Baby Led Weaning (BLW)

Last week, our baby turned 6 months old! I am part of the less than 1% that exclusively breastfeeds their infant for the first 6 months of their life. Most people either switch to formula (or supplement with it) or they start food earlier than that.

Yesterday, our baby had her first taste of real food. She had homemade applesauce (a little more tart than I would've liked but it was at my mother-in-law's house). She was given a baby spoon and a little applesauce (both on the spoon and on the tray). We didn't expect her to pick up the spoon and feed herself but we knew she was orally curious (as our doctor put it) so something would end up in her mouth. For months 6-12, a baby isn't meant to receive nutrition from food anyway. They are just to explore food and learn how to swallow it.

We decided to forgo the rice cereal because it doesn't provide much nutrition for the baby and gives them a lot of things, like sugar, they don't need. I know some people think this is what causes their baby to sleep through the night (which our baby still doesn't do, but that's okay) but there is no medical reason for this to be true. Doctors don't support that theory.

In baby led weaning, you don't give your baby store bought baby purees or stay up all night making your own. You simply give them real food. Today, Baby had a banana. We cut it into easy to handle pieces but we didn't smush it (although she did). This way she can get used to textures and the feel of food in her mouth.

This also lets your baby eat when they're hungry and not force feed them. It can get rather messy and I have a feeling Baby will need a bath every night after dinner but that's okay.

I am not trying to force this method on people but this is what works for us for this child. I know some people use this for some of their children but others just couldn't do it. It's different for each kid. Sometimes people do a combination of both purees and BLW. It's also important to know the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging is very common but not a bad thing. However, in an emergency, you will want to know what choking looks like. I am told there are YouTube videos out there for this.

You may want to do more research if you are interested in this method but here are some other important things:

• avoid foods that are the wrong size (grapes, nuts, peas, etc)
• avoid unsafe foods (egg yolks, nuts and nut butters, honey, etc)
• wait until they master the pincer grasp (forefinger and thumb) for some foods like Cheerio halves, grape quarters, etc

These are just very loose guidelines. I am in no way a medical physician or anything of the sort. Please consult your doctor and don't take anything I say as hard fact.