Ava has always been a great eater. When it came time to start solids she was anxious to try new things and always seemed excited by new tastes. I received the Baby Bullet as a shower gift so was so excited to make homemade baby food for my little muffin. It went very well for about a month. By the time Ava was about 7 months old she was grabbing for the spoon and loved any little bits of actual food we set on her tray. She was still working on the whole hand-eye coordination thing but it was remarkable how much food she could actually get into the mouth and the size of food she was able to manage. I began cutting food into strips that she could hold in her hand and chew on. Her favourites were (steamed) broccoli, bananas, avocado and cheese. As she got older I found myself trying to get spoonfuls of food in between her fisting chunks of food into her mouth. It occurred to me that this might be more of a choking hazard than just letting her feed herself. Every now and again she would cough but I have since learned she is just repositioning food in her mouth. We have never had any actual choaking incidences. I was way too nervous of a first time parent to even think of not starting her off on rice cereal but she really never did take a liking to it. She prefers real food and who am I to fight her on that? Everything I had read until that point only really talked about purees until I came across an article about Baby Led Weaning in Today’s Parent which made so much sense to me. Now, at 10 months old, Ava basically eats what we are eating (unless it isn’t healthy). We are having meals together as a family and I have embraced my lazy side and quit making separate meals for us and her. Ava always wants to hold a spoon even though in the early months it was more of an accessory. I have noticed lately though she can actually spoon feed herself. Its messy and the food doesn’t often make it into her mouth but she gets the concept and we are letting her figure it out on her own which she loves.
That is how we accidentally started practising Baby Led Weaning. Any other BLW fans out there?
I completely agree with your approach; my son Harry (now two) was never happier than when wielding a spoon and feeding himself, even if we then had to whisk him, fully clothed, into the tub afterwards!
Thank you that is good to hear. It seems like so many things are trial and error but we are very lucky to have such an adventurous eater. I do find food in the strangest places sometimes. Our dog is always positioned strategically during meal times to help out however he can!
My son Brady, who will be 3 in July (*sob!*) was never interested in self-feeding. He was perfectly content to have every and anyone ,shovel the grub right into his adorable, chubby face. His sister, on the other hand, is entirely too independent at barely 11 months, and has insisted that she be in charge of all edible endeavors since about 5 months! We started Ella on solids a little after she turned 4 months because all the signs of readiness were there; and because she was sleeping like crap! Fortunately for my floors, but unfortunately for our dogs, my gal is satisfied to just hold a spoon and allows us to actually feed her if the fare is something like soup. But if we’re talking pasta or anything else that can be cut up into bite-size bits, Miss Thang must do it on her own!
Ha! Maybe its a girl thing! Ava is the same!
My 1 year old son prefers feeding himself also. We take one hour to eat as a family, the floor is also pretty messy afterward but it is definitely worth it, just to see him eating by himself to do like Mommy and Daddy. Priceless!
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