Since Bubby has been born (11 months ago now!), Iâve dived into a whole new world with infant nutrition! I have to say that this new journey has been fascinating, exciting⌠and very wonderfully messy, that is for sure. âş
I do think that above all, it is critical that all moms follow their own instincts. All moms are given copious amounts of unsolicited advice, told this and that, made to hear out unasked for stories and opinions of countless othersâŚbut the reality is that each mother has her own true inner compass. She is most connected with her child!
My little papoose!! Do what feels good for you and your baby! â¤ď¸
Of course, reading around and being informed is important, but ultimately we as Mamas make the decisions as to what we think is best. As an example, I had no idea what kind of âmom styleâ I was going to employ, and to be honest, I didnât think about it much until Bubs was actually born. But I did naturally gravitate to holding him and being with him pretty constantly (including co-sleeping in our room), which is along the lines of attachment parenting.
Iâve only put him in a stroller exactly one time- last weekend- when his Dad wanted to push him along. The other 99.9999% of the time heâs been in the carrier with me- as heavy as he is getting! Itâs just what has felt natural to me. But I have a mom friend, Jen, who puts her daughter in a stroller to go anywhere and everywhere. Thatâs her jam. No bad, no better, just different mom styles!
Lil Bub loves his GGS, and getting a green mustache! ;)
And so it is with baby feeding. Bubs loves the Glowing Green SmoothieÂŽ, which I do feed it to him nearly daily with a spoon. But other than that, we havenât done any pureed foods. Around 7 months, we started doing something called Baby Led Weaning, which is what I want to talk to you about today.
It may or may not be right for you, and maybe you are not a mom yet but just curious about what is up with baby feeding, or maybe you are wondering what you might feed your future baby (which is way ahead of my planning, before I had Bubs!). Either and any way, letâs dive in:
It is a term popularized by Gill Rapley, a health expert in Great Britain. With Baby Led Weaning (or BLW for short, which is kind of like our GGS abbreviation!), you donât give your babies pureed foods, whether homemade or commercially jarred, but instead give him or her finger foods. Finger foods are foods your baby can pick up by his or herself, and learn to feed him or herself.
Weâre having a green bean party! â¤ď¸? #veggies #babylove
The foods are very soft, so even though they donât have teeth (Bubs only has 2 on the bottom so far), they are able to pulverize the food in pretty surprisingly effective ways with their strong jaws and gums. Starting at seven months the finger foods I prepared for Bubs were simply steamed broccoli spears (his favorite!), carrots, squash, zucchini, and mostly just whole veggies and fruits cut into spears he can pick up himself.
The reason that I was attracted to Baby Led Weaning is that it is what has been traditionally practiced around the world. Many people in the world do not have access to blenders, so most infants transition to solid foods by eat smaller amounts of what their parents are eating!
BLW also teaches them to chew before swallowing. It gives the precious babies an interactive experience with foods where they can explore different textures and tastes, and very importantly, go their own pace. When you give your baby solid foods to eat themselves, it teaches them self-regulation at an early age. You spoon-feed them purĂŠe until you think theyâve had enough, but when you offer them finger foods, they eat until they feel satisfied naturally. This paves the path for a healthy eating foundation!
Embrace the wonderful mess!!!
Itâs messy, but in a way itâs easier. You just have to steam veggies while you are going about your other business, like making the Glowing Green SmoothieÂŽ for yourself.
Plus, I will say that itâs really awesome to eat together. When I sit Bubs in his high chair to eat his bowl of steamed veggies and bananas, I time it so I eat along with him. Itâs the beginning of our life-long family meals!
Absolutely. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are aware of BLW and recommend the best time to start is at six months. By six months babies can usually sit up by themselves and grab onto objects. They have also let go of the tongue-thrush reflex (also called reverse swallow or immature swallow). In fancy language, itâs the tongue protruding through the anterior incisors during swallowing.
To you and me itâs when your baby pushes food out of their mouth. Anyway, by six months thatâs usually gone, so itâs generally recognized as the right time. The main source of nutrition for babies until one year is still milk though, so you donât have to feel great pressure when you start! Itâs all about tasting and trying and exploring. We started around 7 months with Bubs, because we were on the road a lot around the 6 month mark, to be honest, and because he wasnât fully sitting up yet.
Make sure your youngin can let go of the tongue-thrush reflex before starting the Baby-Led Weaning.
It can be scary at first. You might wonder, âHow is little Mia going to possibly eat foods without teeth? Wonât she choke?â That is the most normal thought in the world and one I had myself. But a publication for the journal Pediatrics found that BLW doesnât pose a greater risk of choking than traditional weaning methods with pureed foods <1>.
Not at all. Although sometimes seen as revolutionary or controversial, BLW has been around forever and is used widely across many different cultures. Thatâs part of what I love about it! It seems so, so natural to me.
Personally, Iâm for it. I used this method with Lil Bub, my (almost) one year old. He has had no purĂŠes except for GGS, and it has worked wonderfully.
There are some BLW purists who wouldnât go near any purĂŠes, but I am certainly NOT a purist and as with all things here in Beauty Detox, I believe that itâs never all or nothing. Find your own routine and what works best for you. You can supplement BLW with purĂŠes and mix and match. Watching your baby eat all by themselves is super fun, but if you have a busy day and just want to get on with things, feel free to spoon-feed if it helps speed things up.
As long as theyâre happy and healthy, thatâs all that matters, right?
Iâm all about simple, and except for some patties that I made exactly once (that I actually made to test for our upcoming Beauty Detox Roadmap program! âş), I havenât made any specific recipes for BLW. It isnât necessary at all, and I simply personally donât have the time (though if you do, have fun with it!). I would if he was a picky eater, but so far he does amazing chowing down on simple, steamed whole plant foods (fingers crossed it lasts, but who knows!).
Make sure to steam your veggies and cut them into pieces your baby can easily grab and hold.
Here are some of my/Bubsâ faves:
Note: Wheat and grains work too, but they shouldnât be introduced at the six-month stage. Many people wait until molars come through before introducing grains, and I donât plan on giving Bubby any wheat/gluten myself (although as a counter I will say that there are some that believe that introducing foods early is a good way to avoid allergies. Again, go with your gut!).
I also donât season the food- no salt in particular- which they donât metabolize well.
Lil Bub loves his steamed broccoli. A BLW staple for youngins! ;)
Remember: Wait until your baby is ready for BLW, if you do want to try it! Babies develop at different rates. Donât worry if your child is seven or nine months before you try it. Just make sure they are sitting up, grabbing objects, and not pushing food out of their mouths. Then theyâre good to go!
Also, donât get frustrated if you offer some foods and they reject them. Keep trying and offering, as sometimes it takes a little while for them to get used to certain foods.
Has your baby or another little one you know tried BLW? What do you think?
Wishing you all the best, and remember Iâm always here to support you.
Take great care of yourself.
Lots of love,
Kimberly
<1> A Baby-Led Approach to Eating Solids and Risk of Choking
Teaching your baby self-regulation at an early age will start healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Stay healthy and happy. Lots of love from the both of us! ;) Xx
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