We're trying something called Baby-Led Weaning, or BLW. In this case, "weaning" doesn't mean "weaning off of breast milk," but rather "weaning onto food." The idea is that babies can handle appropriately sized and prepared whole foods and don't need to be spoon-fed purees. It's supposed to foster independence and adventurous eating because baby chooses what she wants to eat and figures out how to eat it. Something about it intrigues me, so we're giving it a go. We're supposed to start with finger-shaped fruits and vegetables, because babies can pick them up and still have a bit to eat sticking out of their little fists.
We decided to start with pieces of avocado. Nice and soft, and mild-flavored.
Abby was all ready!
I don't think she knew quite what she was ready for, though! She didn't really acknowledge anything in front of her, at first, so I tried handing it to her. She just squished it in her fist. Kevin's mom offered Abby a piece on her finger, which Abby seemed to enjoy. After wiping her own mouth (really!), she picked up a more solid piece of avocado and gnawed on it. I don't know how much she really ended up eating, though - I was unable to detect any evidence in the diaper! But that doesn't mean that she didn't get any - she did get to taste it, at any rate. And, for now, food is all about exploration for her.
Since then, we've tried steamed broccoli (good because it has a handle!), cucumber, banana, steamed asparagus, and boiled potato. She's not terribly interested in any of it. She just looks at us, clearly wondering what happened to the toys we used to keep on her high chair tray during meals. She was perfectly happy to stick those in her mouth and gnaw on them, but regards the foods much more warily. It takes a lot of encouragement - like putting the food in her hand and guiding it to her mouth - to get her to try it. She has seemed to enjoy gnawing on cucumbers and potatoes, and licking banana goo.
The look on Abby's face in the first photo is absolutely priceless.
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