Are we being stupid about solids?

[jammomma]

Ever had those days when you second guess everything you are doing? Well I have been having that day for the past week ever since my MIL left from her weekend visit.

Of course MIL thinks everything we do with our 10 month old DS is wrong and weird, from bedsharing, organic food, to nursing past 6 months (gasp! the horror!) and the types foods we feed him, etc.

And now I am thinking well...maybe she's right about some things? (gasp! the horror! lol)

We let my son eat whole green beans that I have cooked to within an inch of their lives. Seriously, I cook them for over three hours in the oven, until they are super soft and practically dissolve when you put them in your mouth. He won't eat them any other way; Chopped? Nope won't touch them. Pureed? Heck no! He loves to eat them whole. He grabs one and chews them up.

MIL thinks we are nutty and putting our son in danger by giving him these beans and other foods we give him, such as fettucini noodles, which he loves to slurp up. I have read that any food bigger than the size of a pea is a choking hazard and we often give our DS food bigger than the size of a pea.

Although my DS has been fine with everything so far, I'd like some other opinions about this. Do you think we are putting our son at risk? Do you think we are being stupid for giving him whole green beans or fettucini?

[Xavismom]

No. I totally dont.

I think you know much better than your MIL what your baby likes/needs/is capable of!

We plan on doing BLW, havent started yet, but my mom is already freaking out about DS choking. I think grandmas get worried and upset (and butt in) whenever you do anything different than what they did, or were told to do. I'd like to say just dont let it get to you, but I know thats next to impossible! It does get under your skin after a while. I cried this morning bc my mom told me my DS is cranky because I ate indian food last friday

Sounds like your DS is happy and enjoying his food experiences, keep on with what you feel is right Mama!

[akind1]

I agree; I think nearly every mainstream friend and all our relatives have told us DS should be eating cereal and/or oatmeal. He is 5 1/2 months! Granted, he is super interested in food, so we have started feeding him, just not grains. fruits, veggies, and um. ice cream. (not a lot, and certainly not every day. but if we have it, so does he!)

as far as the choking hazard: we have a gag reflex for a reason. The only thing I have really been opposed to anyone feeding DS is a chicken bone. (he is teething, and evidentally that is what you give good southern babes to gnaw on). i think if you wouldn't give your dog a chicken bone, why would you give a baby one?

but DS has gnawed on asparagus spears, raw carrots, celery, french fries (ok, so we don't eat healthy at baseball games), a strip of tortilla, and rice rusks. The last two are grains I know, but as for the 1st, he pretty much just slobbered on it, and I didn't have a rice rusk at hand so he'd keep his fingers out of my tacos, rice, and beans, and rice rusks are at least limited to 4 ingredients. unlike biter biscuits.

If your DC seems happy and healthy, then I say leave be. basically he eats/tastes what we eat. I do either smaller than a pea sort of foods, or things big enough for DS to grab and gnaw or suck on.

[star*mora]

we are doing baby led solids and it's great. the gag reflex in babies is much closer to the mouth so choking is not necessarily a huge hazard. our 7.5mth old has had plenty of pasta, toast, slices of fruit etc - none pureed! he doesn't have any teeth yet and is able to manage apple slices without choking.

i think the idea that purees became the norm because ppl used to start solids as early as 2 or 3 months makes sense, but doesn't mean purees are the only way - hence the growing trend of baby led solids aka baby led weaning (i hadn't even heard of it when i had ds1, but know several mamas including myself that are using this method

don't second guess yourself on this one.

[emamum]

i did blw with dd who's now 13 months old

she has only ever 'chocked' on a piece of lettuce

im not sure about te beans, the longer you cook them the less nutritious they are, we eat all our veg with a bit of crunch but thats how we like it


whatever you decide to do (and you should tell your mil how i'm "putting my unborn baby in danger" by breastfeeding while pregnant, a 14 month old no less lol) someone will have a problem with it

i always do the best that i can with my children, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt but its always the best i can do at that time... i fed my ds purees at 4 months, i wish i hadnt but i know better now and it was what i thought (due to advice) was the best for him...

i'm rambling, i'll shut up

[jammomma]

Thanks so much everyone! I am back to feeling secure about our choices.
It's crazy how a mother or MIL can derail me even when I have done so much research and feel confident about our choices and the fact that my son is doing so well. But, it doesn't help when your MIL says that all she can think about is our son and "those green beans"!


We aren't doing BLW completely, just with some things, that our son seems to enjoy eating whole, like green beans or spinach spaghetti, for example. When we give him black beans I mush them with a fork. And he even does some purees, like pureed fresh mango mixed with yogurt. But he does seem to enjoy food with texture and really enjoys eating the same food as we do, which is how he got overcooked green beans in the first place, it's how I like to eat them! (ya, I know most of the nutrition is gone, but I like them that way)

And Xavismom, if eating Indian food made your LO cranky, then imagine what all those millions of Indian moms must be going through with their own cranky babies, since all they eat is Indian food!

[cheryllynn]

Moms & MIL's can drive us nuts. I agree that if you choose to do something different that it can be interpreted that what Mom/MIL did when you were a baby was wrong. It's a tricky line I try to figure out how to handle. Especially because my sister and SIL's all have older children and I'm often told what to do because that's what the others did. My choices have been very different.

chicken bones - dogs shouldn't have chicken bones because their teeth are so sharp and jaws so strong that they can bite and splinter the bone. I gave my baby chicken leg bone to gnaw on for the taste and texture. I am 100% sure she will not crack open the chicken leg bone.

Whatever you are doing now, in a month things will change. In a couple months it won't even be an issue any longer as baby will be much bigger and more grown up.

[MaddieMay]

Oh gosh, don't worry about it! You are doing just fine.

A lot of people just don't understand BLW. I give DS pieces of food much larger than a pea and he does fine. Yes, he gags but that's just part of it. (It does scare people, though.) He's only truly choked once and that's when I gave him a hard biscuit that I probably shouldn't have.

[Mama Khi]

I would think that a green bean would be fine for a 10 month old. My DD is 10 months, too, and I wouldn't hesitate to give it to her. We have done BLW since we started solids and I know how grandparents can be about it. My mom and grandma were convinced I was going to let DD choke. It really annoyed me. At the beginning she did gag a couple of times when she had meat but she never came close to choking. I am sure that you know what is best for your LO and you can just ignore MIL.

[Asparagus78]

Originally Posted by jammomma

And Xavismom, if eating Indian food made your LO cranky, then imagine what all those millions of Indian moms must be going through with their own cranky babies, since all they eat is Indian food!

[colsxjack]

Our 10 month old DD eats LOTS of solid food that are much larger than a pea. She gets things cut either small or in pieces large enough for her to get a good grip on and knaw at.

She eats:
carrots, zucchini, sweet peppers, sweet potato fries, broccoli spears, cauliflower florets, all cut into 3inch (ish) spears and streamed or stir fried
she eats green beans and asparagus spears steamed and whole
avocado cubes, grape halves, banana by the 1/3, apples cut in 1/4's, pears cut in 1/4's, plum slices, cheese cubes all raw
she also eats toast with cream cheese or tahini spread on it. We cut a slice into four fingers.
She eats black beans, baked beans and chickpeas whole.

The only puree I give her is sometimes I puree left over veg and put it in yogurt for her and sometimes we give her baby food organic prunes if we feel she needs a little help in the digestion department.