Ben is happy to be in on the fun!

Happy girls!

First food!

Toy over food

Giving it a go!

My sweet girls are getting so big!  I can't believe I have two more solid eaters in my home!

Sammy!!

Ali!!

-Kim

This is sort of an anniversary for my little blog.  Well, anniversary isn't technically correct, as it isn't a by year thing.  But it's close enough.  I started this blog when Ben turned six months old.  Up to that point I emailed and used facebook to help family keep up with Ben and so they could see pictures of him.  Starting solid foods is a time of a lot of great pictures.  I mean, babies are so cute with messy food faces!  I started blogging to have a place where people could see pictures and I could tell the stories of what Ben was doing.  Well here we are over two years later, and my daughters are about to start solid foods.  I didn't know when I started if I would be able to keep up blogging, and I am so happy that I have kept our narrative going.  I love having a place to share pictures and family stories, and I love having a place to share my thoughts.  I have to say a lot has changed since I started this blog.  I mean, when we began we had one six month old.  Now I have an almost three year old and two six month olds.  Crazy.  And those two six month olds are about to start eating solid foods!  How did this past six months go by so fast?  How did the years go so fast?  I know, everyone says that.  It is so true though.

So here we are, ready to start solids with two new eaters.  This milestone is totally making me feel like a seasoned mom.  When Ben was five months old I remember researching so much about starting solids.  I wanted to give him the best start I could.  In all my research I found baby led weaning (BLW).  It was exactly what I was looking for.  I wrote all about it in this post.  Seriously, I put in a lot of time deciding how to go about this step.  With the girls I honestly thought, "Oh shoot, they're going to be six months, that means I have to feed them.  Can't we just nurse forever?"  And this was just a week or so ago.  Second child problems, right?  At least I am confident in what to do this time around.  BLW.

It worked out so well for us!  I was so happy with how Ben started eating solid foods.  He is still a typical two year old about food and kind of picky, so BLW didn't solve that or anything.  But he feeds himself well and we've been able to eat meals as a family, without spoon feeding him.  I knew from the start I didn't want to have to spoon feed two babies.  That would take forever!  I also really like giving my babies real food that I can make myself.  It is cheaper and easier.  Plus I enjoy cooking and preparing food for my family, so it is fun for me to make things for the babies to eat.  So despite my, what could probably be described as laziness about this next step, I am going to start my girls on solids.  BLW style.

We're going to take it slow and let the girls obviously lead the way on this one.  I'll offer them food and they can eat it or not.  It's going to be interesting to see what they like.  It's going to be fun to watch them explore this new world of food.  It's going to be messy.  Oh, so very messy.  (That is probably my least favorite part.)  We are starting in the next few days.  (I do love the first food milestone.  A first I can control and plan for? One I can be sure to have the camera ready for?  Score!)

Be ready, the food pictures are coming.

Time to EAT!

-Kim

 (This post contains affiliate links.)

Ben has really changed his preferences in eating over the past couple of months.  When we first started solids, he ate pretty much anything we gave him.  Green beans were no good, and carrots were hit or miss.  Everything else was pretty good.  He actually loved Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower.  Well, those days are long gone.  One of the perks of baby led weaning is a kid who supposedly likes to eat all foods.  That does not seem to be the case for us.  Ben has taken a turn into the no-vegetable land.

Ben is still a pretty good eater.  He of course throws some food to the floor.  We are working on that, but not throwing food is a tough concept for an almost 11 month old.  I get it, you don't want to eat it you just chuck it away.  He is too young to think through the consequences of the action.  We of course tell him no sir, no throwing food.  But being so young, I am not always sure he can communicate that he has had enough food, or understand that meal time will end due to misbehavior.  So warnings are about all that happens right now.  Luckily he is pretty good, and we are able to stop a lot of throwing before it happens.  Ben has also learned how to sign all done.  This is a huge help in wrapping up meals.  If he starts throwing a lot of food, we can sign all done and he usually repeats it.  I try not to suggest it too early, as I do want to make sure he is getting enough.  He is getting better at signing more, but it is still a little inconsistent.  Still, it is so wonderful that he can answer back all done!!!

He still enjoys a variety of food.  He has started to like some breads and crackers.  He loves most fruit.  And he adores meat.  Yes, this is our child.  Meat is pretty much his favorite thing right now.  Luckily, while he doesn't like veges on their own, he will eat them mixed with other items.  I make little meat patties for him using ground turkey and diced vegetables.  His morning egg yolks have vegetables in them.  He also enjoys a chunky pear-apple sauce I make him with cinnamon and, that's right, vegetables.  I am all about sneaky vegetables.  You can ask Pat, most food I make isn't what it seems.  There is usually some sort of healthiness tucked in there somewhere.  I have tried making assorted breads, muffins, and even crackers for Ben to get more vegetables into him, but so far he likes the first few bites, then he is done with it.

I am trying not to worry too much about what Ben is eating.  I know he is a baby, so he should be pretty in touch with his needs.  Overall I think he is doing well.  He gets protein, vegetables mixed into other foods at every meal, and healthy dairy.  We don't serve him anything that could really be considered unhealthy, and he is still nursing.  He should be getting all the nutrients he needs.  I hope I can foster a love of vegetables in him.  That will help kick off a life time of healthy eating.  But I know I need to be prepared for the picky stages it seems every kid goes through.  I try to keep Pat and I eating healthy as well, and wanting Ben to only eat the good stuff is and will help us to be better eaters.

Another area Ben is good about is fruit.  The boy loves fruit.  Well, we haven't found a melon he likes.  All other fruits are good though.  Apples and pears no longer need to be cooked, yay for me being able to be lazier about that!  It is so much easier to just add an apple to our lunch back than slice and cook them up.  Bananas are still a hit, but I think have been replaced with raisins as the favorite.  Ben adores strawberries.  He still likes peaches and plums.  If he isn't eating a ton of vegetables, I feel better knowing he is getting a variety of fruits.  He tried a new one tonight, and loved it.  Cherries.  I think they are going to be a bath night only food though.

Yum!

These are so good!

I love my messy boy!

 Super messy.  They are also apparently good when you rub them into your hair.  Or at least Ben seemed happy when he did that.  These have also been added to list of things Ben can't eat when wearing white or light colored clothing.  Good thing he had red on tonight. :)


-Kim

I swear this isn't supposed to be a baby led weaning blog.  But as it is the first week of Ben having solids, that is really the focus of our lives right now!

I have to say, Ben is doing a great job.  That first night I got a little worried that he wouldn't be into eating or BLW.  You can read how it went here.  I know the biggest problem was that Pat and I were overeager parents ready for Ben to be thrilled with eating solid food.  Ben of course, went at his own pace.  And that is the right pace!  I feel a little bad about that, but honestly not too bad.  Of course I was excited and eager!  My hope is that Ben enjoys this process of learning about food and that he develops a life long appreciation of food.  I have to remind myself that we have plenty of time for this.  But I don't feel bad for being excited and trying to help Ben experience something fun.

After that first night we decided to just keep plugging away as planned.  Ben had carrots again for lunch the next day, and dinner.  He did so much better!  He was in on the game plan, having experienced solids now once before.  He was able to get the carrots in his mouth pretty well.  It was all a bit messy.  We aren't sure how much he actually swallowed.  When he was tired of this activity, he let us know and we went about our day.

Our original plan called for waiting the traditional three to four days between trying new foods.  The purpose of this is of course to find out if Ben has an allergic reactions to food.  The scientist in me knows that you only change one variable at a time.  But somehow we didn't end up doing this.  It is just so hard to slow down once I get into a project.  I have a hard time being patient, and waiting for Ben to get to experience new foods is no exception!  I try to remind myself that he has plenty of time to try new foods.  The goal isn't to go through them all in a month and be done. Yet somehow waiting just didn't quite happen.  Luckily neither Pat not I have a history of food allergies to worry about.  As seen here we gave Ben some avocado on Monday night.  The carrots were good, but not super soft.  And avocado is an easy food to just cut open, slice, and serve.  It has the bonus of being one of my favorite foods too, so I was eager to see how Ben liked it.  We think his favorite part was that it was so squishy.  It was a lot messier, but also a lot of fun.

Yum, avocado

So already we had introduced two new foods within three days, not quite the plan.  Then the next day at lunch I decided to just add some banana to Ben's tray to see how he liked it.  I was hoping he would like bananas because they are so easy to carry around.  I often have one at lunch myself, so there is nothing extra for me to do to just give Ben some of it.  Well, he liked the banana too!  It is also super squishy and fun to play with.  I enjoy it at the office better than the avocado because bananas don't stain.  It is always important to pick your foods based on that, right? ;)  Wednesday night we boiled up some sweet potato.  At first Ben grabbed that right away, probably thinking it was carrots.  They two look a lot alike, especially boiled and cut into BLW weaning sized pieces.  You could tell from Ben's face that he noticed they were not the same right away.  Still, they were nice and soft, so he ate a bit of them.

Finally on Thursday night we gave Ben a bit of applesauce to try.  I had made some, so it was a little chunkier than the kind one normally buys in a jar.  BLW says that babies can handle purees by either licking them off their hands, or by using a pre-loaded dipper.  The dipper can be a spoon or another food product.  We decided to give the spoon a try.  Now, Pat and I are pro BLW and are using this as our way of starting Ben on solids.  But we are not so hardcore into it that we believe Ben can never be spoon fed.  The occasional spoon feeding is not going to derail his progress, in my opinion.  Ben however, did not enjoy the spoon feeding.  Granted we didn't push it very hard.  Pat tried a few times, and Ben's arms flew in various defensive maneuvers to keep the spoon away.  Watching that, I am so glad we are doing BLW.  It is so much easier to just let Ben decide what is going to go in his mouth.  We managed to get a bit of applesauce into him.  He did surprisingly well with the spoon too.  He was able to get the proper end into his mouth and try some applesauce.  Then he just wanted to hold the spoon and play with it.  His dinner was pretty short though, as he just wanted to get out of his high chair.  As soon as we put on him on his ocean mat to play he was as happy as can be, allowing Pat and me to finish our dinners.

Focused on that banana

A drawback to BLW is the gagging.  It is important to note this is different than choking.  The gagging reflex on babies is further up on their tongues.  This means it is more easily triggered, but that there is a bigger distance for the food to go before choking takes place.  With spoon feeding, all the food is super soft, so it doesn't really trigger the gag reflex.  The spoon is also placed past the reflex, so babies don't experience as much gagging.  I know, this is a good thing.  I don't want Ben gagging or choking.  But at some point he is going to have to learn to feed himself.  When this takes place he is going to have to figure out how far back to put food, how to move it around with his tongue, and how to chew it enough to swallow.  So basically at some point in time the risk of choking is there.  I would much rather he figure out these skills while the reflex isn't so close to the choking zone, and while he is using softer foods, as opposed to when he is older and these safety nets aren't as likely to be in place.

All this being said it is a little scary to do this!  There was a time where he gagged pretty hard, which was terrifying.  He got the food out and was just fine though.  I think that is the scariest part of all this, the gagging.  While Ben eats we watch him very closely, and someone is always right next to him.  We make sure to give him food that is appropriately sized and a good texture.  Some is firmer than others, but it isn't like we are giving him a raw piece of carrot to try to choke down.  When he first gagged hard my immediate thought was to be done with this.  Purees here we come!  But he recovered quickly and beautifully.  Already in this short week he rarely gags!  Of course he is still learning how to get the food about in his mouth.  And he is still learning it is hard to eat with your fingers in your mouth.

Overall I am happy we decided to use this approach.  I am really enjoying that Ben can just start on 'real food.'  Meal times are easier because we don't have to be feeding Ben at the same time.  True, right now we aren't always eating with him because we are too busy taking pictures.  In time we'll get back to normal.  So far there aren't any meal time battles.  His big calorie provider is still nursing, and I enjoy not having to worry about getting a set amount of food into him every day.  When Ben is done eating, he lets us know by fussing.  This is really his only way of letting us know things right now.  (We are working on baby sign language with him, but he is just starting out.)  Once he is done, his meal is over.  No big deal.  We wipe him down and he gets to go play.  As he gets older we will have to work on staying at the table longer.  There is plenty of time for that though.  Ben is only six months old.  He does a great job eating at work too.  I think it helps that he has Meo and Omi to eat with.  He loves the attention!

Are you watching me eat?

Where are we going from here?  Well, we are going to keep feeding him the foods he has already had, and introduce pears, more apples, and green beans this coming week.  I have a recipe to make oatmeal cakes, so we will try those some time soon too.  Eventually I know we have to start having breakfast.  Right now I like not having to have an additional task in the mornings though.  It will come in time.

I think this first week was great.  Pat and I are having so much fun showing Ben new foods and seeing his reactions.  I think the whole process is a great learning experience for Ben.  he is working on his motor skills.  He is working on hand eye, well mouth, coordination.  He gets to have tactile experiences with different foods.  And he is learning how to feed himself.  It's a pretty well rounded activity.
 

My Happy Boy

We're having so much fun!

Have you ever noticed how a simple accessory can really change an outfit?  A regular set of clothing you have worn a bunch of times suddenly becomes brand new with one simple addition.  Well this was the case with Ben today.  It was just a regular outfit, one he had worn many times.  One of my favorites in fact.

But today was different.  Today Ben wore a new hat with the outfit.  And suddenly a normal, cute outfit became something even greater.

What's that you say?

Oh yeah, I look awesome.

I like this eating thing.

Nom nom nom

Do I have something on my face?

I love this.

As promised here are the videos of Ben's first solid food adventure.  I took the videos, and I am not that great of a cinematographer, but I don't think they are too bad.  Enjoy!

Carrots in the high chair

Eating with Daddy

Carrots in the Jumper

-Kim

Pat and I had decided to go ahead and start Ben at dinner time.  He just turned 6 months old.  We had waited for two days after his most recent vaccines so we could be confident that any potential reaction was due to the food and not the shots.  Starting on a Saturday gave me more time to get home and prepare the food.  (It's tax season, Ben and I were at work for part of the day.  Such is the life of a baby accountant.)  And dinner is the one meal of the day we can usually be sure all three of us can eat together.  We felt we wouldn't be rushed and could enjoy giving Ben the chance to try solids.  So while making dinner I roasted some carrots in the oven, and then I steamed a few as well. I wasn't sure which method would be most palatable to Ben.  Both produced carrots that maintained their shape, which is good.  The steamed ones were a little mushier, but fell apart more.  The roasted ones kept their integrity a bit more, but had a sort of crust to them as roasting can do.  But they were two versions of carrots made with love for my boy.  We had a plan, and we were following through with it!

Well, this was all a good theory.  Sadly, Ben decided to fall asleep a little before dinner.  This can be a good thing, as he is young enough to still need a third evening nap.  However, it meant we had to wake him up for dinner.  Sometimes he is totally fine with this.  This time he had a harder time with it.  We put him into his high chair and he was not having it.  Huge tears.  It was very sad.  We tried putting some of the carrots onto his tray, thinking if he saw something new to play with he would calm down.  He did for a little bit.  He grabbed a carrot briefly, and in fact did bring it to his mouth.  But he quickly dropped it again.

We took him out of the high chair pretty quickly.  The point of BLW is to let Ben decide if he wants to eat or not.  He was giving us a pretty clear no signal.  However, he is also very new at this.  He might not have realized what an amazing opportunity we were providing him.  Pat tried holding him while he had a carrot.  We had a little success there.  Then I sat with him on my lap for a bit while Pat and I ate our dinner.  I mean, there was no need for us to go hungry just because Ben didn't want to eat.  I had some carrots placed so Ben could reach them.  He did grab one, but didn't hold onto it very long.

Around this point I started doing things BLW states not to do.  I picked up a carrot and put it into Ben's hand.  He looked at it a bit, but dropped it pretty quickly.  I tried this a few times, and we were losing carrots to the floor.  I tried placing a carrot on his lips.  Perhaps if he realized there was a new taste he would get into it.  And really, the kid loves putting things in  his mouth.  It's one of his favorite things to do!  He nibbled a bit at one, but overall was not interested.

Since he wasn't interested in the carrots, I offered him a sippy cup with a few ounces of nursery water.  Once babies start solids you can start offering some water as well.  Cool, maybe he would like that.  Nope.  Ben just kept shoving the cup away from me.

At this point, we decided to call it done.  I got a some video footage, which is at the end of this post.  I tried to get some pictures when he actually picked up a carrot and nibbled a bit, but I use my phone and it was full, of course.  (I really need to get an actual camera!)  Pat and I finished up our dinner and cleaned up.  We called Meo (my mom, Ben's maternal grandma) and Gramma (Pat's mom, Ben's paternal grandma) to tell them about our little adventure.

After dinner we put Ben into his jumper to relax and play a bit.  I put a carrot into one of his mesh feeders to see how he liked that.  I was determined that he really give carrots a go!  I know, there is no rush and it is not a big deal, but, well, I wanted to give him as many chances to try the food as he wanted.  He enjoyed the mesh feeder.  But we have given him the mesh feeders to play with without anything in them as well.  So he may not have gotten a different experience despite it having a carrot in it.  I also gave him another carrot just to see what he would do.

He ended up trying it again!  He bit off a chunk, but I don't think he swallowed any.  At least most of the chunk came back out.  But he did try it!  He lost interest pretty quickly again, but we got some pictures of him trying it again.  I don't plan on letting him have food in his jumper very often.  Besides the fact that it could be unsafe, jumping and trying to eat, I don't want to spread the mess around that much.  Exceptions can be made occasionally.

Overall I am considering this first food attempt a success.  We started off a bit rocky, what with waking him up from a nap to eat.  He is still getting used to his high chair.  Even without food he has days where he is not interested in sitting in the high chair.  He did pick up a couple of carrots on his own and he did get the taste of them at least.  I was reminded that the point of BLW is to let the baby dictate the pace.  We offered up a first opportunity to try them, and that was the only point of tonight.  Ben still took a full feeding for his final nursing of the day.  Nursing is supposed to still be his main source of nutrition.  The food is just to experience and have fun with.  And overall I think he did enjoy trying something new.

Where do we go from here?  Well, we just keep offering up food choices to Ben.  We will stick with carrots for another day or so.  I don't foresee there being any problems.  I always prefer safe to sorry though.  We'll give him a chance to eat at lunch and dinner.  If at future meals he doesn't want to eat we will probably do pretty much what we did this time.  Try letting him sit on my lap while we eat.  If he doesn't want to play with the food he doesn't have to.  I don't think we'll be giving him food in his jumper anymore.  But it made for a cute picture.  :)

Here are some pictures from Ben's first food adventure.  I'll add the videos in another post.

What is this thing?

I don't know what to make of this.

Hmmm... not too bad

Today is the big day!  Okay, today is one of the big days that Ben will have.  He has already had some big days in his short life, and I hope he has many many more big days to come.  But today is a favorite big day of mine.  It is the day he first tried solid foods.

This is a first I knew I would really enjoy.  The biggest reason for that is it is one of the few firsts that we as parents could kind of control.  Most of the milestones that babies achieve are reached on their schedules.  I can't make Ben roll over, or walk, or talk.  I can't make him sleep through the night.  (If I could figure out how to make babies sleep through the night I would be rich!!)  I can decide when he has the chance to first try a new food.  At least the first few foods anyway.  This is a first that Pat and I can share with Ben on our timetable  This is especially great for Pat.  I am with Ben pretty much all the time.  He comes to work with me every day and since he nurses it is just easier to keep him nearby.  It follows that I am around for a lot of his firsts.  I have seen the first time he was able to grasp an object, as well as roll over.  So I was super excited that Pat was going to get to participate in this particular first.

I also love food.  Pat loves food.  Let's be real here, food is a big deal in any society.  The act of having a meal with a person has a lot of significance.  Up until now all of Ben's meals have been pretty one sided.  He sits on someone's lap (usually mine) and eats.  Despite another person being physically present, it is a pretty solitary activity for him.  Now he will be able to sit up at a table and look at other people while he eats.  He will be able to play a part in the family dynamic of discussion and sustenance sharing.  And he gets to eat tasty food!!

After a lot of thought, research, and discussion, we decided to use carrots as a first food.  There were a few main reasons.  They are a vegetable that is easy to cut into an appropriate size and shape.  They are easy to roast or steam to get to a nice consistency.  They are a little sweet, which has pros and cons.  Some schools of thought think we shouldn't introduce anything sweet so babies don't develop a preference for this.  Others say start with the sweeter vegetables because breastmilk and formulas tend to be sweeter, making the first food more familiar to baby.  I can understand not wanting Ben to develop a taste for too many sweets too young.  But at the end of the day as parents we control what he can eat, so just because he may enjoy sweet flavors doesn't mean we have to give him sugary, unhealthy food all the time.  I love sweets but I still eat vegetables, and so can Ben.

Always an important factor, costs came into play.  Carrots are relatively cheap to buy in a decent quantity.  And finally, I am confident I can prepare the carrots in a way that would be decent for a baby just starting off with solid foods.  So carrots it is.  Sweet potatoes came in a close second, and will probably be introduced next.

Pat and I have done our research.  We have had endless discussions.  We have thought long and hard about this.  So now the plan is in place.  Tonight.  Dinner time.  Ben.  Carrots.  Let's do this.

-Kim

This weekend we are starting Ben on solids.  This is a big step for any baby.  For the first time he will be eating something that didn't come from me, his mother.  He will have to figure out how to bring food to his mouth, chew, and swallow.  Those all sound like such simple things, but when you are only 6 months old they aren't.  Ben and I have been blessed to have a good nursing relationship.  He is a champion eater that way.  But those skills are totally different from eating 'real food.'



Yes, I put real food in quotations.  The reason for that is two fold.  One, saying real food implies that breastmilk or formula is not real food.  It is.  It has the nutrition babies need and they eat it.  It is a practically perfect food in that it provides everything a baby needs in one neat little package.  But it is different than the normal food most people eat every day.  I also put it in quotations because the current traditional step away from some form of milk is to move into baby food.  This baby food is usually purees, either commercially purchased or made at home.  I would argue this food does not fit in with what we traditionally think of as the food a majority of people eat every day.

With baby led weaning, we dive right into the real food that you and I eat on a regular basis.  It is prepared in a way that a baby can eat- it is softer and cut into shapes and sizes a baby can easily grasp.  But it isn't necessarily pureed, and it definitely isn't spooned into the baby's mouth.  Right from the start the baby is responsible for feeding himself.  The goal of this is for the baby to learn how to manipulate food on his own. It is supposed to aid in making new eaters less picky.  It is also supposed to cut down on mealtime battles, since the child is choosing how much to eat.

If you would like more information, I suggest googling it.  A ton of information will pop up.  Specifically, this site has some good information.  We have this book, and I copied some recipes from this cookbook  to use as a guide.

Why start now? The research shows that babies really do best if they hold off on starting solids until they are six months old.  I understand that this is not always possible.  Some babies need supplementing sooner.  Some babies express a strong interest in eating sooner.  Sometimes it works best for the family to start baby a little earlier.  And sometimes, usually when there are more than one child in the home, it just kind of happens because baby gets a hold of some food earlier than planned.  But studies currently show holding out until six months is best.  By six months of age, babies can grasp items and bring them to their mouths.  They can sit up on their own (with support around them of course).  The tongue thrust reflex is further back on the tongue.  And around that age, milk stops being enough to fill them up all the time.  Babies start moving more, and frankly can need more to eat.  Six months is also a good time because babies are open to trying a lot of new things.  We all know young children who are very very picky eaters.  This is normal.  But it is something that develops as children age.  So starting at a time when kids are more open to new foods is a good idea.

Now the big question- Why is Team Cartwright using this approach?  Well, a few reasons.

1) I did a lot of research on how to start introducing solids.  We are fortunate that Ben has been doing great on nursing and could wait until 6 months to start solids.  He is showing all the signs of being ready to start now.  He can sit unsupported.  He can grasp toys and bring them to his mouth.  And he is starting to really watch people when they eat.  Well, he really watches Pat.  Ben doesn't seem super interested in what I am eating yet.  All that being said, he is doing really well with a just nursing diet.  He is a good sized baby, so we aren't worried about getting extra calories into him.  His current diet isn't lacking, so milk can remain the major source of his nutrition a little longer.  Fortunately, I am able to produce what he needs to eat and be satisfied.  BLW does not result in a lot of food actually being eaten right away.  It is really played with and explored, with the occasional bit making its to baby's stomach.  We can take the time to let Ben learn how to feed himself without having to worry if he is eating enough.  So one big reason we are doing this is that we can.

2)  Another reason to use this approach is to try to eliminate some worries.  I know, with me and with pretty much every mother in the world, this is impossible.  How can I not worry about whether my child is eating right or not?  I can't.  But so far I  have had to trust that he will eat the amount he needs to.  His body will tell him when he is hungry and how much he wants to eat.  Why mess with this now?  Why should I suddenly decide he needs to finish a set quantity of food?  Sometimes I am really hungry and eat a lot.  Sometimes I am not.  Why should Ben be any different?  Allowing him to feed himself and decide when he is done allows me to try to not worry so much.  As long as I am providing healthy options for him, he should be fine.  I really do think babies know how much they need and want to eat better than we do.  All this being said I will still worry.  A lot.

3)  It's cheaper.  At least in theory, I think.  We won't have to buy special baby foods.  Honestly, those little jars and pouches are expensive!  While saving money might not always be the best reason to do something, let's be honest.  It matters.  With BLW we can feed Ben in a healthy manner without spending a ton of money? Awesome.

4)  Convenience.  I already love that I don't have to pack up food for Ben when we go out.  I mean, I am the food.  So being able to feed him whatever Pat and I are eating really cuts back on what I have to carry around.  I already pack lunches for myself every day, so it will be easy to throw in a little extra for Ben to eat.  If we are out at a restaurant?  No problem, just order something Ben can enjoy as well.  Yes, there will be plenty of times that I have to bring special foods for Ben.  But knowing he isn't limited to just traditional baby food opens up a lot more options for us.

5)  It can help the whole family eat healthier.  I don't want to have to prepare another meal in addition to what Pat and I eat.  True, at first what Ben eats will dictate what I make.  And I am sure that Ben will be eating different foods from us from time to time.  But on the whole, once we really get going I am going to make foods that Ben can eat.  Who doesn't want to serve their child the healthiest foods they can?  As a result, Pat and I will be eating healthier.  Yes, this is just a theory.  But let's go with it.

6)  Pat and I feel this method will go along nicely with our plan for love and logic discipline.  We can save the details of love and logic for another time.  But in a nutshell, it uses natural consequences as a deterrent for negative behavior as opposed to punishment.  I think an example will explain what I mean best.  Say Ben throws his dinner.  Yes, it is a matter of when this happens, not if.  (And yes, for this example, you have to keep assume that he is at a point where he knows this is not allowed.)  Well, this is not behavior we can let continue.  So what happens if Ben throws his food?  Dinner is over.  He is removed from the situation.  That is the consequence.  If we are worrying about how much Ben is eating, we might not be able to do this.  We could be stuck fighting him on eating his dinner versus throwing it.  Since most of his calories are still coming from milk feedings, and since he can choose how much he eats, we can assume he is done with his dinner.  Basically, dinner table behavior we don't like means losing the privilege of being at the dinner table.  This, along with everything else, will have to grow and change as Ben does.  But we feel it is a good start.

7)  In general, meal times are a social, family time.  If Pat or I am focused on just feeding Ben, we aren't enjoying our time together to the same degree as we would be as three people handling our own food.  The goal is to teach Ben how to behave at mealtimes and how these sorts of social situations work.  The best way to do that is by modeling the behavior we want to see and letting Ben practice it.  The most natural way we can think of to do this is by following BLW.  And I think it will be a lot of fun!!

8)  The biggest reason we are doing BLW is that we think it is the best choice for our family.  I haven't been a parent very long.  But I have learned that for any situation there are many possible courses of action.  The best way to do something is the way that works best for your family.  Not what worked best for the neighbors.  Not what worked best for some expert.  What works best for you and your family.  Pat and I think this will work best for Team Cartwright.  So we are going to give it a go.

While the BLW weaning books I read said we could just dive in and give Ben anything, we will still be following a bit more traditional path in introducing food.  We do plan to follow most AAP guidelines on ages to start foods.  We will also be waiting a few days in between new foods to be sure Ben doesn't have any bad reactions.  Neither Pat nor I have a history of food allergies, and as a result we are not anticipating problems.  But why not be safe?  We have a timeline of how we are going to start introducing foods, but really once we get started Ben is in the driver's seat.  Pat and I will follow the pace he sets.

Now, all this being said this could be a colossal failure.  I mean, a really big failure.  That will be fine.  Pat and my mother keep reminding me that this decision isn't set in stone.  We can change our minds at any time.  We can and will adapt our approach as needed.  And I know we will.

One final note on BLW.  It will be messy.  That is the biggest drawback according to most of the books I've read.  We have no problems with that and are ready to embrace the mess.  Be ready for some truly great messy baby pictures.

I'm ready.  Let's do this solids thing.

-Kim