Baby Led Weaning
Image courtesy of the Columbia Mom, Howard County, MD mom
Feeding round 2 !
So admittedly, feeding both Brooke & Grant overwhelms me — OR I should say the STARTING process always does. I get soo nervous thinking “how should I prep the food - making sure it’s all cooked to the right temperature/softness/etc - making sure the food is the right size for grabbing & holding, but not choking - don’t want to give too many fruits too early - offer a variety - slowly introduce allergens - avoiding dairy (or incrementally adding that in) - adding in all this additional food prep into your daily routine + cleaning dishes & your now very messy baby haha
We waited til Grant was a full 6 months before starting solids (same with Brooke). We felt that was better for them to make sure their digestive systems were fully developed & ready to process food AND that their pinscher grasp would also be stronger & more defined for self-feeding.
And turns out waiting was a great choice because Grant’s grasp was GREAT! Ironically when we started eating with Brooke - I distinctly remember putting foods down on her tray just fully expecting that she would pick them up, and she didn’t hah. That took her like a whole ‘nother month and half before her pinscher grasp got better. IE: we had to play with her on the floor more with toys laid out so she could practice picking things up more, and that helped.
For Grant, boyfriend was ready to go! I don’t know why I was shocked & impressed, little man eats developmental milestones for breakfast haha. So this made starting BLW from the jump sooo much easier and enjoyable both for him and I. I think because Brooke’s grasp wasn’t as strong, at the time (without a lot of BLW education to start) I felt like I had to end up spoon feeding more, which resulted in probably more frustration on both our ends.
This time around I was a little more educated, I love following Feeding Littles on Instagram. It’s where I’ve gotten the majority of my baby-eating education from, and I even took their toddler eating course with Brooke which was SOOO helpful! (Honestly wish I had taken the infant course, would’ve helped SOOO much more).
Also, I will fully say that while we 95% follow BLW, we still have dome some spoon feeding here or there, and frankly have a little bit of a hybrid approach. I fully believe you just do what’s best for you & your family!
So our first week with Grant, we started with some rice cereal, banana, & avocado - all pretty spaced out. It started off with 1-2 meals a day, and eventually we did 3 meals a day with him. Luckily he’s been sitting at the table with us basically since he was a newborn for meals, so that wasn’t anything new! I am NO feeding expert, dietician, or OT - but wanted to share a few basics tips that we’ve learned and done along the way to make the feeding process work:
1) PROPER SEATING - man I wish I knew this ahead of time, because otherwise I would have gotten an entirely different highchair!! Because otherwise I would have gotten this one: Stokke . We have a Graco one from 2 years ago that is good. But here’s what you need to know: their hips need to be supported and square, they need to not be leaning over or backwards, and their feet have to be supported & not dangling. These were mind-blowing tips because they were ALL issues we were having when we first sat Brooke down. So to make it “work” for us (because we had already spent $200 on this new chair, and wasn’t going to rebuy at that point) we stuffed hand towels around her hips, back, and under her feet to make sure she was properly positioned for optimal eating.
2) FOOD PREP - following Feeding Littles has a TON of recommendations and inspo, but generally starting with food in strips is the best way to go for hand holding and bringing to the mouth. Slowly this will evolve and change (I’ve already had to transition into some small bites for Grant now at 8 months because he’s starting to shove a lot into his mouth at once!). Also, do what works for you. If it’s easier to prep/cut/dice/cook all of the baby’s items earlier for you, go for it! Generally with BLW they say everyone should be eating the “same thing” but in different portions or preparations as necessary. (We don’t always follow this 100% to a tee, but generally that’s our house rule). The other nice thing with BLW, is that you you don’t necessarily have to limit or restrict certain foods in certain orders (unless you and your family have specific food allergies to be cautious of). So this made introducing fruits and veggies not difficult. Initially we “Tracked” and watched him more, but slowly the anxiety and food introductions wore off.
3) LIMIT DISTRACTIONS: seems like a no brainer, but early on we were SO guilty of having the TV on, so we’ve made sure to always have that off during mealtimes so both kids can fully focus on the family eating experience!
4) EAT WITH YOUR KIDS: again, something I was also super guilty of was trying to “mom-multitask” while feeding the kids (I’m still not perfect at this), but I always try to make sure I am eating my meal with my kids - it helps not only mirror what they need to do, and give them reassurance with the eating process, but again the family bonding time :)
5) BIBS: picking your bibs can be helpful because some kids are bothered by the texture at the back of their neck. They sell ones online that tie in the back so it’s less bothersome. OR you can go naked, which sometimes is just easier to wash them off in the sink right after anyways!