Baby-Led Weaning - An Update

I mentioned before (in this post), that we're loosely following baby-led weaning with Nixon.  Well, our little man has been munching on solids for over four months now, so I thought it time for an update!

When we first introduced solids, I generally prepared something special for Nixon, rather than including him in the same meal we were eating.  I use the term "prepared" loosely, because many times that meant simply slicing an avocado.  We started out with really simple foods, such as steamed or roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, avocados, etc.  These are still some of his favorite things to eat (this boy could munch on broccoli all day), but more and more I'm giving him the same things Donovan and I are eating.  I do generally either season things less or keep out a small portion for Nixon that is less salted and without any strong seasonings.  We've introduced grains in small amounts, as well as dairy (yogurt and cheese, no milk yet).

In case anyone's curious, here's what a typical day of Nixon's culinary adventures looks like.  Breakfast is usually some fruit, most often banana.  I'll try to get some yogurt into him for the protein, and while he enjoys yogurt, I usually only manage about five bites before it turns into a game of "grab the spoon before it goes in my mouth," although I do sometimes hand him the spoon and let him try to feed himself.  Sometimes it works, most times it gets flung.  If I make eggs for myself, I'll give him those as well.  For lunch, I usually keep a container of cooked squash or sweet potato in the fridge, or I'll warm up some frozen peas or other type of veggie.  Dinner is typically whatever we're having, either the finished dish or I'll pull out ingredients as I'm cooking and set them aside for him.  For example, I made chili and cornbread the other day, and Nixon had some beans I left out, cornbread, and some peas for a veggie.

Munching some broccoli and sweet potatoes

I should also state that I firmly believe in the idea of "food before one is just for fun."  He's still having his nutritional needs met through nursing, so if we have a day in which he doesn't consume hardly anything, I don't stress about it.  As he gets closer to turning one, I'm making it more a priority to sit down for three meals a day in order to at least get him accustomed to having three meals a day, but again, I'm not stressing about how much he actually eats at this point.

Having a bite of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving - I typically don't give him things with added sugar, but this was a special occasion!

Nixon will try just about anything I put in front of him, but some of his top favorites include banana, broccoli, clementines, pasta, and cottage cheese.  When we first began solids, he wasn't too thrilled with carrots, but now he can't get enough of them!  It definitely pays to keep offering those foods he's not sure about.

I'll do another update once he hits a year and transitions over to solids even more!

Adventures in Eating

Now that Nixon has passed the six-month mark, we've started incorporating some solids into his diet.  It's been so much fun watching him discover new tastes and textures and experience food, although sometimes that experience is consuming the food and other times it's squishing it and watching it fall on the floor.  He's slowly getting the hang of chewing (although he has no teeth yet, so it's more like sucking) and swallowing.

As with most things pertaining to parenting, I went into this with a pretty clear idea of how I wanted to do it, only to have that dissolve within a few days as we figured out what works best for Nixon as an individual.  I've planned all along to follow baby-led weaning, which basically means we skip the traditional baby food and offer him pieces of soft foods that he can easily hold, and he'll eat at his own pace.  He's still getting all the nutrition he needs from nursing, so right now food is simply a learning experience.  I like this method for multiple reasons, mostly that we're not spending extra money on baby food or taking the time to make our own.  And while we've been able to follow this plan pretty well, we've also been feeding him some foods with a spoon instead of strictly letting him feed himself.  For one, some foods are just easier to eat with a spoon, such as applesauce, and I'm not thrilled about wiping the applesauce off the wall if he were to attempt to feed it to himself.  Secondly, there are times when he just really wants to eat, and he gets frustrated at his inability to get the food in his mouth fast enough.  So, it turns out that a hybrid of baby-led weaning and traditional baby food is what works best for our little guy.

So far, some of his favorites include bananas, sweet potato, avocado, and peaches.  The other day, we gave him a puree consisting of blueberries, plums, and spinach, which he gobbled up surprisingly fast.  One thing he's tried that he doesn't seem to be a fan of is carrots.  Baby cereal wasn't a huge hit either, even with applesauce mixed in, but I can't say I blame him.  Other than those two things, everything we've offered him has been a hit.  Mealtimes are definitely a lot more fun (and a lot more messy) now that he can join in!