Out & about

Eating out with a BLW can be messy but I tell ya it's not as bad as what you'd think. We went out for the parade in town on Tuesday & nipped in for brunch beforehand. Ok so some pizza ended up on the floor, bits of toast from the Irish breakfast was chewed & dumped & the beans were spoon fed on a tea spoon. Couple of baby wipes picked up the debris and we were good to go. I passed another baby, about Goosey's age, being spoon fed and that baby was covered in mush as was the surrounding area. Fact is all babies are messy eaters regardless of method. But it was a twist on the wearing of the green when broccoli reappeared 2 hours later smeared across his face - the little chipmunk had been at it again!

Drinks with that sir? Help wanted.

I know this isn't strictly a BLW issue but Goosey just won't drink from a sippy or open cup. I know it's important to be introducing them at this stage (well to be honest a good few weeks ago) but he either throws it off the high chair immediately or just clamps up if I try to put it anywhere near his mouth. I've tried a number of different types of cups but he won't go near them.

I've even tried dribbling some water into his mouth so he gets an idea of what's in there but he's not interested. Help!

the spoon revisited

Now that Goosey has discovered food he's devouring everything in sight. However for a variety of reasons we have recently been adapting a "combination" feeding effort.

Breakfast is usually spoon fed - I've been offering the loaded spoon and Goosey grabs it and stuffs it in his mouth. Takes about 2 milliseconds. Frustration levels kick in after about 5 goes and the yelling starts. It's like "you know I want it. I can see you lot stuffing your faces with the porridge why do I have to show you where to put it? Help me out!" So now breakfast is straight from the spoon, unless it's toast or fruit.

In fact everything we would "spoon" ourselves (e.g. cereal/yogurt/fruit pots) is being spoon fed, but nothing is forced, so no aeroplaning or any other kind of encouragement. I still give him the spoon to practice feeding himself but towards the end of the meal when he's not outraged at how slow he is.

Is this against the principle of BLW? I'm not sure but I believe it's better for Goosey and therfore us. I don't want him to link meal times with frustration and it's all about positive food experiences. And judging by the way he demolished granny's casseroled lamb yesterday it's not hindering his finger food ability in any way!