Baby Led Weaning

I knew from the beginning that when it came time for little Beaner to start eating solids that I would be making his baby food. I got a Baby Bullet as a gift and I was so excited to use it- mainly because it has a smiley face!

But then I heard about this thing called Baby Led Weaning, where you actually skip the whole puree stage and move straight to finger foods.

I was simultaneously terrified and intrigued. Of course my first thought was "Won't he choke???", but it was also really neat to think that at only 6 months old he could possibly feed himself.

I started looking into it more, and ordered the Baby Led Weaning book by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett. I found some useful websites and forums, and of course I tapped into the infinite knowledge of the other mamas in my May Mommies group.

What really made sense to me about the whole thing is that when you breastfeed on demand you are trusting your baby to know what he needs and when he needs it. That is the concept that carries over to Baby Led Weaning (BLW). You are essentially trusting your baby's instincts, that he will be able to learn how to chew and how to swallow, and he will be able to choose what to eat and how much of it he needs.

When you spoon-feed your baby you are in control of what goes into him and how much of it he consumes. You have no real way of knowing if it's enough or too much. Also, it could be confusing- for example, pureed peas and pureed avocado would essentially look the same but taste completely different, so your baby never really knows what to expect or learns how to recognize different foods from the start. 

The other thing the book says is that when you spoon-feed, the baby learns how to swallow before he learns how to chew, and he doesn't learn how to manipulate the food around in his mouth. When you transition from purees to textures, and then to finger foods, this can make it more difficult because now suddenly the baby needs to know how to chew, which is a skill they haven't had a chance to develop.

Also, the book points out that unlike an adult, a baby's gag reflex is triggered before something reaches the back of his throat. This makes choking less likely because he will start to cough and move the food around in his mouth before the point of it being lodged in his throat, blocking his airway. Of course choking can happen, but it can also happen with purees. Regardless of how you feed your baby, you always have to be aware and be prepared for that situation.

The philosophy behind BLW is that "food before one is just for fun". So essentially this is about playing with food, learning how to chew and swallow, and eventually coming to the realization that food can stop those hungry feelings. Breast milk (or formula if formula fed) is still the main food source.

So eventually my feelings of intrigue became bigger than my fear of the Beaner choking.

Well, he turns 6 months on Thursday, but I couldn't wait any longer! His first food- Cucumber!

I can't say he loved it because he made some pretty hilarious faces that seemed to tell me he thought it was gross. But he kept sucking it and gumming it for a little while, until he got bored and decided his toys were a better choice. He did cough a bit at one point, and I tried hard to hide my fear. When they cough you aren't supposed to react (unless it's clear they need help). You should stay calm, model coughing for them so that they can learn and copy you, and do a sweep of their mouth with your finger if necessary. You shouldn't panic, or startle them by smacking them on the back. That kind of reaction can actually cause the opposite effect by interfering with their natural instinct and abilities and possibly cause the situation to become more serious.

All in all it was a successful first time! We got some cute pictures and video, and he seemed to at least enjoy exploring something new. I don't know what we'll try tomorrow- Maybe banana or apple? Or broccoli or asparagus? Either way, it's super exciting!