Baby Led Weaning - What I've learned so far

Baby Led Weaning – What I’ve learned so far (other than to have the hoover on hand at all times)

At 8 months most meals we give Logan don't rely on spoon-feeding at all. Instead he has whatever we are having, although sometimes I need to make adjustments, mainly leaving salt out and adding ours after. This is largely due to the fact that  he’s never really had a lot of puree. We started with this but very quickly moved to mashed foods and finger foods with which he could ‘self-feed'.  

Is BLW easier than pureeing food? I’m not sure. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both so here’s what I’ve learned:

• ·      You will need to continue giving up to 32 ounces of milk or babies normal breastfeeds every day if you want to do BLW exclusively because there is more chance of the cat/dog/garden spider getting more nutrition from finger foods than your baby.
• ·      If you want to offer slightly mushy food, try something that can also double up as a hair conditioner because it will end up in your hair, your baby’s hair, the carpet..you get the gist.
• ·      You will probably check google or consult a friend everytime you want to give your baby something new to try.
• ·      If you lay a selection of food on the tray and expect your baby to pick them up one at a time in a demure fashion, your expectations are far too high. 
• ·      Broccoli trees simply do not go down as well as a Farley’s Strawberry and Peach Biscuit, no matter what songs you sing about them.
• ·      You will probably need to prepare a bath for your child after every meal. Ideally turn up your heating and leave them in an old vest that can be used for mealtimes because it won’t be long before they know how to take their weaning bibs off on their own.
• ·      Most days, someone, somewhere will have a panic attack as they watch your baby trying to wrestle a whole banana into their mouth.
• ·      Your baby will not be able to control how much he/she puts into their mouth so you will sit about an inch away from their face and watch them with an odd smile disguising a fear that at any minute they will choke.
• ·      They might gag a fair bit but this is okay.
• ·      Despite all of the challenges, two months after trying finger foods and smearing them across the walls, floors, highchair, clothes, me and daddy, Logan now can eat many things quite well and can indeed join us at the dinner table.
• ·      I am able to cook a range of things that suit us all as a family without the need to make different meals for adults and the baby. 
• ·      We tend to be eating healthier as a result of doing BLW rather than eating a pizza and giving Logan a jar of puree.

It might not be easy but there have been proven benefits to babies learning to chew earlier and being exposed to different textures so I am glad we did it now rather than waiting until he was a bit older. He certainly is willing to try everything, even if it does end up on the floor.

  

What to do when baby comes clingy:  Don't panic; run!

Over the last couple of weeks,  my six month old, now coming up seven months, has grown increasingly clingy. I’m pretty certain that he’s found the word ‘mama’ but it only comes during a whimpering or crying fest.  When I leave a room, he notices instantaneously and leaving him anyone, even his gran, is becoming more and more difficult.  I’m sure this is all pretty normal as he starts to understand the difference between strangers and people he knows but that doesn't make it any easier as many of you must know.

So, I have tried to make sure that I get out for a run most days when the hubby comes home from work.  Or on really motivated days, I’ve managed to get out in the mornings while baby is still sleeping.   I would love to lose weight but given that my ‘reward’ for running is usually twice the amount of cakes I would normally eat, I don't think that will happen. 

But running is about more than just losing weight. It’s half an hour, or more if I can, of time on my own. Genuinely on my own.  I’ve tried going for a bath before but I end up lying there trying to work out what to do for dinner, or what I should dress Logan in – trivial things that I can’t shut my mind off to.  When I run; however there is no thinking involved.  And also the baby is still in the house which makes it hard to switch off.  For some reason, while running all my brain is capable of thinking about is running. 

I have been a runner of sorts since the age of 21.  I’ve gone through phases of being obsessive with it to not running for months.  For the last 5 years, I struggled with running as I linked it with my battle to conceive a baby.  Was I running too much and affecting ovulation? If I didn't run, was I unable to conceive because I was unhealthy?  It was no longer about me, for me and therefore it was not enjoyable.

On my recent run, I realized that finally running has become fun again.  It’s hard – I’ve loved it but in all honesty I’m no good at it and granny’s on zimmer frames have run faster -  but  the achievement that I feel at the end of it is worth it and now it helps to set me up for the day ahead.  If baby is clingy, it’s fine. I’m his mummy and it’s my job to comfort him but I feel so much better if I’ve taken care of myself at least once. 

Help to Buy? I need the Help To Stop Buying Scheme

I was shocked and depressed in equal measures when I heard today that the average deposit in the UK for a first time buyer is £32,000.  As one of the very few people that I know, who – shock horror- is still renting, this is an alarming fact.  I admire those people who have slogged their butts off to slowly scrape together a mountain of dosh to be able to get on to the first rung of the golden property ladder. I envy those people who have parents that love their children so much that they give up their own dreams for retirement because they want to help them achieve financial security (or decide that they just can’t tolerate the idea of living with their children for the rest of their lives and give them the deposit.) And a gentle kick out of the door.  

My husband and I don't have a generous benefactor, but to be honest we don't really need one.  Our salaries, although modest by some standards, are ample enough to save a half decent deposit.  Not £32,00 I might add but in Scotland that’s not entirely necessary. Like most first time buyers, we are eligible for some of the admittedly very good schemes that the government has introduced to help people achieve their ownership dreams.

The problem is that before our little sproglet, Logan came along, we spent our 20’s lavishing our hard earned cash on luxurious holidays, expensive jewellery, expensive glossy furniture (to make our rented place our own) and enough shoes to make Imelda Marcos jealous. We had the philosophy that we were young and needed to enjoy life before settling down.  And now it’s really hard to stop spending.  In addition, we are paying a fortune in rent. 

‘We really will save a deposit now that Logan is here”. That’s what we say every day but like most renters out there, we are in a Catch-22 situation.  We love the home we live in.  It’s new, it's the right size for us and it’s in the right location.  It’s also about £350 more a month than we would pay with a mortgage. In fact, we could double the size of our house if we were able to get a mortgage with the same monthly outgoing.  We are also only secure for a year at a time as there is no guarantee that the current owner won’t sell at some point.  There are positives, of course.  Boiler goes – phone the man.  Roof collapses – phone the man.  Want to move to a new area ? Phone the man; say we’re out of here..  There are a lot of good things to be said about renting but ultimately this never be ours.

So while we desperately try to heave our way on to this ladder, which for us will really only ever be a step, we will have to accept that Susan’s Sunday Surprise can be just as tasty as a Domino’s, even though we know that the only surprising element is that it was edible at all.  Tesco Clubcard points will be boosted to the max and whatever restaurant offers the best deal will be the rendezvous point for date night.  We will buy only anything that is absolutely essential to the point that the Extreme Couponing ladies off the telly will be calling us for advice.  We will scrimp and scrape because we understand that, fundamentally, it’s better to have something to show for your hard work, somewhere to live when the pitiful state pension could not support renting a hut, something to leave those closest to you.

When I look online, I don't need adverts telling me I can get Help to Buy.  I know how to do this and very well. I need the Help to Stop Buying Anything That Isn’t Made Of Bricks and Mortar Scheme. Alternatively, Logan can inherit my shoes when I go.  There are enough of them to build a house anyway.

I tend to get quite fixated on things that have pleased me and have noticed that in the 6 months of being a mum, the smallest of things can really do that. Anything that will give me 5 minutes of less whinge is a sure winner.  For example this week I cant stop talking about a cup.  Yes that right, a regular cup used for the purposes of drinking.  I picked this particular one up on sale in Asda on the off chance that it might be a cup that Logan could actually use.  Up until this point, he has been offered extra water in sippy cups that the health visitor brought but he just could not use them.  He could hold the handles but could not then manoeuvre the spout to his mouth, resulting in mighty tantrum.  Shall we help you son?  No way. I am five months old, how dare you insult my intelligence by aiding my sip of water. i'll just pet my lips and cry some more.

Until this little Munchkin device came along.  It is a little genius cup that fooled me but not Logan.  it is no spill and water comes out only when baby bites/chews gently on the silicone lid.  Logan has it figured out immediately; Mummy on the other hand needed a product demo from Daddy.  It really is a good cup and the logic behind it seems reasonable. According to the label, it is better for teeth as no extreme sucking and it is much more like a normal cup so makes the transition easier.  Definitely a winner in our house.

Gives me one less thing to think about as at the moment the focus in our house is all on food and weaning.  Baby Led Weaning (BLW) versus - ehm parent led weaning? I'm on the side of the old school parenting here - 'Baby led weaning? in my day we just gave them food'.  I'm a fan of this method since the banana and bread I gave to Logan to encourage BLW are currently mushed to a pulp on the carpet.  More on our weaning adventures to follow...

Trip to the hospital anyone?

We were at the hospital twice this week for a total of 4 hours.  2 hours on New Years Eve and 2 on 2nd January. Of course, I would not take my baby to a room full of disease ridden people if it were not extremely urgent.  The NHS 24 people told us that we should go so I could blame them but the truth is they were basing their recommendation on information provided by me. On the Friday night, it was clear that Logan had a cold and is also very likely teething so he was more restless than normal. He did not settle all night which is very unusual for him and spent a large amount of time straining to do a poo. We had him in a bath at 3am, gave him cooled boiled water, frequently tried to distract him in order to get a cotton bud in his nose to remove contents, hushed him, rocked him, begged him but he did not sleep.  Until Adam took him for a walk at 12pm the next day.  He slept and we were so relieved that we left him in his pram, in a snowsuit for two hours while we had a much needed cuppa.  Then he woke up crying.  We worried; this is so unlike him..let's take his temp. Of course, it wouldn't be abnormally elevated after sleeping in a snowsuit. 37.5 degrees - officially a fever for a baby..call 111 now.  Get sent to out of hours. It's a cold, he doesn't have a fever unless the call you gave just in case worked, he might be a little constipated, don't give dairy fro a few weeks.

We left, grateful that he just had a cold and hopeful for more sleep that evening. We got some, but mainly because we stayed up till 1am celebrating the new year's arrival.  The next day we were further pleased that aforementioned constipation had gone.  Replaced by the opposite.  Just what you need with a hangover.  But wait...is that blood in his nappy? It looks like a lot? He's had a bad cold, now he has blood in his nappy...phone 111.  "Can you bring the offending nappy to out of hours?" the clinician on the phone asks.  I think they are on to my hypochondria.  "Okay", and off we go to the hospital.  Turns out it wasn't blood.  it was carrot. He'd had carrot earlier that day. The GP humoured me and said she would do the same; I suspect she lied to make me feel better.  And now every day, Adam asks me what time we are due at the hospital.

It takes a village...

The name for this blog may yet change, as I decided to write and choose a better name later if necessary, but the name was inspired by a conversation that took place that I can guarantee every mother has had with someone else.  I said something I can never take back; I said something that means my child will be deprived forever; I said the fatal sentence "He's not getting rusks, they have too much sugar in them".  Well, I could have equally said "I don't agree with any of the parenting choices you made in your life, thanks anyway for your advice dear mother in law" for it was met with the same reaction.  I would like to state for the record that I was not in any way criticising anyone who gives their child rusks, nor was I criticising my mother in law who gave all four children this without any drastic consequences. I was just saying that having weighed up all of the information available to me - a lot more than was available 30 years ago - i think there are  better things he could eat. I am more than happy for him to eat them as a treat, i'm just not giving him them.  But as they say, it takes a village to raise a child...and I have learned quickly since becoming a mum, there is always a whole village worth of people to give their opinion. There's another well known phrase that I think goes well here....take everything with a pinch of salt....unless it's your baby's food, that's a definite no no.

Just start writing (before he suggests another ridiculous idea)

For ages I have toyed with the idea of starting a parenting blog, not laden with advice but more a general musing on my experiences as a new mum to, now 6 month old, Logan.  I have of course been inspired by many of the brilliantly funny bloggers out there who thankfully are always there to remind you that it's never easy, it's often treacherous and that no matter what, you are doing just fine.  Lots of these people are funny. I am not. I also get embarrassed when people read my writing or by trying to promote my work. Definitely not ideal qualities for a blogger. And yet, tonight I decided to stop thinking about it and just write. I hope there will be times that you find me inadvertently funny but most of all, I will enjoy writing and sharing my experiences of raising a child who currently is unsure of whether he is a human or a zombie (does everyone have a child who likes to chew faces or is it just me?) I decided to just start writing because after mentioned to my husband, Adam, that I really wanted to write a blog he did that typical man thing giving me suggestions on what to blog about ranging from: exercise? to moaning?  So I picked up the laptop and got stuck in.  He's now a distant voice in the background....