baby led weaning question

tjkdlhb

DD started showing interest in food by taking some fruit dip I had and smearing it on the table then trying to eat it.  I went out that night and got some oatmeal and have been letting her play with it.  She has been eating a lot of it... I am actually surprised by how much she is getting in her mouth.  I give it to her in a thicker consistency because she can grab it and get it in her mouth.  Today I gave her avocado, which I had originally cut in strips,  but was nervous about choking, so I mashed it. She was still the one putting it in her mouth.  Am I ruining her natural chewing ability if I mash food for the next little while until I get more comfortable with it?  Should I just give bigger pieces?  She is actually quite good at taking globs of it and putting in her mouth and has even tried to use a spoon to do so.  What do you think?!?

danienross

I think you have to feel comfortable.  If you're nervous you're not going to be able to enjoy the experience and I feel BLW can be quite fun.  BLW is not an all or nothing deal.  You're still giving her the control and I'm pretty certain you aren't ruining anything.  That said, I was super laid back and really never worried about choking.  I never mashed anything but did make sure pieces were appropriate and as easy to handle as possible.

Amitchell0626

danienross:

I think you have to feel comfortable.  If you're nervous you're not going to be able to enjoy the experience and I feel BLW can be quite fun.  BLW is not an all or nothing deal.  You're still giving her the control and I'm pretty certain you aren't ruining anything.  That said, I was super laid back and really never worried about choking.  I never mashed anything but did make sure pieces were appropriate and as easy to handle as possible.

This!
I think what you're doing is fine. We started DD off with big pieces, but once she got a few teeth she was taking huge bites and not chewing so I started cutting things smaller for her while she got the chewing figured out 

CurbsideProphet

Have you read the book, Baby-Led Weaning? If not, I highly recommend it.