Baby Led Weaning

We are approaching that 6 month mark and solids are the talk of the town.  I'm not going to lie, I am kind of sad.  I love that I provide what my baby needs.  Solids mean he is growing up and becoming a little boy.  Just as there is debate about formula fed versus breastfed, there is also a debate regarding when to start feeding your baby solids and how to go about it.

We have chosen to introduce solids through baby-led weaning.  Most have never heard of this concept and are only familiar with traditional weaning where you would feed pureed food to the baby.  So what is baby-led weaning?  Really it is just letting you baby feed themselves.  If you wait till the 6 month mark, which is now suggested, you baby can handle digesting table food.  They are also more than capable of feeding themselves. So here is my break down of baby led weaning:

Weaning is a loose term:  Although you are preparing your baby to be off of breast milk or formula, this should still remain as their main source of nutrients until they are at least a year old.  Babies do not know yet that table food will make them full or satisfy their hunger, this is a learned concept.  It is best to make sure that you nurse your baby prior to offering table food to ensure they are getting all the nutrients that are needed and will not get frustrated while learning to feed themselves.  Weaning will take time, so this isn't an instant change.

What do I feed my baby?: You feed them just what you eat would be the simple answer.  Do you eat Mcdonalds everyday?  Maybe baby led weaning isn't for you then.  You need to introduce clean and healthy foods that are nutritious for your baby.  There is no need to leave off the spices or cook anything fancy.  The key is to make sure your food is in easy grab-able pieces.  I never add extra salt to anything I am giving Nugget either.  When most babies are eating peas and sweat potatoes and have a very bland diet, baby led weaning allows for a variety of food.  We did not introduce food separately because neither Dufda or I do not have any food allergies.  Nugget has been eating for a couple of weeks now and has had:

• hummus
• yogurt
• carrots
• broccoli
• pears
• apple
• banana
• broccoli and cheese casserole
• roast
• poatoes
• corn on the cob 

So they feed themselves...What is the mess like?:  As you can imagine we are not teaching table manors to a six months old....or are you?  I would keep the elbows off the table for a later date, but we are teaching that food is fun, food is good and food is social.  The fun part does play into the mess.  You baby will throw food.  He will cover himself in whatever you give him.  You may suck hummus out of their nose on occasion.  This is all part of the learning experience.  Have OCD about cleaning...maybe this isn't for you.  I bought two cheap black table cloths that I put under the high chair to catch all the food.  Two, one for the wash and one for the floor, black so they at least kind of match my house.  Best solution for the mess, get one of these:

How much is my baby eating?:  I am very lax on quantity and frequency of food and feedings.  If my baby is gaining weight and happy I don't care how much he eats.  At first, your baby will consume very little, if anything at all.  Once they get better at feeding themselves, they will eat more and more.  You will become ever fascinated by the contents of your child's diaper as they start to digest solid food.

Won't my baby choke?:  This is the most common questions I get asked.  At 6 month's old, your baby's gag reflex is closer to the front of their mouth than that of ours.  This means that yes, your baby will gag.  Gagging is different than choking.  Gagging is an important survival reflex that is needed to be learned by babies.  Nugget has not choked once but I don't doubt that it could happen.  Babies also choke on purees, so this isn't a real reason to not introduce food in this manor.

What makes Baby led weaning different?:  With purees, the baby is sucking the food past his taste buds and swallowing immediately.  He is not really tasting the food or learning how to manipulate it with his mouth.  A BLW baby is learning to first chew then swallow his food.  This process gets them use to all different kinds of textures of food.  It is also believed that babies know best.  Specially breastfed babies, they choose when they are hungry and pull off when they are finished.  This concept translates into BLW.  Babies will eat what they need and stop when they are full.  No more forcing your child to eat or spoon feeding.  There is also a chance that you baby is able to know that a food will cause an allergy or adverse reaction and will not choose that food when placed in front of them.

What do I need to get started?:  There are no Baby Bullets or ice cube trays needed in order to baby led wean.

•  I would get a super easy to clean high chair.  We love ours because everything can be thrown in the washer.  The top part of the tray pops off to make cleaning easier and anything to assist with the mess is greatly appreciated.  
• We use bibs, but really I just strip Nugget down and put him in the bathtub right after so I don't feel like I need to invest in a lot of bibs.  
• Two table cloths to catch the mess.
• Fun dishware to learn basic skills.  We found these spoons and they are great.  If it falls on the ground it flips upward so the spoon part doesn't touch the ground.  The ball makes it easy for little hands to hold as well.

Have you tried baby led weaning?  What is your babies favorite food?