Baby-Led Weaning

A few months ago, I came across an article online about baby-led weaning. Of course I can't find the exact post now, but it basically entails skipping the pureed-foods stage and offering baby age-appropriate table food to eat themselves. It sounded interesting and logical, and though I'm usually a bit wary of anything labeled "baby-led" or "child-centered," etc., I tucked the information away for future reference. (In my head, not for real, or else I'd be able to find the article.)

Well, then Silas hit six months, and he was nursing a TON more than the other boys were at his age, and I was getting awfully tired of getting up every four hours, but he hadn't gained any weight in two months . . . all of that run-on sentence to say, I decided to go ahead and feed him as I had the other two. We tried brown rice cereal. We tried applesauce. We tried mashed banana. Everything met with the same reaction he'd given our few bottle-feeding attempts: complete and utter disgust. I resigned myself to the likelihood that I'd still be nursing him at his high school graduation, bucked myself up for another few months of nighttime feedings, and gave up on solid food entirely. (I exaggerate slightly, but continued lack of sleep can really do damage to your once-healthy perspective on life.)

There's food in this fist somewhere . . . 

Fast-forward to three days ago. Silas is now 10 days shy of 8 months old. We're at Panera, I've split my baguette into a few pieces for soup-dipping purposes, the baby is sitting on my lap. He grabs hold of a piece of bread and proceeds to gnaw and suck his way through the entire thing. And then stick his hand in my soup and suck on his fingers. So this is what we've been missing all along: white flour and MSG-laden soup. Great.

In all seriousness, though, that whole idea of baby-led weaning popped back into my head. It wasn't completely new; I've had friends whose kids didn't take to purees who simply waited until baby could handle chunkier solids. Our easy success with the older boys and the spoon simply led me to believe that it wasn't going to be a problem for us. (Silly third-time mom.)

So, yesterday morning, I strapped him in the baby high chair [Levi is ecstatic to be sitting in a "real chair" now, by the way.] and threw a strip of pancake on the tray. He was happy as a clam. [What does that mean, anyway?] I can't say I'd choose white baguettes, broccoli cheddar soup, and whole-wheat pancakes as my first choice for baby's first foods, but now that I know he'll eat if left to his own devices, it's time to get creative. I have a butternut squash in the oven as I write this, to be turned into chunks or pancakes or something besides a puree. (If anyone has any tips for soft but not spoon-fed foods, besides banana or avocado, please share!)

Ooooh, banana.

It's a considerably messier business than spoon-feeding, to be sure. I still can't quite shake the feeling that I'm doing things wrong by not offering vegetables first. (That was an act of desperation and surprise, not choice.) At the very least, though, I no longer fear that I'll be my third child's only source of nourishment for years to come. And it's rather fun, to look over at my table and see all three boys in their chairs shoveling food into their mouths. Now if I'd just crack down on using forks . . .

Feeling all big-boy out of his high chair.

Owen hasn't moved, but he's still happy. 

Yes, they're eating pancakes with their hands.

P.S. The fabric sling-thing for the high chair is actually this travel high chair (in an apparently discontinued fabric). The yellow high chair is a hand-me-down from my husband's family. It doesn't have any buckles or anything, and the wood is really quite slippery. This straps on just perfectly, however, and has served as our young-baby chair for all three boys.

P.P.S. I opted not to include any actual information about baby-led weaning (since the story was way too long as it was), but you can read about it here or here.