6month old not sitting up yet and gets frustrated with BLW!

[LulaSunshine14]

My 6 month and 1 week old boy are new to BLW. I'm really keen on trying this method as my 4 year old is a terrible eater so I'm convinced this will solve the issue this time. However my baby boy is no where near sitting up yet (which most sites say is a sign of readiness) and doesn't like sitting in a bumbo for long before getting frustrated. I have offered him roasted and steamed vegetable sticks, apple, bananas, strawberry, which he has picked up and got to his mouth (eventually and not with great ease/coordination) which he has chewed and sucked a bit before gagging on bits, and then they all go on the floor and he gets really frustrated. So the meal time doesn't last very long as I then take him out of his seat. We've had a week of trying but he's not getting anything down.

He's still taking all his milk feeds but I feel like he's hungry sooner. He also wakes for his 1 night feed at roughly 3am when he was waking previously at roughly 5am.

Does this sound normal? Should I wait until he is able to sit properly? Although I'm worried he might be a late developer as this seems far off. Will he be satisfied with milk feeds (formula) alone?

I'm worried that he's not ready but I feel as though he needs something. I forgot to add that he wants to chew on everything. Teething perhaps but he shows no signs of teeth either...

Any thoughts or reassurance welcome!! I'm tRying to resist trying baby rice or cereal!

[StJuniper]

At 6 months, they have a big growth spurt, so while he may be getting hungrier earlier, what he needs is nutritionally dense milk feeds. No need to feed rice cereal, and no rush on solids. If he's frustrated and uncomfortable sitting, I'd suggest holding off on solids for a few more weeks. They grow up fast at this stage so a few weeks can make an amazing difference, and 6 months is just a guideline.

On the other hand, gagging, being uncoordinated, and hardly eating anything is par for the course in the early days of BLW, many babies take weeks or even months to start eating any significant amount!

[LulaSunshine14]

Thank you for the advice. It's always good to have reassurance. I guess the growth spurt at 6 months leads many parents to think they need more solid food...

Ok will try be a bit more patient!

[yorkshirepudding]

Yep I'd hold off until he's sitting a bit stronger, needs to be able to control himself enough to lean forward to gag food out of his mouth if necessary. When he is ready, you can always hold him on your lap if he's not comfortable sitting in a seat for now. But you might need a coverall bib for yourself as well as him!

[ChristmasGift]

I tried to start my LO at 6 month - she was sitting pretty reliably then too - but she just wasn't ready in other ways. I waited a couple of weeks and tried again and we were off. As Stj says at this age a couple of weeks makes a big difference. Even when we got going she hardly ate anything other than her milk feeds for a good few months so milk is all they really need - food is a bonus!

[mamapup]

I'm sorry to add that blw will not guarantee you a good (read eats everything) eater. Both mine were blw and neither really eats veg. The older one will now eat raw veg but both hand me cooked.veg back regularly. Blw offers you and your kids a chance to create healthy relationships with food, not a guarantee of eating everything.

[Laura_k76]

Hi LulaSunshine! I'm reading your post, and it's like you are describing my 6-month old! To add to that, I've also got a 4 y/o who is a fussy eater, and I also wanted to try BLW in the hope that it will help with fussiness.
My baby boy is not quite sitting up without help, he can sit up for half a minute or so and then falls sideways . I tried roasted and steamed veg sticks and no interest so far, just gagging and spitting out. We had a bit more success with an apple which he seems to like to gnaw.

My question is, how crucial is it that they have some solids once they are 6 months old? If it takes them months to "get" food, can they just be on breast/ formula milk, until they start actually getting some solids down them? I'm worried that my baby might be missing nutrients and vitamins because he's slower with

Can anyone advise/ share tips please?

[Laura_k76]

P.S. How's your baby now with BLW, if you don't mind sharing?

[StJuniper]

Don't worry, milk is their main food source for a long time yet, and contains pretty well all the vitamins and nutrients they need.

[ChristmasGift]

Lots of baby's take a couple of months to get going with BLW- so long as you don't reduce milk feeds until your LO indicates that they are ready, they will be fine. My traditional weaning friends' babies were all of three 'meals' a day long before I had any evidence of mine actually eating anything. She can eat a bigger bowl of pasta than I can these days!