Thank You Baby-Led Weaning: An Update

In my previous post, Starting Solids, I admit that I had my concerns with Baby-Led Weaning when we started. Specifically, I was terrified that trial and error could end up in choking. Every time my little guy gagged, my husband and I look terrified.

Now, as my son is 8 1/2 months old, I'm so glad we stuck it out; my fears are gone. I realized this today when I watched my son eat a piece of sweet potato. Holding large enough of a slice to hold in his hand and still have enough sticking out of his hand to bite on, he leaned forward and took a small bite. Success, I thought, he's getting it!

Thinking back on the past few weeks of eating, he seems to have figured many thing out. He can eat chicken and turkey in small bites, even though he's only just now getting his first tooth. He's learned to bite down with his gums and separate off a piece. Those things he needs help getting pieces off, we let him try chewing on it but then break off pieces and feed them to him with our fingers (small bits of pork or fish). He hasn't mastered the pincer grip, so he still needs assistance food like fish that can't be held in large pieces.

He still gags, though. I'm seeing that it's part of the learning process. I figure it's better he gags now while his gag reflex is further up in his mouth. It's still scary, but I know that he's learning and it reminds me to stay vigilant. I'll admit, if I seem him pull off too big a piece, I've been known to go fish it out, but now that he understands chewing, there's far less of that.

A lot of this process is about exploration. Since his main diet is breastfeeding, I never worry about how much he eats. I focus on variety and I try to incorporate foods with iron since I've chosen not to given him a supplement. Sometimes (many times), he just smears the food around or tosses it to the dog. But, sometimes, he discovers something he loves. Yes to turkey. No to mango. I respect his desire to try as much as I respect when he pushes something away and says no.

Onward with the exploration as we move towards independence! Thank you baby-led weaning for making food much less complicated.