First things first: I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We couldn’t have felt more blessed this holiday season. Thoughtful giving, sweet times with family, warm gatherings with friends, and plenty of good food. Lucy also turned six months old on Christmas Day, which means that our world is getting ready to change (yet again!).
Lucy and I have been exclusively breastfeeding for the past six months, but for several weeks now, we’ve noticed she’s been eager to join us at the table. After much thought and reading, we’ve decided to try Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) which counters the myth that babies need to be spoon-fed and instead encourages self-feeding from the start. If you think about it, babies and children crawl, walk, and talk when they are ready. As long as parents provide children with the opportunity to meet these milestones…they will. Why should feeding be different? Healthy babies are able to feed from the breast from the minute they are born (and what a marvelous experience to witness!). We’ve trusted Lucy’s innate wisdom to guide our feedings over the last six months….and we’re going to trust that she will begin to eat solids when she’s ready.
BLW is all about exploration. For at least the first year, babies need to receive most (if not all) of their nutrition from breastmilk. So food is about texture, about taste, about learning the mechanics of chewing and swallowing. Instead of feeding Lucy with spoons and prepackaged baby food, we’re going to let her feed herself. We’ll provide her with the opportunity to eat, and she’ll dictate the rest.
Over the next several months, I’m going to let you follow us on our BLW journey. And today, I’ll share our first foray into the world of solid foods.
How did we know we were ready? It’s pretty simple: Lucy met all the signs of solid food readiness.
-she sits without support
-she reaches out to grab things and takes them to her mouth quickly
-she makes chewing and gnawing movements
-she tries to put our food into her mouth whenever she gets the opportunity
Because we waited to introduce food for six months, Lucy’s system is more mature and we don’t have to worry as much about weird food allergies. After talking to several friends, we decided to try carrots and avocados first. The carrots were roasted in avocado oil until soft. We cut them into pieces that Lucy could easily hold with her hands. She fell in love with her new high chair (thank you Mimi and Poppi) and was eager to take her carrots to her mouth.
BUT….she grimaced as soon as the carrot met her tongue. She attempted to chew and swallow a few times, but I think she mostly preferred the way the carrot felt on her sore gums (she’s getting her two top teeth). And because we’re doing BLW, that’s just fine. She didn’t seem excited about the avocado, and so we didn’t force it. We let her play with her food and then we were done. She happily nursed both before and after our first attempt at feeding…and she seemed perfectly content for the rest of the day.
I’ll share more next week! Thank you for joining me in this journey!