BABY-LED WEANING: How I got past the fear of chocking.

Before I got pregnant with my little, I had thought out most of the big parenting decisions: I would breastfeed, and fight as hard as I could to make it work as that’s something I believe strongly in (or maybe I’m just stubborn?); I would fit the bill for what some call “attachment parenting” and “gentle parenting”; I would cloth diaper; I would babywear; I would teach manners and not raise my voice. That’s it, I’m good to go. My child will be raised in a loving, healthy home. Easy peasy.

Wait a minute. No one told me I’d have to really think about how I’d first introduce solids to my little. I didn’t realize that introducing solids would bring on such a range of emotions, and so many confusing bits of research about how and when and what to do.

I knew my son wasn’t ready for his first taste of solids right at 6 months — definitely not before (please talk to your paediatrician about starting solids before 6 months, as their little bellies might not be ready). We went through the boxes: great head support, check, almost sitting up on own, check, interested in what we’re eating, check. But after 10 long weeks of fighting just to make breastfeeding work, I knew my little one wasn’t ready for anything but his boob — he still gagged on milk, somedays. (And if we’re being honest, I wasn’t ready to give him anything else, either…I felt I had those 10 weeks to make up.)

I had no idea that deciding how I would introduce solids — whether through purees or baby-led weaning, whether store-bought or homemade, whether with a spoon, or a squeeze pouch — would be something so complicated. It’s food. It gets eaten. And, if he’s any son of mine, he’ll eat a lot of it.

What is baby-led weaning?

Basically, you’re letting your child take the reigns here (as if they haven’t for the last 6 months!). You’re letting them set the pace for how much they’d like to eat, and slowly letting them wean from breast or bottle following the introduction of solids. Baby-led weaning (BLW) promotes trusting your baby to know that they’ll eat what they need, in both amounts and in what they’re eating.

BLW skips the step of purees and goes right to soft solid foods, which is perfectly safe. Little people can eat a surprising amount without teeth!

Research shows that babies that are introduced to food this way are less picky, make healthier options, have a healthier relationship with food when they’re older, etc, etc. It goes on and on.

We opted for the Baby-lead Weaning route. Much to my mother’s worry: “What if he chokes? Is that piece too big? He’s not really eating a lot though is he?” She still cuts up my son’s food into smaller pieces at times, but, baby-led weaning has worked for our whole family: my little is a fantastic eater, we all enjoy eating the same food at meal time – and less is being wasted (because we’re not grossed out at eating the leftovers), and my son is happy to be in control.

It’s true what they say — a baby and child know what they need. Some days, my son eats a meat-heavy meal, while other days he isn’t interested in his protein and would rather fill up on veggies. Everyday, he’d rather just eat a banana over anything else.

Other favourites include homemade pizza, homemade spaghetti sauce, fried eggs, spinach basil pesto pasta, hummus and crackers, guacamole…the list goes on.

“Won’t he choke?”

Babies have a strong gag reflex, and for good reason.

Before starting BLW, you really need to know the difference between gagging and choking. In those early days, every meal included gagging. Even today, at 13 months, he still gags on a piece of ground beef or a long sliver of pepper now and then. But if we’re being honest, I “choke” on food now and then, too.

Having confidence that BLW was the parenting lifestyle choice that worked best for us, and fit with our ideals was important in the success: babies feed off stress, and showing it at each meal is going to make your little uninterested in eating. We also loved that BLW puts such a focus on sitting down for a family meal, which is extremely important to us.

This is what made BLW worth it for us. Our lifestyle, careers, and family allow us to sit down for our meals together — all 3 meals on days when someone isn’t rushing out the door to work. The fear of gagging, especially once truly understanding the difference between gagging and choking, was overlooked by this important family time that we’re able to share together. Having my son eat the same meals as us — even spicy Indian dishes — means more time spent together eating, rather than eating separate meals or cooking the “adult” food as he has baby purees.

So, whether you decide that starting with pureed squash, applesauce, and smoothies work best, or that watching your baby try to bring a piece of broccoli to their mouth is the way to go, enjoy it. It’s not worth stressing over.

I’m excited to see the little eater my little man will become as he grows — I truly believe that BLW means he’ll grow up to be a less-picky, healthier eater.

My favourite BLW recipe for littles:

I take one of these out of freezer and microwave to add to lunch-time meals, or days when I know my little needs more veggies. For smaller babies, cut into “fingers” or strips for them to gnaw on.

Happy Feeding!

Laura

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Meet Laura

Nice to meet you! My name is Laura Cooper, and I’m a New Brunswick (Fredericton) runaway that just couldn’t stay away: after a few years in the big cities of Nova Scotia and Ontario, my little family has settled back into Moncton. By day, I’m a content creator and social media marketer for a travel agency, and a 24/7 mom to one little. If we were getting together to meet, I’d most definitely ask to meet over coffee, or maybe a local New Brunswick beer, and I’d be sure that our conversation had lots of laughter in it. 

My background is journalism, but I’ve lucked out and found my dream job in the travel and social media industry. I love to cook, buy local at the market, and hike and enjoy our beautiful province.

A before-kids version of me wouldn’t believe I’d be saying this, but I love cloth diapers and would gladly sit and talk your ear off about them, and am passionate about the benefits of breastfeeding, and babywearing. I grew up loving history and I often say I was born in the wrong century, and it rings true in my mom-ing.

Likes: A good latte, chicken alfredo, agendas and planners

Dislikes: PB&J sandwiches, milk, doing dishes