I had no clue what baby led weaning was; I had not given much thought to how babies move from from drinking milk to successfully feeding themselves, just another thing on my list of ‘I wish they told me this’ when it comes to caring for a baby. In my familiar circles, moms always started their babies on some form of puree when starting solids so that was the obvious (and seemingly only) route I would take,too. We started feeding Scout solids at four months of age; she was very young and from what I have seen on Instagram and read online, baby led weaning is usually started when a baby is around six months of age. My pediatrician suggested starting solids at four months; I assume that because Scout is a breastfed baby, that the suggestion was to support her growth. But many pediatricians suggest four months of age, even for formula fed babies. The decision of when to start is entirely up to the mother and their experiences with their baby; looking back I was not comfortable starting baby led weaning when she was six months old in the same way that some moms are not comfortable with feeding their babies puree at four months of age. Pediatricians and health professionals also have varied approaches regarding the introduction of solid foods so I would say that if you are unsure, it is best to consult with your medical professional and to use your mother’s intuition when deciding what is best for your family.
“In a nutshell, baby-led weaning means skipping spoon-feeding purees and letting babies feed themselves finger foods right from the start—at about age 6 months.” – Parent.com.
Baby led weaning is said to have many benefits, like supporting hand-eye coordination, helping a baby develop their pincer grasp and learning to chew. Articles also suggest that babies will stop eating once they are full, preventing overfeeding. These benefits encourage development and independence but I was not ready to start baby led weaning with Scout at six months of age because, having gone through the traumatic trip to the ER with her food allergies, I could not watch her gag at chunkier pieces of food like I’d seen babies do online. My nerves around food made the reality of choking far too real for me and so I delayed starting BLW; my pediatrician also advised me to start when she is nine months of age, when most babies develop the real ability to chew. I bridged the gap by fork-mashing her food and feeding her a chunkier consistency which encouraged the moving of food in her mouth.
So how did we get to BLW at eight months of age? Well, it happened quite naturally. The dietitian we are working with suggested feeding Scout cucumber and dried mango strips as snacks. I braved my nerves one afternoon by cutting chunks of peeled cucumber and sat with Scout on my lap with the intention that I would hold the cucumber sticks while she sucked and chewed away at them. She seemed to enjoy doing that and, more so, she kept pushing my hand away while attempting to hold the food. The feed went smoothly and it was probably one of the moments that helped me trust myself (and her) around feeding. A few days later I tried the same thing with stewed apple slices; this time Scout moved towards the bowl and grabbed a chunk of apple. She sucked on it for a bit and then began biting little chunks, chewing and swallowing them without any gagging. Apple, even when stewed, is a little tough to chew; this feed showed me that my baby was ready for BLW. It also validated what I’d been feeling, that the pressure to start things at a particular age can be really overwhelming. As moms, we know what our babies are capable of doing. I am so happy that I waited to start BLW; despite being told that the gag reflex is normal, I know that it would have made me dread mealtimes. Food is meant to be fun and feeding is not the best place for my anxiety. Trusting my gut and having it work out in the way it did has restored my confidence. It has also given me the courage to respectfully shrug off moms who ‘know better’ and moms who show ‘concern’ when Scout does not hit milestones when their children did (but that is a post for another day!). I am proud of her for learning to feed herself and will continue to support and guide her development without rushing her; there is no race, finish line and medal for accomplishments so unless she shows to be really challenged I will let her learn in her own time.
Food has become fun in our home. I now prepare sweet potato and butternut chips and broccoli and marrow chunks to lay on Scout’s tray at dinner time. As suggested by my pediatrician, I still pulse or mash foods containing protein, like chickpeas, fish or meat, and offer spoons of this food while she explores feeding herself. Dinner time lasts around 45 minutes now but it has become a wonderful time where I don’t only supervise her feeding but I am also practicing simple sign language signs with her after having read the book Signing Baby. We seat her at the table (in her bumbo) to establish good mealtime practices. I feared that, as a working mom, I’d lose out on her development but I have shifted my perspective and use this time to influence it. We follow up dinner time with a bath and baby massage and then I breastfeed her, allowing for a closer bond between my daughter and I; she loves the comfort and I appreciate the time to be still.
Some tips around Baby Led Weaning + suggested foods:
- Start when you feel you and baby are ready – explore options and chat to your health care provider to determine what is best suited for you and your baby.
- Spend time reading articles that help you get a full picture.
- Start after your baby is six months old.
- Food that can be mashed between your thumb and forefinger are appropriate to feed to your baby – raw, hard fruit and vegetables are a choking hazard so stew, steam or oven bake foods before offering it to your baby.
- Pay attention to food consistency – if foods are slippery, consider leaving some of the skin/peel on to allow for a better grip.
- Allow for bigger pieces of food (in stick form for grasping) earlier on and decrease the size as your baby develops the pincer grasp and learns what size foods they are able to manage in their mouths.
- If, like me, you are uncertain when to start, watch for signs of chewing (if you are doing puree or mashed foods); I realise now that it is a good indicator for self-feeding.
- Try foods like banana/ apple slices/ peach slices/ cucumber sticks/ broccoli florets/ sweet potato or butternut chips (I cook ours in the oven as they break less this way)/ dried mango/ omelette cut into strips (if there is no food allergy)/ toast strips with hummus/ baby marrow/ etc.
- Plan your family meals around foods that your baby can eat to save time on preparing separate meals.
- Feed the baby off of your plate as time progresses (but pay attention to the amount of salt added to your food).
- Have fun and enjoy seeing your baby gain independence.
- Lastly, Be ready for a big mess!
I would like to end this post by thanking my friend, Charme, for being really patient with and listening to me while we struggled through food allergies and our battle with Scout’s weight gain. It was during one of these conversations that I was introduced to baby led weaning. I have learnt through her and many of my mom friends that listening to and supporting one another is so important.
How did you introduce solids to your baby? Please share your experiences in the comments section and, as always, thank you for your readership.
Until my next post,
Bronny
