Feeding your baby BLW style

Ok, I have a few mins to comment...

Someone asked how messy a 1 year old can be... well VERY messy! If I thought I had an ant problem when she was in a high chair, then I had no idea how much of a problem it can be when she is sitting at her table.

We have given up with a high chair because its got to the point of being dangerous! I have a 4 month old and my hands are often full, so I cannot just sit with Sarah at the chair. So she sits either at the big table on a big chair or at the coffee table with her little chair - she is getting a kiddies table and chair for Easter.

I follow her around all day with a chargable/electric sweeper and have to vacuum twice a week. The crumbs and mess is crazy but if you accept this state it helps a lot. (I tend to be a perfectionist but there is no place for a spotless and clean home - after all a house is where you live, a home is where you are alive and live!)

Maryke, I so agree with forcing a child to eat or finish his food. Besides having a weight problem myself, and I am not blaimng my mom for forcing me to eat, but there is some truth in forcing a child to eat and causing weight problems. I never force Sarah to finish - if there is enough left it gets put away for later or tomorrow (or I snack on it... hence weight problem). I cannot remember when last I fed her - unless you count the taste of the foam from my cappucino.... LOL).

I myself cannot stand someone to put something even a fork in my mouth! If i taste DH's meat/food then he cuts it on the fork and I take the fork from him, so I can understand that a child can also get worked up being fed. Perhaps you can talk to the creche? Help them understand.

I am afterall a total believer that a child will not go hungry and will eat when they are hungry! I know Sarah asks for sweets and so forth when she is actually hungry! She calls raisens sweets you see. Cheese and biscuits is also sweets. Anything cut up small and given to her in her little plastic tubs is refered to as "sweets". I dont keep anything away from her! She does get sweets and even a taste of my chocolate (all in moderation) of course.

Ok, I might have gone off the topic...

Bear in mind, Sarah is 19 months old and weighs 7,5kg! She is tiny. Always has been, so from day one I have not forced her to eat and gave up worrying about how much is too much and too little the first day in hospital when they forced her to have a bottle because she didnt drink long enough from me!!!! LOL
That was the last time I said anyone would force her to drink/eat!

The paed told me when Nathan was in NICU when he was born, that a child can go days without food, in normal circumstances (ie a healthy environment) so never to worry until day 3 or even day 5!

have a fun day everyone!

heres a pic of sarah and her chocolate spread face...

Thanks Sarah.

I was worried that as big as he is now, he will get bigger when he starts eating solids.

Marijke wrote:

Sarah, rather messy but not because she couldn't control chewing and getting food to her mouth like when they just start off but more because she knew she could fling things across the room and squish them etc.

Just a quick remark from me, if anyone is reading this and have the same problem. B eats well when left on her own but the moment you think to give her just one bite more and 'force' her to eat what you just placed on the spoon she gags to the point where she brings up everything that she ate previously. I just saw it at daycare. I went to fetch her sooner than normal and they wanted her to finish off her food and she puked up everything when they forced her. So if anyone reading this are having trouble with spoon feeding then you know that's the problem.

Skye already likes feeding the dogs from her highchair! and she hates a spoon unless she's holding it herself

GML wrote:

Thanks Ladies

the reason for starting solids is because he is now taking 175ml of formula 6 times a day. That's why I'm all too happy with just rice cereal for now. He is learnign the whole chewing thing but hasnt mastered it yet

That makes it more than 1 litre. He does sit up straight when supported but he for some reason like hanging on the one side. He is 4months and doesnt want to be held like a baby anymore even when I'm feeding him. He will try to prop himself up. He wants to breastfeed sitting

I also noticed that when we're eating he follows our utensils a lot. Especially his dads because he normally is holding him or sitting next to him when we eat.

He is a big boy Keep him on his cereal for now and perhaps in a few weeks you can start offering him table food the BLW style and see how he goes?

They get so alert at about this age and everything fascinates them. If he's watching you eat then he is storing away this information to refer to when he starts eating They learn SO fat it is almost scary!!!!!

Sarah, rather messy but not because she couldn't control chewing and getting food to her mouth like when they just start off but more because she knew she could fling things across the room and squish them etc.

Just a quick remark from me, if anyone is reading this and have the same problem. B eats well when left on her own but the moment you think to give her just one bite more and 'force' her to eat what you just placed on the spoon she gags to the point where she brings up everything that she ate previously. I just saw it at daycare. I went to fetch her sooner than normal and they wanted her to finish off her food and she puked up everything when they forced her. So if anyone reading this are having trouble with spoon feeding then you know that's the problem.

Marijke - quick question, how messy was B at about 1 yr old when eating?

www.ohsocute.co.za/babyproducts/1/general/busybib

Their long-sleeve bibs are wipe-clean All the others I've seen are terry in the front which would be a pain to clean.