FEEDING LITTLE MISS MADELYN: BABY LED WEANING

Before Madelyn was about four months I had always thought that I would approach purees and solids the traditional way. Starting with rice cereal moving to purees, with every intention to make my own and then introducing solids. However, my thoughts began to change after M's four month check up as our pediatrician said that we didn't have to start rice cereal unless she was showing signs that she was still hungry in between nursing and if not then we would discuss feedings at her six month appointment. Madelyn was not showing signs of hungry between nursing so I began reading and discovered baby led weaning. It intrigued me and I really liked the idea of this approach. At that point, I was pretty much set that this is how I wanted to introduce solids to Madelyn.

  Baby led weaning (also known as BLW) is basically allowing your little one to feed themselves from the very beginning. No purees. Your little one can eat what you eat in manageable size pieces for their little hands. It is recommended to begin no earlier than six months. This approach does not take away a formula or breastfed feeding, it is in addition as they will continue to get their main source of nutrition from these feedings.  

(Please discuss feeding your little one solids with your pediatrician prior to starting baby led weaning.)

After our pediatrician gave us the go ahead to begin, we were told Madelyn could have anything we ate except honey, then the fun began. The next morning M had breakfast with us, bananas and apples (boiled soft.)

She LOVED it.

For the first six weeks of blw M was all about playing and learning different tastes and textures, which is all very normal considering that most of her nutrition is still coming from her breastfed feedings. This means meal times (which are about an hour after her formula or breastfed feedings) can be very messy but not so bad around here with two puppy doggies to help clean up. Those two have become M's best friend.

We started baby led weaning with...

bananas

apples (boiled soft)

pears (boiled soft or ripe)

avocados

broccoli (boiled soft or steamed)

carrots (boiled soft or steamed)

sweet potatoes (boiled soft or baked)

Introducing a new fruit or veggie every few days.

  Naturally when M started to get the hang of it around seven and half months we dropped a feeding.When this happened I have made her meals more balanced to make her fuller to sustain her until her next feeding.

A few of Madelyn's favorite meals...

Breakfast : 

pancakes & yogurt/fruit

 eggs & fruit/toast

yogurt & fruit/toast

french toast & fruit 

Lunch & Dinner: 

toast with hummus & vegetables

chicken with shredded cheese, avocado slice & apple slices with cinnamon

meatball & pasta

mac-n-cheese/cheese ravioli & vegetables

When we go out to eat Madelyn usually eat some of what I eat. However I do bring a snack bag just in case she not feeling it. {I'll come back to what's in our snack bag later.}

So our schedule looks like this...

7AM - wake up/feeding

8AM - breakfast

9-11AM - naptime

11AM - feeding

Noon - lunch

1:30-3PM - naptime

3PM - feeding

5:30PM - dinner

7PM - bedtime routine/feeding

{When I first started M with a schedule we have follow Baby Wise}

Our experience with baby led weaning so far has been great, I can't imagine introducing Madelyn to solids any other way. Sometimes when I watch her eat I can't help but feel like a proud mama just knowing she is feeding herself at her age, it's truly amazing to see develop. She gets so excited when we sit her in her highchair, she knows it's time to eat and loves it. In the beginning it was a hot mess (sometimes still is) and she did gag a few times but nothing that was a major concern (well no more than with anything else.) I was a pre-school teacher for six years so I am familiar with feeding young children and I know how to perform CPR and the heimlich. However I would recommend reading the choking section of the blw book prior to starting this method as it is very informative but also remember to trust your instinct. No one knows your baby better than you. After a little over two months M rarely gags (has never choked), takes appropriate bites (if they are too big she will spit it out) and opens and closes her hand for little pieces.

{Oxo Tot Sprout High Chair & Roll-up Bib}

I have loved this approach of introducing solids with M, she has so much fun and I love watching her taste, feel and eat her meals. This has also helped us find and try new recipes we wouldn't have tried otherwise. 

This is just the beginning of our experience with baby led weaning.