I read a lot of mommy blogs, and a few have talked about BLW. It sounded interesting to me, and so I decided to go that route with Barrett when he was ready for solids. I ordered the book The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett to help me with ideas as to when, what, how, etc.
When: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusively milk feeds (breast milk or formula) until six months of age. BLW is for babies who can sit up (for at least some time), reach out and grab things and get them to their mouth, who show interest in food and eating, and can mimic chewing motions. This usually happens around six months. As food is introduced, milk feeds are still the major source of nutrients, up until around one year of age.
Why: Babies at six months are capable of feeding themselves, and they want to! Barrett always grabs whatever I have in my hand, and food is no exception. He is learning to chew now, so we don't need to delay that by using purees. The book says that "sucking pureed food from a spoon doesn't prepare babies for chewing; the best way to develop chewing skills is to practice them on food that actually needs chewing".
Also, BLW lets the baby control what and how much to eat. As long as we (the parents) offer healthy choices, Barrett will eat what his body needs. That might be nothing, or a lot, but either way, he is still getting his nutrients from breast milk, so it really doesn't matter how much he eats. There will be no more "just one more bite" or "he didn't eat very much today" worrying on my part.
Spoon feeding takes time. I don't have the patience to sit and feed Barrett at meal times. BLW is messy (especially at first), so there is some mess to clean up afterward, but I'm trying not to mind that too much. There will be less mess as he learns coordination and how to chew and swallow. BLW teaches babies dexterity, and the book recommends giving a spoon and blunt fork, as well as an open cup at an early age.
How: The cookbook recommends starting with stick-shaped pieces of food so baby can grab them and chew/suck on the end that is sticking out of his fist. Fruits, vegetables, crusts, toast, large pasta shapes, soft meat patties shaped into "fingers", and long strips of meat are what kinds of foods The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook says to start with. Hard fruits and veggies can be steamed, roasted, baked, grilled or stir-fried so baby can munch on them. Babies shouldn't have extra salt or sugar, but they can have spices.
Gagging: Gagging is a part of babies learning how to handle solid food in their mouths. It's scary! Barrett has done it a couple of times already. The book says "... this is a way of helping them to learn to eat safely, by teaching them not to overfill their mouths or to push food too far back before they've chewed it". Apparently, a baby's "gagging trigger" is farther forward in their mouths than an adults. As they grow, it moves back. It's hard to watch our baby gag, but it's good to know he will soon learn to control food in his mouth.
I'm not totally against purees. I have reusable pouches that I can put some in for trips, out to eat (although there are foods he can eat at restaurants), friend's houses, etc. They can also be used for yogurt, applesauce, soup, and other squishy things. When Barrett has them, I try to let him control them, and it gets pretty messy!
So far, Barrett is loving food! Every time I put him in his highchair, he gets excited (although it could just be because the kitchen is a new room for him to look at...). He always reaches for the food on his tray and tries hard to get it in his mouth. I'm really liking BLW. It will be interesting to see him progress to eating more and more table food, and I'm sure it will be nice when I can give him exactly what we're eating!
If you're interested, here are some blogs that I've read that talk their experience with Baby-Led Weaning;
Healthy Tipping Point
The Art of Making a Baby
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