It's about 5 months since the lil' fella started solid and it has been hell lots of mess and fun with the whole baby led weaning endeavor. I have heard of a lot of the hardships encountered when starting solid, ie nursing strikes, fussy eater, gagging, allergies etc, that's the reason why I established the facebook group Healthy Food for My Baby network so that I can get connected to all mommies on the same topic. Little did I know that the lil' fella I have at home would turn into my best model for baby led weaning discussion and lab-rat for my baby food recipes.
At 10month old, lil' fella is already a competent, happy and enthusiastic eater, and family dinnertimes are an enjoyable experience for all of us. He currently eats 3 meals with about 4-5 5oz milk within 24hours. He sits at the table for the duration of the dinner, which is usually 30 minutes. He babbles, gestures and enjoys himself with his food throughout, as if participating in our conversation.
He wasn't a 100% BLW baby. He was on puree and I let him snacked the BLW way ever since he was 5month old. Letting him learn to feed himself was definitely the best thing I have done for him and for myself (I get to enjoy my dinner peacefully with a baby eating by himself beside me). A blogger mom whom I follow had written that, children who learn to self-feed earlier feel more in control of their eating experiences and are more likely to develop positive associations with mealtimes. Allowing babies to self-feed improves their physical skills, such as their sensory and motor development, and also respect their growing need to develop capability and autonomy.
She has also mentioned that exposing your baby to a variety of textures as early as possibly just might be the best insurance against future picky eating. A 2001 study of more than 9000 infants concluded that children who were introduced to textured foods after the age of 10 months were “more difficult to feed and had more definite likes and dislikes” than those who were introduced earlier. But is it safe? The BC Ministry of Health recommends offering fork-mashed foods (as opposed to purées) from the age of six months onward, and Health Canada recommends that infants be eating “family foods,” served in soft and age-appropriate pieces, by the age of 12 months.
The lil' fella definitely have positive associations with mealtimes. In fact, his first word was mom-mom for food! I am not too sure if this is entirely because of BLW, or that I'm just blessed with a baby food epicure who enjoys a good variety of food as much as I do. I would only find out when I have another baby going on solid.
Would baby choke on BLW? All experts of BLW will give you the same answer. No, baby don't choke. They gag. And gagging is just a reflex of them trying to juggle the food that may be too huge to be swallowed. In the end, they will always end up spitting them out if they can't swallow. Even if you ask me, I would answer the same. It's the same with lil' fella. He never choke, bless him (Thank God). He gagged before. In a couple of minutes, he will spit the food out. So we never worry whenever he gag. If you decide to feed your baby the BLW way, the rule of thumb is to stay calm. It will be a very messy affair. Stay calm. He will gag. Stay calm. Let him/her take control and deal with the situation. He will learn.
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| Snack on a baby muffin at 7mo. |
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| Had his first taste of pumpkin at 5mo. |
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| Snack on lettuce when we're out (8mo) |
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| Eating vege at dinnertime (8mo) |
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| Bread for breakfast (9mo) |
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| Sharing my rice plate at dinnertime (10mo) |
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