Hello! I’ve been getting questions from different people about starting my babies on solid foods recently, so I wanted to write a post about it!
Baby Led Weaning is my go to! It’s basically starting your 6 month old babies on whole foods as opposed to smooth foods, this way they learn how to chew before they learn to swallow as opposed to the other way around when you start them on store bought baby food. It will expose your babies to different textures and different flavors, and it will also teach your baby how to feed herself. Yes, even without teeth. 🙂
Olivia (now 2 years old) started on cucumber sticks and purple potatoes and now Avery (6 months) is on the same track! I might start a little slower with Avery though, because she’s a different baby and doesn’t seem THAT interested in food right now.
BLW is great because you can just give your baby what you are eating at the dinner table, assuming you’re not eating McDonald’s every night, and they are then a part of your dinner routine. It was fun seeing Olivia discover foods and develop her sensory and motor skills.
Also, just because it says “weaning” in the title, doesn’t mean that they will wean from nursing. Olivia nursed for 20 months (she self weaned) and she started solids at 6 months.
Here are the few items I started off with :
- Baby Led Weaning Cookbook – They have another book that tells what BLW really is and how to do it step by step, however I found that the cookbook says the same things PLUS it gives you recipes to try.
- OXO Bibs – These bibs are AMAZING to catch the fall out 🙂
- Baby Led Weaning Book – This is the original book that I was talking about… just in case you’re interested.
- Baby Led Weaning for Vegans – This is for my vegan friends 🙂
- Bumbo – We love using this as a high chair alternative and it’s very versatile.
**I’m not expert, I’m just writing from my personal experience. Remember that every baby is different and will reach different milestones at their own pace and time.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions! How did you start your babies on solids???
