Our first week of baby led weaning
We have started our new journey in our household: Iris starting solid foods!
I have all the details to share about baby led weaning and our first week with any food other than breastmilk! She doesn’t get a lot in her mouth or swallow very much, but she is learning everyday!
I am going to share what baby led weaning is, why I chose it, and most importantly WHAT I have been feeding her!
What exactly is baby led weaning?
Baby led weaning (BLW) is a way to introduce foods by skipping purees and instead, offering solid foods that are appropriate for baby. The most important thing in BLW is that you will never put food into the baby’s mouth, the baby will decide what she/he wants to eat and how much of it. This encourages self feeding. There is NO spoon feeding in baby led weaning.
I was AMAZED at how much fun she had trying all these new foods! She tried so many new foods from, hummus to ghee. I watched her as she curiously grabbed ahold of a piece of toast with coconut oil, gnawed on it - and then went for more! She smiled the entire time.
One major thing I did while she was eating; we ate with her! My husband and I brought her close to the table where we were eating and ate alongside her. BLW had made it easy to serve Iris the exact same thing we are eating cut into strips for her tiny hands!
There is ONE major concern parents have to baby led weaning. Are you concerned with choking?
In short — no! There is a MAJOR difference between gagging vs. choking. Gagging is a good thing - it shows your baby is learning to swallow and chew foods, which is inevitable + important when your baby starts solid foods.
Choking is different. Choking is when your child’s airway passage is blocked, but gagging is normal. Gagging can be experienced when giving purees to your baby also, so it’s a part of the eating journey!
I have not experienced this yet. She has coughed some and taken larger bites, but I have not experienced gagging with Iris. I was scared of her gagging at first, but when I saw how quickly she loved food, I gained more trust with her everyday by providing a variety of options.
How do I gain confidence and knowledge to handle a situation in the event of a scare? I got CPR certified. I spent $70 on the class and gained so much confidence!
This made me feel confident in any event, that I would be prepared. However, I would never offer Iris a choking hazard (grapes, hot dogs, or a whole nut), so actually, research shows purées and baby led weaning have the same risk of choking!
I cannot emphasize this requirement enough: there are two major rules when starting BLW; baby must be able to sit unassisted for at least a minute, and be at least 6 months old. Here are some other important signs baby is ready to start eating.
good head and trunk control
bringing hands and toys to mouth
interested in your food - reaching for your food
leans forward toward food in chair
can track your movement with head and eyes
To clarify, Iris’ main food source is her breastmilk. Baby led weaning is not a replacement for breastmilk; BLW is more exploratory and for learning purposes. Breastmilk is still the most protein rich source of nourishment for your baby. This helps baby to develop a GOOD relationship with food at an early age. Instead of having to eat a certain food, your baby gets to decide what they like to eat until they’re full.
My selling point on baby led weaning: my husband and I eat a whole foods diet - no gluten, no dairy, no processed foods, and no sugar. I wanted our daughter to be able to sit at the table with us and eat the same foods that we eat. BLW lets you do exactly this! As parents, we are the best teachers; our children love to mimic us.
I am NOT an infant feeding wiz by any standards. My baby has just began her solids journey. I have been reading and researching for months in preparation for this.
Here is a major resource I used to get started
The Infant Feeding Course by Feeding Littles. It costs $59. I can’t recommend this course enough! If this is THE only course you take, you’re all set. This is a step-by-step process through the entire baby led weaning process. They have printable material for your convenience, such as the choking hazard list. This also helped me to understand how to prepare foods for Iris, when to introduce allergens, and suggested foods to start with.
After taking this course, I was fully confident to start solids with Iris! I wouldn’t have felt this confident about baby led weaning if my friend Caroline would not have recommended it!
Here are some tools I purchased to get started
I am loving these products so far!
IKEA High Chair - this high chair is everything you need. The tray is easy to pull off if you needed to get baby out quickly (never strap baby into any high chair, this is important if there is ever a choking situation). I love it and have zero complaints! It is probably the cheapest, most efficient high chair out there. Make sure to purchase the support pillow and pillow cover!
ezpz Tiny Cup - Once baby is 6 months old, she can start practicing with a cup. An open cup is ideal, sippy cups or spouted cups are not recommended for oral/motor and speech development. It is important to offer water during starting solids. This can prevent constipation and have baby develop a love for water! I also offer Iris bone broth in her open cup. This open cup is great for her hands and is slightly weighted in the bottom.
Mushie Silicone Bib - I love this bib! It’s great for quick rinsing under the sink when she is done eating because BLW is messy in a good way! Baby learns so many different textures!
ezpz Mini Mat Plate - You can choose to offer foods on the tray alone or change it up and offer in a plate. I love this plate because it suctions to the high chair tray and its silicone!
ezpz Tiny Spoons -Iris loves her spoon! She knows exactly what its used for. These are the perfect size for their tiny hands and slightly weighted at the bottom to help them.
eztotz Little Dipper Spoon - I wanted to purchase two varieties of spoons and I picked this brand because of the grooves. This spoon can hold food better and for longer!
I chose not to purchase a floor mat because we have hard woods floors and I believe it to be easier just to wipe down!
What Iris ate in her first week
In the first couple of days, my mama heart was a little scared to let go. I was taking it easy and wanted to start Iris off with one food at a time until we both gained confidence. On the first day, we tried banana. On the second day, we just went for it! We tried steamed carrot, banana, and gluten free + dairy free toast with mashed blueberries and coconut oil.
I chose not to do any allergen foods until the second week of feeding solids, but I will share how I introduced those and what we have tried so far!
Note: Aside from choking hazards, the only thing you can’t give babies is salt and honey.
Veggies
sweet potato - steamed in instant pot, and roasted with avocado oil)
string bean - steamed
broccoli - steamed
carrot - steamed
avocado - barely ripe and cut in spear with 1/2 the peel on for grip
mushroom - sautéed until soft in avocado oil
beets - roasted in oven with olive oil
Fruits
grapefruit - cut in spear with 1/2 the peel on for grip
orange - cut in spear with 1/2 the peel on for grip
strawberries - cut in circles
banana - “banana pop” left the end of the banana on for a handle
blueberries - mashed on toast
Protein
organic turkey - thick cut and cut into strips
grass fed/grass finished beef - cut into strip and grilled
organic egg yolk (second week) this is the most nutritious part of the egg and has less ‘allergens’ than the egg white - cut into strips and offered
Other
unsweetened organic applesauce - spread on toast
simple kneads gluten free/dairy free toast
cocoyo - coconut milk yogurt on spoon
so delicious brand coconut milk yogurt
hummus - made without salt & offered on eztotz little dipper spoon
gluten free oats - I made into a flour and rolled avocado + bananas in
bone broth - I make my own without salt and offered sips in open cup
organic peanut butter (second week) offered spread thin on toast
grassfed ghee (second week) offered on toast & cooked green beans in (this is recommended in the dairy ladder for allergens)
AND that’s it! That is everything Iris girl tested in week one. Now, she did not eat everything of course - 90% of her food ended up caught in her bib, smashed everywhere, or on the floor.
Note: It is important to remember the goal of baby led weaning - it is to teach your child how to develop a healthy relationship with food and for them to self feed themselves! It is going to get messy, but these are the best teachable moments for baby! The calories do not count as much right now as they will later on. Your baby will already have developed the necessary skills when that time comes!
We had so much FUN! Thanks for following along.
xxo,
Hayes & Iris
