Baby Led Solids

[Sammiejane]

Hi,

Just wondering how many of you have gone down this path?

We have been chatting about it in our baby thread and i was hoping that you all in the know could impart some knowledge and wisdom to us all that are soon to be starting solids.

Any pointers?
What did you start with?
What was good about it?
What was hard

Thanks

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I sort of went down this path. We did a mix of solids and spoon-feeding.

DS decided he wanted solids and started himself - his first taste was an apple I was eating and he kept coming back for more! I tried baby rice but TBH that tastes foul so we did a mix of solid fruit, like pears, and mushed up fruit, such as apricot or banana, for one "meal" a day, usually at our dinner time and we all ate together.

We progressed to DS eating basically fruit and veg that we were eating, he would finger-feed, then we would put a little plate on his high-chair with a spoon and he could play with that and finger-feed, we also gave rusks and baby packet food that were finger-feeding (they usually say "not suitable for under 12 months" on but that's because they're solid, not because of ingredients). Then we started with just mini portions of our food and tbh I can't remember ages because we just watched him and took our cues there. He now eats a half portion of our food every meal and eats pretty much everything. If he doesn't like something he leaves it (or squishes it on his tray). No fighting, no fuss, we can all eat together! You will need a "splat mat" under the high-chair though because it can be messy.

DS is really skilled with cutlery now and if I'm being lazy and giving him a baby meal - or if I do a cottage pie (I am a good mummy, honest!) - he doesn't use his fingers. He has learnt by copying us, we've never pushed anything, although I think nursery were keener on cutlery than we would have been.

You can start putting solid food in front of babies when you want, they won't eat it until they are ready. You can wait until you are ready too, either is fine, and you can do a mix of styles of feeding depending on what suits.

HTH.

[CrystalBoo]

We started DD a little early on solids (5 1/2m lol) and by 6m she was eating finger foods. I gave them at the end of a spoon meal, kind of like a treat, then it didn't matter if she actually ate any.
Some of her first ones were: avocado (nice big chunk that can be picked up), broccoli (a favourite for ages, I just bought frozen ones and zapped one at a time for about 40secs with a little water), watermelon or rockmelon (blotting them on paper towel makes the outside a little drier and easier to hold), sweet potato chunks, steamed/poached chicken in very small pieces ( I like thigh meat as it isn't as dry and seemed to go down easier), pumpkin/ zucchini/carrot/squash cooked really soft are also good. Hmm, that's all I remember of the first foods. I did try banana but she just didn't like until recently.

She took to everything really quite easily (and without teeth!) You probably know that you must supervise of course, but also, if they start to gag a little give them a moment to get it up on their own before panicking. This happened to us occasionally, but I never once had to help her.

I would say be careful of sultanas as they can be quite hard really. I still don't give apple any way except grated You will know when your child is ready for something.
Like Rosehip said, it's messy! (But oh so great when you can give them something to munch on in the stroller/shopping trolley/car seat! LOL)

Good luck. Oh and if you google wholesome baby food there is a good site with lots of info.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Oooh, something else to add - some children like cooked food, others raw. DS will come and "help" me cook by eating any raw onion and garlic he can get. He was screaming for raw butternut squash the other night... and ate it raw. He will have raw brocolli but not cooked.

I usually wedge his apples now, but he still goes in my bag to grab MY apple and eats half of it even with the skin.

Don't over-react to every cough. My mother does and DS will look at her and cough the second he goes in his high-chair now, and it takes AGES to get him out this habit after every visit.

[~clover~]

So what age did you guys start it??

Sacha - I had DD1 choke on a saltana at 3, so I'm a bit wary with them anyway.

Rosehip - DD1 has eaten raw potato since she was 18 months old!

Plus she loves fruit & vegies. She's easy that way, but fussy with everything else.
DD2 will eat anything thats not a vegie!

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

DS started himself around 5m old. I was VERY slow with it though because I wasn't comfortable with that, I was aiming for maybe 8-9m if possible. He was breastfed before every meal until 7m too, then he had a feed an hour before breakfast and dinner, then by 12m just 2 feeds a day. At about 9m I let him eat without a feed first and introduced more finger foods as snacks - he had started walking alone at this point and wasn't keen on sitting still for me.

[~clover~]

So what were the first things he had??
I had some broccoli, potato, & carrot cooked, but he fell asleep. I'll give them a go when he gets up though - if he does.

[Sammiejane]

I found this information that is worth while reading.
Also promoting waiting until 6mths til starting foods.

I didnt know that cows milk should not be used in foods until 12mths of age either...

http://www.inezhanson.com.au/Portals...0Naturally.pdf

[~clover~]

Really? I've always used cows milk in potato & weet bix & stuff.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

DS's first tastes were apple, apricot, banana, pear, raw onion and garlic (he used to sit on the worktop watching me cook and he ate anything he could grab), melon, steamed carrot, mashed potato...

He also LOVED cheese but it didn't love him so I cut that back until about 10m - I have been called cruel for not giving DS food he likes, for not giving him chocolate, my mother fed him ice-cream after being told no dairy, the health visitors kept telling me to give him more butter, cream and cheese because he needs the calories... tbh, just like the age of starting solids, the age of introducing individual foods should depend on the child. There's no right or wrong in doing this - unless you are pushing a food that upsets your child or they are refusing to eat.

The evidence for starting solids is that SOMEWHEN between 4-6m the baby's stomach is mature enough to take solid food. It varies with every child. If you start at 4m your baby probably isn't ready, if you start at 6m your baby will be. Some babies are ready at 4m, some are happy without for their first year. I did my best to hold off but tbh DS wasn't at all happy with that and couldn't stop wolfing down the solids once he figured out he could feed himself. It's up to the individual family to make up their own minds.

[Sammiejane]

yep - apparently should use EBM or formula (if you are using formula)

[~clover~]

Ok. I was just looking at the signs that your baby is ready. Jesse is doing everything except sitting up. ( I keep reminding myself that its normal!! My girls were only 5 & 4 months when they sat up!)
He's got a month til he's 6 months - so plenty of time to start sitting, but he is starting to hold himself for a few minutes.
Should I hold off just coz of the sitting thing?
He's always trying to take my food off me.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Skye, that's normal. I'd say let him have something in his hand. If he eats it and wants more (as opposed to gumming it and throwing it down) then start VERY slowly with solids. I always think it's better to be slow and cautious with things like food. You don't have to give him a roast dinner, just tiny tastes - tbh, he doesn't need much more as he still has his milk. With the sitting, he needs to be upright to eat so make sure he's on your lap or in a seat where he's supported so he can be upright.

[MantaRay]

SJ, Baby Led Solids (or Infant Led Weaning as it is otherwise known) is becoming more common. There is a good discussion on it here: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...o-i-start.html.

One of the things they say about it, is that mums tend to start following it instinctively with subsequent children. I found this to be true for me. Without having read about it yet, I almost totally skipped the pureed stage with DS2 and went straight to finger foods. He is, and always has been, a fantastic eater with both quantity and variety so it certainly didn't do him any harm!

[~clover~]

OK. I just gave him a few things, just to watch & see what happens.
The broccoli went straight in, but he wasn't expecting to have to swallow & gagged on it.
I think I'll put him off for a bit, or should I just try here & there to get him used to it. When I give him mashed foods he chews & swallows, but I think its coz he just saw it as playing, not eating that he didn't think to eat it - chew & swallow.
Maybe next time I try I'll make sure I'm eating too & get him to have stuff that I'm eating.

Rosehip - I know its normal. Just read that they are supposed to be sitting before they try solids. But then the age for introducing solids is 6 months, not long up from 4 & the average sitting age is 7 months, so I'm not too worried.
Just feels a bit wierd that he's not sitting yet when the girls were. I'll get over it!

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

The broccoli went straight in, but he wasn't expecting to have to swallow & gagged on it.

I had to laugh at this: whenever DS gets something new he tries to eat it and if it's new food he can foget to swallow sometimes too so you can see him wondering what to do next... it's not Duplo so it doesn't come out, but it is getting mushy in there... what next?

If he's gagging then wait a week or so and try again. Or keep with the mashed, it's what feels best to you: I've always done what feels right with DS and that worked well. Aside from the time I listened to DH and used the blender; DS wouldn't eat his favourite meal that night and screamed at the blender. Normally we only use it for cakes and he's fine then, just not when his sweet tomato and aubegine pasta is going in LOL.

[Sammiejane]

When to my Child and maternal health appointment today and spoke to them.
I have booked into the 'Starting Solids' talk and they show the DVD that has been put out on BLS and talk about that which i am really glad about.

DH and i have been speaking about it and we are going to wait until after the talk (next Friday) before starting anything. He is really keen for it
Health Nurse thinks that she is def. ready for it, but agrees that it would be good to hold off til after the talk.

[Ezz]

I give DS mashed foods for breakfast & lunch (usually fruit + yoghurt for breakfast; vegies & meat for lunch). At dinner time I let him feed himself finger foods - we have been doing this for a couple of weeks now. It does make an enormous mess (which is why I can only face doing it once a day! - he always needs a bath afterwards). I give him steamed vegies that are really soft. The test for softness: I make sure they are soft enough to squash between my tongue & the roof of my mouth, without chewing. So far, we have tried fingers of sweet potato, potato & pumpkin; florrets of broccoli & cauliflower (his favourite!); pieces of avocado (he found this a bit slippery to hold); green beans and toast (this got stuck in the roof of his mouth - I'm going to hold off for a little while before trying it again).