No rice cereal or pureed food for us...
We are doing BLW.
A sweet friend of mine suggested I read this book.
Im sold.
It makes SO much sense!
Basically, baby skips the whole rice cereal/pureed food and starts solids when she is ready... typically 6 months or so.
She will eat what we eat... kinda.
She will eat w/her hands...
She controls her portions...
After all, she is breastfed and controls her portions and feeds her self now...
why would we change to spoon-feeding her?
So once she shows the signs that she is ready...
sitting up on her own, grabbing food and putting it toward her mouth...
we will start giving her fruits and veggies... in nice finger-sized portions for her to experiment with.
She may just put them in her mouth and play with them til she learns to chew and swallow... but that is perfectly fine. The have stores of nutrients from conception in their systems that at 6 months, they don't NEED anything other than breast milk for their primary source of nutrients anyway.
The books explains how the whole process works and it's wonderful.
The learn to love food.
Since she is breastfed, she is already used to different tastes, since my milk changes w/every feed depending on what I've eaten.
Also, breastfed babies learn to chew quicker b/c the way a breastfed baby jaw works at the breast is similar to chewing, not sucking through a straw like the feeding motion done by a bottle fed baby.
This is what happens with BLW.
1. the baby sits w/the family during meal time... seeing what everyone is doing.. then she become curious and wants to mimic when she is ready.
2. She is encouraged to explore food as soon as she is interested... by picking it up w/her hands.
3. Food is offered in pieces that are size and shape that the baby can handle easily
4. She feeds herself from the start.
5. It is up to the baby how much she eats and how quickly she widens her range of foods she enjoys.
6. The baby continues to have milk feeds whenever she wants them and decides when she is ready to reduce them.
Milk feeds are the most important single source of nourishment for a baby under a year old. If a baby is given too much food, her appetite for milk feeds will decrease.
So that is just a lil bit from the book about Baby Lead Weaning.
If you have questions or are curious about it, please email me at
ambie04@gmail.com
I'd be happy to go into more detail.
We are really excited about starting this in a few months.
She already sits w/us during mealtime in her bumbo and is already watching us like crazy while we eat.
It should be a lot of fun...
I have some photos to share!!
A lil recap of our photos from this past week.
Love this lil bit...
and a lil American Crafts love...
Im happy to be finally enjoying playing w/paper and scissors and thickers again.
Her naps make it all possible.
Her morning naps are from 2-3 hours... so that helps!
Well, I've got a layout on the table of photos of her at the hospital.. .so we'll see if I can make anything from them today.
xo
We are doing BLW.
A sweet friend of mine suggested I read this book.
Im sold.
It makes SO much sense!
Basically, baby skips the whole rice cereal/pureed food and starts solids when she is ready... typically 6 months or so.
She will eat what we eat... kinda.
She will eat w/her hands...
She controls her portions...
After all, she is breastfed and controls her portions and feeds her self now...
why would we change to spoon-feeding her?
So once she shows the signs that she is ready...
sitting up on her own, grabbing food and putting it toward her mouth...
we will start giving her fruits and veggies... in nice finger-sized portions for her to experiment with.
She may just put them in her mouth and play with them til she learns to chew and swallow... but that is perfectly fine. The have stores of nutrients from conception in their systems that at 6 months, they don't NEED anything other than breast milk for their primary source of nutrients anyway.
The books explains how the whole process works and it's wonderful.
The learn to love food.
Since she is breastfed, she is already used to different tastes, since my milk changes w/every feed depending on what I've eaten.
Also, breastfed babies learn to chew quicker b/c the way a breastfed baby jaw works at the breast is similar to chewing, not sucking through a straw like the feeding motion done by a bottle fed baby.
This is what happens with BLW.
1. the baby sits w/the family during meal time... seeing what everyone is doing.. then she become curious and wants to mimic when she is ready.
2. She is encouraged to explore food as soon as she is interested... by picking it up w/her hands.
3. Food is offered in pieces that are size and shape that the baby can handle easily
4. She feeds herself from the start.
5. It is up to the baby how much she eats and how quickly she widens her range of foods she enjoys.
6. The baby continues to have milk feeds whenever she wants them and decides when she is ready to reduce them.
Milk feeds are the most important single source of nourishment for a baby under a year old. If a baby is given too much food, her appetite for milk feeds will decrease.
So that is just a lil bit from the book about Baby Lead Weaning.
If you have questions or are curious about it, please email me at
ambie04@gmail.com
I'd be happy to go into more detail.
We are really excited about starting this in a few months.
She already sits w/us during mealtime in her bumbo and is already watching us like crazy while we eat.
It should be a lot of fun...
I have some photos to share!!
A lil recap of our photos from this past week.
Love this lil bit...
and a lil American Crafts love...
Im happy to be finally enjoying playing w/paper and scissors and thickers again.
Her naps make it all possible.
Her morning naps are from 2-3 hours... so that helps!
Well, I've got a layout on the table of photos of her at the hospital.. .so we'll see if I can make anything from them today.
xo
love the layout!! I had no idea there was a book on this, but this is exactly what we have done with our girls. our baby girl (3 months), will do the same! my second did not show any interest in solids until 11 months, she was exclusively breastfed. when she started foods, she would just eat what we ate. she never ate baby cereal, jarred foods, etc. I think it is a wonderful experience for the 'lil one! :)
Posted by: Danielle Calhoun | July 08, 2009 at 01:34 PM
Same thing here! I have 4 kids and they all started eating when they were ready... The first 2 it was a little sooner but the last 2 didn't ate before almost 1 year and 10 months. Before taht time, any piece of food in their mouth would make them throw... :S
A lot of people arond us were skeptical and a bit worry for my baby! But I knew they weren't ready and that MY milk was the best for them... ;)
You'll see this will be great moments when she'll be ready! (and sooooo great for the parents to not carry baby food everytime you go out!).
Posted by: Manon Dufour | July 08, 2009 at 01:50 PM
We did BLS too, and even though my mother-in-law thought the kids would choke to death, they're both great eaters who regularly ask for more vegetables at dinner.
You'll do fine with Josie, especially once you see just hard it is for the babies to choke. They tend to spit out pieces of food that they can't chew or are too big. That said, they do gag a bit, which is tough to watch, but reassuring to know that their bodies do what they're supposed to!
Posted by: Amy | July 08, 2009 at 05:54 PM
I love the pictures, they are soooo precious! My son never ate baby food either, he didn't like any it! He just ate whatever we ate, his favorite was strawberry yogurt. He loved different soups too. :)
Posted by: Pam Shelton | July 08, 2009 at 08:02 PM
How great is that book?? Loved it. We are totally sold on doing this w/ Keaton, too.
Josie is crazy adorable, btw!
Posted by: Nisa | July 08, 2009 at 08:23 PM
Charlotte only had baby food for a month or 2. She was pretty much EBF until 9 or 10 months. But she has always loved Oat meal, from the first time she tried it, and when she was 9 mos and waking up still at night the oatmeal was a blessing :) I'll have to read that book for the next time around! (hopefully soon!) Sweet pictures!! She's growing into such a cutie! You really have a beautful girl!
Posted by: Beth Wehmeyer | July 09, 2009 at 12:37 AM
Oh thanks for this info Amber, I think I will check it out!
Those photos are adorable! I need some photo taking and editing tips for getting great shots of Kieran. Hey, there's an idea for an online class! lol
Posted by: Francine | July 09, 2009 at 04:37 AM
Ok I am here to say that with my son I did not take this aproach to his eating. I was scared that he would choke and so I didn't let him eat anything for like...ever. My daughter who is now 6 started eating everything that we did right away and she is the BEST eater. She will eat any fruit or veggie laid in front of her and she prefers them to junk 99.9% of the time. So even though I don't comment often I do read and I HAD to pop in to tell you. Yes! Let her eat real food:)
LOVE the LO and those pics are BEAUTIFUL!!
Posted by: Melonie | July 09, 2009 at 07:36 AM
i like this approach amber. i have never heard of blw before, but that is pretty much how i fed hayden. with him i knew that he didn't need to start eating at 4 months "just because" and i nursed him, he started messing with real food between 6 & 8 months, never ate baby food (he didn't like it even when i tried out of convenience like eating out) and to date he is my best eater!
i don't know what your book has to say about the "baby safe feeder" but i really loved that thing. especiallly when teething. you just pop in some grapes, cantaloupe or seedless watermelon, throw it in the freezer for about 10 minutes and then she will have something cold and juicy to gnaw on to soothe her gums and give her a healthy and natural treat!
Posted by: sherrivonl | July 09, 2009 at 08:54 AM
Hey Amber! Just popping in to say how adorable little Josie is. Those big blue eyes are just the cutest thing ever. Thanks for sharing the pics with us!
Posted by: Amber V | July 09, 2009 at 09:25 AM
I have been reading a lot about making my own baby food but had not really heard of this. Very neat stuff. I googled it and have been reading great things about it. I really like the idea. (It will also inspire me to cook better :o) Where did you get the book? I can't find it available anywhere.
I wish I would have had the blog world with my boys. So much information out there that I would have never known about!
Posted by: Michelle Woods | July 09, 2009 at 10:04 AM
Matthew and I have a friend who has done this. I think it is great, particularly since Josie isn't in day care. I was amazed by how quickly Elias went from pureed food to table food anyway, so if it doesn't pan out, pureeing goes by fast. He eats whatever we eat now - even Italian salad!
Posted by: Jessica Turner | July 09, 2009 at 10:42 AM
She's SO super cute, and getting so big!
I love that you are doing BLW. What a great idea. It totally makes sense. Thanks for sharing the pictures!
Posted by: Kristin Soeder | July 09, 2009 at 01:31 PM
We did the same with our kids. It makes life SO MUCH easier and kids SO MUCH healthier. Rice cereal fills them up on something, when they are much better off with mama's milk. Good for you. :)
Posted by: Beverly | July 09, 2009 at 01:44 PM
Great idea!! Rice cereal is such a waste of time!! Love the new pics, she is turning into a beautiful little young lady!!
Posted by: Amy | July 09, 2009 at 01:59 PM
I had no idea they had a name for this! Its what we did with all our kids and they are excellent eaters. Most of them didn't start eating until 8 or 9 months. Love the pics and the layout!!
Posted by: ashlee | July 09, 2009 at 11:39 PM
what a cute baby! so adorable... =)
Posted by: liveabeautifulife | July 10, 2009 at 01:11 AM
wonderful!!! your page is adorable!!
Posted by: karmele | July 10, 2009 at 08:56 AM
Are you trying out for American Crafts? You totally should! I think it would be a good fit for you. :)
Posted by: Mandi | July 10, 2009 at 02:08 PM
Amber ... I'm happy to read all the info about BLW. It's what I did with our three boys (who are now 4, 8, and 10) ... but I didn't know there was a name or book for it! :) They are all excellent eaters now. Sushi sits atop the list of their favorites.
Also, I think that BLW can help with food allergies. Often times babies have so many food allergies because foods are introduced too quickly and in too much quantity.
Yay for your sweet Josephine! She's a lucky baby to have you for a mama! CUTE PAGE too, by the way!
Posted by: alex hardy | July 11, 2009 at 05:24 PM
so sweet!! (and I LOVE that you didn't over do the eyes-i'm so over that)...beautiful!
this books sounds awesome, my 3rd and last is 18months, and this totally makes sense. kindof how i always did things, but would have helped 8-1/2 years ago when i was a new mom at home with my little one and getting all kinds of (mostly bad) advice making me question everything that i did. and causing a whole hell of a lot of debate with family/friends/docs & a lot of worry for me. glad that i stuck with what i felt was right! totally believe in this philosophy! believe in yourself, you know what's best for YOUR baby and continued good luck on your journey in mommyhood.
Posted by: Susan D. | July 17, 2009 at 09:46 AM
i'm sooo excited to see your scrappy pages again. you were the reason i joined SIS and have scrapped so much in the last year and a half. and what a GORGEOUS subject to scrap.
your girl is just too cute.
i'm definitely keeping this book and concept in mind for the future when my hubs and i have children. i like it.
thanks!
Posted by: shaina | July 17, 2009 at 05:16 PM
i am SO glad you liked the book, we've had such a positive experience with BLW, it just makes sense :) eeek, excited to someday see those first foods photos.
i think India's first foods were apple slices, pesto pasta (penne) and rice cakes with hummus :)
love x
Posted by: amelia | July 22, 2009 at 08:14 PM