When our son turned 6 months, we celebrated the change of pace by starting to offer him solids. We were so excited to begin this process (maybe because we love food so much!) and yet, we had no idea where to start and what "method" to use. Why does everything seem to have a "method" behind it? Can I just say that every baby is different because every human is different. What works for one may not work for another and that's okay!
So, when my husband and I were on the brink of starting solids with our son, I found two IG accounts that blew my mind (in the most awesome way - I will link the accounts below)
Three distinct ways I knew he was ready for solids:
He was 6 months
He was sitting up relatively well on his own (not perfect but wasn't falling over in his booster seat)
He was constantly wanting to grab the food we were eating and was super fussy for 2-3 weeks whenever he would see us eating!
Baby Led Weaning --> an approach to starting your baby on solids that simplifies food, allows your baby to learn how to chew and builds confidence in your precious little one.
I would never do it any other way! Did we do purees? Yes. But only for about a week and then we gave him one new food to try 5x a week and then repeated foods on the weekends and throughout the new week.
Did he "choke" a few times? Yes. But he has gradually learned how to swallow sitting up, how much food to put in his mouth and how to cough up food. (We were also prepared to know what to do in the case of him not being able to cough up food)
Jedidiah LOVES food!
And meal times are such an enjoyable experience in our home =)
First food he tried was AVOCADO and he has loved it ever since!
First 10 foods he tried:
Avocado
Sweet potato
Chicken
Banana
Yogurt
Broccoli (does not like)
Apple
Peanut Puffs
Turkey
Oatmeal
Other foods he has had the past 2 months:
* peas
* cilantro
* eggplant (does not like)
* garlic
* kale (smoothie)
* celery
* cucumber
* corn (corn muffin)
* brussel sprouts
* onion
* bell peppers
* squash
* pumpkin
* carrots
* asparagus
* butternut squash
* sweet potato
* potato
* barley
* brown rice
* quinoa
* bread
* pancake
* pasta
* couscous
* oatmeal
* avocado
* tomato (got a slight rash on face)
* orange
* pineapple
* mango
* apples
* cantaloupe
* applesauce
* rasberries (does not like)
* blueberries (smoothie and muffin)
* strawberries (smoothie)
* pear
* peanut
* lentils (soup)
* black beans
* tilapia (does not like)
* pork
* ground beef
* eggs (scrambled and hard boiled)
* clementine
We have loved the adventure of Jedidiah exploring food on his own while building confidence that he can feed himself!
If you are on the brink of starting solids or already have but need some guidance, I highly recommend the baby led weaning approach! Do your own research, try it and see what happens. Your little one may just surprise you!
Have an awesome day!
~Hope