BLW: More Fun with Food

So we have been giving Ella more foods to try, usually one new food a week once a day or once every other day. So far she's had: bananas, avocados, broccoli, apple, and carrots. I finally got my copy of Baby-led Weaning by Rapley and have read about half of it. She does address special needs babies in one section I've read so far.

Babies who have delayed development, muscle weakness or physical deformities of the mouth, hands, arms or back (such as Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy or spina bifida) may do better with spoon-feeding, or with a combination of spoon-feeding and finger foods. However, finger foods shouldn't be ruled out for these babies since they can sometimes be an ideal way to help them develop precisely those skills that they find difficult. Some babies with digestive disorders may need special foods that can't be made into suitable shapes for self-feeding but again, this shouldn't prevent them from having their other foods this way.

In general, all babies of six months or more should be encouraged to explore food with their hands and have a go at feeding themselves as soon as they appear interested. However, if your baby was born prematurely or has particular medical or physical problems, you should seek advice from your baby's pediatrician, dietitian and/or speech and language therapist before deciding whether to use BLW as the only method for introducing your baby to solid foods.

I'll let you know if it comes up again in the book.

For Ella's veggies, I have been putting a few easy-to-handle sized pieces of fresh veggie in a dish with a bit of water, cover it & microwave for 4 mins. This is enough to steam them soft but not mushy. I do not season or butter them, let it cool a bit then give them to her on her highchair.

"Hey, there's something new here."


"Mommy always says I have carrots growing in my ear. Is that where this goes?"


"No, it looks like Mommy is putting them in her mouth."


"Hmm, it's a bit odd."


"Hey, I kinda like it!"


And because you never get too old to have fun with food, I tried a tip I read on Me? A Mom? to get Aidan to eat his bread crusts.



What a hit! He just loved it and gobbled it up then asked for another! hee hee! Thanks, Cara!