https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:47:36 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867736 Sun, 20 Jan 2019 17:24:48 +0000 lady baltimore 2867736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You have gotten a lot of good suggestions already. We started BLW right at 6 months, so DD went straight from breast milk to table food. Contrary to what many people have said, I found it better to give LO large pieces of food in the early going. She was able to grasp it better (which may be less of an issue with a slightly older baby), and holding onto and gnawing at a large strip of steak or chunk of chewy bread seemed to counter the urge to stuff her face. When I cooked vegetables, I aimed for al dente for similar reasons. </p> <p>I agree with others, just give fewer pieces when feeding smaller, "stuffable" items. LO got used to us making her show us an empty mouth before we'd give her more food.</p> <p>I also found it really helpful to watch (and show DH and the grandparents) BLW gagging videos on YouTube. Knowing what to expect made trusting LO to figure things out less scary. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867640 Sun, 20 Jan 2019 08:25:55 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2867640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Solids with DS1 were a bit rough like you mentioned with stuffing too much food in his mouth. We had 3 episodes close to/actually choking that are still burned in my mind. DW had to grab him and hit him on the back and he puked and it was horrible. So I get your apprehension and also your DW and others. I’m nervous to do solids with DS2 and he’s just 4 months old! I was all about the BLW but we had to do small bits of food for quite a while and bowls of oatmeal like consistency stuff that he could lick off his hands or attempt using a spoon. It was just too scary once we had a couple episodes. All the above mentioned foods we had good success with but we had to cut into small pieces and give only 2 or 3 at a time and do a chew chew chew song for quite a while. Maybe you could start each feeding time with something your kid really likes and easily eats so they aren’t so frantic hungry and then move onto other things that require a bit more concentration and hopefully less stuffing of the face. Something to take the edge off so to say. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867639 Sun, 20 Jan 2019 08:11:50 +0000 snarkybiochemist 2867639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Petitduck: I would make them for both E and I, they were really good.<br /> @Mrs. Turtle: My doc mentioned that it's not going to be super harmful for a baby to get both purees and table foods. If your wife and mom are going to be too freaked out by the possibility of gagging leading to choking then have them stick with purees while you work on table foods and having N learn to not stuff her face. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867626 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 23:24:41 +0000 Pollywog 2867626@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Turtle: so my kid is obsessed with this basting brush. He wants to chew it all of the time. When he stuffs his face too full I hand him the brush while singing "chew, chew, chew your food. You can chew your food". He then starts spitting out the footto get the brush.</p> <p>My husband and daycare were really resistant. I would leave them with silicone mesh feeders. Daycare got over it when they saw R crush an entire plate of finger food at a holiday party. Their rule is that other than Bamba, everything else has<br /> to be smaller than a cheerio. So I send tiny pieces to school. Maybe you can give them easy foods (blackberries and peas) to start? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867624 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 23:22:42 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2867624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Petitduck: Yeah, I think I just need to get braver. She clearly prefers this approach, at least with me. She wants to eat all the things O eats, all the time. And so far, so good. She hasn't actually gagged as much as I expected her to! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867623 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 23:19:16 +0000 Petitduck 2867623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Turtle: my kids are the same for not letting me spoon feed and then fine with her. Ha! I just let whoever else is watching my kids, rarely anyone else, but still, I let them do whatever because I know I’ll do whatever I choose to do most of the time for them so I don’t sweat it. </p> <p>A friend’s kid has been shovelling food in from 11 months-now 21 months and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. I have to cut food small to slow him down, but even then this kid will just jam handfuls of quartered grapes in his mouth...</p> <p>Hopefully you’ll have more luck with N. you can always try and if it’s not for you then go back to what works. No harm done. Either way the food goes in! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867621 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 23:14:15 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2867621@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Petitduck: That makes sense. No, T never choked, but we did purees with him mostly until closer to a year. And he still has that horrible habit. Part of me thinks a kid like this actually needs the early learning experience so they don't end up still stuffing food at 3. It's just scary to watch. I guess I can practice at home with her and then let my mom do her thing when she's there. For some reason, she seems happy to let my mom spoon feed her, while with me she refuses. Go figure. Opinionated little thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867618 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 22:59:12 +0000 Petitduck 2867618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Their gag reflex is supposed to be so strong that they will cough and or throw it up before true choking. So I have heard anyway. And witnessed at a daycare that actually did true blw and scared the crap out of me when the lady was giving the kids big pieces of fruit and food. I have also had a few incidents, maybe two, that made me worried that we were entering choking and my kid ended up vomitting instead right before I went into panic mode. It happened very quickly, but a few minutes later we were all fine and carried on. </p> <p>If you give her a sweet potato wedge and she shoves the whole thing in then just leave it and it should be fine, is what I think anyway. For sure it’s a risk. I think the only way to avoid is to provide small pieces of food and give her only a small amount or a few pieces at a time, the benefit of that is less wasted food, added safety, and allows her and you to practice more communication for asking for more. And then increase amounts when you think and see she is choosing to be more careful. Did T ever choke? I haven’t had a choking incident, but have fished foods out of my kids’ mouths with the hooked finger when I thought what they ate or how much they ate might be a bad idea. And my kid who shovels food in does great with the huge shovelled in amounts and too big pieces of a rolled up wrap (I still cut toast into either tiny squares or toast fingers) but tends to gag and cough or vomit up tinier pieces of food or food in an odd shape/ too dry like a piece of a nut or stuff like that. My second has limited teeth to use. I say “that’s too much” on a daily basis and hope for the best. But obviously that’s not an ideal place to start with a kid as young as yours. </p> <p>As for info for people not on board, I’d just find some articles online that are a bit more scholarly. I can’t recommend any specifically, but I do remember reading a few online when I was first introduced to the concept a few years before I had my own children. And I still have to tell my mother that it’s okay when she sees me feeding my kids certain stuff. If I act confident she lets it go, but she has been around the block with a bunch of her own kids and grandkids and is still nervous. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867617 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 22:51:24 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2867617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: @erinbaderin: @Littlebit7: @Petitduck: @Pollywog: Ok, so I'm good with gagging, but I still am stuck on what to do when she stuffs the entire toast finger in her mouth. Or the entire sweet potato wedge. Etc. Do I fish it out? Let her figure it out? I'm ok with gagging but I'd rather she not actually choke. It's not like that isn't a risk at all. I believe you all that this works, but this is our second baby who will literally stuff her mouth so full she CAN'T chew. T did the same thing (and still does, at 3 years old, so I'd like this one to learn earlier, rather than later!). O has never put more in her mouth than she can handle, so I've never been concerned with her.<br /> @misolee: @snarkybiochemist: Thanks, I'll check these recipes out!</p> <p>Another related question: Even if I get comfortable with this, my mom (who does most of our childcare) and to some degree DW, are REALLY not. Is there anything I can point them to that explains this approach and how it's safe? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867614 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 22:24:39 +0000 Pollywog 2867614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kiddo I s the same age. He loves berries (frozen ones are mushier), any kind of roasted veggies, peas, Bamba, avocado toast, and grapefruit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867607 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 21:09:09 +0000 Petitduck 2867607@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@misolee: this looks good. Went to check out her account. </p> <p>@snarkybiochemist: those cheesy couscous bites sound delicious. Going to have to make those for my kids.</p> <p>Also, if you’re cool with the gagging thing, they are really fine with any foods and once you get past the fear factor it’s kind of interesting to watch them figure it out and they do well. And for what it’s worth, my kid is nearly 18 months and still shovels too much food in off a spoon (an obscene mountain scoop of food) even if I give a small baby spoon and I have seen similarly aged kids do the same. Partially personality I guess, my eldest was very careful with eating, but also ate way less and eats way less than younger sibling. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867602 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 20:57:35 +0000 maddyz 2867602@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pasta cooked in chicken broth is great finger food and feels a little more substantial then mum-mums. When we went through face stuffing phases I would have to give small amounts at a time. I gave my kids all kinds of table food... soft chicken, cooked veggies cut in squares, crusty bread, apples, cheese, peas, banana, sweet potato in cubes... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867599 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 20:41:31 +0000 snarkybiochemist 2867599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>E loved and still loves egg muffins, mini meatballs, baby muffins baked oatmeal fingers, really anything of a soft ish consistency. Recipes were really easy to come across through google if you want something more meal like or shareable with the whole family.<br /> <a href="https://www.babyfoode.com/blog/mini-chicken-carrot-meatballs-for-baby?rq=applesauce%20" rel="nofollow">https://www.babyfoode.com/blog/mini-chicken-carrot-meatballs-for-baby?rq=applesauce%20</a></p> <p><a href="http://littlegrazers.com/cheesy-couscous-bites-with-tomato-dip/" rel="nofollow">http://littlegrazers.com/cheesy-couscous-bites-with-tomato-dip/</a><br /> these are both still big hits at 14 months </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867598 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 20:40:13 +0000 misolee 2867598@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My college roomie is a registered dietitian and has super deataiked and easy meal ideas and recipes for baby led weaning on her instagram @kidfriendly.meals. My older teo did traditional purées but my 3rd likes to chew and is not really fans so her instagram is super helpful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867594 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 20:30:21 +0000 Littlebit7 2867594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: yes all of these things!</p> <p>It sounds like your kid will love BLW. Gagging happens. But at a certain point they have to learn to chew. So the above reccs are soft options that are easily broken down. Also avocado slices, omelette strips, veggies that are soft steamed but whole, clumps of brown rice, chopped noodles, small nibbles of softer cheeses....really anything! And when in doubt, chop things up into tiny pieces (like meat) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867589 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 20:02:06 +0000 Petitduck 2867589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You can make veggie fritter style pancakes, examples would be grated carrot and cheese, corn and cheese, etc. You can also mix purées veggies or purées fruits into a pancake batter that can be made with or without eggs, milk, etc depending on where you are with introduction of those or if she eats them. Then I cut those into fairly small squares and let them self feed with a small amount given to them at a time. I just cut everything pretty small or into strips, which isn’t necessarily blw, but if you’re not comfortable with kids gagging or if you know they jam a lot in their mouth then it’s a better option to me. It’s more important to me that my kids get food into their tummies versus true blw. </p> <p>Other options medium tofu or soft in chunks or strips (very easy to eat and safe choking wise), you can spread hummus on crackers or mum mums, roll mashed potato into little balls. I also like to mix in puréed veggies with rice or quinoa so they can eat it easier and it has texture for kids who don’t like totally smooth stuff. My kids also loved avocado, just spoon feeding them or in slices and steamed broccoli in small pieces. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867588 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 19:59:58 +0000 erinbaderin 2867588@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sweet potato fries, toast fingers with cream cheese or hummus, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, sticky rice rolled into balls, cheesy lentil wedges (<a href="http://www.babyledweaning.com/blw-recipes/alisons-lentil-and-cheese-wedges/" rel="nofollow">http://www.babyledweaning.com/blw-recipes/alisons-lentil-and-cheese-wedges/</a>), sliced avocado, steamed carrot sticks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867587 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 19:59:04 +0000 Foodnerd81 2867587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did mostly baby led weaning with my older one. Regardless of the food I gave her, I would only put one or two pieces at a time in front of her to prevent stuffing too much in her mouth at once. I remember favorites being sweet potato wedges, Spears of butternut squash, avodcado pieces... (btw all things she refuses to eat now at 5). Shredded cheese was good (there are some brands that have really big chunky shreds that are easier to pick up). Ripe pears slices. Toast fingers. And Greek yogurt is nice and thick for when she can start using a spoon, and filling. </p> <p>But the biggest thing was limiting how much she had on her plate:tray at a time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-led-weaning-4#post-2867586 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 19:27:29 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2867586@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>N is 8.5 months. She is huge and started solids early around 4.5 months at the doc's recommendation because she was so hungry. She's a great eater, loves everything pretty much. But recently she's decided that purees aren't satisfactory. She eats them sometimes, but often refuses and gets mad. She loves mum mums and will devour as many as I'll give her. I've been trying various other finger foods. She has a tendency to stuff as much as possible in her mouth, which is kind of scary. What foods have you had good success with at this stage? It seems like she's never satisfied, but she also is picky about how she eats (wants to do it all herself). </p>