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Enjoy, BLW Mama xxx | |
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Mess is a well known byproduct of baby led weaning but then I always think weaning in general is quite messy even if you spoon feed- or it always was when I did it anyway. I'm not a big clean freak to be honest- a bit of mess doesn't bother me which is a good job since I've got three small children. So far the mess from baby-led weaning has been manageable- One of the biggest things that makes me not care about how much mess J is making is the fact that a couple of feet away his 2 year old brother is feeding himself and making even more mess. There are ways to avoid it being too messy as well. Try to save the really messy stuff for dinner that way you can take their clothes off and put them straight into the wash. Most people bathe their babies on a night so you can wash them off in in the bath. The most messy food I find is yoghurt, porridge and other runny food. For lunch stick to finger foods like rice cakes, bread, steamed veggies, fruit, meat etc. Obviously invest in some good bibs- most people choose the all over ones that cover baby's arms as well. If you don't want to fork out a lot of money on bibs there are other options. In the summer let them eat topless or even naked- they will love it and you will save on washing. Another great idea was given courtesy of Sarah Bonner from the BLW group on Facebook. She get's old T- Shirts- cuts the sleeves out and uses them as bibs. This is such a cool idea I love it and so environmentally friendly. On the note of being environmentally friendly you are probably going to want to invest in some reusable cloths as well. You could just use wet wipes- but you'll be going through an awful lot. I would recommend buying some of the supermarket's value range for cleaning up when you're out and about but at home I'd use clothes. Amazon sell some gorgeous packs that are eco friendly and come in all sorts of colours. However my personal favourite thing for cleaning up after feeding time is good old Muslin. The best thing is you'll probably have loads knocking about from when your baby was a new born. By six months you won't be using them much for breastfeeding and they'll just be sat in a drawer. Perfect timing- I use them to clean the little man, clean his high chair, clean the table. They are soft, lightweight and easy to wash. I also found a little hand flannel thing that I got in a towel set which I use. You put your hand inside it and it's a flannel- I wet it with warm water then clean J's face, then his hands, then the tray. I then dry him off with the muslin. The other major casualty of baby-led weaning is the floor. You can keep this clean by laying down a mat but I find this too much of a hassle. I tend to broom everything up after each meal then mop every two days unless it's really bad. One thing that was recommended when I was researching for this site is a steam cleaner. These are a bit pricey but I would definitely look in to getting one if you can afford them. I hope you enjoy BLW enough to put up with the mess- it's a small price to pay! BLW Mama xxx I suspect that both myself and J have a gluten intolerance so I've been experiencing with some gluten free recipes recently. In particular I wanted something to replace bread and a few people suggested I try pancakes. This is pancakes American style- not the type you toss on Shrove Tuesday. I got a good recipe from the internet made using rice flour and then I jazzed it up a bit. I made two lots of pancakes- Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Roquefort and Bacon, Spinach and Goat's Cheese. They were really yummy and went down a treat. I served them with baked beans. Ingredients: Basic Pancake Mix- 1 cup of rice flour 1/2 cup of coconut milk (I don't eat Cow's Dairy but you can use any milk) 3 eggs 1 tbsp olive oil Smoked Slamon, Spinach and Roquefort Small handful of smoked salmon chopped into bits Few chunks of Roquefort crumbled 1 frozen portion of spinach defrosted Bacon, Spinach and Goat's Cheese 1 rasher of bacon cut into bits 1 frozen portion of spinach defrosted 25g of hard goat's cheese grated Method: 1. Make up basic pancake mix a) Add eggs, milk and oil to a bowl and stir to combine b) Gradually add rice flour and whisk until there are no lumpy bits c) Cover and leave to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile prepare other ingredients 2. Make other ingredients a) Grill bacon until cooked. Cut into small pieces b) Defrost spinach portions c) Grate goat's cheese d) Crumble roquefort 3. Mix basic pancake mix with ingredients a) Divide the basic mix into two bowls b) Add the salmon, roquefort and half the spinach to one bowl- stir until combined c) Add the bacon, goat's cheese and the rest of the spinach to the other bowl- stir until combined. 4. Cook the Pancakes a) Heat some olive oil in a pan- make sure the oil is really hot b) Pour 1/4 cup of the mix into the pan c) Wait until the pancake starts to bubble at the sides and then flip over- the pancake should lift up easily if it is ready to flip d) Re-flip the pancake and brown further if need be e) Place pancake on a plate and continue making pancakes You should get 4 of each flavour. You might need to add more oil to the pan half way through cooking too. Hope you enjoy them BLW Mama xxx A new study looking at BLW has been published today in the British Medical Journal. The study was carried out by Otago University in New Zealand. The study looked at 20 mothers who were doing BLW with their babies from the age of 6 months. Findings revealed that while the mothers were happy with their decision to Baby- led wean they were: 'following guidelines they had gleaned themselves either through others, literature or the internet'
Some of the women involved in the survey reported that their child had choked during BLW but it is unclear if what they report as choking was really gagging- Gagging is not dangerous it is a normal part of learning to eat.
Many supporters of BLW believe that it actually prevents choking since the baby learns to chew before it learns to swallow. They also argue that spoon feeding is more likely to lead to choking as the baby has no control over eating. Apparently most of the reported choking incidents involved raw apple but most baby led weaners know to lightly steam hard fruit and veg in the beginning stages. I have to admit when I first started BLW I did have to fight hard to keep my nerve when J would gag on food. Already he seems to be doing it less as he gets used to eating but fingers crossed we have never had a choking incident- just gagging. I can understand why mums might confuse the two because you naturally worry about your baby, especially when they are doing something new. The University of Otago plans to do further research into BLW and hopefully provide mothers with more information on the best ways to do BLW. What are your thoughts on all of this? On the Baby Led Weaning Facebook group I am a member of we were just talking about health visitors and their attitudes to BLW. My HV has been very positive about it and even had a leaflet on it but others on the group have been told it is unsuitable as babies need purees to line their stomachs?!! BLW Mama xxx Source:http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/study-looks-baby-led-weaning/5/141644 I went shopping at Asda at the weekend and they have some great deals on on baby stuff. Of particular interest to all you baby led weaners might be the Tomme Tippee First cup suitable from 4 months is selling at only £1 at the moment. I also found some lovely Tomee Tippee self-feeding spoons. They were less cheap at £3.99 for 5 but they are really nice and the perfect length for my little man to feed himself. The pack advises that they are suitable from 7 months but as we all know you can use them from 6 months. Hello and welcome to the blog that accompanies the Baby Led Weaning Equipment website. I have just finished the website and am about to go live with it. The website is only for the UK at the moment but I intend to link to US products as well in the near future. The website is a work in progress in so far as I will happily add new content and update it if anyone has any other recommendations that would be great. I would like to give a massive thank you to the mums from the Facebook BLW group who have recommended loads of products and websites. If you are interested in doing BLW weaning I highly recommend you join this group as everyone is really friendly and it is a great way to get advice and support from like-minded parents- BLW Facebook Group At the moment the only pics on here are of my little man- and while I think he is gorgeous it would be lovely to get more pictures up here so if you have any pictures you'd be willing to share with the site that would be fab. Email me at [email protected] if you have any recommendations of products, blogs, websites or any pictures you'd like to share. Thanks BLWMama xxx |
BLW MamaI love cooking for my family and trying out new recipes. My focus is on good, healthy non-processed food. My recipes on here are all simple and easy to make and I cater for many dietary requirements and allergies. The recipes are made with Baby-Led Weaning in mind but because Baby-Led Weaning means eating together these recipes are suitable for every member of the family, young and old. Search this site:
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