm still holding) to her mouth. Soup I found it was actually easier to take off all her clothes and lightly coat a spoon with the soup and let her suck on it. Again while naked, I've also let her share my bowl of fruit and yogurt by her just grabbing what she could manage. Really, I aim a lot of eating around when I'm going to have a shower. We eat the super messy food and then bathe.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

I've never had any problem with choking, either, although I have also "swept" his mouth when he gets a huge piece of something. (I also check his mouth after mealtimes to make sure there's nothing in there because he can squirrel things away.)
But at almost 10 months, my son is an old pro at managing even large mouthfuls.
His current favorite food - he'd eat it three times a day if I let him - is a peeled ripe pear. He gnaws at it until there's almost nothing left so I have to make sure to rescue the stringy bits and seeds when he's done.


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## Sativarain1 (Feb 27, 2003)

my six month old isn't sitting up yet on her own, and I've tried offering a couple homemade pureed solids. and mashed banana and she just gags and vomits out all my breastmilk. I worry that she'll be losing my nutrition if i keep offering. because she's not interested in trying new foods, but at the same time I wonder if I can safely wait a few weeks before trying again?


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sativarain1* 
my six month old isn't sitting up yet on her own, and I've tried offering a couple homemade pureed solids. and mashed banana and she just gags and vomits out all my breastmilk. I worry that she'll be losing my nutrition if i keep offering. because she's not interested in trying new foods, but at the same time I wonder if I can safely wait a few weeks before trying again?

I would wait a bit longer. Sitting unassisted is a really big part of them being able to figure this out. You can definitely wait and not have to worry about nutrition or anything since you are still bf'ing! Remember solids this early in the game are just for fun and your breastmilk is your LO's main source of food.


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## Swandira (Jun 26, 2005)

I'd say it's safe to hold off if she's not reacting well to food. Especially since she's not sitting unsupported yet --that's generally considered a sign that she isn't quite ready yet. If it were me, I'd wait a few more weeks and try again. Breastmilk is all she really needs right now.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

I'd wait if that was my babe's reaction.

Mine, 6.5 months, ate thin slices of potato out of my Thai curry today. Somehow I don't think this is quite what they were getting at







but he loved it! also he had some soup, by spoon.

We tried pear, he gagged, Daddy mashed it up and gave it and it was OK that way. (he does big slices of apple, but he can't get anything off that other than the juice. The pear he could, but it made him gag...so *I* don't do pear yet.) Dh will mash stuff up and give it to him, I don't.


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

when did you all introduce spices to your lo's diet? I'm thinking cinnamon, tummeric, cumin, nutmeg, maybe a hint of pepper... stuff like that, not salt and sugar. I love spicy flavorful foods, and that's generally how I cook, but I usually leave ds's portions out unseasoned. When is it ok to start adding a little more flavor to his palate?


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## Loralz (Feb 20, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gagin37* 
when did you all introduce spices to your lo's diet? I'm thinking cinnamon, tummeric, cumin, nutmeg, maybe a hint of pepper... stuff like that, not salt and sugar. I love spicy flavorful foods, and that's generally how I cook, but I usually leave ds's portions out unseasoned. When is it ok to start adding a little more flavor to his palate?

Well, Baby Girl has been getting seasoning from day 1 of her solids career. She loves it. I figure babies in India get Indian food and they're happy, so why not my baby girl? And she loves it! Makes for some toxic diapers, but a happy baby.







:


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

lately ds has really been wanting to eat off MY fork and MY spoon.







: I haven't done a lot of spoon feeding with him, so maybe this is a phase? he's not able to use utensils on his own although he loves to play with spoons. he'll let me know when he's ready for a bite and he'll eat things he normally won't touch if i give them to him on his tray. The dreaded peas and carrots are gobbled down as long as they are coming on mommies fork. But there are some things he still really wants to self feed. Weirdness.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

I asked an Indian friend about this and she said babies there are fed fruit, yogurt and unseasoned dal - not spicy curries.
But I'm sure most herbs and spices are fine and I think it's good for babies to become accustomed to the household's usual foods. At dim sum the other day my 10-month-old ate sticky rice with barbecued pork, shrimp balls and Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce. I was worried the food would be too strong and salty for him but he loved it all.
Go for it - I'm sure your little one will let you know if he doesn't like whatever it is.


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## Alathia (Nov 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gagin37* 
when did you all introduce spices to your lo's diet? I'm thinking cinnamon, tummeric, cumin, nutmeg, maybe a hint of pepper... stuff like that, not salt and sugar. I love spicy flavorful foods, and that's generally how I cook, but I usually leave ds's portions out unseasoned. When is it ok to start adding a little more flavor to his palate?

we started around 8 months, I think. DS2's favorite food is curried carrots. I would start off with small amounts of spices until they show you they like it, then add more. my oldest (4) taste tests things for his brother and tells me if he thinks it's too spicy for younger brother or not.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Spices are okay, too much salt otoh is bad for the kidneys. So if I plan on giving more than a taste, I cook it without the salt.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gagin37* 
lately ds has really been wanting to eat off MY fork and MY spoon.







: I haven't done a lot of spoon feeding with him, so maybe this is a phase? he's not able to use utensils on his own although he loves to play with spoons. he'll let me know when he's ready for a bite and he'll eat things he normally won't touch if i give them to him on his tray. The dreaded peas and carrots are gobbled down as long as they are coming on mommies fork. But there are some things he still really wants to self feed. Weirdness.

Does he also do the thing where he wants you to hold your spoon and fork out until he can pull off the food and self feed?


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Has anyone taken their baby out for pho yet? I think we'll try this today and I bet he loves it...


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

So last night DH and I were eating tacos, and the filling was made with a lot of spices. DD had already "eaten" but kept saying, "mamamamama" and trying to climb up into my lap. So after a few min I pulled her up on my lap, and she lunged for my taco! I was like, "No," at first, but then I thought, "Whatever, she'll make a face and spit it out."

Lo and behold, DD took a bite out of my taco, and then ... another. And then another! She LOVED it! I couldn't believe that she was going for more tastes! She actually got a bit of guacamole and sour cream too!

So, it's interesting that she'll make a sour face at something like fresh mango or banana, but hand her a spicy taco and boom, she's in her element. Makes you think.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

looooooool

With my first, I did quite a few jars, kind of thought you "had" to start that way I guess. We were done with them though by about 9 months.

DD and now DS2 I do no jars. I did do some mashing with DD, and I remember one of her first foods was, I threw together some chicken, potatoes, carrots in the crockpot, maybe an onion (?) and some curry powder and spices. (one of those 'well this is what I have' experiments) I mashed it up with a fork, chicken and all, and DD LOVED it. She was about the age DS is now 6.5 months. Could've been 7.
I KNOW she was 8 months old at the party where she was absolutely begging me for something off my plate, and I figured the homemade guacamole would be about the best, seeing as I could ID and name everything in it--she LOVED that too! had to hook her up with her own bowl and spoon! LOL (and to that point she did NOT like avocados.)

DD now eats loads of things most 2 year olds probably do not--for example, she likes her hardboiled eggs with a sprinkle of cumin. She *likes* hot wings. She adores her dad's lamb dishes--Indian and African, with lots of spices.

DS2 has had the earlier-mentioned Thai curry potatoes







, he enjoyed those. He's also had scrambled egg--that was his *dad* before I could say anything about it, now I figure nothing happened, so he's had them another time or two. He's also self-fed tiny bits of pancake that I picked up after dipping a finger in the maple syrup...just enough to give it a bit of flavor, not enough to even make a sticky mess.

I don't absolutely strictly NOT spoon feed--it really depends on the food and the situation. Like we did help him in the restaurant we went to last weekend. I've spoon fed soup at the Thai place.

But 99% probably of what he eats, he feeds himself.
My favorite this week--handing him most of a (de-fuzzed) fresh peach. We were at the park and I had not packed an extra Tshirt for him. I WISH I'd had a camera!! He had a *bath* when we got home, but he LOVED it


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

Anyone mind a poop question? My guy is 8 months and we've been doing BLW for over a month. I'm not super consistent about offering solids because sometimes I eat lousy.







: But I'm surprised that his poop is still BF poo with little bits of food in it. I was expecting it to begin to get more solid by now. Does that sound weird to anyone?


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *allisonrose* 
Anyone mind a poop question? My guy is 8 months and we've been doing BLW for over a month. I'm not super consistent about offering solids because sometimes I eat lousy.







: But I'm surprised that his poop is still BF poo with little bits of food in it. I was expecting it to begin to get more solid by now. Does that sound weird to anyone?

Doesn't sound too weird to me. Your baby's gut is still getting used to digesting the new things and doesn't have the enzymes to break everything down. Once you get more consistent and more time goes by, don't worry, the poo will get much stinkier and you'll wish you had an EBF baby again (LOL!)


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *allisonrose* 
Anyone mind a poop question? My guy is 8 months and we've been doing BLW for over a month. I'm not super consistent about offering solids because sometimes I eat lousy.







: But I'm surprised that his poop is still BF poo with little bits of food in it. I was expecting it to begin to get more solid by now. Does that sound weird to anyone?

oh boy, enjoy that BM poo while it lasts! LOL

DD has utterly shocked me and LOVES goat's milk and goat's milk cheddar cheese. i am thrilled because i am struggling to keep up with her EBM needs, and this takes a lot of pressure off me.

and a huge THANK YOU to whomever suggested sweetening plain goat's milk yogurt with agave nectar and putting some blueberries in for flavor. DD loved it.

we got off to such a late start with BLW because she was just not that interested in food. but now she is a champion eater and sits there for at least 1/2 hour to 45 min shoveling it in! i'm often afraid she will overeat, but then i remember that, unlike her mama, she can stop eating when she's no longer hungry. she will try just about anything, as long as she sees mommy and/or daddy eating it. definitely good motivation to make sure we always have some type of green veggie on our plate.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

DD must have bloomed over the past few days. For lunch today she enjoyed whole wheat pasta with broccoli, sauteed in garlic and olive oil (leftovers from last night). She's really having fun and enjoying it, and actually taking nice bites, chewing, swallowing. It's so neat to see the changes over just a few days.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

I have a poop question too. My babe's actually CONSTIPATED. (I mean truly not just hasn't pooped, he's trying and it's hard little poo) Did we overdo it on a banana? Is this just part of the adjustment?

I have been making sure to nurse really often the last couple days. And I think I made a mistake this time, I realized I didn't start offering water when I started offering food, I think I did with DD. Not a LARGE amount by any means, just sips from my cup.

Anyway I have given him a little bit of water along with extra nursing. He did not poop any better today.

So tonight I gave him a few sips (all he wanted, he was ready to go down for an evening nap!) of apple-prune baby juice and spoon-fed a little bit of baby prunes. (I *know* but he's on his second day of trying to poo and it was ONE little hard piece today!)
I really didn't know what else to do.

DD took bottles, from when I worked, I seem to remember giving her like 2 oz water by bottle anytime she'd gone what was "long" for her without pooping once she'd started solids and that alone did the trick. I don't think DS would want a bottle, he's never had one, and I'd really like it to stay that way.

Anyway, ideas??


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *peaceful_mama* 
I have a poop question too. My babe's actually CONSTIPATED. (I mean truly not just hasn't pooped, he's trying and it's hard little poo) Did we overdo it on a banana? Is this just part of the adjustment?

So tonight I gave him a few sips (all he wanted, he was ready to go down for an evening nap!) of apple-prune baby juice and spoon-fed a little bit of baby prunes. (I *know* but he's on his second day of trying to poo and it was ONE little hard piece today!)
I really didn't know what else to do.


DD went through something similar and was constipated/seemed strained or painful to poop for 3 days. we stopped giving her banana (and then she ended up refusing them anyway- maybe instinctually she realized that bananas made it hard to poop? anyway i gave her lots of pears/prunes which have more of a laxative effect. what i did was just soak the prunes in water until they plumped and then cut them up into little pieces. based on the explosion that followed, they seemed to have done the trick.









good luck!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *peaceful_mama* 
DD took bottles, from when I worked, I seem to remember giving her like 2 oz water by bottle anytime she'd gone what was "long" for her without pooping once she'd started solids and that alone did the trick. I don't think DS would want a bottle, he's never had one, and I'd really like it to stay that way.

Anyway, ideas??

Give him sips of water from a cup or adult water bottle what ever you have on hand. He'll have fun with it and it'll help keep him regular.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
DD went through something similar and was constipated/seemed strained or painful to poop for 3 days. we stopped giving her banana (and then she ended up refusing them anyway- maybe instinctually she realized that bananas made it hard to poop? anyway i gave her lots of pears/prunes which have more of a laxative effect. what i did was just soak the prunes in water until they plumped and then cut them up into little pieces. based on the explosion that followed, they seemed to have done the trick.









good luck!

Oh, I like this idea much better than spoon feeding the pureed prunes. I tried when DD was backed up and she really wanted nothing to do with it. I think she's love feeding herself bits of prune though. Thanks!


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## D'sMama (May 4, 2008)

n/m


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D'sMama* 
Anyway, I fail to understand how her child will get enough nourishment if she weans that early and can't do formula. I always thought kids needed either BM or formula until at least a year, regardless of how solids are introduced. What do you all think?

That your friend might want to see if her baby still reacts to dairy because I've heard that it's relatively common for babies to be less sensitive to dairy in mom's milk after 6 months old.

But if the baby still reacts (and obviously, if the previous reactions were life-threatening as opposed to minor rashes, don't test to see if they're still there) and she absolutely must stop watching her diet, then it's time to look into non-dairy formulas and to start pumping up a supply of milk for the freezer.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

He still has not pooped. He's eaten an entire container of prunes over the course of last night and today.

I like the plumping idea.

I also like DH's idea somewhat, which was to go back to exclusive nursing. (HIS IDEA amazing since he is the one who loves to 'feed' the baby)

there's one problem with that--he BEGS heartbreakingly!!!!!

so.....I think what we will do is.....buy some prunes and do that idea and also do pears for 'begging' along with sips of water. And try to stick to nursing a TON.

We shall see. I expect prune colored nasty big old poop soon.....

HE doesn't seem real distressed. passing gas some today. No poop at all.


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

For us, green smoothie guarantees a ginormous poop within 16 hours. Green smoothie is a regular smoothie, but with a big handful of spinach in it. We also use hemp protein powder instead of soy, since DD is sensitive to soy.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Melanie – I bet the pear will do the trick. My 10-month-old will eat almost an entire ripe pear (I just peel it for him because he gags on the skin) and then has a HUGE poop.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D'sMama* 
Hypothetically, if one is breastfeeding and starts BLW at 6 months, is it possible to fully wean from the breast before 1 year old? Like by 8 or 9 months??

You can't. A baby needs either milk or formula for the first year (this is my understanding). If your friend's baby is allergic to dairy, she should get a non-milk based formula to supplement until the baby is at least a year, and then afterwards continue to do the same with a toddler formula. Another option is to do a combination of rice, hemp, and coconut "milks", but I wouldn't do that until the baby is older (perhaps after a year).

1 year is so little still, I wonder if by the time her baby is 6 months her perspective will change?


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

re: poop...
pear doesn't seem to make dd poop at all but zucchini and carrots sure do!!


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## littlebabydoll (May 15, 2008)

I started BLW a few days ago with my son. I'm hopeful this approach will work for us.

Day 1 we introducd banana. We had some in our cereal so we were eating ome along side him. He chewed a bit but mostly sucked on the fleshy side of the banana peel. Maybe he knows somthing we dont? There was no doubt about it though, he knows its food and that he wants it in his mouth. He really smiled and was so happy all day. I think he thought it was nice he had freedom at last.

Th nexy day we gav him apple slices. He has one tooth so he did knaw a little. I was surpised he as figuring it all out so well. We ended up baking the rest of the apple and enjoyed chewing on that much more. I dont think he swallowed much though. He also got avocado for lunch. He tried it and spit it all out after a few minuites. Yam was for dinner in baked finger slices. (cooled in the fridge for him) He gaged lot on it which really made me nervous. Maybe he was trying harder to swallow?

The next day was more baked apple which he enjoyed, then peach for lunch. I think this is up his alley. The skin holds the piece together well but he can suck off little pieces. The same happened with plum the next day being pretty well recieved IMO. I think he gives up after about 10 min. in frusteation though because he cant handle, chew and at good enough yet. This is very like my son though. He gets so fruterated with crawling. I actually held his food onc to his mouth and he seemd relieved that I was helping. I wont do that more though. He will find his way on his own with time.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

STILL NO POOP!! Two chiropractor treatments and one doctor-call later.

My doc says as long as he is passing gas, happy, and his stomach is not hard, it is normal. She says BF baby even with solids can go up to a week.

And he has before, and she knows that. The thing that's got me worried this time and trying to do something about it is he has times where he looks like he is trying to go and nothing happens!

my neighbor swears by Karo corn syrup. I have not resorted to that...

I tried the prune juice again tonight...and I guess because of the corn syrup theory I tried a bit of my brown rice syrup...I figure if it's got to do with the syrupy-ness....neighbor says the corn syrup in the bottle thing works within a couple hours....

I actually *have* some...I am assuming it came from my grandma's considering that I don't do HFCS....


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## CherryGhost (May 12, 2009)

My little one is 6 months and 1 week. I have tried giving him a banana and an avocado. He is interested in both when mashed, bot not when given as a whole - he has troubles grasping them, gets frustrated and wants to nurse. Does this mean he is not ready for solids? OR should I mash them?


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## funfunkyfantastic (Feb 9, 2008)

I've mostly given DD stuff off my plate. I'll set steamed veggies and such from my plate in front of her. She hasn't really figured out how to grasp small pieces well though. She does like snack foods though like cheerios and freeze dried fruits.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

I think this is going really well. In the past week, Nora's been eating a lot more variety and is getting things in her mouth more accurately. The past two days she's been eating my morningstar "chicken" strips and she really enjoys them!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CherryGhost* 
My little one is 6 months and 1 week. I have tried giving him a banana and an avocado. He is interested in both when mashed, bot not when given as a whole - he has troubles grasping them, gets frustrated and wants to nurse. Does this mean he is not ready for solids? OR should I mash them?

Doesn't he end up mashing them himself when he grabs the whole pieces?

Try giving him something less squishy. It doesn't matter if he gets it to his mouth, but it's not fair for him to be able to get other things to his mouth and not the fascinating food.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

Food vs. Nursing Question... the background is that Ophelia was super interested in whatever we were eating from 4 months on. We held her off of solids until almost 6 months. She's been eating dinner with us, avocado, yam, peach, broccoli, applesauce, maybe a pizza crust







.

Anyway, recently she's been pretty cranky and tonight after she ate a LOT she was in a much better mood.

How much solid food should I be offering her? Until she stops herself? Is one solids meal a day too little? I generally nurse her first, recently she's been super finicky on the breast unless it's bedtime and we're laying down. I'm wondering if it's because she's hungrier and wants more than just milk. I want to make sure she's getting enough if what she's telling me is that she needs more calories, kwim?

Also what's the scoop on offering water?

Any advice is appreciated, as always!!


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## nerdymom (Mar 20, 2008)

Ds loves to steal stuff off my plate. And I gave him french fries (with catsup) in the restaurant today.







: I just needed two hands to eat my burger!


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juliav* 
How much solid food should I be offering her? Until she stops herself? Is one solids meal a day too little? I generally nurse her first, recently she's been super finicky on the breast unless it's bedtime and we're laying down. I'm wondering if it's because she's hungrier and wants more than just milk. I want to make sure she's getting enough if what she's telling me is that she needs more calories, kwim?

Also what's the scoop on offering water?

Every baby is different, of course, but I'll share my experience.
During the 6-8 mo age, DD was finicky at the breast regardless of solids offered, it was just a really rough few months. Even when I tried to offer more solids, she wasn't too keen on it and if she was really hungry she wanted milk and nothing else.
Of course you can offer more. I'm of the belief that baby won't eat more solids than she wants. Just like you can't force a baby to nurse, you can't force a baby to self feed.

I tihink 2-4 oz h2o a day is fine.


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## Christiane (May 28, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juliav* 
Food vs. Nursing Question... the background is that Ophelia was super interested in whatever we were eating from 4 months on. We held her off of solids until almost 6 months. She's been eating dinner with us, avocado, yam, peach, broccoli, applesauce, maybe a pizza crust







.

Anyway, recently she's been pretty cranky and tonight after she ate a LOT she was in a much better mood.

How much solid food should I be offering her? Until she stops herself? Is one solids meal a day too little? I generally nurse her first, recently she's been super finicky on the breast unless it's bedtime and we're laying down. I'm wondering if it's because she's hungrier and wants more than just milk. I want to make sure she's getting enough if what she's telling me is that she needs more calories, kwim?

Also what's the scoop on offering water?

Any advice is appreciated, as always!!


Theodor was like that at 4mo, and the health visitor suggested I started introducing solids. I had planned on waiting until he was 6mo, so I was hesitant and waited almost another month before starting. And he really did get happier once he got more nutrition from solids. Now, at 9mo, he gets 4 solids meals a day (3 of them BLW style). He just loooooves eating with the rest of us!
I offer him water from a cup (not a sippy cup) at every meal. He's getting really good at drinking, although he still has "fountain tendencies"


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

juliav - You're not alone on the pizza crust. We ordered pizza one night for a quick dinner and my guy really wanted some. So I gave him some crust and he gummed it down quite well. I've given him little slices of pizza from TJs also. I figure that's better than take out pizza....


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## littlebabydoll (May 15, 2008)

Just be patient, it takes a week or two. Damien is starting to get it after a few weeks. Why rush them?


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## littlebabydoll (May 15, 2008)

Anyone have advice on how to cook carrots? When I bake carrots and yams they come out too leathery.


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## D'sMama (May 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *littlebabydoll* 
Anyone have advice on how to cook carrots? When I bake carrots and yams they come out too leathery.

Try tossing them in olive oil first, really coat them.







:


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

I've got another question







...

What foods should I definitely NOT be offering my 6.5 month old. She loves everything we've given her so far. I'm currently staying away from honey, strawberries, and meat.

When is fish ok? Any other things I should avoid?


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## littlebabydoll (May 15, 2008)

OK! I was somehow worried that oil wasn't good to use yet. Thank you!


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D'sMama* 
Try tossing them in olive oil first, really coat them.







:

Absolutely... we do them in the toaster oven at 350 with plenty of oil... we do squash that way too and yam.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juliav* 
I've got another question







...

What foods should I definitely NOT be offering my 6.5 month old. She loves everything we've given her so far. I'm currently staying away from honey, strawberries, and meat.

When is fish ok? Any other things I should avoid?


no honey until 1 year old, and no nut butters, but the way i understand it everything else is fair game unless you have allergy concerns.

that said, we have no allergy concerns but i'm holding off on things like wheat and dairy until close to a year anyway because gluten and dairy are such prevalent digestive issues that i want to give her gut that long to mature in the hopes of avoiding creating any issues for her.

i've also heard to avoid tomatoes (too acidic) for a while. i hadn't heard about strawberries...do you know why on that one?


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckennasmomma* 

i've also heard to avoid tomatoes (too acidic) for a while. i hadn't heard about strawberries...do you know why on that one?

Embarrassingly, I don't. It may be a myth or something that my grandma put in my head ages ago









Thanks for the answer! I'm so exited to offer her some new stuff!!

Fia has had wheat a few times in small amounts and I don't think she tolerates it well. Not an allergy, but just digestive troubles a bit.


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## D'sMama (May 4, 2008)

Okay, so I plan to do BLW with my DS. He's just turned 5 months this week. My problem is that he REALLY wants to play with our food (I'm not going to say he wants to _eat_, because I don't think he understands what eating really is yet, kwim?) I let him play with some plain brown rice when we were at a chinese restaurant the other day, assuming he wouldn't be able to get it to his mouth (it was sticky and he doesn't have pincer grasp yet), but he actually did! I ended up fishing out the 2 or 3 grains from the back, side of his tongue because he didn't swallow them.

Anyway, he's been carefully watching us eat and drink for the last month or so, but recently, he's been getting very upset when we don't let him handle our food. We give him our napkins, spoons, toys, etc. to play with at the table, but he wants our FOOD. We let him handle almost everything else that he comes across (that's not dangerous), but now he's noticing that he's not being allowed to handle food and he's really grumpy about it, understandably.

So here's my question: given that he's unlikely to actually EAT (swallow) any (or much) of our food just yet, is it really that bad to let him play with it? I totally understand waiting until 6 months to start solids, and do believe it's best, health-wise for the majority of babies, especially if doing purees which would get swallowed... but with BLW, it's more about play in the beginning, so he wouldn't be swallowing much of it. (We also don't have allergy concerns and he was a healthy 40-week baby.)

*So how bad is it really to let a 5 month old play with our food, and if he happens to swallow a tiny bit here and there, so be it?*


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

I guess there are those who really strictly follow the 6 month or pincer/sitting/no tongue reflex rules. We were a little bit lax about it, and it worked for us.

Like your son, DD was super interested in anything food related. For a while we could "trick" her with empty dishes and utensils. but that didn't last long. So when she started actually grabbing our food from our plates, we let her. She was sitting pretty well on her own, though not completely reliably, she still had the tongue reflex at that time and she still hasn't mastered pincer grasp (at one week shy of 7 months). I think the amount of food that she was actually consuming was negligible. Now she eats like a champ and anything you give her. I didn't want to dissuade her even though she was not fully "ready" for solids because I saw the curiosity as a good thing.

I think allowing him to play and "taste" will set up a positive food relationship and openness to trying things and also allow him to take part in the eating ritual that is so important to us as humans. Sounds like you're going to have a foodie like us!! It's soooo fun!


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## runningmommy08 (Apr 27, 2009)

What do you all do about food that your baby drops? I don't really know what to do. There is an anecdote in the Rapley book where a baby dropped most of the food and then concentrated on eating the one thing left - so the message may be that too much food on the tray can be distracting to baby.

What I have been doing is deciding whether it's deliberate or not. Sometimes DD tastes something, is obviously displeased by it, and drops it. Other times some food will slip out of her hands and she'll drop it and look down at it like, "hey! I was planning to eat that!" In the former instance, I usually wait about 5 minutes and then place the item back on her tray. But when it's clear she's accidentally dropped something, I give it back to her right away.

Does this sound right? What do you all do? What about in the middle instance where I can't tell if it's deliberate or not? Sometimes something catches her eye and she just drops some food she's holding.


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

I think the dropping of food in my DD's case is usually just another way of exploring it. Her high chair has cupholders on both sides of it, and she likes to put different foods in each one, like she's sorting it or something. I think it's kind of cute.

Anything that goes completely "overboard" I replace if she looks like she wants more, or I just put it in the compost if she doesn't seem interested anymore.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *runningmommy08* 
What I have been doing is deciding whether it's deliberate or not. Sometimes DD tastes something, is obviously displeased by it, and drops it. Other times some food will slip out of her hands and she'll drop it and look down at it like, "hey! I was planning to eat that!" In the former instance, I usually wait about 5 minutes and then place the item back on her tray. But when it's clear she's accidentally dropped something, I give it back to her right away.

Sounds good to me.

I need to be better about putting a drop cloth down so I can give her back the food that she uses to test gravity.

She'll be eating away happily and then just stop, lean over a bit and let something drop to the floor. And it's obvious that she just suddenly thought "hmm, does *this* fall too?"


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *runningmommy08* 
What do you all do about food that your baby drops? I don't really know what to do. There is an anecdote in the Rapley book where a baby dropped most of the food and then concentrated on eating the one thing left - so the message may be that too much food on the tray can be distracting to baby.

Does this sound right? What do you all do? What about in the middle instance where I can't tell if it's deliberate or not? Sometimes something catches her eye and she just drops some food she's holding.

What you're doing sounds logical to me. We haven't reached the dropping things on purpose stage yet. But since our dog posts up by the highchair to snap up anything that goes by the wayside, I don't anticipate having a chance to give things back!

Usually when Ophelia drops things off the tray its because she's all done. Also, I have noticed that if we put a lot of food on the tray she's more inclined to swish it all around with her hands and play more than eat (which is fine for now), but I tend to put just a few things and once she's either eaten or played them to mush I give her more. This has also provided an opportunity to teach the "more" sign and word. She doesn't sign back yet, but she definitely understands!


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## hippiemama76 (Jun 11, 2009)

Joining in! I've started BLW with my 10 month old, and we are loving it so far! Can't wait to read the rest of the thread and get some good ideas/tips.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

What do you guys offer for breakfast? I need some good ideas. We don't do any animal products so mostly we do bananas, some other type of fruit if its on hand, but I'd really like to offer something different. Today she had carrots and lettuce, lol.

Last night we took DD to a wedding and she did WONDERFULLY w/eating. She had cantaloupe, pumpernickel bread, honeydew, watermelon, and asparagus. EVERYONE was amazed at how well she was eating, and a few people asked us if she was over a year old already.

Yesterday I went to my girlfriends daughter's 1st bday party. She did everything by the book w/purees and no self feeding at all (she also did formula instead of nursing). She was spoon-feeding her daughter baked beans and the poor girl was choking so terribly on them! She had no idea how to eat them. And plus, b/c my girlfriend was spoon-feeding them to her, they were going right to the back of her throat and she didn't understand to chew. I was amazed and slightly horrified. Nora can eat baked beans, chili beans, black beans, you name it!


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 
What do you guys offer for breakfast? I need some good ideas. We don't do any animal products so mostly we do bananas, some other type of fruit if its on hand, but I'd really like to offer something different. Today she had carrots and lettuce, lol.


We're pretty lax on breakfast, but when we do offer it, it's often coconut milk yogurt (Baby Girl is sensitive to soy, otherwise we'd do soy yogurt). If she weren't sensitive to soy, I might also give her chunks of soy sausage once in a while. Yesterday we also had some homemade hashbrown potatoes, which Baby Girl liked. Oh, and sometimes we have quinoa cereal with fruit in it--I make it for me and we share it.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Re: the dropping of food. LOL i have to laugh because DD has developed quite the personality and has gotten into the habit of dropping objects just for fun. sometimes it's food she likes and sometimes it's stuff that she has tried and isn't thrilled about. i think she's just smart enough to realize that we'll give her more food when there's none left on her tray. sometimes it does look like she's pulling the fake-yawn-throw-food-over-the-back-shoulder-when-mommy-isn't-looking thing.









so happy that DD loooooooves sauteed spinach! we got the bloodwork back from her 12 month well-visit and she is slightly anemic so we're trying to find some iron-rich foods to give her. we have to supplement with a multivitamin anyway since we're giving her goat's milk which has less folate than cow's, so she should get iron that way, but i'd rather get into the habit of giving it to her through her diet.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

for more iron you can also add a touch of blackstrap molasses (get the unsulphured stuff) to her goat's milk yogurt. it is a high-nutrition sweetner and it only takes a tiny bit to sweeten stuff up.


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

Hi there, haven't posted in a while but so nice to catch up! My lo is still eating everything and so cute feeding himself and saying "mmmm" practically the entire time.

Thanks for the molasses suggestion. Why is sulpher bad anyway? We try to avoid sulphered dried fruit but I guess I'm unclear why we do that.

Can we talk about nutrition? We are still bfing so I'm not overly concerned about providing balanced meals per se, but would other mamas like to share what concerns you? Do you try to go big on the protein foods? Or big on the greens? (we eat a lot of chicken and broccoli lately) or do you try to downplay the fruit b/c of natural sugar?


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beautifulboy* 
Can we talk about nutrition? We are still bfing so I'm not overly concerned about providing balanced meals per se, but would other mamas like to share what concerns you? Do you try to go big on the protein foods? Or big on the greens? (we eat a lot of chicken and broccoli lately) or do you try to downplay the fruit b/c of natural sugar?

i was just researching this yesterday. we still bf too, but i work full-time so DD only gets nursed 3x/day on a typical work day, and i no longer pump and we're slowly weaning her off EBM/bottle over to goat's milk in sippy or straw cup. i'm trying to plan nutritionally rounded meals since she's over a year old now.

found this and it seems to be an easy to follow guideline. the second page has specific food suggestions and how much of each to offer:

http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpn...,,3b1k,00.html


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

I think ds has gone on a self feeding strike. He will still eat crackers and bread, but is being really demanding about being fed bites from my fork/spoon. as in he will throw a tantrum about it if i dont share and will NOT feed himself the same foods if put on his tray.







I'm not sure how to deal with this, so far i've just been accommodating his wants, but i dont want this to go on forever when i know he can feed himself. Should I just let him go without if he won't feed himself? That doesn't really seem right to me either... Thoughts? Anyone btdt?


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
i was just researching this yesterday. we still bf too, but i work full-time so DD only gets nursed 3x/day on a typical work day, and i no longer pump and we're slowly weaning her off EBM/bottle over to goat's milk in sippy or straw cup. i'm trying to plan nutritionally rounded meals since she's over a year old now.

found this and it seems to be an easy to follow guideline. the second page has specific food suggestions and how much of each to offer:

http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpn...,,3b1k,00.html


thanks for the info!

I am also wondering what other moms do at home in terms of baby nutrition. Moms? (and Dads)







:


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## littlebabydoll (May 15, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gagin37* 
I think ds has gone on a self feeding strike. He will still eat crackers and bread, but is being really demanding about being fed bites from my fork/spoon. as in he will throw a tantrum about it if i dont share and will NOT feed himself the same foods if put on his tray.







I'm not sure how to deal with this, so far i've just been accommodating his wants, but i dont want this to go on forever when i know he can feed himself. Should I just let him go without if he won't feed himself? That doesn't really seem right to me either... Thoughts? Anyone btdt?

I just realized I had this problem with my baby is fussy too. I offered off my fork and he wanted it. Then he gets bored and wants to play that game over again! I played along then decided he wasn't that hungry for solids.


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## paulamc (Jun 25, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juliav* 
What you're doing sounds logical to me. We haven't reached the dropping things on purpose stage yet. But since our dog posts up by the highchair to snap up anything that goes by the wayside, I don't anticipate having a chance to give things back!

DS and DD(og) at our house are in cahoots - babe waits till dog is in view, winks, drops [insert item: carrot, potato, toy, spoon, etc...], and dog retrieves


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beautifulboy* 
thanks for the info!

I am also wondering what other moms do at home in terms of baby nutrition. Moms? (and Dads)







:


Well, I guess I'm approaching it much the way I approach my own nutrition: try to keep each meal and day as balanced as possible. DD is only getting 1-2 solid meals a day though so mostly I'm just not too worried about it yet. Here is an example of the balance I did today: 1 meal was some egg yolk and some pear (so protein + fruit) and the other meal was sweet potato fries and some peach (so carbohydrate + fat from the olive oil + fruit). Typically I would have had one of those fruits be a veggie instead but I just didn't have any prepared today. We haven't done any meats yet, so right now her proteins are: egg yolk, a little goats milk yogurt, and beans.

I'm definitely not limiting fruits because of the sugar factor. I understand your concern but fruit is natural sugar and we do need that in our diets. Actually, eating fruits should curb sweet cravings since that need is being fulfilled.

The only greens so far for us are sauteed spinach and steamed broccoli. DD LOVES spinach...I want to add more greens in for sure. Has anyone tried uncooked greens yet? (DD is almost 10 months and has her 4 front teeth...I'm concerned she won't be able to do much with uncooked greens and they could potentially cover her airway? I dunno!)

I think though that right now I'm just trying to offer a variety of healthy foods and not worry too much about the specifics. I checked that link about toddler nutrition and although I think it was very sound info I'm not planning to count calories or grams of anything for my LO.


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## LaurenAnanas (Feb 26, 2008)

So baby girl's been getting solids for about a month now, and it is pretty boring. I started a blog because I thought it'd be fun to track her intro to foods, but I haven't updated in a while because it's BORING.

She plays with everything and tastes it, but doesn't swallow anything on purpose. She's *very* good at working chunks from the back of her mouth to the front so they can dribble down her bib.

Also, she drops things accidentally. No drama, no fuss, they're just not on the tray any longer.

We gave her a whole chicken tenderloin the other day and she did seem to like that- she sucked on it for about 10 minutes, which is a long time for her. I know she got something out of it, because her next poopy diaper smelled like chicken. Like horrible nasty poo-chicken.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 
What do you guys offer for breakfast? I need some good ideas. We don't do any animal products so mostly we do bananas, some other type of fruit if its on hand, but I'd really like to offer something different. Today she had carrots and lettuce, lol.

My son likes to feed himself cubes of tofu. I'm not a vegetarian but I'll likely give him tempeh next time we have some. I bet TVP would be good too given that my guy likes the texture of ground meat.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beautifulboy* 
Can we talk about nutrition? We are still bfing so I'm not overly concerned about providing balanced meals per se, but would other mamas like to share what concerns you? Do you try to go big on the protein foods? Or big on the greens? (we eat a lot of chicken and broccoli lately) or do you try to downplay the fruit b/c of natural sugar?

I talked to a dietitian and she suggested offering foods from three of the four food groups at each meal. So breakfast today for my 10-month-old was cheerios, cubes of cheese and blueberries, lunch was cubes of chicken, toast fingers and a peeled pear and dinner will be the pasta and broccoli we're eating and an egg yolk.
I say "offer" because he may not eat everything (or much of anything!) but I want to give him a variety of foods. I'm not limiting fruit - it hadn't occurred to me to be worried about the sugar.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

So what do you do/offer while you are traveling? DS *just* turned 7 months and has been feeding himself for about a month along with our meals. Typically I just hand him things I think he can handle out of our food, and *normally* since we eat pretty decently and I try to plan for him, it works OK...

it even worked OK for our weekend at DH's aunt's since we mostly ate home-cooked.

However.....we just got back from emergency trip (kids me my mom) to a funeral. 6 hour drive to, then halfway back, overnight stop and a day, then the rest of the way home.

Mostly through the trip he ate teething cookies in the car for solids. (read--distraction items till the next stop if necessary)
One day we had pancakes and he ate some. At my friend's there wasn't really anything we had that he could eat either. (That was the stop on the way back)
Actually it just occured to me when we got home that he ate NO solid food today. I had *nothing* I could really offer him. (there were bananas available but the last time he had some he got MAJOR constipated and we just got over that!)
We really ended up eating a lot of fast food type crap that I didnt' want to give him.

So what do you do??? this trip I wasn't *too* concerned as he doesn't eat a *lot* yet anyway....but in a month or so I think we'll go back to same friend's for an overnight possibly even a campout.

Obviously some fruits would work out well. (and I could've done better with that, I just did not think to grab anything when I had the chance at a health food store of all places!) Other ideas for things that would travel/keep well and be something an 8 mo old experienced eater can handle? (to give you an idea, right now he eats things like small bits of pancake, sucks on fruits, and whole-hand shoves Indian lentils (dal) and oatmeal with baby food prunes mixed in it into his mouth)


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

to respond to some others

mine is 7 months and I don't worry at all about balancing, I just try to offer a variety of healthy things. I don't worry about a schedule or anything either, actually if you see the post about our recent travels, he went a few days with little solids just because there was not much he could eat. He also wasn't awake for a lot of our meals. I'm just now starting to get consistent about offering him breakfast, and he is usually awake to eat when we eat dinner. That's how I've always done it. DD (now 29 months) did not eat 3 meals a day until she was probably 18 months old--she would eat breakfast, *maybe* some sort of little snack, take her nap, snack, and eat dinner. She nursed to sleep. I would try to offer lunch and she just wasn't interested, she was ready to nurse to sleep.

ooohhh i never thought about greens blocking their airway.....I've offered to DS. He has picked up, mouthed, sucked, and pretty much appears to spit out anything that gets in or leaves it. Mainly I figure he is tasting it and getting experience with the texture. Also it's a lesson to me--he does remarkably well with handling his food.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *peaceful_mama* 
So what do you do/offer while you are traveling?

i was just thinking about this because we have a couple of trips coming up- one 5-hour road trip and a 6-hour flight across the country. we are very careful about what we offer DD, i.e. organics as much as possible, nothing processed, etc. but what will happen when we're away from home and maybe won't have access to the same types of produce and healthy options. i guess we have to do the best we can! pack lots of fruit from home, and try to locate local stores that carry healthier options so we don't have to resort to fast food.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *peaceful_mama* 
So what do you do/offer while you are traveling?

Honestly, at this point I'm comfortable giving DD whatever I'm eating or a slightly modified version of it. When we travel, we tend to lean toward more ethnic foods for take out - chinese, thai. Those places often have steamed veggies on their menu, which DD loves and I think are just fine for her. Usually we end up at a grocery store at least once on vacation or travelling (usually a few times) where we can stock up on some good stuff.


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## littlebabydoll (May 15, 2008)

when are eggs and dairy OK? any one limit meat till a certain age? My boy is really into eating already so I want to be able to offer a wide range.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

truthfully i think eggs and dairy are fine anytime if you don't have allergy concerns. BUT, if you want to be cautious (which i am doing) then: egg yolks are fine very early but egg whites not until one year, and dairy not until one year (but we have done goat's milk yogurt).


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## Dahlea (May 15, 2008)

Mine is just over 8 months. He likes to chew/suck on some things but is totally against actually eating anything. Anytime something touches the back of his tongue, he begins gagging and will choke/puke if we don't pull it out-this even happened today when I gave him some pureed type beans I was cooking into refried beans.
He loves pickles the most-he LOVES the sour taste! People act like we're weird, but my kid is 8 months and 30 lbs so they can't say we're starving him!


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

Hi all









*Dairy*
My DS has been eating whole milk plain yogurt since he was 7 mos old (he's 8.5 mos now) and lately I've let him have cheese whenever we are eating it (he's had cheddar, bleu, goat, and I think that's it). I am concerned about rBGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) in dairy for everyone in the family and try to never buy products with it in it. We are BFing and won't be giving baby cows milk until after age 1. We stay away from eggs for the time being, we tried giving him egg yokes just plain and he didn't like them so I sort of dropped the eggs after that. I suppose I could pput them in something (like beans+eggs?) any ideas about that one?

*Veggies*
I am trying to do all organic, so sometimes it's hard to find a wide variety of veggies all the time but I try. It's pretty much broccoli, asparagas, avocado and carrots these days. I worry about choking on salad greens to so I haven't offered any.

*Nutrition*
Thanks for the replies about baby nutrition. What about grains? I try to mix it up throughout the day too.
_Yesterday_ it was-- morning-apples/kiwi, midday: avocado/broccoli/grapes, evening: pork tenderloin/carrots/apples
_Today_ it was-- morning:apples/banana, midday: broccoli/asparagas, evening: chicken/sweet potato

But no grains. DS doesn't like rice cereal, even if I did make it he wouldn't eat it. We have barley teething biscuits but I don't really consider them nutritious, just treats or supermarket distractions.







and we when we tried wheat (pancakes) he got a rash, so maybe no wheat for a while. Any ideas?

I am looking into making my own hot cereals for him, with oats and ground up almonds maybe. But I don't have any breast milk in my freezer anymore so I'm put off by the idea of making hot cereal without.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

One grain idea is rice cakes. I found this organic brown rice cake and just bought the plain variety. I usually top it with avocado and give dd a chunk to chew on. it is a bit messy but isn't everything these days?! You could try mixing breast milk or water in with some egg yolk to make it spreadable and smear that on the rice cake.

A friend gave me a box of some organic baby oatmeal. Not something I likely would have purchased myself but I gotta say it is so darn easy! Just add a touch of water (or breast milk or whatever else) and it is ready. I always put in some sort of fruit too like blueberries or pear or cantaloupe. Egg yolk would be good in there too. But if your son doesn't like rice cereal he might not like the oatmeal either.

It isn't a grain exactly but potatoes and sweet potatoes are always an excellent carbohydrate choice.


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dahlea* 
He loves pickles the most-he LOVES the sour taste! People act like we're weird, but my kid is 8 months and 30 lbs so they can't say we're starving him!

My dad was telling me that he and my mom used to feed my brother pickles when he was a baby because he enjoyed them and made such cute faces. My brother still loves pickles and could probably eat an entire jar by himself within a day or two.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

The one place I have used pureed food is mixing pureed prunes into oatmeal for DS. (real adult oatmeal not baby) Makes a clump he can grab on the tray and make a LOVELY mess with









today he ate leftover dal (lentils with onion and tomato, an Indian thing DH makes), fresh strawberries from local Farmer's Market, and potatoes with the sauce from our dinner, fork mashed--but clump-able and picked up himself.
And a cookie. Because he BEGGED.







I figure there i hit it all, potatoes are a carb, lentils are a protein, fruit, tomatoes in sauce are a veggie I guess. we just didn't do much of a "real" veggie. Other days though he's eaten carrots, green beans, gnawed on an ear of corn, things like that, it all balances.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Unless you're avoiding meat for ethical reasons, meat's actually a really good food for babies to suck on.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

These past few days have been great for Nora's eating! I make this super delicious dish called creole red beans, and I offered her some to try. I stabbed one with a fork and held it out to see if she'd go for it. She did, and she LOVED them! Not only was she eating off the fork, but she was pulling the beans off with her lips and gums, and chewing them up and opening her mouth for more! We were at a party while doing this, and one woman stopped in her tracks and said, "Wow, she's already eating beans? That's amazing!"

Nora also enjoyed lots of fruit this weekend, eating watermelon, blueberries, cherries (which she really loved!), and some melon. She is also LOVING nectarines.

She had also had some vegetarian baked beans (in the same fashion as the other beans), asparagus (which she devoured), and broccoli.

We have started soaking prunes at the advice of another MDC mama, and she actually loves them and they have been keeping her much more regular. I think she's had a bm a day for the past 3-4 days, and no more hard stools. If any of you are having babies w/constipation I wholly recommend soaking some prunes and offering them to your LO.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 
These past few days have been great for Nora's eating! I make this super delicious dish called creole red beans, and I offered her some to try. I stabbed one with a fork and held it out to see if she'd go for it. She did, and she LOVED them! Not only was she eating off the fork, but she was pulling the beans off with her lips and gums, and chewing them up and opening her mouth for more! We were at a party while doing this, and one woman stopped in her tracks and said, "Wow, she's already eating beans? That's amazing!"

We have started soaking prunes at the advice of another MDC mama, and she actually loves them and they have been keeping her much more regular. I think she's had a bm a day for the past 3-4 days, and no more hard stools. If any of you are having babies w/constipation I wholly recommend soaking some prunes and offering them to your LO.

glad the prune soaking worked!

i wish DD would eat beans. i've tried all different kinds and she ends up spitting them out. admittedly, we don't usually cook with beans so i made them just for her to try, so maybe because they didn't absorb any flavors they were just too bland or she didn't like the consistency. i even tried canned







: to see if it was just my cooking, but no luck.

any suggestions? they would be a perfect food for her.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
i wish DD would eat beans. i've tried all different kinds and she ends up spitting them out. admittedly, we don't usually cook with beans so i made them just for her to try, so maybe because they didn't absorb any flavors they were just too bland or she didn't like the consistency. i even tried canned







: to see if it was just my cooking, but no luck.

any suggestions? they would be a perfect food for her.

Try flavoring them up some. You could simmer the beans in water with a little bit of onion powder and garlic powder until they reduce. Maybe they are just too bland for your LO? Or I just gave DD vegetarian baked beans from a can, cooked them up. She loved those.


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

We had a major success last night with corn on the cob. ds really wasn't crazy about watermelon though. Oh well, we'll try again when the ones in our garden come in. I think he might also be warming up to blue berries too, which is exciting.


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## LaurenAnanas (Feb 26, 2008)

My last post in this thread was about how boring BLW is so far... Not any more!

Just within the last two days, she has started chewing and swallowing foods _on purpose_, and her poo shows it!









Alas, I think the days of easy-to-clean EBF diapers are over.


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LaurenAnanas* 

Alas, I think the days of easy-to-clean EBF diapers are over.

i miss the ebf poos too. the first month or so of solids the diapers were just horrendous. uke


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## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

Hi!

I'm Jillian and River is 7 weeks old... I did child led weaning with my first 2, Janelle weaned a couple days after she turned 4 and Kincaid weaned at 23 months... I don't consider Travis' to have truly been child led, cause while I was completely willing to continue nursing him, he weaned at about 15 months old, and I'm 100% certain that wouldn't of happened if I wasn't pregnant, it just wasn't something I considered since Janelle happily nursed through my entire pregnancy with Kincaid, and then happily tandem nursed for the entire 23 months that Kincaid nursed, then continued nursing for another 6 months after that, so I just assumed Travis would be fine with nursing through pregnancy, and I was wrong.

As for solids, I 100% believe there is no one size fits all rule for this, I feed my kids solids when they have all the readiness signs and seem obviously hungry, this meant that Kincaid got a ton of solids(purees) really early, Travis went straight to table food at 9 months old, and Janelle gradually transitioned into eating real food(table food as well), and didn't start actually eating every day till 11 months and didn't start eating a whole meal per day till 15 months.... Personally, I prefer the straight to table food method, just cause it's so much easier, but I'll give solids to River whenever he seems ready. Another interesting thing though is that all my kids started eating solids at around 15lbs...Kincaid hit that(actually, he was 17lbs) at 4 months old, and Travis and Janelle hit it(Travis was 14 1/2lbs) around 9 months old. If this holds true, River may never eat solids, at 6 weeks he was 6lbs 9ounces (6lbs at birth)...if he grows at the rate Travis did (birth weight x 2.125 in the first year, he was 6lbs 14oz at birth and 14lbs 14oz at 1) he won't be quite 13lbs at 1.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LaurenAnanas* 
Alas, I think the days of easy-to-clean EBF diapers are over.

oh yeah kiss those days good-bye! solids are definitely fun watching them go in, but not so much once they're out! lol

don't even get me started on what we find in DD's diaper now that she's on a liquid multivitamin with iron. oy.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

what is in the diaper doesn't bug me so much as the food chunks i find in the washing machine after i wash her diapers!! my dh commented that we could make trail mix...alas at least it has been cleaned before i have to scoop it out!


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

I've given baby meat.







He had some very fine pieces of crockpot cooked roast beef yesterday, fork-mashed into some of the potatoes. Would've had carrots too but my brain-dead self forgot to throw them in the crockpot!

So the last 2 days, he has had oatmeal with pear puree mixed in (pear juice the first day, I was out of any sort of fruit puree) I never did puree with DD but with DS and constipation, I'd rather he self-feed a clump of oatmeal with pureed pear or prune than have to take medicine or use a suppository.

I remembered with DD the first meal I fed her reallly was breakfast, because she was at her most-awake/happy/interested. This seems true for DS too. I also fed her oatmeal regularly, sometimes steel-cut, sometimes regular, and she was never truly constipated. The other thing I did with her that I "forgot" with DS till we went through this constipation thing was water. I offered a couple ounces of water in a cup along with solids. Not that she drank two oz water along with food always but she would drink at least some and I think it helped.'
the only thing I ever did with her, I remember giving her prunes once after like 3 days and they worked, other than that, I may have given her water by bottle once or twice.

Poor DS, as some might remember me posting, was truly constipated, like try to go and can't, obviously uncomfortable, unhappy, doctor recommended laxative med type. So we are avoiding bananas since he had a large amount of one when this started.

He *loves* eating, like DD he likes breakfast. Which just gives me incentive to make a better breakfast for everyone







'
I just go with offering when he seems interested and we are eating. If he is not awake no biggie.

I hit on a great thing yesterday morning too while quick making his oatmeal--frozen peas! just run under the kitchen faucet and ready to go! a very easy way for him to get a veggie...but EWW on the diaper later....pea skins...oh well. I figure it's an easy vegetable, just as easy as puffs or something.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *peaceful_mama* 

I hit on a great thing yesterday morning too while quick making his oatmeal--frozen peas! just run under the kitchen faucet and ready to go! a very easy way for him to get a veggie...but EWW on the diaper later....pea skins...oh well. I figure it's an easy vegetable, just as easy as puffs or something.

we do frozen fruits and veggies all the time; it's just easier to not have to run to the store when we inevitably have to discard produce that has gone bad (plus we can easily keep a frozen stash at my mom's who is her child care while i work). if they're bigger chunks i cut them while they're still frozen- makes it easier to handle- and then a run under some warm water does the trick. sometimes she even likes them a bit frozen too.


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckennasmomma* 
what is in the diaper doesn't bug me so much as the food chunks i find in the washing machine after i wash her diapers!! my dh commented that we could make trail mix...alas at least it has been cleaned before i have to scoop it out!

Have you tried diaper liners? They're like paper towels that you put in the diaper so you can lift off the poop and flush it. You can dry and re-use the ones that just have pee on them if you're worried about the waste.
My son (10.5 months) has a new favorite food! I made fruit salad for dinner and gave him the mango pit - still pretty "meaty" - and he gnawed away on it forever. My friend's LO, the same age, adored it too.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Nora did amazing this morning w/sliced mango!







:

The last time I offered it was about a month ago and she showed no interest for the flavor or for the challenge of getting the fruit off the skin. Today, she was pulling the fruit off the skin w/her teeth, eating it, smacking her lips -- she LOVED it! I was very happy. She ate 4 whole slices!

Yay mangoes!


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Same here - mango was definitely not a hit before.
It just shows that you need to keep offering foods that you're eating.

Mamas, any ideas how to sweeten yogurt? I've been offering my LO Balkan-style yogurt but he doesn't like it - I assume because it's a bit tart. What do your little ones like in yogurt?


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## beautifulboy (Apr 5, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Megan73* 

Mamas, any ideas how to sweeten yogurt? I've been offering my LO Balkan-style yogurt but he doesn't like it - I assume because it's a bit tart. What do your little ones like in yogurt?

We like mashed bananas, grated apples, molasses, apple sauce


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

My kids (including baby) LOVE mangoes! even DS2 just sucked it to death









We had the *best* cantaloupe yesterday too, DS had a piece right away and 2 that survived all the way to today, he ate one early this AM before I took the big kids to the dentist and one later on.

my kids would probably all eat berries and yogurt.


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

ds likes mashed up blueberries in yogurt sometimes, even though he's not a big fruit lover.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Megan73* 
Mamas, any ideas how to sweeten yogurt? I've been offering my LO Balkan-style yogurt but he doesn't like it - I assume because it's a bit tart. What do your little ones like in yogurt?

we put blueberries in for flavor, which she loves. if you buy the frozen ones they are very messy, but perfect for adding color & flavor to the yogurt. i also tried using agave nectar upon the suggestion of one of the othere mamas here, but turns out DD will eat plain goat's milk yogurt with just blueberries (and we put her liquid vitamin in there too, which has a bit of sweetener) so we don't add the agave anymore.


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## katmann (Oct 15, 2008)

I've been reading through this thread a little since ds will be 6 months on July 12. He's had nothing but breastmilk since he was born (and a few hyland's teething tablets), so I'm super proud of myself for EBFing. I'm trying to get ideas for first foods, and what I've read is really helpful.

The other night we were making swiss chard, and I gave ds one of the stalks to chew on. Since he's teething, the texture was really pleasant for him. I didn't let him have it for more than a few minutes, but I guess it was technically his first food. He's been really interested in what we eat lately, even reaching for dad's water glass several times. I think he'll be an enthusiastic eater.

Glad to know so many mama's are giving their babes beans. I was wondering if anyone did, since we're always told not to eat them when bfing, due to creating gas in baby. We eat beans like four times a week, and ds has never had any problems. Hopefully he'll like the real thing!


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

Hey all, do you think refried beans are a choking hazard? I'm wondering if they are too sticky...what do you think?


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## D'sMama (May 4, 2008)

I can add to the thread now! DS is 5.5 months, but he's showing all the readiness signs, and has been VERY eager to try our food for the last month or more. We've been letting him handle a lot of different foods in the last couple days, but I don't think he's actually eaten much, if anything, so I don't feel too bad about jumping the gun by a couple weeks. I would have happily waited until 6 or 7 months or more, but DH and I feel like we should go by the baby, not by the calendar, so that's why we started a wee bit "early".

So far, he's tasted:
white rice; celery; asparagus; green bean (French); pork tenderloin; grilled green pepper, yellow pepper & onion; sliced turkey; prosciutto; duck sausage; broccoli sauteed in olive oil & garlic; peach; chicken breast

Here's a cute video of him trying the broccoli (on his blog).









He seems to LOVE meat (just like Daddy!) He's spent by far the most amount of time gumming pieces of meat, and had the fewest grimaces and yucky faces in response. He also loved the broccoli, which was nice and oily and garlicky. He seems to really like drinking water too, and he insists on trying to hold the glass himself - I've been helping him hold a shot glass with a bit of water in it, and he sips from it (and spills most). He also drank from a straw yesterday, but I don't think he intended to! He's been _studying_ us when we drink water for a month now.
















: BLW is awesome and DS seems so happy to be doing it! I'm so grateful that I found MDC and this thread before I had DS, because otherwise I'd be doing the whole cereal and puree thing like everyone is "supposed to". This is so much better and more fun!


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## D'sMama (May 4, 2008)

I have an in-law problem (who doesn't, right?







)

Today we had brunch with them and I sat DS in a high chair and gave him some blueberry halves. He just threw them on the ground. Then FIL offered him some peach that turned out to actually be apricot (it was in a fruit salad and over-ripe). DS started playing with it, squishing it in his hands and gumming it. He made that gaggy sound, but he was nowhere even remotely close to choking. It was so over-ripe and soft, there's no way he could have choked on it. Anyway, MIL spazzed out, announced "I'm not comfortable with this!" and reached for the piece that was still on the table with her fork (???). I just said, "he's fine". Then later, I let him gum on my banana. He made yucky face and did the gaggy thing again, even though he was only licking the peel. He just makes that sound when he doesn't like the taste of something, apparently. She scowled at us and proceeded to ignore me the rest of the time we were with them.

How do you all deal with family members who think you're endangering your baby's life and safety by letting them feed themselves? DH and I are careful but comfortable with BLW, but she clearly thinks DS will choke himself and it will be our fault.







:


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckennasmomma* 
Hey all, do you think refried beans are a choking hazard? I'm wondering if they are too sticky...what do you think?

My guess is that a LO will just pinch out the beans one by one to eat them. At least that's what happened with lentil soup.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D'sMama* 
How do you all deal with family members who think you're endangering your baby's life and safety by letting them feed themselves? DH and I are careful but comfortable with BLW, but she clearly thinks DS will choke himself and it will be our fault.







:

"







That noise is scary, isn't it? But it shows that his protective gag reflex is working just fine! Thank you for caring about him!"


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## ruthmg (Dec 24, 2007)

We're starting out slowly. He turned 6 months on Sunday, and I gave him a little avocado to pick up and play with. He managed to get a little in his mouth. Then today, he played with thick cucumber slices.

I'm still nervous though. My great fear is choking. I've read the book. I need to trust my little one, but I'm still listening for the sound!


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## LaurenAnanas (Feb 26, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D'sMama* 
How do you all deal with family members who think you're endangering your baby's life and safety by letting them feed themselves?

I explain that the gagging sounds mean she's not choking, but preventing choking, that she's doing exactly what she's supposed to. And the ped says it's fine. And I preemptively explained that one should NOT pound on the baby's back to "help" when she's "choking."

It hasn't gone too far yet with BLW, but I've already had to selectively feign deafness a few times (other topics). With certain types of people, ignoring them is the least-offensive path.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

OK, i need some opinions please.

DD has been drinking goat's milk and eating goat's milk yogurt and cheeses. yesterday, DH came home with a pint of chocolate goat's milk ice cream for the baby to try. what do you guys think of giving a one-year-old ice cream? personally, i'm trying to delay the sweets or foods that aren't nutritionally beneficial as long as i can. she's quite happy getting her sugars from all the fruit she eats. i see no point in offering chocolate ice cream, even if it is made from goat's milk!

so DH got really mad at me because he thinks that i veto every decision he makes about our daughter's diet. that's so not true but whatever.







:

am i so wrong to want to keep her chocolate ice cream free until absolutely impossible to do so any longer?


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## Pirate Nicole (Oct 20, 2008)

I don't see the harm in a few bites of chocolate ice cream; goat's milk, or otherwise. Unless he's intending to feed her a ton of it, I can't really see anything wrong with it. It's a special treat. I think that most babies probably have cake and/or ice cream for their birthdays, don't they? Sometimes the daddies just need to be able to do something fun and special for their LOs.


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## Skippy918 (Jul 15, 2008)

I'm really digging the BLW. DS is 10 months old and just last month he really started getting into eating everything. I skipped purees and let him self feed from around 6-7 months. He loves to eat everything I put on his tray. His favorites are avocado, cherries and blueberries. He just gums everything.

If they are self-feeding, can they overeat?


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## littlebabydoll (May 15, 2008)

My babe ate like 3 honkin slices of mango this morning! Who knew feeding a baby would be this much fun?

skippy - the idea w/ blw is that they have better control over not over eating since they are in control, not someone pushing it on them.


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## funfunkyfantastic (Feb 9, 2008)

Mil fed poor dd a bunch of apple sauce the other weekend. Poor thing is still recovering from the diaper rash it caused. I told mil not to feed her that anymore. I always stick to stuff she can feed herself.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

on the ice cream: I don't think you're "wrong"...I WISH I could accomplish that.

BUT...I have learned (took me till child #3) that as I let up and let him have some "fun", DH has actually listened MORE to me and my ideas---overall, I think DS2 has had things done a lot more "my way" than the other 2 kids. (and I think *I* too have let up on things like restricting other things besides sweets as I've gotten more 'educated')


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

I have introduced DS to (*gasp!*) a SPOON. Not as a toy, he knew it in that function LONG ago. As an eating utensil. He was eating his usual morning oatmeal, I was eating a bowl of Raisin Bran....and he was watching me. He had oatmeal on his tray, but he was *refusing* to pick it up and making grumpy noises at me! So I spooned him some oatmeal. And he was happy.









So now his morning meal consists of some sort of fruit to self-feed and a bowl of oatmeal with pureed pears or prunes mixed into it (he's had trouble with constipation, trying to stay away from bananas, which is what I used to mash into DD's oatmeal.)

And he had cinnamon in his oatmeal.







With the pears. He liked that.

The other night too, he had fish with us at dinner. I went through it and made sure it had no little bones, then made little fishball clumps for him to pick up. He LOVED it! Kept making noises for more









A typical day for him now is nurse in bed, get up, play on floor, nurse again, maybe (*probably*) a small cookie since I have a morning cookie-and-coffee habit. (And he REFUSES the Healthy Times teethers. He KNOWS. And I CAN'T refuse him, you've just got to see how he BEGS...there's this noise, and the *look*...)

Then the oatmeal breakfast. With probiotics mixed in. While mom and siblings eat.

Play. Nurse down for nap. Sleep a couple hours. Get up, play, nurse probably two times maybe three.

Join us for dinner. Make lovely mess.

Bath, probably a couple nursings. Bed. Nurse a couple times in the night. Nurse in the wee hours of the AM. Then smile and coo at Mommy till your noise threatens to wake Daddy (who doesn't get to bed till after 3 AM typically) and do it all again!


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## simcon (Jul 31, 2002)

Just jumping into this thread..

We have just started blw with avocado, banana, and broccoli--yum! Little G has been chomping at the bit for some time now, and is thrilled, though did find both avocado and banana quite slippery...

It's so funny that this is just what my daughter did (hated purees, wouldn't eat things like applesauce and mashed potatoes until she was about 4), and now there's a name for it. I do think this little guy would like the purees probably, but the philosophy of this approach makes sense to me.

But I mostly jumped in to respond to this..

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 
what do you guys think of giving a one-year-old ice cream? personally, i'm trying to delay the sweets or foods that aren't nutritionally beneficial as long as i can. she's quite happy getting her sugars from all the fruit she eats. i see no point in offering chocolate ice cream, even if it is made from goat's milk!

I'm totally with you, and would hold out on refined sugar for as long as possible. To me, there's no real point to introducing it--real wholesome foods are delightful and adventurous enough, and there's no peer pressure, etc., and childhood obesity is a big issue--can you find other places for your husband to make some more of the decisions? I'm committed to holding off on sweets until 2 for this one (we did until 3 for our other lo, now 6, and still save dessert for a treat, not a regular thing--but it'll be harder to restrict this little guy when his big sister is eating something)--refined sugar is *such* an addictive substance.


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

thanks for the replies on the ice cream topic.

i'm still torn. part of me wonders if this is really worth the stance i'm taking against it (on my relationship with my husband). true, there's probably no harm in offering it as a 'treat'. but at her age, she doesn't understand the concept of treats. she doesn't understand that, for example, on the weekends, after dinner, she can get dessert in the form of ice cream. normally her 'dessert' is a few handfuls of cheerios to nibble on and get her carb fix while she finishes her milk and mommy cleans up and gets her bath ready.









i've always had a problem with sweets. it's my weakness. why offer something to a one year old and then take it away from her because it's not meant as a regular menu item, especially if she can't understand the concepts of nutrition, or dessert, or treat?

and for the record, for her 1st birthday party i baked delicious carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting using whole wheat flour, no eggs, no sugar (applesauce and maple syrup for sweetener) and she loved it. i don't mind her eating sweet things, but they should have a nutritional purpose, if that makes any sense.

ETA: to clarify, the cream cheese frosting did have sugar in it but not the cupcakes!


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

I'm afraid my 11-month-old already knows all about ice cream.
It's my fault - one of my favorite afternoon outings is to put babe in the carrier and walk to Dairy Queen for a small cone once a week. He cries piteously if I don't share whatever I'm eating. But we never have junk food or desserts other than fruit and yogurt in the house.
OP - I wouldn't worry about a few bites of ice cream. My LO's favorite foods are still wholegrain toast, kidney beans, mango and avocado so it's not like the occasional treat has ruined his palate for healthful foods.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

well we've run in to some issues. on tuesday evening i intro'd wheat (pasta). wednesday dd developed a bizarre rash--not a red ring around her anus but a pink raised area spreading to the exterior skin of her diaper area. got worse as the day went on. i used some zinc oxide cream; it us still there today (thurs). all i can figure is it was the wheat.







i was planning to hold off until 1 year for wheat and dairy and other things but jumped the gun b/c it woul make things so much easier if she could nibble some crackers and such.

she has always had sleep disturbances; last night was particularly bad. so now i have to do some soul searching re: do i want to try to go gluten free and see if that helps her. the mere thought honestly sends me in to depression. wwyd?


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

I'm not sure about that rash. Maybe you should try again in a few days and see if you get the same reaction.

Gluten free is hard, but if it helps, you'll be glad you did it, and it gets a lot easier as you go along and find new favorite foods. I was gluten-free for a few months, along with no soy. It was very, very difficult, but I got used to it. I just reintroduced gluten because I don't think it was really an issue.

I don't know how long it takes to get gluten out of your and baby's systems, so I don't know when you should expect to see improvement if gluten is an issue. If I were you, I'd stop over at the Allergies forum and see what the uber-knowledgeable people have to say over there.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

thanks vegancupcake. i did post at the allergies forum and got 2 responses, nothing definitive (is there every anything definitive in parenthood?) I might take your advice though and try again in a couple days. although i hate the thought of hurting her in any way, and she is definitely NOT an experiment, but it was an odd rash and not what i was expecting if she had a "reaction" to wheat, you know?


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bluehairedwoman* 

and for the record, for her 1st birthday party i baked delicious carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting using whole wheat flour, no eggs, no sugar (applesauce and maple syrup for sweetener) and she loved it. i don't mind her eating sweet things, but they should have a nutritional purpose, if that makes any sense.

ETA: to clarify, the cream cheese frosting did have sugar in it but not the cupcakes!

Do you mind sharing your recipe?


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *VeganCupcake* 
I was gluten-free for a few months, along with no soy. It was very, very difficult, but I got used to it. I just reintroduced gluten because I don't think it was really an issue.

I'm amazed you did gluten and soy free as a vegan. How tough that must have been.









Not too many new developments here, but LO loves her food.

The other night we had SUCH a tough time getting her to bed. We couldn't figure out what was going on. Dh and I took turns rocking, singing, etc. We at one point put her down and just let her play and we were EXHAUSTED. Then all of a sudden, she crawls over to me, puts her arms up, and I pick her up and rock her and she falls right asleep.

We were like WTF? After I FINALLY put her down, Dh looks at me and says, "Maybe we shouldn't let her eat so much sugar for dinner..." as we remember the half a mango she downed at about 7 pm.










Just be careful what you give your LO's for dinner! If you want them to sleep and not go nutso and then crash off a sugar high, avoid mangoes and other fruits! LOL!


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckennasmomma* 
Do you mind sharing your recipe?









well i stole it off of someone's blog! found it here: http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/...y-carrot-cake/
the only thing i did differently was i used goat's milk instead of soy/rice, and i omitted the nuts. very easy to make!


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## Megan73 (May 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 
Just be careful what you give your LO's for dinner! If you want them to sleep and not go nutso and then crash off a sugar high, avoid mangoes and other fruits! LOL!

Meh. My 11-month-old eats a piece of fruit almost every night for dinner then crashes at 7:30 for the next 10 hours. The idea that sugar makes kids crazy has been pretty soundly debunked, I think.
Here's a blog entry I like on this from Rational Moms:
http://www.rationalmoms.com/2008/12/...high%E2%80%9D/


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## SandraS (Jan 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Megan73* 
Meh. My 11-month-old eats a piece of fruit almost every night for dinner then crashes at 7:30 for the next 10 hours. The idea that sugar makes kids crazy has been pretty soundly debunked, I think.
Here's a blog entry I like on this from Rational Moms:
http://www.rationalmoms.com/2008/12/...high%E2%80%9D/









:


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Cookies. Who introduced my baby to cookies?







Anyone got a healthier, tasty cookie recipe? (we like our morning coffee and cookies around here, but really ALL of us could use something with say applesauce as sweetner or something)

Sunday night we grilled, so DS gnawed on some grilled bell pepper, left the tough skin.

He also tried falafel and loved it--for those who don't know it's food-processored (and take off the skins!) chickpeas (not quite a puree) with dill, chilies--a little, this is optional technically but not in OUR house,







and i don't know what else DH puts in there, and some breadcrumbs. Make little patties, fry in oil. He LOVED it. (I gave him insides the first night, today's batch came out less crunchy so I just broke a little one up for him.)

He's also tried pineapple, fresh and grilled and LOVED that.

on the night we grilled, he also had his first (non-pork gelatin) Marshmallow! He grabbed it right off my stick,







and the look on his face as he mashed it in his hand was PRICELESS! Then he got it into his mouth. Then he tried to figure out why all his little fingers were stuck together and a couple were stuck to his palm,







Then he stuck his thumb in his mouth and figured out *it* was extra-yummy too.....







(i decided to let the kids use some of the extra kabob sticks and roast marshmallows on the grill. can't have the grill out for the first time this summer and NOT do that yk.)








that on the keeping the youngest away from what the older ones are having. He even knows now to look at the older ones and make the "begging" noise....and they're (unfortunately sometimes) very willing to share w/him.


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## katmann (Oct 15, 2008)

We want our ds's first food to be squash, since we have tons of it in the garden right now. But I'm wondering how to prepare it. We have a baby food mill, so we could do the puree, but I'm thinking just stick-form with seeds removed is probably okay for him to nosh on/play with. Should it be peeled? And what about other veggies (carrots, broccoli)? Do you steam them? Are they ever a choking hazard?

BTW, ds is not sitting up yet, even though he's just shy of 6 months, so it will be a while before he's actually eating. We're mostly just looking at play food for now, and things that he can teethe on. He's definitely getting interested in what we're eating, though.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Katmann, if he's not sitting yet food is a choking hazard. Part of what you want is for him to be able to concentrate on manipulating the food around in his mouth and for it to tend to fall out if he gets distracted. I'd continue to offer things like spoons, small cups of water, and breastmilk slush (if you can express easily). A whole raw full-size carrot would be fun to mouth as well (freeze a couple for teething!)

Once he's showing all the readiness signs, strips of squash will be just fine. If you use baby squash you won't need to peel them any more than you would for yourself. Lightly steaming would be good. Baking also works and can give a slightly firmer texture that can be easier to grip.

And once you've had a chance to see him eat and you have more confidence you can just give him a bit of whatever you're eating.


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## katmann (Oct 15, 2008)

thanks for the advice.


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## Emmery'sMom (May 31, 2009)

I'm jumping in here- we just started my DD on table foods. She's days shy of 6 months and was not waiting any more!! She had potato first (loved it- ate a lot), sucked on a green bean and a strip of steak, banana, pear (ate almost the whole thing), olive, sucked on pulled pork- there's nothing this child turns down or makes a face at...she likes it all and now has to have whatever we are having or she is ticked!!
I am wondering though if I should be doing the whole "one new food every 4 days" thing because she does have intolerances- dairy, soy products, and strawberries have all been eliminated from my diet because she reacted to them in my breastmilk. I am not planning on giving her the other big allergens anytime soon (peanuts, eggs & such), but should I really be limiting what she gets? She hasn't reacted to anything she's eaten so far, but I haven't given her any food that I haven't eaten while she was nursing (for some reason I feel like that matters). IDK- am I too lax?


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

i'm quite sure there are other opinions out there, but YES i would wait 3-4 days between new foods. i'm so glad i've been doing this all along because dd has shown some sensitivities and i would have no way of knowing which foods she was reacting to if i had not been mindful about waiting 3-4 days between new foods.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

I've avoided only stuff we've had known sensitivities to and been fine. Also tried to hold off on the 'major' allergens like wheat. (dairy was our sensitivity)

No problems here


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Emmery'sMom* 
should I really be limiting what she gets? She hasn't reacted to anything she's eaten so far, but I haven't given her any food that I haven't eaten while she was nursing (for some reason I feel like that matters). IDK- am I too lax?
 








when DD was 6 months we did do the recommended 3-4 day wait, even with non-allergenic foods. once she was a bit older, we were comfortable introducing whatever we were eating. but that was because when she was 6-7 months old, she never really had much of an interest in eating what we were eating-that came much, much later- so it was easy to filter out what she would try and when. if it was me & my DD had clear reactions to foods i ate, i would do the waiting thing.

oh & congrats on your IVF success! i love hearing success stories.


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## D'sMama (May 4, 2008)

We just hit a minor snag. This morning, I gave DS some Irish oatmeal with blackstrap molasses and cinnamon. He LOVED it, and since I give him the spoon pre-loaded, he got it all over his face, naturally.







Well, after about 10 minutes, I noticed that everywhere on his face that it touched turned red. Not bright red, but kind of like a sun-burn or if you slapped your leg and left a pink hand mark, kwim? It's blotchy but starting to fade now (it's only been 30 minutes).

I'm trying to figure out what the problem was - it wasn't hot, just warm. Oats, molasses and cinnamon? I didn't think any of those were particularly allergenic or irritants. Anyone else have this happen with a food, or with these foods? Do you think it's a problem?


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

of the 3, my guess would be the cinnamon, was it something he'd had before?


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## D'sMama (May 4, 2008)

No, he hadn't had any of them before. Would you consider reddish blotchiness on the skin to be an allergic reaction? 45 minutes later and it's already gone. Should I wait awhile before giving him those foods again? How long?


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## IncaMama (Jun 23, 2004)

i have a question about BLW - i think it's the W that's throwing me. it sounds like what you are all talking about is baby led feeding, right? that rather than spooning stuff into them while they're passive they're doing the feeding, eating real foods that the adults eat, rather than jarred stuff, etc...this is all stuff we did w/our older kids and will be doing with #3 too but the weaning part is throwing me.

is there also an active weaning component to this that i'm missing? are you all also trying to wean your LO's? i'm just trying to figure out why it's called baby led weaning.







thanks!


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## IncaMama (Jun 23, 2004)

ok nevermind, i saw the other thread and i get it now.







so, i do BLW. didnt know it had a name. LOL whee!


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## eksmom (Jun 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D'sMama* 
No, he hadn't had any of them before. Would you consider reddish blotchiness on the skin to be an allergic reaction? 45 minutes later and it's already gone. Should I wait awhile before giving him those foods again? How long?

This sounds like what happened to my DS when we put cinnamon (admittedly quite a lot) on his baked sweet potato. He smeared the potato all over his face and then towards the end of the meal we noticed that the skin around his mouth was red. It disappeared in about 20 minutes. The cinnamon was the only new thing in that meal so we figured that had to be it. From my reading at the time, I took it to be more of a skin irritation from contact than an actual allergy. Cinnamon is hot/spicy, we just don't always think of it that way because it is so often in sweet things. We did keep him off cinnamon for a few weeks as a precaution, but really I think it would have been OK to keep giving it to him in smaller, well-mixed amounts. We let him have it now (~4 months later) if it is cooked or mixed in things... we haven't tried it as a sweet potato topping again, though.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

I'd go with the "spicy cinnamon" theory too. Wasn't till I married DH that I knew there were uses for cinnamon other than baking or oatmeal topping.

DD's chin broke out when I gave her fresh pineapple--kind of the same thing, the citrus-y juice and skin contact. A couple weeks ago she did it when she got a bunch of strawberry on her face too. (DD is now 2, DS2 is my current BLW'er







) With her, it's skin contact with citrus stuff.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Sorry if this is easy to find elsewhere, but I couldn't find it. What exactly are the "readiness signs"? (my baby is 5 months old, but I'm reading up for next month!)

I thought that he should be sitting up by himself? What counts? Sometimes he can do a few minutes sitting and playing with toys before toppling, sometimes not so long...

And I think I remember something about the kinds of grasps, and tongue-thrust, but I don't know how to tell what the kinds of grabs are, and I don't know how to look for a tongue thrust.


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## babybirkel (Apr 1, 2009)

i'm joining in.

my 6 month old son seemed to show all the readiness signs...sitting up, interested in our food, etc. so decided to try it. well, that was 3 days ago and i am fairly certain that nothing i have given him has made it down the hatch.







so far i have tried avocado, apple slices, a nectarine slice, a cantaloupe slice, and some sweet potato (not all at once). he mostly just mooshes it all around on his tray and/or throws it on the floor.

i am trying really hard not to be a control freak about this. really hard.

is he just not ready yet? should i hold off for another couple weeks and try again? or is this smooshy-smeary-no-eat-y thing part of it? i mean he doesn't even mouth it...and he mouths everything else i gave him (toys, etc).


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## D'sMama (May 4, 2008)

normal. we've been doing BLW for 3 weeks or so (old pros here







) and the first 2 weeks was basically as you described. this week he made a remarkable jump in actual consumption. no need to press it - he'll eat when he's ready. keep offering if you want and he'll figure it out in time. he certainly doesn't *need* to eat (anything but breastmilk/formula), so don't stress it.


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

Totally normal. My 10 month old DD sometimes only plays with the food and throws it around, usually nibbles a bit, and occasionally eats a fair amount.

I wouldn't worry about it in the least. Remember the old mantra: "Until they're one, it's just for fun." (And even after a year, their food intake will go up and down depending on the day, so it's not even worth worrying about later.)


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## MadiMamacita (Jan 29, 2006)

nearing six months!
ds is grabbing whatever he can to put in his mouth and starting to show interest in food- trying to grab whtever we are eating. he is starting to sit up better- he can do it for a few minutes until her stops trying and topples over. he cant pull himself into a sitting position. its starting to feel "mean" not to give him something to chew on when he clearly wants it! i guess my question is, how well exactly does he need to sit up before he's ready for eating solids?
(sorry to be repetitive, i'm sure this is asked a million times on this thread but nak and he's a wiggler..)


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## babybirkel (Apr 1, 2009)

:

so we've been doing BLW for about a week and he definitely eats now! It is SO CUTE!







we've given him pretty much everything we've been eating...gave him a hunk of steak the other night which he loved, seedless watermelon chunks (also loved), and tonight he had some mango.







i think he's starting to get his pincer grasp, so gave him some ground turkey tonight which he did pretty well with, only gagged once.

i was eating chips and salsa the other night and he kept fussing so i dipped my finger in the salsa and stuck it in his mouth and he smiled.







i expected him to not like it at all. i also did that with hummus and he wanted more!

my mom has a history of food allergies (chicken and tree nuts) so i am holding off on those...

anyway, i'm really pleased with the way things are going so far. just a little worried about allergies...does anyone have any links to anything about how waiting doesn't do anything for allergy-prevention? thanks.


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## babybirkel (Apr 1, 2009)

wow...i feel like i have taken over this thread.

i have a quick question. i am making cornish game hens for dinner, and like a moron, the recipe i used included honey. i didn't think anything of it until (of course) it was made and in the oven cooking.

my question is.....i know honey is a no-no, and stuff like honey nut cheerios are a no-no because we're not sure where the honey came from and whether it was pasturized to kill the botulism bacteria.

so....i am assuming that my LO can't have the cornish game hen? the honey i used was pastuerized and it will be cooked...so i don't know.

thoughts? right now i am just not going to give him any of the game hen and let him have the other stuff we're having for dinner (baked potato and mashed-up peas). but i wanted to see what all of you thought.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

If you used pasteurized honey *and* cooked it, you are probably safe, IMO, but that's only my OPINION....

If you want to be really safe, don't give it.

I guess I gave my babe honey graham cracker sticks tonight without even thinking!

but....*deep breath* it's likely OK, they are baked, organic, from the HFS...









I think baked potato and a veg is a fine dinner for a new eater too.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Wow have I gotten either lax or brave with the third one!

(I'll go with brave as I've watched him handle so much stuff so well!)

Tonight he had a sandwich broken into little bits for him to pick up. EIGHT MONTHS OLD and eating a sandwich LOL. And he ate probably a good half! (Including the fact that I took the crusts off) I didn't find much down next to him in the chair....

(our dinner was "sack lunch" lol he had his sandwich, sucked on one of our carrot sticks, and ate a plum. I cooked all afternoon for a potluck tomorrow I was NOT cooking again.)

He has taken a serious liking to his food. Loves to eat. Wants everything, has had darn near everything and the only "reaction" he's had is bananas seem to constipate him.







Other than that it's all fair game.

I have to refrain from going "why not?" now when I hear people talking about their babies much older than mine not able to eat this or that.... I mean as in "oh a baby can't chew that" not like allergies. (the last one I heard commenting was a 15 mo old....LOL um, i think my 8 month old eats stuff now just fine that lots of people don't give till that point...)
Has he gagged? Sure. Does he do it more than once on the same item? Almost never. Has he CHOKED? NO. He LEARNS.


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

ds has finally started feeding himself again and stopped begging for my fork, glad that phase is over! he tried a scrambled egg yolk (from our chickens!) this morning and seemed to like it, ate about half, then got silly and threw the rest in the floor. last night he ate cantaloupe from our garden, which was nice, since usually he hates fruit. He's really been loving meat lately, especially beef and soft flaky fish (catfish and flounder are all we've tried so far).


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## katmann (Oct 15, 2008)

DS is almost 7 months and has had very little solids. He's just almost sitting up, so we've held off. Someone on here suggested a raw carrot to teeth on, and the only problem is that he actually has two teeth so he was able to bite off chunks and then he gagged. I know gagging isn't that big a deal, but we held off a while longer after that (that was 6 months to the day). Then a couple weeks later he wanted to gnaw on a sweet pepper and that made him gag too. But he enjoyed it.

The next foods we introduce will probably be potatoes, bell peppers, squash, cucumber, cantaloupe, and winter squashes, all over the next few months. We grow our own vegetables so I just can't bring myself to spend money on avocado and banana, especially since they tend to be loaded with pesticides. I don't have a source of organic fruit where I live. I might also try some oatmeal with breastmilk, but probably not for a month or two.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *katmann* 
DS is almost 7 months and has had very little solids. He's just almost sitting up, so we've held off. Someone on here suggested a raw carrot to teeth on, and the only problem is that he actually has two teeth so he was able to bite off chunks and then he gagged. I know gagging isn't that big a deal, but we held off a while longer after that (that was 6 months to the day). Then a couple weeks later he wanted to gnaw on a sweet pepper and that made him gag too. But he enjoyed it.

The next foods we introduce will probably be potatoes, bell peppers, squash, cucumber, cantaloupe, and winter squashes, all over the next few months. We grow our own vegetables so I just can't bring myself to spend money on avocado and banana, especially since they tend to be loaded with pesticides. I don't have a source of organic fruit where I live. I might also try some oatmeal with breastmilk, but probably not for a month or two.

You can try blanching carrots and peppers. This makes them softer but not mushy (which roasting or sauteeing would do) and then he could chew on them and get some pulp w/o biting off small pieces that make him choke. Nora adores red bell peppers that have been blanched. I pack them for her when she goes to her DCP on days I work.

We are doing great over here. Nora's 10 months now and eats EVERYTHING. She's got a bad rap for being an apple stealer -- if anyone is eating an apple, she scoots over so fast and literally steals it out of your hand. We've taken to just giving her the cores that still have fruit on them so she can gnaw away happily.

I'm still trying to figure out the balance b/w solids and nursing, w/nursing being #1 still of course. She loves food so much and will happily eat fruit or her oat cereal when out, rather than nursing. NIP has become very ... difficult. She won't sit still, she climbs all over me, pops on and off, etc. So most of the time, if we're out somewhere, I give her solids.







She is happier and I'm ok w/it, as long as once we're in private I get to nurse her.

I also get strange feelings when I see babies her age or older in public w/mom and dad, say at a restaurant, and they are being spoon fed purees while the rest of the family eats their meal. It is so foreign to me. I just don't see how it makes sense, and I want to rush over and tell them all I know about BLW! (Of course, I don't, but I wish I could!)


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## bluehairedwoman (Sep 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 
I also get strange feelings when I see babies her age or older in public w/mom and dad, say at a restaurant, and they are being spoon fed purees while the rest of the family eats their meal. It is so foreign to me. I just don't see how it makes sense, and I want to rush over and tell them all I know about BLW! (Of course, I don't, but I wish I could!)

me too! the only thing we spoon feed DD is her yogurt (which is the medium for her vitamin so we need to make sure she eats it all) and then she's free to pick at anything we have- after we put it on her plate, of course. i have two pregnant cousins right now and i've been trying to preach- without sounding too preachy, hehe- the benefits of BLW and offer lots of resources to them. i try to stress the fact that gagging in infants is a GOOD THING and not to think they're not ready for soft table foods if they gag a few times. one of the expectant cousins' DH is a chef so i would imagine that he's going to be really interested in BLW.


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## hotharmony (Apr 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckittre* 
Sorry if this is easy to find elsewhere, but I couldn't find it. What exactly are the "readiness signs"? (my baby is 5 months old, but I'm reading up for next month!)

I thought that he should be sitting up by himself? What counts? Sometimes he can do a few minutes sitting and playing with toys before toppling, sometimes not so long...

And I think I remember something about the kinds of grasps, and tongue-thrust, but I don't know how to tell what the kinds of grabs are, and I don't know how to look for a tongue thrust.

There are 5 readiness signs:
* Baby can sit up well without support.
* Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
* Baby is ready and willing to chew.
* Baby is developing a "pincer" grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
* Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

From kellymom.com

With the tongue thrust reflex it will become apparent once you start if it's still there he will just push everything that goes into his mouth out.

Good luck


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## jldumm (Sep 6, 2006)

my mom and stepdad were here this week and i found myself trying to explain BLW to them. we did a few mashed things with dd (just what we were eating) and i find myself wanting to go more towards the if they can hold it and bite it camp earlier this time. My mom couldn't believe i let a 9mo old feed herself. But by a year she was pretty proficient.
Anyway.
How do you explain this to others who might not be familiar and are asking questions. This one is only 4 mo and we aren't ready yet, but other 4 mo olds they know are getting cereal in a bottle and spoon fed purees at this point. I always feel like a jacka when explaining myself. "when he can put it in his mouth and break off a peice, then he will be ready to eat."


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## katmann (Oct 15, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jldumm* 
my mom and stepdad were here this week and i found myself trying to explain BLW to them. we did a few mashed things with dd (just what we were eating) and i find myself wanting to go more towards the if they can hold it and bite it camp earlier this time. My mom couldn't believe i let a 9mo old feed herself. But by a year she was pretty proficient.
Anyway.
How do you explain this to others who might not be familiar and are asking questions. This one is only 4 mo and we aren't ready yet, but other 4 mo olds they know are getting cereal in a bottle and spoon fed purees at this point. I always feel like a jacka when explaining myself. "when he can put it in his mouth and break off a peice, then he will be ready to eat."

I had a hard time explaining this to my brother who was visiting this past weekend. He insisted that we had to puree ds's food. I told him we had let ds gnaw on some things and it made him gag, so we held off, and he thought we were doing it totally wrong. I'd love to know what other mamas say.

But tonight, after 2 weeks easily with no attempts at solids, ds (almost 7 mo) had some cucumber sticks with us at dinner. We left the peel on so he had a bit of a handle, and he loved it. He didn't gag at all, and everything has so far stayed down (it's been about an hour). Once he got a bit of a large piece in his mouth, and he didn't like that, so we kind of swept it out in case it went down the wrong pipe. But he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Feeling good about BLW!


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## Louisep (May 1, 2009)

I'm new to BLW - I had started on pureed to NO success. But DS grabs at our plates. He is 7 months and I really think BLW is the way to go with him. We had sweet potato batons for dinner and he grabbed one and I let him suck it and he loved it.

This thread is so long that my question might be answered somewhere...do I need to stick to the "usual" foods (bananas, sweet potatos, avocados etc etc)? I can't really imagine giving him what we're eating? Or is that the point!? We use lots of spices, herbs, unusual ingredients that make me nervous. Or is it just fine?

Help and advice please on first foods!!


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## katmann (Oct 15, 2008)

My understanding is that you're supposed to hold off on spices and salt. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that.


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jldumm* 
How do you explain this to others who might not be familiar and are asking questions. This one is only 4 mo and we aren't ready yet, but other 4 mo olds they know are getting cereal in a bottle and spoon fed purees at this point. I always feel like a jacka when explaining myself. "when he can put it in his mouth and break off a peice, then he will be ready to eat."

I was always just clear and adamant that my DD would be exclusively bf'ed until she was 6 months. That was good enough for the rice cereal pushers, etc. Once she did hit 6 months, I explained it as, "We aren't doing purees, we're just letting her go at her own pace." Luckily, nobody ever questioned my authority.
Once, when she was about 8.5 months and she was eating creole red beans and rice, someone asked, "Oh, can she eat those already??" and I just said, "Yep, she loves 'em!"

Louise - First couple of foods should be really simple, definitely sans salt. I think you can use spices, but I wouldn't do anything "spicy" persay. I know the BLW book says babies can eat whatever they want, but I personally (in the beginning) didn't use spices and followed a limited diet for DD. Like, only offering the same few things for a few days until she got used to them.

In time, DD started wanting tastes of things like taco filling which I think is pretty flavorful, and like I said before, the creole beans I make have a hefty amount of cayenne. But for us, it took some time.

And I know someone just posted a page or two back about a reaction to cinnamon.

So I'd take it slow w/the spices. I *just* started putting garlic powder on DD's black beans, so I'm probably on the very conservative side of this issue.


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## babybirkel (Apr 1, 2009)

ok i have a couple questions...again.









ds is almost 7 months and we've been doing blw for about a month. it's really been amazing to see how much he has learned! he totally gets the eating thing now.

he has two pretty prominent teeth on the bottom and he's figured out pretty quick that he can use them to his advantage. the thing is, he sometimes takes really big bites and i freak and finger-sweep. should i freak? or if he is capable of biting stuff off, he can handle it? i'm talking like a piece of cheese off a bigger chip-shaped piece.

also, he keeps squirreling stuff away in his cheeks. i worry that i'll miss a piece he's hidden and he'll choke on it after the meal is over and he's on the floor playing. any one else have a hamster baby?

finally, i'm struggling with finding things that my husband and i eat that ds can eat. we really like spicy food and often have things with tomato sauce, etc. i'm worried about these things bothering his tummy. but then we'll be eating something like chili and ds will be eating a piece of cheese and staring at our chili like he'd really much rather have that. do i give it to him, see how he reacts? i'm just not sure how to handle it....

thanks!!


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## StephMN (May 1, 2008)

Hello, I'm joining in and looking for some advice.

My son is 8 months old and we've been offering solids since he was about 6 months. He's enjoyed banana, avocado, sweet potato, green beans, cucumber, chicken, steak, blueberries...the list goes on...

A problem that we're having is that food often gets stuck on his tongue, so that he gags. Often (at least once every couple of days), this leads to vomiting. I've tried finger sweeping as soon as he starts gagging to prevent the vomiting, which sometimes works. This often happens multiple times during one meal. He's generally unphased (not happy while it's happening but is fine once it's done) and goes back to eating right away.

I'm totally cool with the fact that this is a protective mechanism--it does a great job of getting the food off his tongue and on to his lap! It's just somewhat distressing to see the contents of his stomach (my breastmilk!) come up and it does make a challenge when eating with other people while explaining the virtues of blw. I would love to know if there are any tips for helping him move the food off his tongue on his own (or should I be doing something different with the foods?). DH and I have tried making exaggerated chewing and swallowing motions/sounds to no avail. Or is it the case that this too shall pass and patience is all I need?

Any help would be appreciated!

Steph, mom to Ezra (8 months, 1 week)


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

My baby's six months old in a couple of days here, so we're just starting this week. So far, I've handed him bits of things we're eating - broccoli, tomato, avocado, salmon, a bit of toast. Not sure he's managed to actually swallow any of it, but he's had fun making a mess! (No teeth yet, which probably doesn't help).

I haven't worried about salt or spices or anything so far. It seems like if he's consuming basically nothing of the food, he'll get at most 1 salt grain? I can't see how that would hurt anyone (and we don't eat terribly salty things anyway)


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

meh on the holding off on salt/spices. I actually now am starting to wonder if this is WHY we have children who won't eat anything but "Kid Foods" because typical "Kid Foods" are bland and what we feed them as babies is bland.

My now *nine*







month old eats basically whatever we do, barring obvious choking hazards. Including baba ganoush (garlicky eggplant dip) and a variety of other things. The only thing I don't do is put hot sauce in/on his food







(I've held off on the extremely hot, very addictive pickled jarred mango stuff DH buys--Indian (as in India) condiment)

He *does* get food with garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom--very regularly. (anyone allergic to those in this house would starve.)

I have zillions of pics of him eating lol. He likes everything.

and he eats EVERYTHING--DH's okra and eggplant stews (two different dishes







) are high up on the faves. He likes *everything* though.


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## Louisep (May 1, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *peaceful_mama* 
meh on the holding off on salt/spices. I actually now am starting to wonder if this is WHY we have children who won't eat anything but "Kid Foods" because typical "Kid Foods" are bland and what we feed them as babies is bland.

He *does* get food with garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom--very regularly. (anyone allergic to those in this house would starve.)

and he eats EVERYTHING--DH's okra and eggplant stews (two different dishes







) are high up on the faves. He likes *everything* though.

so, did you do this right from the start? Ie offer up everything?

Also, can someone talk about the gag reflex and how to finger sweep? I'm so nervous about DS choking. He has ten teeth at only 7 months and is chomping big bits off everything. Do I just let him go for it right from the get go?

Thanks!

Ps DS loves hummus!


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## gagin37 (May 25, 2008)

About spices- once I started added seasonings and flavors to ds's food, I found he was much more interested, and began really eating more. this was probably around 8 months. It makes sense, I love spicy flavorful food. I started out slow, with things like garlic, onion, cinnamon, and then worked up the list. So far he hasn't had any adverse reactions. We also started offering tomato sauce around 8.5-9 months, and now he LOVES baked spaghetti with meat sauce.


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## nancy11 (Jul 30, 2007)

how do you feed "garlicky eggplant dip" to your kid? a spoon? pile it on the tray and let them use their fingers? same with hummus. hummus is a good idea, too. both these things are almost purees in texture -- is it a good idea to start with things like this when your kid looks like they are ready for action? choking is definitely intimidating. i need a really good resource for a what to serve when and how.

i'm anxious for zack to take an interest in my food. i think it'll be great fun for him to learn and he is such a big eater that I expect him to like everything. we're coming up on four months soon and i'll be watching for signs!


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nancy11* 
how do you feed "garlicky eggplant dip" to your kid? a spoon? pile it on the tray and let them use their fingers? same with hummus. hummus is a good idea, too. both these things are almost purees in texture -- is it a good idea to start with things like this when your kid looks like they are ready for action? choking is definitely intimidating. i need a really good resource for a what to serve when and how.

i'm anxious for zack to take an interest in my food. i think it'll be great fun for him to learn and he is such a big eater that I expect him to like everything. we're coming up on four months soon and i'll be watching for signs!









We put hummus on chunks of tortillas or pita bread for Baby Girl. I would do the same with baba ganoush (garlicky eggplant dip).


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## nancy11 (Jul 30, 2007)

baba ganoush is delicious!

pita bread is a good idea.

thanks!


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nancy11* 
how do you feed "garlicky eggplant dip" to your kid? a spoon? pile it on the tray and let them use their fingers? same with hummus. hummus is a good idea, too. both these things are almost purees in texture -- is it a good idea to start with things like this when your kid looks like they are ready for action? choking is definitely intimidating. i need a really good resource for a what to serve when and how.

If you do start w/a pureed food like a hummus or something, I would plop it on the tray and expect a good mess.

I think I'd prefer to start w/something they can hold (in the french fry shape) so they can get the gist of self feeding. But if you don't mind the play and mess, go for whatever you have on hand!

Now that Nora's older, when we do stuff like quinoa, or oatmeal, or hummus, I generally use a spoon to feed it to her. She knows *how* to feed herself, and sometimes I do let her take the spoon or fork, but mostly it's just so she doesn't make a huge mess if we are out somewhere or doing breakfast and need to rush out the door.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

baba ganoush goes on the tray. With baby in diaper with plastic wipe-off Gerber cover over it









Yes, I started pretty much right away with *everything* Really soft stuff first.

my dd and ds2 were both fed this way and both liked everything and were fairly interested in food.

*I* would not be interested in eating plain peas either, or whatever, so I "get it"









Some early stuff--that okra stuff dh makes minus the meat is pretty soft--little more texture than a puree but very soft. I have heard the warning on eggs, but we don't have that, so I did scrambled eggs and hardboiled egg yolk pretty early on. Oatmeal. Baba ganoush and hummus. Sweet potato and banana fork mashed. (SEPARATELY LOL) Very ripe soft fruits like pear, peach, plum--These I have peeled and let him gnaw.







(this way they can get the flavor and no real big chunks--I found slicing it it would break easily into too big pieces...)


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## Carhootel (Jul 16, 2008)

So my ds is 6 months this week so I offered him some banana whole with the peel peeled down about halfway. I got some hilarious pictures and wanted to share our first adventure into solids blw style- linky


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## snuggly (Feb 9, 2009)

It's so great to see the ideas and methods posted here!

I wanted to get some advice from you experienced mamas... Here's our story: at our house we are somewhat doing BLW-ing due to necessity- that is, dd (9 months) had a big independent streak and "do it herself" attitude. She made it clear that she was not interested in spoon feeding or mushy stuff right off the bat. To date she had had sweet potato wedges, cucumber, banana, peaches, apples, apricots, watermelon, etc. It is ususally the things off our plates that are the right size and consistency, which very often end up being fruit.

My question: Her diet seems high on fruits/natural sugars. What are some BLW techniques for getting more greens and proteins in? For example, how would I serve spinach a la BLW? or grains?

Thanks for the ideas!


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## nancy11 (Jul 30, 2007)

broccoli would be easier than spinach, i think... i'd like to hear more on that, too.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *heidib24* 

My question: Her diet seems high on fruits/natural sugars. What are some BLW techniques for getting more greens and proteins in? For example, how would I serve spinach a la BLW? or grains?

Thanks for the ideas!

i just saute spinach in olive oil, then maybe break it up in to smaller bites, and dd picks it up off her tray. she also just picks up cooked rice and shoves it in her mouth.

it is still fruit based, but she loves green smoothies (fruit + rice milk + raw spinach) from a sippy cup with a larger spout opening.


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## snuggly (Feb 9, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckennasmomma* 
i just saute spinach in olive oil, then maybe break it up in to smaller bites, and dd picks it up off her tray. she also just picks up cooked rice and shoves it in her mouth.

Thanks! We are both trying this for lunch today!


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *peaceful_mama* 

*I* would not be interested in eating plain peas either, or whatever, so I "get it"

















Nora loves eating just steamed petite green peas! She gives new meaning to bottomless pit when I give them to her. She just eats tray after tray after tray of these!

I'm just thinking, to anyone just starting out, try them unseasoned first and see if they're a hit. B/c you never know. The vegetable might have enough flavor to it that they don't need spices right off the bat.


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## VeganCupcake (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Baby_Cakes* 







Nora loves eating just steamed petite green peas! She gives new meaning to bottomless pit when I give them to her. She just eats tray after tray after tray of these!

I'm just thinking, to anyone just starting out, try them unseasoned first and see if they're a hit. B/c you never know. The vegetable might have enough flavor to it that they don't need spices right off the bat.

My Baby Girl devours plain petite green peas, too! They taste almost like fresh ones, picked from the garden--and who wouldn't love those? Peas are about the only thing I can guarantee that she'll eat without tossing off the high chair tray.


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## Skippy918 (Jul 15, 2008)

My son eats unseasoned veggies. He seems to like them.


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## JMJ (Sep 6, 2008)

My DD had her "first food" a couple days ago! She's only 4 1/2 months old, so I wasn't planning on giving her anything, but I let her play with a sprout at a restaurant and she loved licking it and gumming it. I wasn't planning on giving her anything yet, but it gave her 20 minutes of enjoyment and us 20 minutes of peace, and it's not like she had more than a taste. It really helped sell me on the BLW thing. In child care, I've spent a lot of time trying to entice babies to eat, always encouraging them to eat one more bite. This is just so much more peaceful. DD will be able to put her food "toys" in her mouth and it will be play, not coercion.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

What do you feed a 6 month old with no teeth, such that he can actually swallow it? He loves playing with and sucking on broccoli spears and carrots, he'll gum toast a little bit, and will play with just about anything. But it seems like all foods I can find are either mushy and don't hold together so they can't be eaten w/o a spoon (rice, etc...), or so hard that he doesn't get anything out of his gumming (veggies). Or do I just let him play and figure he'll be able to eat them later when he has teeth?


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## Baby_Cakes (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckittre* 
What do you feed a 6 month old with no teeth, such that he can actually swallow it? He loves playing with and sucking on broccoli spears and carrots, he'll gum toast a little bit, and will play with just about anything. But it seems like all foods I can find are either mushy and don't hold together so they can't be eaten w/o a spoon (rice, etc...), or so hard that he doesn't get anything out of his gumming (veggies). Or do I just let him play and figure he'll be able to eat them later when he has teeth?

Just let him play. He'll swallow the food when he's ready, whether or not he has teeth. Teeth really don't need to play a big role in BLW. DD barely uses her teeth. It much more about getting the bite size right, getting it IN her mouth, letting her experience flavors, etc.

You can try roasting (in the oven) sweet potatoes, or steam the broccoli up a little more so that it falls apart more in his mouth. DD loved asparagus tips at that age b/c she was still learning to get the food into her mouth correctly, and asparagus roasted in the oven becomes very soft and delicious and is just the right shape.

Most of all, don't rush him. Just let him explore and play. Soon enough he will be eating just about everything!


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## Curlyfry7 (Jun 20, 2007)

i haven't had a chance to read the whole thread yet, so maybe this is covered, but i have a question.....we did not do blw with ds, but are going to with dd. she is 8 months old now, and i am concerned because due to some sensory issues, she doesn't put things in her mouth. it just never crosses her mind to do so. how will this affect her eating?? thanks!


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

I haven't been here in a while...working from home is monopolizing all of my time!!

Ophelia started BLW at 6 months and really loves her food. She's eating 3 good meals a day now and loving it. We've not withheld anything except honey, meat, and dairy. No history of allergies in our families. For quite some time now we've been noticing a red rash looking thing, almost like a drool rash, around her mouth (especially towards the chin) after she eats. I've watched and tested to see if I could fidure out what causes it, but it seems to be everything. Fruit of all kinds, veggies, plain pasta... I never really don't see it pop up. It fades with time and sometimes vanishes before the next meal, sometimes not.

Any ideas about what this could be? I was thinking maybe acids from the food are irritating her?

Thanks in advance!!


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

When dd (now 2) was a baby she got a rash like that after eating fresh pineapple. I figured it was the acid.

I remember from working in daycare lots of babies would get that just from drooling when they were teething too.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *peaceful_mama* 
When dd (now 2) was a baby she got a rash like that after eating fresh pineapple. I figured it was the acid.

I remember from working in daycare lots of babies would get that just from drooling when they were teething too.

Hmmm...she is teething as well. I wonder if it's the acid irritating a drool rash?
Thanks!


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## Pogo0685 (Nov 14, 2008)

I need some help and I am hoping that you can help me on this thread. My son is 7 months old and he has maybe pooped 4 times in the last month. I asked his doctor about it when it first started and he said it was normal, now its been like this for a month so I took him to the ER on August 31st (his doctor is not very accessible not during office hours), they gave him a suppository took x-rays said he has colic and he needs gas drops daily and a suppository once a week if he doesn't go on his own.







I have done BLW with him, the things he eats are yogurt (from yobaby), sweet potato, avocados, peaches, pears, carrots, prune juice, broccoli and cauliflower, egg yolks, green beans, and I think thats all so far, he has had orange (I did not know not to give it him and now he has hives







) and banana but he had a allergic reaction to it (I think, his anus was red, cracked and raw and looked very sore). So what I am I doing wrong? What do I need to change to get him on track? Thank you all in advance (I have asked for help on this forum before and the advice of prune juice worked, but only 1 time so far







)


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

is he plenty hydrated with water? is he still nursiing frequently?


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## major_mama11 (Apr 13, 2008)

Oh, I'll most definitely be following this thread!

DD sort of forced us to do baby-led weaning, even though we had never heard of it. I got excited and bought dozens of jars of baby food when she was 6 months, and all but one or two of them ended up being passed down to my nephew-- she clamped her mouth shut and WOULD NOT let us feed her with a spoon. She barely ate any solids until 9 months, when she could pick them up better herself.

I started reading up on BLW a few weeks ago, and it just seems like common sense to me. I love the whole idea.

One question- what do you do when a baby shows signs of readiness well before six months? Do you just try to hold them off? DS is 4 months, 17 pounds, first teeth showing and sitting up on his own for brief periods. He grabbed a breadstick off my plate and brought it eagerly to his mouth at 3.5 months. I took it away, but it made me wonder how long I should hold him off. If it's truly baby-led, some babies will be ready earlier than others, right? Or am I just getting over-eager?

My plans are to hold him off until at least 5 months, and then maybe let him try some bananas or apples if he is grabbing for the food on my plate. I definitely don't want to risk food allergies by letting him eat too early...


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## Pogo0685 (Nov 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mckennasmomma* 
is he plenty hydrated with water? is he still nursiing frequently?

Sorry it took me so long to get back, I try to give him water every other day and prune juice the days with no water, should I give him water daily? Thank you

Oh and yes he still nurses all the time, and he always nurses after he eats solids.


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

nursing after eating is helpful, but you should offer liquids after every meal of solids.

typically i nurse before her meal, then water after the meal.


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## nancy11 (Jul 30, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *major_mama11* 
Oh, I'll most definitely be following this thread!

DD sort of forced us to do baby-led weaning, even though we had never heard of it. I got excited and bought dozens of jars of baby food when she was 6 months, and all but one or two of them ended up being passed down to my nephew-- she clamped her mouth shut and WOULD NOT let us feed her with a spoon. She barely ate any solids until 9 months, when she could pick them up better herself.

I started reading up on BLW a few weeks ago, and it just seems like common sense to me. I love the whole idea.

One question- what do you do when a baby shows signs of readiness well before six months? Do you just try to hold them off? DS is 4 months, 17 pounds, first teeth showing and sitting up on his own for brief periods. He grabbed a breadstick off my plate and brought it eagerly to his mouth at 3.5 months. I took it away, but it made me wonder how long I should hold him off. If it's truly baby-led, some babies will be ready earlier than others, right? Or am I just getting over-eager?

My plans are to hold him off until at least 5 months, and then maybe let him try some bananas or apples if he is grabbing for the food on my plate. I definitely don't want to risk food allergies by letting him eat too early...

I'm in this situation with an 18.5-pounder. No teeth, but he bites hard! I let him play with food occasionally, like raw cucumber or carrot chunks and sometimes he'll eat a spoonful of cereal.

Zack relly likes to eat, and chews/swallows very nicely. At this point, I'm letting him play with benign vegetables and fruits once in a while. Actually, he doesn't really play -- he tries to eat it. So it's more like practice than play. I'm not to trying to feed him meals at this point, but it doesn't hurt to give him some practice getting things in his mouth and swallowing. He doesn't mind the spoon, either. What ever I hold out for him, he pulls my hand to his mouth. Or, he just picks it up himself and chomps. Fun!


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pogo0685* 
I need some help and I am hoping that you can help me on this thread. My son is 7 months old and he has maybe pooped 4 times in the last month. I asked his doctor about it when it first started and he said it was normal, now its been like this for a month so I took him to the ER on August 31st (his doctor is not very accessible not during office hours), they gave him a suppository took x-rays said he has colic and he needs gas drops daily and a suppository once a week if he doesn't go on his own.







I have done BLW with him, the things he eats are yogurt (from yobaby), sweet potato, avocados, peaches, pears, carrots, prune juice, broccoli and cauliflower, egg yolks, green beans, and I think thats all so far, he has had orange (I did not know not to give it him and now he has hives







) and banana but he had a allergic reaction to it (I think, his anus was red, cracked and raw and looked very sore). So what I am I doing wrong? What do I need to change to get him on track? Thank you all in advance (I have asked for help on this forum before and the advice of prune juice worked, but only 1 time so far







)

My baby got REALLY constipated not too long after we first started solids.

I also did the prune juice and eliminated foods I'd heard were constipating (bananas, applesauce) and gave water.

I ended up taking him to the doctor (he too went many many days without a poop, was passing just a little rabbit pebble) and what *finally* worked (took a switch of docs! the first one said it was 'probably normal' since he seemed happy)

Miralax. The adult stuff, over the counter, but in a very tiny dose. (for my baby it was a teaspoon, the adult dose is like several tablespoons) It can be dissolved in any liquid. (I used pear juice because he wouldn't drink the water with it.)

I also had to use a suppository at first. But only once. (doc cautioned on only using them if nothing else was working and it had been a few days. They can get 'dependent' on that too, so they need to be allowed time to go without it.)

I continued to use the Miralax until he started pooping daily. I also kept bananas out of his diet until recently.

This happened at about 7 months. He is now 10 months old and the Miralax days are a good couple months behind us! He poops now usually twice a day.

My doc said it can take awhile to get it all regulated again, can be very easy for them to get constipated again after they've been badly constipated once.

This is what worked for my babe, of course you need to ask your doc.


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

Wow, hard to believe it's been 6 months since I started this thread!







I put together a collection of photos and videos of our BLW experience. It has been such a huge success and joy for us. Hope you all find it works well for your family also.

Eleanor's BLW Journey


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## MySunflowerBoys (Nov 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Curlyfry7* 
i haven't had a chance to read the whole thread yet, so maybe this is covered, but i have a question.....we did not do blw with ds, but are going to with dd. she is 8 months old now, and i am concerned because due to some sensory issues, she doesn't put things in her mouth. it just never crosses her mind to do so. how will this affect her eating?? thanks!

I was reading thru this and noticed your post went unanswered.

My second son is SN and I think BLWing would of been so beneficial to his development. He has severe feeding issues now because we didn't offer table foods at an early (under 1) age.

I don't know what issues your dd is having, but I think it is vital to keep offering her foods to explore in a relaxed non-goal oriented way (ie, no "please take a bite" pleading.) In my son's feeding therapy, they let him play with foods- cold cooked spaghetti, chocolate pudding, etc. The idea is to get him to overcome texture issues with touching food.

What kind of reactions is she having to foods now?


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## littlebabydoll (May 15, 2008)

How do people feel about giving dried fruit? Its been out easy on the go snack. (mango, apricot, apple, bananna)


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## mckennasmomma (Sep 29, 2008)

I think it depends on your little one and how well s/he has managed other chewy foods.


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## SamiPolizzi (May 23, 2009)

Okay, I haven't read much of this yet, so I'm just kind of jumping in here. I apologize if I'm repeating something.

I just don't know if I can do this!!! I was so excited to start offering DS food. I started occasionally letting him taste things when he was about 5.5 months. He just turned 6 months a few days ago, so I've been offering a lot more food since then. Last night he gagged on a piece of cantaloupe. I know he was just gagging, and that's normal and okay, but for a second I really thought he was choking and it was terrifying. I wouldn't even know what to do if he was choking. I'm definitely going to take one of those classes before I offer him anything else that's not super soft. Anyway, I guess what I'm asking is, what's the deal with gagging? Is this going to happen regularly? If it does do you just get used to it? I just can't handle it. I'm so scared he's going to choke.


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## treehugginhippie (Nov 29, 2004)

Reviving this thread again cause I have a question...I just realized yesterday that the majority of food my 13 mo old (who has 8 teeth now) eats are liquids! I've never offered pureed foods...just tiny bits of what we're having so she can select what she wants. She loudly lets us know she wants some of what we're having but she ends up spitting out about 99% of the tiny bits of food! She will happily slurp up bone broth, kefir, water and mashed kiwi but otherwise is EBF.

After I realized this, I did try mashed up bananas which she ate a few bites from happily off a spoon







I guess the babyled weaning (letting them feed themselves) isn't for every baby??

So, has anyone else's baby been turned off by just about anything but purees?


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## StellaG (May 3, 2009)

I don't think that BLW means exclusive of cutlery. Our LO likes porridges, mashed avocados, mashed potatoes, etc. and so we give her a spoon loaded with that food that she can put in her mouth herself. We then offer her a second spoon when it seems like she is ready (when we offer the second spoon, she drops the first one, allowing us to load it up for the next round--that way there is no wrestling for the spoon). We figure she is controlling the pace of the eating, and putting it in her mouth herself (and thus working on her fine motor skills) so it's all good. We give her other things that she eats with her hands, too, but some things are just easier with a spoon.


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## Louisep (May 1, 2009)

How are you offering solids? As I understand it and practice it, BLW is placing whole chunks of food infront of your LO and letting them "have at it"! There is nothing DS hasn't at least picked up and tasted even if he spits it out. We give him pureed prunes and oatmeal with a spoon but everything else is chunks of food we're eating.


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