BLW

Avocado

Cucumber

Bell pepper

Asparagus

Chicken

Broccoli

Hummus

Sweet potato

Tomato

Mango

Banana

Waffles

Apple

Peaches

Watermelon

Eggplant

Toast

Butter

Carrots

Applesauce

Greek yogurt

Puffs

Cantaloupe

Green beans

Black beans

Tortilla

Eggs

Strawberries

Yellow squash

That's a list of everything Owen has eaten (I may have forgotten a few things). I puréed NOTHING. I spoon fed him NOTHING. All I did was put the food on the tray. I mean, obviously I sliced up most things and cleaned all of the produce. I cooked some of the veggies, but not all of them. He loves everything! I only used seasoning (onion powder) on the eggplant. If I sautéed something I used real butter. I steamed some of the veggies too. The best part is that he feeds himself. He chooses what to eat and how much.

I first learned about Baby Led Weaning on Pinterest. I saw a picture of an adorable little baby gnawing on a corn cob. I started reading blog after blog about what BLW is and why it's so great. It makes perfect sense. When introducing food to your baby, why would you teach them to swallow before they learn to chew? And why would you shove anonymous slop into your baby's mouth without them even knowing what it was? Just because some big brand says it's baby food doesn't mean that's all a baby can eat. Imagine for a minute that someone has a spoon full of goo and without telling you what it was they just put it in your mouth. ...yeah, gross. I'd spit it out too. Owen gets to investigate his food before eating it and recognizes foods he really likes.

Here's tonight's dinner for Owen:

Avocado slices, orange bell pepper, hummus, sweet potato, and grape tomatoes. And he'll get some watermelon for "dessert". He's starting to learn how to dip foods, but he usually misses and dips his fingers instead. It gets messy.

There's a Baby Led Weaning book that helped a lot when starting out. He's only been eating solid food for 2 months and I still go back to the book for tips.

Owens pediatrician didn't even know what BLW was and recited her speech on starting purées at his 6 month appointment. I told her I wasn't doing any purées and she give me a very confused look and told me to do purées anyway. I honestly can't wait for his 9 month check up to tell her we never did purées. Oh, and I didn't do 1 new food at a time. I think I'll just bring the list of food he's had and show her. Can't wait to see her face after that!

Here's what's left of Owens dinner: