Well.. that didn't go quite as planned
Baby Led Weaning Diary
So... I had planned to start LO on baby led weaning on his 6 month birthday but as daddy had just reconverted big brother's high chair ready to start his BLW journey and daddy was around to witness the event - we started early.
Day 1 - It was all very last minute and as we were having carrots as part of our family dinner we steamed some carrot batons. Big brother wanted LO to be sat right next to him. Not just near but side by side - with no gap in between. So sweet you might think but we forgot big brother loves carrots. I was busy filming the big moment whilst telling big brother to stop stealing his brother's carrots. Poor baby didn't have a chance. He grabbed and ate at least half the sticks. Daddy suggested to put a carrot stick in LO's mouth! I had to explain the concept of BLW. In all this commotion no wonder LO got frustrated. He didn't manage to grab any carrots let alone taste anything.
For day 2 - dinner was rather rushed as we got back home late. Daddy prepared carrot slices. He thought LO could work on his pincer grip.... I politely told him it was a little too early as LO has yet to learn to grip with his hands let alone his finger tips - lol. and yup - daddy still hasn't had time to read anything on BLW.
Day 3 - big brother was at nursery and daddy was at work. I wanted a late morning snack and grabbed a banana. LO looked really interested so I put a few pieces onto his mat. Best try yet! He managed to grab a piece a few times and nicely smeared it over the mat and almost got to taste it too!
Day 4 - I thought we should try something different just in case LO wasn't keen on carrots. Daddy was off again and I think he had his selective hearing switched on again and steamed carrot batons were back on the menu. When asked whether the carrots were cool enough for baby daddy replied 'I think so - here have a feel'. The carrots were still crunchy! I had to explain that they should be soft enough so it can be squished (otherwise there's a choking hazard). As the carrots had to go back in the steamer there was time to dish up everybody's dinner. LO seemed much less frustrated and was able to pick at his carrots for the duration of our meal. It all seemed a lot calmer and he seemed to enjoy playing with his food. It may be because this time we all sat down to dinner at the same time. Big brother still managed to steal some carrots but without disturbing baby too much. Perhaps giving him too much attention on the first few occasions was too much for LO especially considering most of the time our attention is on big brother trying to keep him from jumping on baby!
Lessons learned:
-plan the time of day you're going to feed baby
-quiet environment without older siblings around
-give daddy some articles to read on baby led weaning
Menu:
Day 1&2: steamed carrots
Day 3: banana pieces
Day 4&5: steamed carrots
Onco Baby Bamboo Bowl and Spoon Set
Useful links: