In all that someplace we heard a rumor that maybe the current best practice for starting babies on solids may not include purees. So we had to get a book about it all and read it through. It's called "Baby Led Weaning" It was an interesting read--the method is so different than we usually do these days--so different than we did with the boys, but it really makes sense.
Basically it says that all babies really need for about the first year is breast milk anyway, and when we stuff them full of purees it doesn't teach them to eat the way they really need to--self regulate fullness, explore tastes and textures, etc. So the recommendation is to just start giving babies solids, and if they can pick them up and knaw on them that's great. They'll only end up actually ingesting a bit of the food, but they'll end up actually eating a little more every time they try. And they'll get to try a bunch of different things which should help them be better eaters in the end.
Well, really there's more to it than that, but that's my understanding of it in a nutshell I guess.
ANYWAY. So far since Sunday Lucy has held and chewed on/sucked on:
a plain waffle
apple sticks
toast
a banana
Yes, it makes me very nervous that she's going to choke, but the book says that babies gag reflexes happen much higher up on the tongue than adults, so there's a lot of warning before a baby actually chokes. And the food is much more likely to just get pushed out by their tongue than to end up way back in their throats anyway.
She's totally enjoying it. And really, who wouldn't rather feed themselves and get all soggy, sticky and disgusting rather than let a parent stuff mushed up food into your face while keeping you clean and tidy.
She only ate about a pinch of this banana, but she sure had fun working on it.
She's just getting too big too fast, it's killing me!
3 comments:
keeping the babies clean and tidy? While you're spoon feeding them? Since when? Isn't it more likely that you'll end up shoving a pile of prunes into an ear? Or that you'll end up with it down inside the chair, or in someone's hair? So there's no downside to this. But all the stuff she was gnawing on is carby, which might not be so swell. Then again, what do they put into those purees? I made my own mashed up broccoli and stuff, and not one of you ended up hating it. Cammon hates BONES, and there were none of those in the food I mashed up for you guys. He did, however, turn against yams. So - maybe that was a problem.
I think that babies are pretty resilient. If they weren't, there wouldn't be so many of them driving by now. But gosh the kids are beautiful. And I really, really miss them.
She really is getting big so fast, like you say. I love the food idea. Great banana shots. wonderful expressions
That is mega cute!
Laura has been reading that book as well and telling me about it!
But just FYI, she was reading it before we knew that you were. We can't let anyone think that our hipness is just a copy of yours!
Except, your hipness is so cool our efforts are in vain anyway.
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