Or exactly as you say Aitch, just avoiding foods that they are sensitive to/allergic to..........trusting their instincts.

or perhaps they just don't like it...?
babybear has always avoided baby sweetcorn unless dowsed in coconut, chilli and lime soup, for example. and i'm inclined to agree with her on that one.
i was talking on Mumsnet with some people who think that children get naturally get a bit fussier when they start walking because it protects them from eating poisons. so if they escape from the cave they stick to the berries they already know, if you know what i mean? isn't that an interesting theory?

Very interesting. Also a very sensible theory. Oooh aren't our little science projects interesting...............

No, the broccoli thing is true - it's a chemical which tastes bitter(er) to people with a certain gene. Will try and work out how to get links from PubMed shorter than the whole flippin' article and report back someday. Or you could just all search pubmed for broccoli and bitter...

And is it "fussy" necessarily to simply like or dislike a few foods? If there's a real element of fickleness, or a preference for (say) very bland or sloppy foods (I'm thinking House of Tiny Tearaways here), then maybe, but I'm a damn good eater, even if I do say so myself, and can abide neither sprouts nor aubergines...

With you on the sprouts............bbbllleeeuuuurrrggghhhh.

I think the word 'fussy' is actually used too liberally and in the wrong context for, as you say, disliking a few foods. I don't think I have ever met anybody who will eat everything and can categorically say there are no foods they dislike. In fact I have found that the people who maintain they like everything have the weirdest dislikes.

It will be interesting to see over the next few years how the likes & dislikes develop in a BLW child. I can't say that my little one is REALLY enthusiastic about food but she is a good eater when there isn't something more exciting going on.

Tinks Daddy and I can't stand tomatos and neither can she. I think it is a similar thing to brocolli because you pick up on the iron in it (I remember this from the other thread because I said I always know when I'm drinking coke if I've had a nose bleed because I can taste the iron). Tinks Daddy doesn't like brocolli and, despite polishing it off early on, Tink is now rejecting it too.

I agree about the word fussy being over used. I was always called a fussy eater, but looking at it now I will eat most things and I definately agree about weird dislikes, because mine is (this is the only way I can think of to describe it) vegetables that you eat as they come, rather than ones you can chop and do different things with. So peas, corn, sprouts... but I can eat green beans, carrots swede... It's not to do with how they are prepared, it's just that's how my dislikes seem to fall. It also works with cereal because I like weetabix, but not cornflakes and those type of cereals.

Our little bruiser (nearly 10months), actually appears to be scared of brocolli now . Brocolli was one of the first things we ever tried with him, when he was 6 months, and at that time whilst not eating it, he'd happily squish florets to mush (and get brocolli bits everywhere), but now if we put florets of brocolli on his tray and he looks at them fear-fully, then v.v.tentatively goes to touch them, but as soon as his wee mitts hit them he pulls back and looks rather upset. Obviously it's very funny to see a huge baby cowering before brocolli, but it's odd as most other things he'll pick up and put in his mouth to try - and recent new things like nectarine he's really taken to (in fact nectarine is probably the first thing I'm confident to say he's eating rather than sucking / gnawing on and spitting out!). However, both of his parents eat brocolli so I don't think he's inherited his fear of it!

I'd define fussiness is incredibly restricted eating eg chicken, bread, apple and jam. I just think they start to express a preference. And this chances from week to week. Having said that, Minky seems to have been on potato strike for weeks (she'll eat chips though).

I don't agree that they necessarily avoid things that they are allergic to. Mink stuffed eggs down her like there was no tomorrow and then had a dramatic allergic reaction. But I guess a contact allergy ie stingy tomato on your chin, might be avoided more readily.

Yes the expressing a preference, which changes regularly, is definitely true. The favourites certainly don't remain a constant.

It's just very interesting to read about everybody else's experiences and opinions on the subject as we have lots of wonderful information on the site now for newcomers, but once the LO's are essentially 'weaned' I suppose you would call it (over 12 months in age or so) we don't really share as much info.

And it is so interesting to see how their personalities begin to play a part in it, with their preferences, mood of the day, attention span for the meal, and just plain hungry or not - when you think about it, just like ourselves. I have days when I could eat everything and still not be happy, days when I'm just not hungry, days when I just want fruit, so on so on............

What I'm trying to do is allow the Pickle this freedom and keep it baby-led in not forcing anything. The only thing I do do is remove food and call it meal over once the sweeping and deliberate throwing kicks in, she doesn't get replacement food if something is refused. Aside from that she has free reign (caught her foraging for raisins under furniture that she had previously stashed yesterday).

Moomin I agree with you that fussiness is extreme restriced eating - I know a 40 something year old man who will only eat potatoes and peas in the way of veg, another friend who won't eat 'wet' food (?!), another who has to have all food items separated on the plate with sauces on the side. THIS is fussy, whereas having a dislike for green beans or sprouts is quite sensible in my opinion............

...........oops got to go she has just found a half finished yoghurt and is painting the floor.

It will be interesting to see what my LO does when I introduce broccili. I HATE the stuff.. I wonder if she will like it.

Hi folks delighted to find this site, but would like a bit of advice from you brilliant non experts. my minnie mooch is 5 months in 2 days up until a week ago used to only take 4 bottles a day and never finished them. but now on 5 and finishing them all. so thought she was ready and started baby rice, not particularly happy about how she seemed with it. found this site having already gleaned a wee bit about Gill Rapley. anyhow my question is whats the earliest anyone has done blw, she is excellent with head control though not had her in a high chair yet. look forward to hearing from you

Hi collymags,
Gill's research was done when the weaning age was 4 months, so all the babies were offered food at that age but most didn't pick it up and eat it until 6 months.
The 6 months guideline is a good one, because it's on the safe side for all babies, but obviously some babies will be ready sooner. Iknow of a couple of babies who picked up food and ate it perfectly happily at five months.
If you're going to give BLW a try, though, you have to promise to stop counting the bottles, lol, as the demand feeding of milk is very important. Apart from that, you're good to go i reckon. and if miss minnie doesn't pick it up and eat it then you can just give her as much milk as she wants until she gets the hang of it. good luck with everything.

thanks for prompt reply. interesting. isn't it funny when she was breast fed it was demand but due to failure to thrive (traumatic birth, heaps of drugs for 5 weeks for me after the birth etc blah blah) but once on bottles (and thriving) i followed the gang (NCT) re; number of bottles (naughty mammy). anyhow have my heart set on this, really think it just a sound thing to do and plus they social and are more transportable (travel etc). i am excited, but like Jennie advised will wait until sitting totally unaided (not quite there yet but head control is excellent) thanks for all this any other tit bits most appreciated, have read this site from bottom to top and side ways too !!!

im no expert but from what ive read on various sites heres a few things to think about before you start.

can she sit up on her own unaided? thats a pretty crucial skill as if she cant food is more likely to fall into the back of the mouth and therefore more chance she may choke. when you gave he rthe baby rice, did she still have the tongue thrust reflex? did the baby rice get pushed back out of her mouth? dont know how to explain it!

you know she may just be more thirsty, the weathers got that bit warmer, although its still miserable.

if you do decide to start now, stick with fruits and vegetables and make sure that she is picking the stuff up herself and putting it in her mouth on her own.