Baby Lead Weaning

So there is this concept referred to as baby led weaning. It is very intriguing to me, but we haven't implemented it. I have however started implementing aspects of it. With baby led weaning, you skip purees for the most part, and start your baby on the same first foods that you would with purees only they are in finger size foods and you let your baby feed themselves. I would love to do this 100% of the time, but there are a lot of things to work around. First, we did start with purees and Devin really likes the variety of things that she has been trying. I think it is great that she is getting to try a lot of fruits and veggies and we can also tell what she likes and dislikes when we are feeding her. She is still getting used to solids and gags a lot. I have read enough now to know that this is totally normal and actually very healthy. Chris on the other hand, he gets really excited when she picks something up and starts self feeding, but he freaks out when she gags on things. She isn't choking, just gagging, and she did this on purees in the beginning too, he has just forgotten.

So the past few weeks, he feeds her her purees each night which usually consist of a fruit and a veggie. Then I giver her a finger food size something to eat. She has gotten puffs, avocado, banana, zucchini and watermelon. By the time she is done eating she usually isn't even interested in the "solid" foods we give her to play with. Last weekend though, I gave her some watermelon to suck on. She really seemed to like it. So then I gave her some more at my mom's and again, she really liked it. So I brought a few pieces home with me and gave her some last night after her meal and she went for it!

Of course, after awhile she started biting bigger pieces off (with those two bottom teeth coming through :)) and gagging and as soon as I turned away, and Chris saw the opportunity to sneak by, he had it in the trash! :) Typical overprotective dad!

This was the first time though that she really got it. Today she really tried to eat her puffs as well as her banana that I gave her when usually she isn't very interested at all. She has gotten some small bites in her mouth and I see her slowly adjusting to the chunkier foods rather than the purees.

From July 09

From July 09

From July 09

From July 09

Chris got some really really cute pics of it but he is still learning to use our new camera and they were all out of focus. :( She looks like a pro though doesn't she?