https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:41:05 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687566 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:29:45 +0000 chrispygal 687566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our LO has no teeth, but she has forced the transition to BLW. She is refusing most of her purees and wants to eat what we are eating. Before this, I had started to make her food more chunky. So instead of pureeing something fully, I'd still leave larger pieces in there. For a while she gagged on these, then she got used to them. If you haven't tried that yet, start there. If you don't make your own baby food, try baking a sweet potato until it is soft, and mash with a fork, leaving some larger pieces. Sounds like if she's eating some table food already though, then she is ready and good with the consistency.</p> <p>I cut things up really small and make sure they are soft and squishy in my fingers. I've also given her ground beef and chicken, both of which were cut up small. She does a really good job of gumming her food. I still watch her like a hawk, but keep the pieces small and she is loving trying all the new foods. She gobbles up broccoli, had her first meatball (mashed up), and is so proud when she feeds herself (even though only about one of every four attempts are successful.) </p> <p>We have done peas, zucchini, green beans, broccoli, butternut sqush, chicken, ground beef, and various fruits all cut up into small pieces. Tonight we are going to give her some pork tenderloin to try. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687221 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:18:34 +0000 stargal 687221@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BelugaBean: i was really really nervious about blw too! lo is 8.5 months and he gets purees on top of stuff we eat. </p> <p>heres an example:</p> <p>breakfast was a whole grain waffle ( i try to limit his grains but bread seems to be easier for babies to chew!) i broke the whole waffle nto about 6 big pieces that he picks up and nibbles on...</p> <p>for dinner last night he had, hamburger meat (i fed it to him) and a potato roll that was broken up into big pieces. he also sucked on a strawberry (that was a little scary to watch him eat!)<br /> i just try to do soft fruits and veggies adn breads bc they are soft and mush very well.</p> <p>oh and my kid loves to growl and make these weird grizzly noises at the table, clearly to give me a heart attack! (he's never choked and i think he's gagged maybe once or twice so far) knock on wood! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687150 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:59:13 +0000 BelugaBean 687150@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: She's actually really good with puffs. I give them to her after dinner sometimes and she can chew those really well. I don't think she's ever gagged on the puffs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687147 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:58:18 +0000 jmarionsmith 687147@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I struggle with the nervousness too! LO is 7 months old and what is working for us so far is if I can smash it between my fingers then I know it's probably safe for him to eat. But I know we are going to have to move on to "tougher" foods soon and it freaks me out!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687141 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:57:19 +0000 kiddosc 687141@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Once we really wanted to get serious about more table foods I gave him some yogurt melts or some puffs after his puree meal. Things he could pick up and put in his mouth, but that would dissolve. They helped him get the hang of "chewing" and we moved onto more foods within a few days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687131 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:55:16 +0000 BelugaBean 687131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@prettylizy: She has her two bottom teeth but no top teeth yet which I think makes it weird for her to eat. </p> <p>I did give her an apple slice one day before she had teeth and she got a big chunk off. I was able to get it out of her mouth but it was still so nerve wracking for me! She did pretty well though with it and was, for the most part, just getting little bits of apple off. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687127 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:54:03 +0000 BelugaBean 687127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wanted to add a little more. We do give her bites of our food whenever we have something she can eat. She's had macaroni, toast, cheese, mushrooms, and tomato plus a few other things here and there. Also, she is starting to grab her spoon while eating so I know she wants to start feeding herself.</p> <p>@FutureMrsMcK: That does make me feel better. The gagging freaks me out even though I know I could help her if she needed me to. Like I said, her doctor told me that it's going to happen as she learns to eat and that it'll happen no matter when we try to give her food (no matter how old she is). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687126 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:53:57 +0000 prettylizy 687126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found that in the early days the bigger the piece the better, because she could hold on to it, gnaw and suck on it and withough any teeth she didn't really get any huge bites off. Now that she has teeth we make everything bite sized (she take ginormous bites!! lol) and then spits them out otherwise. Once you hear your LO gag, and you see what happens, you get much more comfortable with gaggin vs. choking. 13 months and she's gagged a few times, but never choked :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687111 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:49:59 +0000 lovehoneybee 687111@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I completely understand the nervousness. We just keep an eye on him...he's definitely gagged when he's taken too big of a bite of something and can't swallow it and spit things out, but he's never choked (knock on wood). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/where-to-start-with-blw#post-687061 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:40:16 +0000 BelugaBean 687061@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I want to transition LO to more of a BLW approach soon to get her used to table foods. She does really well with purees but I'd like for her to start eating more of what we eat (or at least begin the transition to that). But I have no idea where to start. I'm terrified that if something isn't cut up really small she'll choke. Our doctor told us though that she'll be fine as long as it's a reasonable thing for her to eat. He said that she has to get used to it in order to be able to do it so that we need to just dive in with foods we know she can eat. </p> <p>Any other tips or advice? I'm just so nervous about giving her table food but I remember my nephew eating a biscuit at like 6 months old (LO is 8.5 months). So I feel like she probably can do it, I'm just nervous. </p>