Baby Led Solids

When we started feeding Vera solids, I was a little conflicted about what to do.  I knew I didn’t want to buy commercial baby food (expensive!), but I heard two perspectives on homemade baby food.  The first school of thought is to make purees (ahead of time or on a weekly basis) using whole, real foods.  The second school of thought (typically called baby led weaning, though “baby led solids” is a better term) is to feed your baby what you eat, just in smaller pieces… i.e., skip the purees altogether and just give her real food.

I definitely love the concept of baby led weaning since it fosters dexterity (they feed themselves instead of being spoonfed), independence, and healthy eating habits (they have more control over how much they eat and can stop when they are full). 

I started out making purees for Vera, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t needed.  We just started giving her solid foods that she could handle (avocados, bananas, sweet potatoes, etc.) and just let her make a grand mess of things.  Cue the archival photo (aw)…

Vera at six months

Today, Vera is a wonderful eater.  She eats off of a plate using a fork or spoon (most of the time).  She eats a wide variety of foods and is almost always willing to try something new.  She recently told one of her grandmothers that one of her favorite foods is hummus!  Of course there are foods she does not care for, but overall she is really adventurous and eats really well.  (I’ll do a post soon on what her typical meals look like.)

When it came time to start Cordelia on solids, I wanted to wait until I knew she was really ready.  We started giving her cooked egg yolks and avocado when she was around 7.5 months, and we’ve been slowly introducing more foods as she is ready.

Cordelia at 7.5 months

An ebook that has particularly shaped my perspective recently is Breast to Bib by Kate Tietje of Modern Alternative Mama.  This ebook is informative AND includes a bunch of great recipes (over 25) for babies and toddlers (and many, in my opinion, for the whole family)!

The book includes a very helpful section on breastfeeding, tips on increasing your supply, and guidance for making homemade formula. This book, as the title indicates, also talks about transitioning from exclusively breastfeeding to feeding solids.
 
This ebook answered some of my questions like:
-How do I know if my baby is ready for solids?
-Why isn’t it a good idea to put rice cereal in a baby’s bottle?
-What are the most nutritious solid foods to feed my baby? (the answers surprised me!)
-Does my breastfed baby need vitamin D supplements?
-How do I transition her from eating pieces of avocado to table food (i.e., eating what we’re eating)?

I already tried one of the recipes in the book (chocolate pudding) and served it to company last week!  Vera loved it and I’m sure Cordelia will when she’s a bit older!  I’m looking forward to trying the recipes for guacamole, popcorn chicken, and chocolate hazelnut balls. 

Breast to Bib really helped clarify some things for me and has helped me get on the right track with feeding my baby and my toddler whole, real, nourishing foods!  You can purchase Breast to Bib for $8.95.

Disclosure: I received a copy of Breast to Bib to facilitate this review.  I am an affiliate of Modern Alternative Mama and will earn a small percentage of the sale if you choose to purchase this ebook using the above links.  My opinions are still my own.