I’m a firm believer in doing what is best for your babies (and your sanity). As a parent today we are faced with many decisions that are often judged by our peers or even our parents. One topic that faces scrutiny is feeding your child. Sometimes that means breast vs bottle, and sometimes that means traditional weaning vs baby led weaning.

Our journey started off with traditional weaning. This means that the baby is fed puréed food that is thickened over time and eventually leads to small pieces of food. Per my pediatrician we started puréed food at 5 months, but looking back I wish I had waited (parenting is full of those moments where you wish you did something differently). Our son quickly decided that he was not going to be spoon fed. He would smack the spoon out of my hand, or grab it and try to feed himself. Yes, he is a strong willed child just like his mother. After consulting our pediatrician she agreed that switching to a method called baby led weaning.

Baby led weaning (BLW) is letting the child discover food in their natural form, or in ways that we as adults eat them. This means skipping purees altogether. BLW follows guidelines to make sure that your part is physically ready to begin solids. Some of the requirements are:

– Sitting unassisted

– loss of the tongue thrust reflex

– at least 6 months of age

Now onto the fun part! Here are some examples of what I fed my son.