Purée or BLW

I don’t think there’s any harm in purées. I think the main issue is then trying to get them to eat proper food when you do eventually have to move to it, a lot of babies really struggle. They get used to the smooth textures of the pouches. We did purées for about a week and then just went straight into BLW and he had whatever we had for meals. I think they say BLW also aids fine motor skills and development too x

There is no harm with purées. BLW is not dangerous though. It is just messy and more about the baby experience playing with food. If eating is important for you, then purées are likely better. You will need to introduce thicker baby food eventually. But you can do it little by little.

Check out the Solid Starts resources, it may ease your anxiety a bit. It’s hard at first but it gets easier. Babies are actually no more likely to choke on solid food prepared appropriately for their age than they are on purées. And self feeding reduces the choking risk as well. You may feel more comfortable after taking baby CPR as well.

I’m doing both some purées and some blw. The good thing about blw weaning is that it teaches them how to work the food around their mouth. With my son he gagged a few times but never choked. Just enough to realize he needed to slow down. They will gag on the food but cause they’ve only had milk. I feel weird about pureeing meat so that we give in big strips they can gum at but I’ve oureed some veggies and fruit. And this way they get used to table food quickly and I don’t have to bring pouches out or stuff.

I've been advised by the HV that giving them lumpy food rather than purees is better, as it has no texture. You could always start with porridge or weetabix, little bit of smashed up banana and raspberries and then work your way up from there 😊

BLW can be really fun and we had a blast. Download the solid starts app that guides you on what to give and how to prepare it. I also did a Mini First Aid course for babies and toddlers - cost £25 and think they’re all ok the U.K. (they were ok dragons den years back) They go through choking and food stuff too. Worth it x

I am doing both. With Ella's Kitchen, they do get lumpy as the recommended age go up. I started with purees to give her a taste of the food then when LO was happy I introduced the solid version 😅 Then all the whirlwind happens in the kitchen. Just do what works for you. You are not a bad mum. There is not just one way of introducing food and babies are different in their food exploration.

No harm at all. But I remember reading with my first that a baby has a natural gag reflex up to 9 or 12months (can't remember exact) so if you BLW it means they learn before that goes away. Personally when I used puree I just made sure to give him something finger food wise that he could play with and eat. But a fed baby is a happy baby, regardless of how. So you do you and whatever works for you is right 🙂. And solid starts on insta is fab x

BLW isn't necessarily about the texture of food as you can still give porridge, yoghurt, mashed potatoe etc in BLW. It is more about just letting babe explore and feed themselves. However, I must say there are benefits of giving food to chew eg developing jaw strength and oral coordination. It actually teaches them how to use their mouth and tongue to move food around. So I guess there isn't any "harm" in doing puree but it doesn't help them develop their oral functional skills as well which in turn makes it safer in the long wrong to prevent choking. X

I did traditional weaning with my little boy, slowly changed the consistency of his pureed food to make it more lumpy as he got older, never did any blw at all, the only proper food as so to speak that he had was the odd melty stick/biscuit. My health visitor told me a few times that I should be doing blw as he will struggle but he didn’t at all! He’s now 15 months and eats normal food completely. It’s just been a progression, my mum said that’s exactly how she did it with us when we were younger too, and we were the same, just after 1 eating whole foods. I know all little ones are different, but so are us mums and we shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for how we choose to serve food to our babies. I did attempt giving him more solid food at the start and he did choke, which is what completely put me off, I’ve been told that he won’t have choked just gagged, but he went blue and silent, so was definitely choking. After that I just stuck to what I wanted to do for my baby ❤️

Also to add he’s got brilliant had eye coordination, if anything he’s slightly advanced for his age and can use a spoon or fork on his own too 😊

You don't have to go to baby led weaning, just adjust the texture so it's not as runny, encouraging chewing. All children appear to choke when beginning the weaning it is their gag reflex more so as they are experiencing something new. Something I use to do blend a puree and then tiny pieces of pasta/ soft boiled veg I would chop up and add to the smooth puree. If you buy the next age group pouch you'll see the differences to gradually work up to. You do not have to do blw if you don't want to. This page is great and they also have an app. They discuss choking and techniques to implement and how common it is for children to gag https://www.instagram.com/solidstarts?igsh=ajM5YnA2NXd3NXY3

Do what’s best for your baby. My daughter was on purées. It did her no harm. I used to cook her veg and purée them myself. I think I introduced her to food with bits etc when she was a little older. There’s no rush, just go at your own pace. HV over the years have constantly moved the goal posts. Purées did my daughter no harm and she’s now 2.8 eating rice, chicken, roast dinners pizzas etc

@Emma I love your post! Although I did a mix of BLW and purées, I think that there is too much pressure for BLW. I really don’t like that.

You can also get a chewy stick or myomunchie that is good for tongue and jaw strength to help them learn how to chew. We did purées at first to get him acquainted and then we did BLW; whatever we ate is what we gave him and sometimes made his own foods that we noticed he liked. You can always steam veggies and fruits and keep them whole so they're more soft than solid and they learn to chew/move tongue. There's really not a wrong way to do it but I'd say by the 7-8 month mark, you should switch to solids here or there and then increase. Some kiddos still eat purées after 1yr and that sets them up for feeding difficulties. More practice, the better! For allergies, the more they're exposed to before 1, the less likely they will develop food allergies. Peanut butter, lentils, chickpeas, eggs, dairy (yogurt or cheese before 1yr), and any kind of fish (salmon, shrimp).