![banana]()
- Babe doesn’t remember, but she was an enthusiastic new eater too. Here, she encourages her little bro as they eat bananas!
Without a doubt, our chubby bubby’s ready for solids! Just shy of six months we decided we’d let Bug experiment with eating BLW style. He is gigantic, breastfeeding is well-established, and he can sit unsupported (on the floor, so definitely in a highchair!) He’s crawling on all fours and can push himself up to sitting. He’s a big, strong, growing boy!
Introducing food woth BLW allows babies to go slow and steady. We don’t measure how many spoonfuls of this or that. Just like breastmilk. BLW is the next natural step–the perfect compliment to breastfeeding. Only a minimal amount of food gets into a baby’s mouth in the beginning of BLW. Slow and steady.
Bug’s first food was avocado, then broccoli, banana and for Thanksgiving he had mashed potatoes and chicken. He loves apples and pear, has had chicken, broccoli and quinoa. But the most beautiful example of Baby-Lead Weaning happened here just now. As Babe slept, I sat on the carpet where Bug was playing and peeled a grapefruit. He approached, as he does. He tried eating the peel and when I took it away (worried about the pesticides!) he cried, quite offended. So I gave him a section of the peeled grapefruit. He sucked on it and didn’t cringe at the sour taste. We opened the section and the fruit exploded in his mouth. He was delighted.
We went the Baby-Led Weaning route with Babe, too, but we were far more methodical. I served her, for example, carrots three days in a row, then sweet potatoes, then broccoli. I was terribly paranoid about allergies. None of us have food allergies and I have little reason to believe Bug will. I don’t have a plan. Some days he eats food some days he doesn’t. Sometimes he eats twice.
Bug absolutely loves eating and it makes dinner much more enjoyable to have him in his own chair eating by himself, rather than one of us bouncing him on our lap!
This morning was Bug’s six month checkup. I rarely ask for the nurse or doctors opinions on feeding, sleeping or carseat installation, but I really like and trust this particular nurse. I mentioned that I knew the recommendations for feeding solids had changed since Babe was born but I didn’t quite know how. She said, “Just go for it.” She told me babies can handle solids from the get go and purees really aren’t all that necessary! Ha! A greenlight for BLW. Not quite the case two years ago!
The nurse also told me to go ahead and give him the common allergen food like peanut butter and eggs. We had given Babe peanut butter very early, as I was convinced delaying these things would only make things worse! Moral of the story mamas: go with your gut!
Gill Rapely’s Baby Led Weaning book was our bible with Babe. I’ve skimmed through it for a refresher lately but I’m much more excited about her Baby Led Weaning Recipe Book. A review will be posted soon!
