There are plenty of ways of doing just about anything, especially where raising children are involved. Methods, theories, plans, notions, recommendations, tried and tested practises, newer ideas.
One of the things I’ve discovered about having a baby is that I know nothing. But that’s a good thing. Means I can be open to what I think will work and a bit of reading and research can go a long way.
So when it came to introducing solid food to my Wee Daftie, things for me were no different.
Thanks to doing my antenatal classes through the NCT (love!) I was kept up-to-date of other courses that might interest me. One of which was about introducing solid food. Seemed like a fun day out, so Daftie and I went and sat on the floor of a room at Blackhall Library with a group of other mammies and talked food. (Love!)
It was genuinely utterly fascinating and I definitely felt like I walked away fully armed with knowledge and ideas.
The emphasis was on baby-led weaning so no puree and jumping straight into solid foods. My health visitor (love!) had also gently recommended baby led to us and gave me my favourite bit of weaning advice. “Just because you are feeding a baby, doesn’t mean they need baby food.” This totally resonated with me and encouraged me to really look into the next, seemingly fun, part of my Mammy Life.
I could talk for hours about the personal benefits but the theory of baby led is that it teaches babies how to chew before swallowing, how to self regulate as they are the ones in control of how much or little they take in and, being exposed to an array of textures and flavours from the off, can help develop a good relationship with food. Now. This all may be nonsense. Gill Rapley, the woman who coined the phrase, may be off her rocker but I absolutely saw then, and still do now, the benefits for Daftie and me. It’s messy, it requires a lot of patience and a lot of trust to just let your Small Human work out food by themselves and it’s not for everyone. After doing my reading and research, I knew it was the path I wanted to try.
One thing that both my HV and NCT course leader taught us was what signs in Wee Daftie to look out for that she would be ready for solid food. Being able to sit well upright (not totally unaided but not slouching in the highchair, for example), good hand eye coordination and a lessened tongue thrust. One and two were taken care of by 5 months so I decided to start cooking all my meals baby friendly (no added sugar or salt, no honey before 12 months and no whole nuts) so that I would be prepared for Daftie. What with my Big Human working away and the open plan living space, my girl has spent a lot of time around me cooking. It really wasn’t that surprising to me when she launched herself, face first, in my dinner one night.
It was Christmas Eve, my Big Human had just returned home from a three month trip and my little idiot decided she wanted to eat. The decision of when to start, of what to offer, had all been taken from us and into her tiny wee hands. Don’t get much more baby led than that, amirite?
Travels With My Daftie 