Starting Solids: Part Two

Keira is now a pro at eating. She gets about a quarter of the food into her mouth and she enjoys shoveling it in there. We still feed her purees occasionally but she grabs the spoon away and insists on feeding herself.

Dining as a Family

One of the main reason I got behind the  Baby Led Weaning (BLW) concept was the idea that the whole family could eat together and eat the same thing. I look forward to Keira eating tandoori chicken and sushi right along with us.

From the very beginning we have always sat her at the table with us (even when she was a newborn, we put her bouncy chair up there). When she was a month or so we moved her to the high chair and filled her tray with toys. When she turned six months, we just switched out the toys for food. She is much happier sitting with us (she would cry if we left her in the swing across the room). We believe in the whole family being a "pack" and sticking together.

When the weekend rolls around we are happy to include Keira and Waldo in our "date night", where we dine alfresco and sip champagne (none of that for baby).

Starting Solids: The First Month

I was so nervous about starting solids. Partly because a pediatrician told us to start at 4 months which is not current recommendation, and also because solids means Keira is growing up!

As the time got closer to her being six months I changed from nervous to excited! On May 10th, I got a banana and  cut it into a little handle for her to hold and try. She made a yucky face and we gave the rest to Waldo.

Two and Two

I lost two pounds in May and have two more to lose to be back at my pre-pregnancy weight. Maybe it's true that it takes nine months to put it on AND take it off!

I've been eating healthier, cooking more, walking tons, and wearing baby. I wore out my sneakers- there are actually holes in them. 

Baby Food Safety

As we are introducing solid foods to baby, I've struggled to figure out what is the "right" thing to do. Pediatricians aren't fully trained in baby nutrition and of course every website has a different story.

I've put this list together for my own reference, but hopefully some of my followers can also use it in the future with their babies!

Baby Food / Baby Self Feeding

The next frontier is fast approaching, baby food! But the days of little jars of mushy peas are now gone, the current baby eating concept is called "baby-led weaning", aka BLW; but many mothers like to refer to this as baby self feeding. Breastfeeding continues through this period, but starting at six months you can start introducing solid foods to baby.

Search American parenting sites for “baby-led weaning” and most of what you’ll find is advice on ending breastfeeding when the child chooses. But [here] in Britain, the term commonly means letting babies feed themselves from their very first mouthful of solid food at six months. No runny rice cereal, no applesauce, no airplane spoon games. Instead they start exclusively on easy-to-grab finger foods like steamed carrot sticks, hunks of banana, and even skinless chicken drumsticks, then progress at their own pace to more complex dishes. They share in family mealtimes and in the process, the theory goes, become more adventurous eaters comfortable with a variety of tastes and textures while acquiring a natural feel for portion control. It’s a method some American mothers use as well, but here, it’s a trend considered worthy of fierce debate.

Parents used to be told to introduce solids at four months, when babies weren’t physically capable of sitting up, grabbing objects and directing things to their mouths — all prerequisites for self-feeding. But since 2001, when the World Health Organization changed its recommendations, parents have been advised to hold off on solids until six months. At that age, advocates say, babies are developmentally ready to skip the mush. 

(From: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/trusting-a-baby-to-know-how-to-eat/)

I'm not anxious to start this at all and I don't need to be. I've seen firsthand in my breastfeeding support group when a mother of a just-turned six month old reached and grabbed voraciously for his mom's apple. Babies will tell you when they are ready! 

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