BLW question

[sarahr]

We're slowly starting to introduce solids foods, but I'm hoping to avoid the whole mush stage. DS (6 months) isn't very good at holding things or picking things up, so I'm still willing to hold him.

His favorite food (so far) has been nectarine. I was eating one with DS in his lap and he practically grabbed it from me. I held it to his mouth and he ate almost the whole thing by sucking on it.

Bananas and avocado were not successful, I think because there was no juice for him to suck on.

What can I try next? And how can I offer vegetables (neither I nor dd really like cooked vegetables, so we mostly eat raw, which I don't think DS can handle)?

[Knitting Mama]

If you want to do BLW, I would suggest that you wait until he is able to pick things up on his own. 6 months, according to my ped who is VERY big on BLW, is more of a suggestion than a rule. She says that it's more important that the baby be able to sit independently and have a pincer grasp.

As for veggies, definitely steam them until they are soft.

[Cujobunny]

Can he sit up on his own? If not, don't give him solids yet. If so, just put some little soft chunks on the table in front of him. When he starts to pick them up and put them in his mouth, he's ready. Most stuff you will have to cook (steam or bake), they will have to be soft.

Sweet potatoes are good, small cubes or long thin chunks he can hold. My dd loved broccoli but WOW what a mess

[HappyMonkey]

Our little girl is almost 8 months old now. She started grabbing food a week or two before 6 months and has been sitting on her own easily since then. She started with things like cucumber, (I peeled rounds and took the seeds out for her) and has progressed to:
* apple
* nectarine and peaches
* celery sticks
* plums
* red and yellow pepper
* semi dehydrated broccoli and sweet potato (in a dehydrator so they are softened)
* nori sheets - she loves to tear them up and eat them
* wild berries (thimbleberries, blackberries and raspberries we pick while we walk with her)
* cut in half grapes and cherries (pits removed)
* she's even had sun riped strong black olives and loved them

She's happy. She doens't eat loadss, but snacks on things many times a day, usually in the grass or on a big plastic sheet in the house naked so she can really get into things and enjoy them. After we usually have a quick rinse standing in the sink or have a bath together. It's working really well for me.

Family is concerned that she's not eating 'proper' meals especially carbs, but I think she's doing fabulous!

She has occasionally coughed things up that get sticked in her throat (small gagging sounds) and once ejected a HUGE stomach full of mil in an effort to move a piece of grape skin out of the back of her mouth. I've never felt she's been in any danger and it certainly hasn't bothered her. We do preframe family though to let them know those sounds are normal and not to be concerned.

I LOVE BLW.. .it's certainly feeling very natural and easy too.

FYI everything has been raw.. nothing cooked.

[tzs]

a really easy "veggie" that just happens to be in season now is corn on the cob. a big hunk of one is great to grab and gnaw on.
watermelon was also one of the easiest first foods because it's not so super mushy like avo or banana so she couldn;t squish it to pieces. watch out for big bites though. in the beginning i had to fish some pretty big chunks out of her mouth.
cucumbers cut into lengths were easy.
corkscrew pastas were the easiest and you can add any type of sauce and it sticks really well in the nooks.
oh man...while i was typing she got into the dog food. ugh!

[cocoanib]

Originally Posted by HappyMonkey

She's happy. She doens't eat loadss, but snacks on things many times a day, usually in the grass or on a big plastic sheet in the house naked so she can really get into things and enjoy them. After we usually have a quick rinse standing in the sink or have a bath together. It's working really well for me.

So cute!
This is the direction we're going in.
DD is 5 months and a week or so and tries little things here and there.