Not sure about Baby-Led Weaning anymore...?

[malayasmommy]

So I started doing Baby-Led Weaning with my 7.5 month old 6-8 weeks ago.  It was going fine by BLW standards, he pretty much played with his food, ate pinhead size bits (which I knew because I found it in his diaper) and that's about it.  I was pleased. 

Then I needed to start giving him some probiotics (long story, but was recommended by my chiropractor/cranial sacral therapist) so I pureed a little bit of food so I could give him the probiotics.  (He wouldn't take it any other way, and was refusing bottles when it was given to him that way.)  He LOVES the pureed food.  Sits there with his mouth wide open, and then fusses when it's all gone. 

Just to experiment, I pureed some more food and seriously the kid can't get enough.  The 2 nights I have tried it now, he has slept better than he has in 2 months.  He had been waking up every 2-3 hours to nurse, the last 2 nights he's only woken up 2-3 times!  I am a new woman and he seems to feel much better!

So now I'm toying with the idea that maybe for us BLW isn't the way to go.  Or, do a combo thing (which is what I have done the last few days) which is to give him a few pieces to work on himself and then to supplement with some purees.

A concern I have is that he seems to love eating so much, I don't want him to prefer to eat over nurse.  He loves to nurse too so I'm not super concerned about it, but I have to admit that I'm nervous and also...sad.  :-(  I kind of liked that most of his nutrition was still breastmilk!  But if we are TRULY talking about BLW, don't I go with what he's showing me he needs...not just going with it if it fits into the definition of what *I* want????

Thanks in advance for your thoughts/experience!

[wehrli]

this happened to us... we started BLW at 5.5mo (24 weeks). same thing happened. he loved it but was mostly just playing with his food. i tried applesauce because we had some and, well, i just felt like it. he loved it, he gobbled it up, he wanted more. it made me a little sad but then again, if it was truly BLW, then wasn't this his cue? i tried mashed sweet potato, loved it. mashed butternut squash, loved it. etc, etc, etc. it was quicker and neater, so that drove me to continue. i knew i wasn't going to keep up the purees forever, but he just seemed so much more satisfied. he was still nursing just as much as before, maybe even more. i decided not to stress. a few weeks went by and he started showing more interest in what i was eating or maybe it was just that he wanted to eat whenever i was eating. lol. since it was chicken, i shredded some onto his plate and he went for it! his pincer grasp was completely developed! we are back to BLW almost excluslively however, he still enjoys some purees (mainly applesauce or sometimes i still puree really slippery fruit/veg like pear).

i say, follow his lead! he'll probably come back around on the BLW in not too long! good luck and have fun!!!!

[~Adorkable~]

Originally Posted by malayasmommy 

 But if we are TRULY talking about BLW, don't I go with what he's showing me he needs...not just going with it if it fits into the definition of what *I* want????

you hit the nail on the head right here! follow your childs lead, this seems clearly like what is making him happy. we do a combo, since some foods just are not finger food, but my twins also like holding food/spoons and the like. so i give them some finger food and them get started then i often feed them some thick yogurt or egg yoke or other protein. they often alternate bites with the food i have for them and what is in their hands, it becomes a fun game.

i also notice that some days they just want me to feed them, other days they won't have it and grab my spoon and only want to do it themselves, i take their cue and adjust their food to what they seem to feel like.

[flightgoddess]

Do both. Some kids just LOVE food :) Stick to breastfeeding for his main 'meals' if that is what you want but also include him at the table with the family at mealtimes/snack times. Offer little bits of safe foods from the family meals, but perhaps also have something mashed/pureed to feed as well. If you can stand the mess, as the baby gets older and a little more coordinated, give them their own spoon. I started giving my lil guy his own spoon and letting him feed himself (well, to some extent anyway) around 12mo...and by 18 mo, he was pretty good at feeding himself a variety of foods using a spoon :)

[Megan73]

Everything I've read says that breastmilk should be the main sources of calories for the first year and solids should be for learning and exploration.
I suspect, too, that it may be coincidence that he's sleeping better as you've introduced solid food. Most authorities on child development say that's a myth.
I think you're right to worry too many solids can lead to premature weaning. BLW allows babies to explore food without overeating for their developmental stage. Spoonfeeding is - like a bottle - too easy and babies may eat more than they need faster than their bellies can tell them they're full. Nor do older babies need purees. Purees became popular when it was the norm to start solids very early.
My almost 10-month-old didn't eat much until he could self feed. I always nurse first but he's now sitting at the table and eating what we eat. He's eating less than if he were spoonfed but is amazingly dextrous with the pincer grip and today fed himself peach, cheese, halved mandarin orange segments, meatloaf, sweet potatoes and green beans.

[Viriditas]

Why not let him feed himself purees with something like this?

 

[~Adorkable~]

Wanted to chime in and say that I have those dippers that the previous post links to and they are really great. My twin 11 month olds have been using them for maybe 3 months, usually held by me but often I load it up with yogurt and my girl takes it out of my hand or help direct my hand and they get it all in their mouths.  I like that it can only go on so far and the shield is also a good backplate to stop the food from just getting smooshed off.

[Hymanroth]

Just wanted to tell u how I give myson probiotics, I mix a scoop of the powder with BM and use a dropper to put in his mouth ... He usually takes it and there's no taste besides BM but if you put it on the side of his cheek he will not spit it out.