Feed Me!

So Nyx has been eating solids for a while now and it's going well. We tried that whole pureed food/rice cereal thing but it was a disaster. With every spoonful of goopy bland puree, Nyx exhibited an expression of pure loathing and hatred. Dave and I tasted that jarred grossness and realized it was disgusting. And we even bought that expensive organic stuff so it wasn't like it had been sitting on the shelf for ten years or something.

Dave and I were at a loss until we remembered reading about Baby Led Weaning/Baby Led Solids during our breastfeeding class. We did a little research and decided to just dive in head first. And you know what? Best decision we ever made.

With this method you basically skip all that nasty jarred goop and go straight to "people" food. Nyx's first food was fork mashed Russet potatoes. Within a few weeks, she was eating peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, avocados, carrots, pears, plums, steel cut oats, bananas and homemade apple sauce (no sugar.) Her first meat? Texas style ribs straight outta the crockpot. LOL. Kid loved 'em. She's fond of chicken too but hates pork. Lately she's developed a love for whole wheat pasta. Odd but there it is!

And, no, she has no teeth yet. But this child can gum with the best of 'em.

With Baby Led Solids, you encourage your baby to feed herself. She's 7 months old and eating straight off her tray or plate. Sure, she makes a mess but so what? It's all part of the learning process. Don't get me wrong. There are meals where she demands we finger feed her and that's okay too. I think she likes the interaction and gets some kind of power trip out of opening her mouth like a little bird and gesturing toward her food of choice. She does something similar with her sippy cup. She's getting better at picking it up herself but still needs a little help.

I guess this method isn't for everyone. I mean, you have to be okay with the sight of your baby gagging and be confident in your ability to help your baby if she chokes. We've been doing BLS for almost two months and we've had one choking incident and that was because she laughed while she had a piece of plum in her mouth. It was no biggie. She actually cleared it herself and just kept right on laughing.

What can I say? Nyx laughs in the face of danger.