Originally Posted by jojo2605

Hi Purplesocks, would you be able to clarify the sitting unaided bit for me please? Your LO is 5.5 months and can actually sit on his own without any assistance? or he can support his upper body only?

I'm a bit confused on this one as my LO can sit well with me holding his lower body but if I was to put him on the floor then he would just slump forward!!

I know this is part of the criteria for weaning and although I don't intend to wean for a few more weeks, I can't imagine my LO being able to sit up on his own by that time? Yes if he was in a highchair and supported correctly, but not actually on his own?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by purple_socks

Kian sits upright for a prolonged period of time, completely on his own. I put him down on his bum and he will stay like it and play with his toys etc. He can reach around for his toys without falling etc. He does randomly fling himself backwards from time to time and he'll fall over if he leans sideways too far for something so i'm sure his stability could improve but generally he sit properly by himself.

He also pulls himself up to sitting if he's semi reclining (like propped upon a cushion...he'll pull himself up so he's sitting properly)

-i know some websites/HV/people say that sitting well with minimal support is the same as sitting completely unaided...i think the sitting part is a safety thing?! (correct me if i'm wrong anyone) If ur LO can't sit up and either has to b reclining 2 b fed or will flop abt when ur trying to feed them then food is likely to go down the wrong way and b a choking hazard.

Originally Posted by purple_socks

lol i succumbed to baby pressure too and started BLW earlier than planned...Kian kept grabbing my food so in the end i let him have some kian met all the milestones in the BLW book like sitting unaided, not having the tongue thrust reflex, having the motor skills to get the food in his mouth etc. i don't believe that at 6 months exactly babies wake up 'ready' for food. i believe that it is a gradual development which tends to happen by 6 months but i think that will vary slightly from child to child so some might b ready a few weeks earlier some might not b ready til way after 6 months...and the good thing abt BLW IMO is that if they r not ready then they will not be ableto eat/ will not eat so i feel more comfortable starting slightly earlier with BLW.

size wise i'd jusge it by how ur LO seems to b coping...Kian finds long thin shapes easiest to pick up and he seems to find apples cut in half easier than apples cut into slices.

don't worry abt taking too much at first...Kian stuffed half a banana in his mouth once, gagged and was sick everywhere but its all part of the learning experience. I think: don't offer little bits that they wont b able to control at first- chunky shapes r easier, cut things like grapes in half coz other wise they'll just slip straight down and don't offer things like nuts. U can also try coating slippery foods in babyrice or something to make it more grippy.

Originally Posted by faille

And as to whether LO needs to sit unaided to do BLW, no, they don't. They do, however, need to be able to sit well - whether that's with support or not.