Baby Led Weaning: The Second Week in

So we are now in the second week of our BLW journey. It’s probably been the most anxious time of our whole six months together but everyday I am gaining more and more confidence.This week he has tried, noodles, pork, cheese on toast, pasta, apple, peach, banana, porridge, yoghurt, boiled egg, broccoli, cauliflower cheese muffins and pancakes.

I am slowly starting to introduce breakfast so he’s pretty much on three meals a day. I talked last week about how I was finding it difficult to fit in food and bottles but I am finding an easier routine which looks like this:

8am                                         Wake up and bottle

9am                                         Breakfast

10am                                       Nap

11am                                       Bottle

12pm                                       Lunch

1pm                                         Nap

3pm                                         Bottle

4/5pm                                     Tea

6pm                                         Bottle and bed

The gagging has significantly reduced, especially in those foods he is used to eating like pancakes, satsumas and apples. I have found it much easier (for us both) if I microwave fruits like apples and pears in a little hot water for a few minutes to make them much softer. For satsumas I started last week by cutting each segment in half long ways, but now I cut them into three pieces making them the same size as a blueberry. His pincer grip means he can get most of them in his mouth and it’s great for his motor skills to keep working on it.

I try and offer a carb (such as bread, pasta, noodles) a protein (chicken, cheese, pork) and a fruit or veg. This is what my portions look like:

Crumpet (half)

Toast (one slice, crusts cut off)

Sandwich (two slices, crusts cut off, cut into four triangles: offer two triangles)

Muffins (half if made with plain flour, full if made with coconut flour)

Noodles (half a nest)

Pasta (five or six spirals)

Pancakes (three tablespoon sized)

Baby rice cakes (two)

Chicken/pork/beef (three finger sized strips)

Sausage (half cut lengthways)

Cheese 15g

Apple / Pear – half

Banana – full

Mango / Melon – three cubes

Strawberries – 2 quarterted

Satsuma – half

Blueberries – six or seven

Broccoli florets – three

*I believe that the general rule of thumb is a carbs portion should be the same size as baby’s fist. I probably offer double that, as I am aware quite a bit ends up on the floor.