So cute!

I don't think any of us who are doing BLW think that babies are force fed purees at all, I just like Aisling being in total control of what she eats. From my perspective, Aisling was very much in control of bfing and had to (and still does have to) work for her milk and BLW is a very natural progression of that. Once she had the skills to self feed, I didn't see the need to do it for her when she enjoys doing it herself. It's not a case of forcing her to grow up too fast, it's something she has the skills to do and is happy to do so it's just her developing at her rate. If she looked able to walk now I'd encourage her to do that as well without thinking I was forcing her to grow up too soon.

DH and I huge supporters of BLW. We did quite a bit of reading before we took the plunge and it seemed to 'make sense' to us. What we liked the most is that the BLW approach follows the natural time line of a baby's development. Gill Rapleys research is a good read if you have the time. Google her name and check out her website. It has been a pleasure watching Stevie discovered new smells, tastes and textures. We love having her eat with us and consequently because she is eating what we are eating, the whole family is eating better!

I did both, Phoebe was weaned at early at 16 weeks so I had to start off with purees. TBH I found this very time consuming and half the time she wasn't fussed on what I was giving her even when we moved onto mashed foods. We switched to BLW at 6 months and have never looked back, she eats anything and everything.

Some really interesting points of view ladies, some of what the blw advocates say does make sense to me, like the fact that it is easier for parents when they share your mealtimes and you don't have to be feeding them and also that it promotes healthier eating for the whole family (although we already have a very healthy diet) I think the thing that mainly bothers me about blw is the risk of choking when they are still so young and can't chew properly and don't really know how to move food around their mouths, also the way it was presented to me at the HV weaning meeting put me off, basically she said 'oh it is good for them to play with the food and squish it between their fingers and smear it around the tray' etc... I just don't see that approach being beneficial really, IMO it is just going to encourage them to mess around with it all the time instead of doing what they should do - eat it!

Do both like me hun....I give Immy breakfast, I feed her porridge and then she may have a bit of toast which she does herself, for lunch I give her finger foods then a fruity puree pud and for tea I do pure puree but also give her some of whatever we are having if it's healthy and appropriate..It's worked really well, Immy handles food and eats well and is gaining weight at a good rate. Myles is your baby and whatever you decide will be right cause it will be your decision hun. xxxx

I cannot say how much I am enjoying BLWing. It is definitely what is right for my family and my LO in particular.

Many of the reasons have been listed by others, so I won't repeat them. I will say, though, that my LO also refuses to be spoon fed. Absolutely will not have it. Once he figured out he could do it himself, he decided he wasn't looking back.

Re: playing with the food -- I think maybe "playing" is a misleading word (just as "baby led" is). They aren't playing so much as they are learning and exploring. Learning how to handle food, what they can pick up forcefully and what gets squished if they pick it up like that. How big of a bite they can take, how far they can stick it in their mouth before it gags them. How to move it around in their mouth with their tongue. What different foods feel and smell like.

Re: choking, that is a common concern. But, tbh, if you do BLWing properly, there is less risk of choking, IMO, compared to traditional. We have been BLWing for 1.5 months and NEVER, not once, had a choking incident. (knock wood) Gagging, yes... choking no. Gagging is natural and helps them learn.

It really isn't true that they can't chew properly. They learn VERY fast. For example, I will relate my experience of today:

Virtually no one where I live has heard of BLWing. So when I asked Otter's daycare to let me do it, they were resistent for all the reasons that traditional weaners always list. But they wanted to work with me. Finally, today, I was allowed to start.

Because it is important that BLWing be done while others are eating, my 6 month old got to go eat with the 1 yr olds. I went in at lunch time and sat him with the 6 toddlers ages 1 to almost 2. I put his food in front of him. Me and 3 caregivers were standing there. Otter went to town on his food, no problem! He ate better than most of the toddlers that were sat there. Honestly.

All 3 caregivers were astounded. They kept watching him, expecting him to choke. They were amazed when he went right through all this food, tucked right in, picked it up, bit of chunks, chewed, and swallowed. By the end of the 20 minutes, all of them were sold.

You really have to see a BLWing baby in action to understand how well it works and how safe it is. Adults around me are, without fail, amazed when they see Otter eat.

i don't think traditional weaning means babies r force fed.
i get scared that i might 'force' him to have more than he really wants/needs (i can't think of a better word to use there but don't get me wrong i don't mean it in the sense of forcing the spoon in his mouth. maybe 'encourage' would work better. i get concerned that i will encourage Kian to eat one or two spoons too much). In the same vain i'd b scared of feeding too little. i don't like the responsibility of getting the amount exactly right. i like that BLW lets LO pick their own portion sizes...a skill that many people have allowed their babies to use during BF on demand. i believe babies r 'programed' to know what they need. i don't want ot take that skill away...i want to encourage him to use it throughout his life.

i also don't think that tarditionally weaned babies r unhappy...i have seen both meathods in action and all the babies i've witnessed eating look pretty happy .

i think its a shame that people don't know much abt BLW. i don't like hearing common misconceptions like BLW being dangerous/ a choking hazard when infact its the opposite. as TL said, if its done properly BLW is safer than the traditional way. A babies gag reflex is further forward when they r younger which means they will gag easily when something goes in their mouth to make sure food doesn't get stuck (i.e choking). then as they get older it moves further back in their mouths (to where ours is now) making the risk of choking more likely because the gag reflex wont kick in until the food is much nearer the windpipe. All babies eventually move onto finger foods and have to learn what will and wont make them gag (they can only learn this by trying it out themselves). However with BLW babies can experiment with the gag reflex while its in a safe place where as spoon feeding will bipass that reflex so traditionally weaned babies first experince of it wont b until later (when its moved further back)...also gagging and choking r commonly confused. I think its totally natural to panic when u see ur LO coughing/gagging but thats actually just them bringing up food thats too big/went down the wrong way. Its actually a good thing that they can do that. its only dangerous when they aren't making any sound at all...thats real choking...when their wind pipe is totally blocked.

and as for it teaching them to play with the food rather than eat it, i think thats quite a misconception to. firstly i think all babies r fairly messy when they start eating by themselves. its unrealistic to think they wont b.

Because BLW means u always eat with ur child they learn table manners and how to eat from watching u. the 'playing' part will happen as soon as they get finger foods even if u have gone down the traditional route...babies have to learn how hard they can grip something b4 it squashes etc (as TL said). Once they've 'played' about and learnt these things abt the food they can start to eat it properly. i personaly don't understand how purees teach better table manners.

as for wanting kian to grow up quickly (by BLW) i actually do BLW for the oposit reasons... because i think its a slower transition. He learns abt his food and develops his motor skills/ hand eye co-ordination long before he starts eating properly. BLW babies get their main source of nourishment from milk for a lot longer than TW babies. with TW u move to 3 meals a day plus snacks a lot faster than BLW does.

i don't have any problem with TW at all. i think u should do what suits u but i do believe if people knew more abt BLW they would probably opt for that way over TW...but thats just my opinion.

^^ I meant to mention that about growing up quickly, too. Otter eats less solids than other 6 month olds that are TWed. I don't want him to grow up quickly at all. But I DO want him to learn and explore in his own time.

He is doing really well and advanced for his age with BLWing.

On the other hand, he isn't babbling or talking as much as many 6 month olds. That does mean I am prodding him everyday to talk more. I figure he will do it in his own time. Just as he is learning to eat in his own time.

ETA: Also, I was a zookeeper for many years. I worked with many animals, including primates. MOST animals (with the exception of a FEW carnivores and birds that regurgitate their food for young) teach their LOs to eat by example. I never, ever, saw a monkey, ape, or prosimian grab a banana, mash it up, and feed it on a stick to their baby. Their babies nursed until they were old enough to grab food out of mom's hands. Once they started grabbing food from mom's hands, they started to explore it. After that, they started to eat it. Mom let them do this in their own time, under a watchful eye. I also never saw a baby primate choke. Not once despite seeing MANY babies raised. Essentially, all these primates naturally practiced BLW. We are primates, too.

The most important thing is that a baby learns to eat different textures, tastes etc - I do not think the method used is as important as some people make out so long as it is done correctly.

I agree BLW should in theory help with hand eye co-ordination, but Izzy has not been solely BLW, or even half BLW, yet she can feed herself with a spoon and eat chunks in her hand with no problem.

I think there is the misconception too that traditional weaning is just purees - but if done correctly lumps are introduced at 7 months - Izzy has no issue with lumps at all, she will happily chomp on a piece of mature cheddar which is certainly not pureed!

Manners are taught, I dont think BLW or traditional can claim to be better at this .I have taught her to sit still with her hands down when she eats from a spoon I am holding, she does not knock the spoon everywhere (has done before but learnt its not allowed). She opens her mouth and chews what goes in...she keeps her mouth closed or covers her mouth when she is full. She knows if she holds the spoon she has to eat from it...but has the spoon taken away of she messes about and throws the food. She also knows if she has food in her hands she is to eat it or just hold it and not squish it or throw it....obviously she is now 10 months and these things did used to happen!

I am sure the same results can be got from BLW, so i don't see any harm from parents choosing either option.

I have seen a few comments about people scared of their babies choking on BLW, the reason given that they can't move the food in their mouth properly - I hope I don't offend anyone here - but if a baby hasn't got the tongue control to be able to move food around their mouth then the question should be asked as to whether your baby is in fact even ready for solids...as a baby that is truly ready for solids is more than capable of moving a bit of food around their mouth!

^^ Agreed!

I think this is a choice like any other -- what is right for me and my family is not right for everyone. I don't think TWing OR BLWing should be judged by anyone else. Do what works for you! My close friend has a 9 month old she is TWing. We have play dates and dinner dates and everything with the kids. And we support each other in our own choices.