Baby Led Weaning- experiences?

bananas, avocados, ripe pears, mango, all require no prep and are easy for your baby to chew. If you are staying in a hotel there may be lots of fresh fruit in the breakfast buffet. Ask for well steamed vegies like brocolli and carrots (you really need to emphasise how soft they should be) to be sent to your room. The main philosophy of baby-led weaning is that the baby have control over what they eat, so for me, I actually did puree/mash and even spoonfeed a lot of foods, but always at my baby's request. He actually preferred purees and wasn't keen on holding sticky things. Be in tune with what makes your baby happy, watch his little facial expressions and if he turns his head or doesn't want to eat then do not try and coax. All this stuff is far more important than the texture of the baby's food, being baby-led is a mindset, not a food prep technique so read the books but above all, let your baby have a voice. enjoy the ride :)

giving appropriate finger foods rather than pureed foods I found much easier and less stressful, don't get hung up on the 6 month thing, I didn't consistently start offering foods till DD was almost 7 months, you don't need to jump in there and immediately give breakfast, lunch and dinner, start with the best time of day for both of you when baby is alert and happy. going out or on holiday with your baby will be much easier as you can just share your food with them rather than carrying around a jar of puree. Its a good idea to eat with them so they can see how it's done and then it's easier to share your plate with them, this makes your diet better as you cut out the added salt and sugar! avoid honey (small risk of infant botulism) whole nuts (choking) and starchy foods like bread, potato, and pasta can be difficult for small tummies to digest, baby rice is a complete waste of packaging as it's so over processed it's nutritionally defunct. I found website helpful... http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/

hi sparkly, we've been doing BLW for a month now and mealtimes are such fun. it is messy, true, but to see how DS is enjoying his meals and exploring with food makes up for all of it. (our dog circles DS's highchair like a vulture LOL) the best advice i can give you is to buy/read gill rapley's book on BLW. i bought the cookbook too and the recipes are amazing. i got the book from the japanese bookstore in dubai mall. http://www.rapleyweaning.com/ i have joined the dubai facebook group - run by TanyaR on his forum - but it is a bit slow. the mothers in that group seem to be done with BLW but i'm sure they'll have second (or third) babies when the group will pick up again. TanyaR responds to messages though. [email protected] i have also joined the UK facebook group. there's a lot of traffic on there and the ladies are super helpful. there are newbies as well as experienced mums. i get loads of info from there and we also share recipes. http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/263150313632/ (not sure if this is the correct link!) i also participate on the BLW forum. this is the most amazing forum and you join in whenever, wherever appropriate. loads of ideas and tips on there, friendly mums who are going through exactly the same thing at exactly the same time as you (month appropriate threads). fears of gagging/choking are discussed, how to deal with people/family not approving of the BLW way, as well as, very importantly, "mix of BLW and puree" (pre-loaded spoon put down on highchair is ok, pre-loaded spoon feeding child not BLW way). http://www.babyledweaning.com/forum/ as you can see, i'm totally into this BLW thing. DH was sceptical about it but now that we're into it, he is the first one to suggest a meal for DS. DS is 7 months now and has had p*rk ribs, rump steak, risolles, spagbol, beetroot, brown rice, steamed vegetables, rice cakes (everything whole, nothing mashed/pureed) and the list is endless. and the photos and videos are priceless! good luck and enjoy BLW - it's fantastic!

Hi Sparkly, My baby is BLWed and frankly, I think thats the best thing I ever did! It was not an easy journey, but has been worth it so far. My baby started on a very enthusisatic note, but later refused to eat anything for almost 3-4 months. Only recently, at 10 months plus he has started showing interest in food again :). So be prepared for a roller coaster ride. And, it is messy. Very, very messy.... but loads of fun too. I like the way my baby has explored his own likes and dislikes of textures and tastes. For now, he will eat only hard foods. Anything which can be squished with his hand is thrown on the floor.... v call it the 'squish test'.. lols. So, it is only apples, pears, carrot, cucumbers, nuggets and broccoli for us now :). The whole idea is to be relaxed about food, and let ur baby eat whatever u r eating with a few modifications (no salt/ honey/ sugar). I havent travelled with my baby so far, so I am sorry can't help u on tht much. Even when out n about wid my baby, I avoid giving him too much food (he wasnt eating much anyways), just a few snacks as the amount of mess he makes is embarassing. I asked a similar question a few months agos. U might find this thread helpful - http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=174894 I wud highly recommend it. Good luck wid whatever u decide :)

I did BLW with my LOs & they loved it. I combined this with a few purrees too, but they definitely preferred solids. Great foods to start with are Brocolli (cook till soft and leave long stalk on), ripe melon (leave a bit of skin on one end for gripping) and later on lamb cutlets are good for gumming! Good luck!