Baby Led Weaning

Baby Led Weaning.  It's a thing around here now.  For those of you unfamiliar, read on for the best kept baby secret since Benadryl (kidding...don't hotline me.) 

When the three oldest were babies, I fed them the traditional way.  Puree all the foods and wrestle their tiny arms that seem to have the strength and number of one thousand octopi, somehow managing to stick a spoonful in and then watch them spit it all back out.  Then give them another spoon so they won't try to steal the one you are using and let them chew on that for half of meal-time.  Until they take your spoon, too.  Mutter curse words under your breath while you clean pureed carrots off the wall and eat your cold dinner after everyone else has left the table.

Ok.  Maybe I am using a slight bit of hyperbole here.  But some days, maybe not.

I decided this time around I was going to try the BLW magic.  Basically, you just give the baby soft foods (soft enough to smush with your fingers,)  either whole or in chunks to start.  And let them go for it.  And you don't puree anything!  And you don't put any food in their mouth, other than breastmilk or bottle!  And you can eat with the rest of the family while baby enjoys his dinner, too!  It is such a win for all, in my opinion.

We started Luke just a few weeks after he turned 6 months and, at first, he just got used to the idea of eating.  The concept is that babies learn to chew their food, then swallow from the beginning--instead of swallowing with purees and then learning to chew.  Also, I did my research and got comfortable with the idea that a baby's gag reflex is further forward in their mouth, so they are less likely to choke on food than we think.  Usually he just spits out the pieces that are too big for him.  He has only sort of choked one time in two months of eating solids.  And he just upchucked to get it all out--it wasn't a big deal.  That's actually what's supposed to happen, so he was never in any danger.  Also, I re-educated myself on what to do if a baby actually chokes, just in case. 

His first try!  "Hello, carrot."

The real "eating" was a slow process...he didn't really ingest a whole lot at first.  But now!  At 8 months old, he eats with the best of them.  And he eats EVERYTHING that is reasonable for a baby to consume.  Today, for example, he had Cheerios and whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter for breakfast, then whole wheat spaghetti and sauce (leftover from dinner) with sauteed chicken and peas for lunch.  And I did not have to do anything other than put it on his tray and make sure it was appropriately sized.

Beets!  So good!  So messy!

He actually cries now if he sees me with an apple and I don't give it to him. 

And BLW has had an added side benefit that I didn't plan on.  It has really made me start to think more seriously about the food habits of our entire family.  We eat really healthy dinners, but the rest of the day is kind of a crap shoot.  And I realized that if I wouldn't give it to the baby for health reasons, I probably shouldn't feed it to the rest of us.  So we are trimming back on the things that used to be staples in our pantry: crackers, sugary yogurt, cereal, etc.  And, hopefully, over time, we will have a more healthy lifestyle and kids who will eat real food really well!  We shall see...

This week I made my own Greek yogurt, which I then turned about half into homemade frozen "gogurts" for the kids.  We're also going to have the kids start taking their lunches to school which we have been really bad about always.  Mostly because I HATE packing lunches.  So much.  I don't know why.  Even if I pack them at night, I still hate it.  But, by golly, I'm gonna try!  I'm Pinteresting 100 Days of Real Food lunches and trying to be creative, so it isn't just a PB&J sandwich every day.  I'll let you know how it goes.

If you see me in the Taco Bell drive-thru within the next few weeks, just look the other way.  I won't tell if you won't...