Baby Led Weaning Help Needed

Jjjjuarez

My son is only 14 weeks and is very interested in food. What should I start with? I've tried rice cereal and he gobbled it down. For teething purposes he's had celary and apple to knaw on. We were hoping to avoid infant cereal and jarred purees.

Jjjjuarez

Sorry if this is the wrong forum. There isn't a blw forum.

ncbelle

Technically baby led weaning means waiting until baby can sit unassisted and can feed himself finger foods.  Raw apple and raw celery are not good choices as they are not easily chewed and can be choking hazards (raw carrot should also be avoided).  If you want to do solids at this point, purees are the way to go.  Otherwise wait a few months and read up:  https://www.babyledweaning.com

blu-eyedwife

This is a great place to ask BLW questions, there are a lot of us here who have used it. 

However, I would strongly recommend you read up on BLW.  It is completely inappropriate to do it at 14 weeks.  Frankly, I'd be really hesitant even offer rice cereal at 14 weeks.  At that age their digestive system is really immature and underdeveloped.  Introducing solid foods too soon can really be detrimental and injure their developing system.  There is absolutely no benefit to introducing solids early.  Your son really needs the nutrients from breastmilk or formula right now in order to grow and develop.  There are no nutrients in rice cereal and it's really used in older babies because of a history of malnutrition and poor formula options back in the early 20th century.  And I'm not quite sure why you have introduced it if you're looking to avoid infant cereals.

As @ncbelle pointed out, offering your child solids at this age is really very dangerous. They don't have the physical ability to manipulate the food in their mouth, nor do they possess the digestive enzymes to break it down.  At best you're going to be compromising the digestive system long term.  At worst, you could severely injure or kill your child.

=Lee=B

Way too early for solids, super way too early for BLW. 

Get a copy of the book now, read it and be ready when your baby reaches 6months of age.  There is no need for your baby to be starting solids before then.  Being interested in food is not a sign, on it's own, that your baby is ready for solids.  Babies are interested in their fingers, toes, the stain on the floor, the chip in the wall and everything else they see.  Everything is new and exciting.  Being interested in food does not mean it is wise to give them food.

 

As listed above, and in the BLW books and as in most literature babies are ready for solids when they can sit unassisted, have the hand eye coordination to pick food up and bring it to their mouth and the control to chew and swallow it.  This does not come until many months after 14weeks of age.  We started a few days before 6months and it took her a good 6-8weeks to be fully ready to do it...until then she explored the food.  As noted above you compromise their digestive system introducing food too soon.  There is no benefit at all from starting at 14 weeks.

Our pediatrician said that research shows that waiting until 6 months, instead of 4months, means one less ear infection and one less respiratory infection for your infant if you are breastfeeding.  Waiting longer equals a healthier baby.