First of all, I am not breastfeeding any less just because we are starting to offer foods at meals. Buttercup nurses 5-6 times a day, and we will offer her solid food two times a day at this point.Ok, so I decided to start Buttercup off with banana. It's easily digestible, full of good nutrients, yadda yadda. I thought it might work best to peel the banana down a couple of inches, then trim off the peel so that it didn't get in her way. That way, she'd have a "handle." Yeah, that worked for about 10 seconds, until she squooshed the top part off into a big slimy mess. I think she got some in her mouth, though, judging by her grimace. It was really difficult for her to hold any of the pieces after that, and she got frustrated being in the bumbo (hand-crafted highchair still forthcoming, according to Grandpa). So...that was our first experience.
PROS: easily digestible food
CONS: need to find a better way to serve... (check out a later experiment with banana)
Hey there! Thanks so much for your cute blog. My favorites are the pictures of Buttercup with the food hanging from her mouth.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is informative and gives me the courage to do this, when my mom is telling my child is going to choke to death.
I know you insinuated that your baby is 6 months, but is she 6 months for all of these foods you have tried thus far? Thanks!
Yes. We've been at this for about a week. I haven't paid too much attention to introducing foods in a certain order or with a certain amount of time in between. Some days I do "repeat" foods, and some days I throw a new food at her depending on what's available in the house and what I'm eating. That's a great thing about BLS: if you wait until they're developmentally ready to feed themselves you have a much lower rate of common complications of solid food introduction (allergies, constipation, etc). Hope that helps! Happy Eating!
ReplyDeleteI love this......I am so scared to start! What gave you courage to know you were doing the right thing? My LO is 6 1/2 mobnths old and so far he won't open his mouth to purees (he has taken a bite but made a funny face and then clammed up). I also tried puffs to see how that would go and he gagged and threw up from it! Do you think that means he isn't ready? I have used a mesh feedee and he loved sucking on bananas in it (he hated pureed bananas though)! Help if you can!
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl! I'm so glad you are enjoying the blog!
ReplyDeleteTo answer your first question, I realized that this is pretty much how babies have started solid foods since the beginning of time. Baby food wasn't invented until the 1930's! Also, knowing that UNICEF and the NHS are behind baby led solids was a big boost for me. Another thing that really helped me have confidence was all the things I read about babies' development. If your baby can sit up, pick things up and chew them, etc. then he is probably ready. The only way to find out for sure is to try it! If he is able to put it in his mouth, chew/gum it, move it to the back of his throat, and swallow it then his little body is ready for it. If he gags it out then it wasn't meant to go in (yet).
The puffs might be too dry? Maybe you could start out with something wet and easy to chew/swallow. Avocado or banana maybe? It sounds like your little guy already likes bananas? Don't put food in his mouth - let him be in control. It will make for happier feeding times if he views it as a fun exploration of new tastes and textures and not some weird new thing Mom is doing to him. :) Whatever you give him first, let him grab it and put it in his mouth. All you need to do is have your camera ready!
I do still get nervous from time to time, especially when Buttercup does a spectacular gag. Just remember that gagging is actually nature's way of helping your baby's body do what it needs to do, and isn't dangerous.
Hope that helps. Keep me updated on your adventures!
Thank you so much for all of your time & effort! A mom in my moms group recommended your blog when I mentioned having read "baby led weaning" & considered trying it. Your blog is much more detailed and so helpful, you should really consider publishing.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it! THANKS!
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