Weaning

[LynAnne]

DS turns 6 months old later this month and so we are about to start weaning which is both really exciting and very nerve wracking. All the information feels a bit overwhelming sometimes!

Anyway, I'd like to give baby led weaning a go but I'm not 100% sure where to start. A lot of what ive read in terms of suggestions for food seem to come at 7-9 months so it's leaving me a little bit confused!

I was thinking of something like sweet potato for first food as we often have it in the house anyway. Should I cook it until very soft then mash it or chop it into "fingers" and give it to him that way? Just pop it on his high chair and see how he reacts? Also, is it okay to give him other fruit and veg like banana or broccoli as finger foods from the get go or should it be mashed?

Whilst I know purees can be a hassle sometimes i wonder if it would be easier than trying to work out the ins and outs of BLW.

 

[Megandelv88]

We are trying it to. From our understanding, the times other sites say to introduce the foods no longer matters. As per our pediatrician, there's no special order. Pretty much anything you think they can gum. They can totally have bananas and broccoli but be careful because bananas are binding. You can cut up the sweet potato or mash it. And just see what he will do. I currently still assist mine at 6.5 months because his pincer grasp doesnt work very well yet. He puts things in his mouth here and there but gets easily frustrated.
I've been using pinterest for ideas and its pretty helpful!

 

[MindUtopia]

If you want to do blw, you don't need to prepare anything special for baby, just offer the same food you eat before you add salt. I would usually just take a portion out before seasoning or make a portion that wasn't salted. So if you wanted to do sweet potato, I tend to do wedges, tossed in olive oil and then roasted. But you probably don't just eat sweet potato for dinner so I would add in the same things you eat if they are appropriate (no honey, whole nuts, loads of salt and probably minus any spicy like chilies or hot sauce). Realistically they can't always pick up a lot at first so I would aim to foods that are easier to grasp, but you don't need to make anything special really as you probably already make these are part of your usual meals or can modify what you're cooking for yourself. To give you an idea, my daughter's first meal was roasted parsnips and carrots with garlic and rosemary, mashed potato, and a Yorkshire pudding. Toast with hummus or mashed banana or cashew butter was a favourite for breakfast and I also made a lot of savoury muffins (feta and spinach, or broccoli and cheddar). I didn't cook anything any differently than how I would normally cook it (other than no salt or chilies, etc) so like I didn't cook it until it was extra soft (actually it's much easier and safer for them to have something they need to bite and chew up). I also never mashed anything unless it was meant to be mashed (like mashed potato). Usually things in stick shape are easier to pick up though so I tended at the beginning to make things like that (roasted veg cut into fingers, toast fingers, banana cut into thirds, penne pasta, sweet potato wedges, slices of omelette or quiche, bread fingers to dip in soup). They really can eat normal food just fine. My friend's daughter had four whole strips of breaded chicken her very first meal. It really is easy. You just offer what you're already eating, sometimes with minor modifications.

 

[LynAnne]

Thanks ladies.

Thinking of trying out on some cauliflower and broccoli later this week. He'll be 24.5 weeks old. We're having a cheesy bake but I can't be sure of just how much salt is in all the cheese and such so was just going to over boil the veg (first step of the recipe) and give it to him then.

Only thing is I have read that you should give babies one food at a time for 4 days before introducing anything else. Am I okay to give him a little of both?