Emma McCarthy, Horsham & District Branch
This summer, as soon as our son, Dan, and his NCT buddies hit that magical weaning marker of six months, all talk seemed to centre on this next challenge in our fledgling careers as parents. Suddenly everywhere we looked we were surrounded by weaning paraphernalia; brightly coloured spoons, bowls, bibs, trays, pots and a multitude of books, chairs, foods and snacks. Health visitors were advocating a speedy transition to solids and the race was on to wean.
Looking down at my little son who was still breastfed on demand, I couldn’t help but think that he seemed very young for all this! My instinct was not to start feeding him pureed foods but to let him lead the way and learn to feed himself. I’d heard about baby-led weaning (BLW) but needed to find out more about it.
The more I read about BLW, the more it made sense - it really fitted with the baby-led way we had found ourselves parenting until now. The idea is that the child shares the family mealtimes and eats the same food as everyone else, so you don’t have to puree, spoonfeed or cook separate foods. BLW allows babies to explore, taste and play with food long before they really eat it or rely on it for all their nutrition. They can go at their own pace and gradually make the transition to solids, growing in confidence and experiencing a wide range of tastes and textures. I was convinced that this was the way for us.
We bought Dan a high chair that could be adjusted to allow him to sit at our table, with a tray that sticks straight onto the table top. Armed with good advice, I also invested in a large piece of plastic tablecloth to cover our beige carpet - more of this later! Dan had a selection of whatever we were having on his tray and we all got on with it.
Realisation quickly dawned that this was not for the faint-hearted! In those early days, we wept with pride as Dan ingested a bit of grated cheese or spaghetti bolognaise, little realising that the novelty factor was largely behind it. After a couple of weeks of curious munching, things seemed to completely stall. All food put in front of him was played with with interest and then swept to the floor. When you feel like you’ve spent all day worrying about what to give your child to eat, this is dispiriting to say the least!
Alongside me, the other NCT mums were reporting huge appetites amongst their offspring for pureed goodies and new taste combinations were being discovered every week. It was really hard at this stage to keep the faith and remember that we were at the start of a process and we really weren’t starving our baby! Some days he would eat, others he wouldn’t, and the amounts were very small, which can be hard if you‘re the kind of mum who needs to know how much your baby is eating.
I will say it was difficult to find other mums who were taking the same approach and you can feel a bit out on a limb and unsupported. Your mother-in-law will also think you are utterly, utterly mad! BLW does take time, and I just had to trust that, in the meantime, the breastmilk was doing its work. (It’s important to add that bottle-fed babies can also be successfully weaned this way).
Gradually though, as the weeks went by, Dan grew in dexterity and interest. He got better and better at handling different foods and working out how to tackle slippery, soft or crunchy textures. I didn’t always notice the changes happening but other people who saw him less frequently did. He began to have a go at everything and we have yet to find a food that he won’t eat. It often looks as though he’s not consuming much at each meal, but you always have the most reliable indicator in the world - the nappy! How proud we were to see his first ‘human poo’!
BLW does create unimaginable mess though. Dan is particularly skilled at the ‘spoonful-of-yogurt flick’, sometimes achieving coverage in two directions before the floor-impact spatter. Other far-reaching substances include mackerel, peas and soup… Readiness is all; a damp cloth close at hand and a willingness to divest yourself of all pride in your appearance! Again, we have to trust that this will pass.
At nearly 11 months as I write, Dan has three meals a day with me plus as much breastmilk as he wants. This has meant that I’m breastfeeding longer than I thought I might be, and this choice has its implications too. Over time though, the balance will shift - hopefully before he’s ten!
He can handle tiny crumbs, whole apples, steak and everything in between. We’re thoroughly glad we stuck with it, as the whole process has generally been very relaxed - if Dan’s not hungry right then, he’ll eat later and there’s no stress.
A hidden benefit is that you might lose a few pounds as you go, as BLW forces you to think really carefully about how healthily you are eating! He has never choked or come close and we don’t worry about this. On the odd occasion he has literally bitten off more than he can chew but he has to learn how to deal with it (it’s not pretty!).
So if your baby can sit up on their own, reaches out for things and puts them in their mouth to chew and, more importantly, shows an interest in taking food from your plate, it could be time to give BLW a try.
Absolute essential reading is ‘Baby-led Weaning: Helping your baby to love good food’ by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett, which explains everything in a very accessible way and far better than I have. The clip on YouTube of a baby eating a whole chicken leg is also worth looking up!
We’re pleased that we’ve let Dan take control of the process and that mealtimes are fun and relaxed; hopefully he’ll grow up with a good appetite and a healthy relationship with food.
Below, Arthur demonstrates that BLW can be messy, but fun! Luckily we don't have carpet where we dine, as this was his first attempt at dahl and rice!
This summer, as soon as our son, Dan, and his NCT buddies hit that magical weaning marker of six months, all talk seemed to centre on this next challenge in our fledgling careers as parents. Suddenly everywhere we looked we were surrounded by weaning paraphernalia; brightly coloured spoons, bowls, bibs, trays, pots and a multitude of books, chairs, foods and snacks. Health visitors were advocating a speedy transition to solids and the race was on to wean.
Looking down at my little son who was still breastfed on demand, I couldn’t help but think that he seemed very young for all this! My instinct was not to start feeding him pureed foods but to let him lead the way and learn to feed himself. I’d heard about baby-led weaning (BLW) but needed to find out more about it.
The more I read about BLW, the more it made sense - it really fitted with the baby-led way we had found ourselves parenting until now. The idea is that the child shares the family mealtimes and eats the same food as everyone else, so you don’t have to puree, spoonfeed or cook separate foods. BLW allows babies to explore, taste and play with food long before they really eat it or rely on it for all their nutrition. They can go at their own pace and gradually make the transition to solids, growing in confidence and experiencing a wide range of tastes and textures. I was convinced that this was the way for us.
We bought Dan a high chair that could be adjusted to allow him to sit at our table, with a tray that sticks straight onto the table top. Armed with good advice, I also invested in a large piece of plastic tablecloth to cover our beige carpet - more of this later! Dan had a selection of whatever we were having on his tray and we all got on with it.
Realisation quickly dawned that this was not for the faint-hearted! In those early days, we wept with pride as Dan ingested a bit of grated cheese or spaghetti bolognaise, little realising that the novelty factor was largely behind it. After a couple of weeks of curious munching, things seemed to completely stall. All food put in front of him was played with with interest and then swept to the floor. When you feel like you’ve spent all day worrying about what to give your child to eat, this is dispiriting to say the least!
Alongside me, the other NCT mums were reporting huge appetites amongst their offspring for pureed goodies and new taste combinations were being discovered every week. It was really hard at this stage to keep the faith and remember that we were at the start of a process and we really weren’t starving our baby! Some days he would eat, others he wouldn’t, and the amounts were very small, which can be hard if you‘re the kind of mum who needs to know how much your baby is eating.
I will say it was difficult to find other mums who were taking the same approach and you can feel a bit out on a limb and unsupported. Your mother-in-law will also think you are utterly, utterly mad! BLW does take time, and I just had to trust that, in the meantime, the breastmilk was doing its work. (It’s important to add that bottle-fed babies can also be successfully weaned this way).
Gradually though, as the weeks went by, Dan grew in dexterity and interest. He got better and better at handling different foods and working out how to tackle slippery, soft or crunchy textures. I didn’t always notice the changes happening but other people who saw him less frequently did. He began to have a go at everything and we have yet to find a food that he won’t eat. It often looks as though he’s not consuming much at each meal, but you always have the most reliable indicator in the world - the nappy! How proud we were to see his first ‘human poo’!
BLW does create unimaginable mess though. Dan is particularly skilled at the ‘spoonful-of-yogurt flick’, sometimes achieving coverage in two directions before the floor-impact spatter. Other far-reaching substances include mackerel, peas and soup… Readiness is all; a damp cloth close at hand and a willingness to divest yourself of all pride in your appearance! Again, we have to trust that this will pass.
At nearly 11 months as I write, Dan has three meals a day with me plus as much breastmilk as he wants. This has meant that I’m breastfeeding longer than I thought I might be, and this choice has its implications too. Over time though, the balance will shift - hopefully before he’s ten!
He can handle tiny crumbs, whole apples, steak and everything in between. We’re thoroughly glad we stuck with it, as the whole process has generally been very relaxed - if Dan’s not hungry right then, he’ll eat later and there’s no stress.
A hidden benefit is that you might lose a few pounds as you go, as BLW forces you to think really carefully about how healthily you are eating! He has never choked or come close and we don’t worry about this. On the odd occasion he has literally bitten off more than he can chew but he has to learn how to deal with it (it’s not pretty!).
So if your baby can sit up on their own, reaches out for things and puts them in their mouth to chew and, more importantly, shows an interest in taking food from your plate, it could be time to give BLW a try.
Absolute essential reading is ‘Baby-led Weaning: Helping your baby to love good food’ by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett, which explains everything in a very accessible way and far better than I have. The clip on YouTube of a baby eating a whole chicken leg is also worth looking up!
We’re pleased that we’ve let Dan take control of the process and that mealtimes are fun and relaxed; hopefully he’ll grow up with a good appetite and a healthy relationship with food.
Below, Arthur demonstrates that BLW can be messy, but fun! Luckily we don't have carpet where we dine, as this was his first attempt at dahl and rice!
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