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Though not many of my friends tried baby-led weaning, most are intrigued by the idea. As some of them had to work, they prefer to stick to spoon feeding as they feel that it will be less messy. Also, they worry about not being able to be there to respond to any emergency that may arise. Of the few who tried, they found that it is not as tedious. One benefit is that food preparation is fast and easy since it usually only involved cutting and steaming fruits or vegetables. While it can get messy, their babies appeared to be more interested in eating and having fun while at it. Anyway, what they did was to cut fruits or vegetables into pieces that are big enough for their babies to hold onto. They started off with steamed carrots, banana, soft mangos, toast finger, broccoli and peeled cucumber. And to introduce the idea, they started the first session as “snack” in between feeds. Once their babies got the idea, they started eating together with them and as a family whenever possible. Still, one mentioned that she actually did a mix of baby-led weaning and also spoon feeding. This is because their family eats out rather frequently and she wanted to be able to feed her baby while outside to minimize the mess. Her baby had no issue having a mix of both methods. An added advantage (she feels) of using both is that she could also feed purees, cereal and porridge easily to her baby. When her baby was older, she would spoon these and encourage her baby to feed himself.
You can borrow books on BLW to understand the rational behind so to prepare yourself how to educate your own family members. Also, you can list out the food that you want to start up with from the suggestions given in the book. I find internet information on BLW are too scattering for me to gather a complete picture. In addition it will be a plus point if you got time to attend a first aid training on infant and baby, especially on how to handle chocking. For me I also watched youtube videos on real baby doing BLW so to understand how does it looks like when baby is gagging instead of choking. With this I feel more confident when doing the BLW. I also joined local BLW FB group to have mummies supports whenever I have any doubts and I can refer to recipes in the group. Also, it is good to communicate with your partner and family members on your intention to do BLW as older generation they do traditional ways of weaning and not heard of BLW before. I believe family support is very important as they will participate together instead of become a hindrance to BLW journey. Finally, get a baby chair, bib that can catch dropping food and weaning tray for baby to start the BLW journey.
For me I started with mashed avocadoes since it was one of the easiest food to prepare; no steaming is required. What I did was to leave chunks of avocado on his tray and he would pick it up and start experimenting with it. Just to share, maybe only 20% went into his mouth so do expect a lot of mess! It's quite common for babies to play with their foods so don't worry if most of it doesn't go into his mouth but eventually he will learn, especially if he loves a certain type of food (my son loves blueberries!). His main source of nutrients is still from his milk so you don't have to worry if he has eaten enough. Babies will throw their food about once he's done with it :)
hi mum, you can start baby led weaning by making your baby sit with you and giving him her bite sized pieces that the baby can eat without any help. for instance, help your baby sit on a chair and place some pieces of fruits. your baby will be able to pick these up by hand and eat. make sure you put a baby bib or apron on, as it can get quite messy. a great time of day to start this is before bath, as you will be able to clean your baby thoroughly. the first few days and weeks will be especially messy, as baby tries to understand how to grasp something and then put it in the mouth. also, keep a soft towel handy to help wipe any spills as soon as they happen.
So we started baby led weaning the cheating style by getting her to self feed using the Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder. The feeder allows your little one to chew on and suck to enjoy delicious fresh foods while giving us peace of mind as the mesh allows only the tiniest, digestible pieces to come through! Great for introducing new foods or teaching your baby to self feed. The mesh is ask textured handle for easy, comfy holding. Also it's easy to use and clean and Super cheap at under $6.
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Start slowly with milder taste food. Good to start out with carrots, bread, pastas. Cut them in big chunks and place it in front of the child one at a time.
Give him a few variety of food. Vegetable, meat, carbo and let them feed themselves. Remember to watch closely.
thanks