A Messy New World - Solid Food

I still haven't figured out how to post videos - apparently, they need to be converted to a different format first. But, I decided to update anyway. 

Nathaniel, now 6 months old, is getting very good at sitting on his own. He will sit and play with a toy for about 10 or 15 minutes before he leans too far and needs some propping again. Still hates tummy time. When he tries to roll over, he gets one arm wedged in the wrong position and gets stuck. That's usually when the tears start. It seems that he is happiest standing with Mommy or Daddy holding his hands. And jumping. He LOVES jumping in his exersaucer. 

We've also started playing with food. He's been eating pablum and pureed vegetables for about 6 weeks. Click here to see him trying pablum for the first time. 

Recently, I came across something called Baby Led Weaning (BLW). The idea is that a baby's oral and motor skills develop at the same pace as his or her digestive system, making pureed food an unnecessary step. If the wee one can pick up a piece of food and get to his mouth, he is developmentally ready to digest it. You start with food cut into sticks so the baby can palm it. As the pincer grasp develops, foods like peas can be introduced without a fear of choking. (For a full description and studies supporting the theory, check out the links at the left.) Therefore, the baby weans himself as he slowly manages to get more food into his mouth and down the hatch. I asked Nathaniel's pediatrician about it and she said it made sense to her so go for it. 

Now, since he had already been eating purees for a few weeks, our approach is not the purist BLW way, but more of a hybrid. When we reach the point in a meal where most of his food is on the floor or his face, I offer him some oatmeal if he's still hungry. To date, Nate has tried and enjoyed sweet potatoes, avocado, banana, carrots, pears, peaches, potatoes, bread, green beans, broccoli, chicken and apple. He tends to gag about once per meal which is perfectly normal in BLW and attributed to the learning process. The theory stresses that gagging and choking are very different things. That said, he tried a piece of cantaloupe in a restaurant last week and gagged so we don't eat finger foods in public for the time being - it seems to raise eyebrows.

I will post videos of him eating in the near future.