This post is by Dionne – a Mum who is trying out baby-led weaning. She has decided to share her experiences on this website. Please feel free to comment and share your own experiences, thoughts and feedback, so everyone can keep learning and share ideas.
Baby Foodie Project
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Why Baby Led Weaning?
Learning To Eat
From six months onwards (or there abouts) the fun begins, babies can start on solid foods. More recently there’s been the movement towards baby led weaning, which in essence involves letting your baby eat chunks of food and feeding it themselves – the same food as you mainly.
The latest scientific research suggests this reduces obesity and creates better eating habits. It goes beyond giving purées and offering finger food. The idea is that the baby is in control, they can regulate their own food intake.
‘Baby led weaning’ is still quite new and Dionne shares her journey as her baby begins to experience an increasing variety of foods using this method
I am on my second baby and unlike my first, where I went down the traditional purée weaning route, we’re embarking on this much more fun and hassle free approach. With my first child, I thought that by offering homemade Anabelle Carmel recipe foods, that I would come out the weaning process with a child that loved healthy food. No such luck, as she’s grown older the fewer veggies she’ll eat. So I’m ditching the blender and going rogue…throwing the baby chunks of food to gnaw on. It might sound a bit cave man like, but I’ve heard it works.
Bumpy Start
So here goes, this is our weaning journey. Every so often I’ll be popping you an update via Penny’s Recipes.
We started almost a month ago, just before my boy turned the recommended six months. He was showing all the signs of being ready to eat food like sitting up on his own unaided (nothing to lean on or anyone to hold him), was keen to eat my food and could spit food/things out that where too large to swallow.
We started on simple things like pear, banana and broccoli. First time around I it appears I hadn’t cooked it soft enough so he really did struggle. We had quite a bit of gagging at the onset too, which alarmed daddy – but with a bit of reassurance that’s it’s normal and not the baby choking, all was ok.
Baby Led Weaning Really Begins
A month in and we have much less gagging and he’s eating a little bit of most of the healthier bits of meals that we have. I try to avoid the processed and sugary stuff (but I gave in to potato waffles I’m afraid). Rather than just having fun chomping the food and then spitting it out, he is now eating more. How do I know? Well, erm, the nappies say it all!
And the lack of teeth doesn’t pose any issues for baby, who proved that with just gums he could enjoy the pleasures of a lamb roast the other weekend.
Have Fun – Everyone Can Join In!
I was wondering about recipies, but the more I’ve found out about baby led weaning, the more I realise that the idea is just to let them have a bit of yours. I did have a go at making some polenta and cauliflower and cheese sausage things which were yummy, my fussy three year old even ate some!
I just soaked some polenta for a few minutes, mixed in left over cauliflower from the night before, grated in cheese, cracked in an egg and then mushed it all together with my hands. These were then made into sausage shapes because my eldest loves sausages, and baked in a medium oven for about 30 minutes.
I also liked the scotch pancakes we made the other morning. Once cooked on one side I sliced strawberry and banana onto the uncooked side. Forget the kids, I loved these.
Another by product of baby led weaning, is that it also encourages us all to eat more healthily.
I’ll pop back soon with another update to share with you what I’ve learnt.
If you want to know more about Baby Led Weaning – buy the book by Gill Raply
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