A Matter of Choice

Now Louka has turned 6 months, it's that time again! We were very kindly sent a large collection of HiPP Organic products to try out, an experience which was all new to me as I'd only done 'Baby Led Weaning' (BLW) with Leo  . I must admit I was a little bemused by some of the products -a jar called 'My First Banana being one of the them, now I can understand a mix of fruit or vegetables being convenient in a jar but surely anyone could mash a banana! So, with a little hesitation I decided to try some out with Louka last week. BLW still seems the logical way to go for me so it all did feel a little alien to me and I even emailed the lovely lady who sent it all to us clarifying the 'right' way to do it! Starting with the baby rice, (which after following the instructions on the packet I ended up with a huge bowl of the stuff - much more than even Leo could have eaten!)  It went well, although with my BLW head on I 'had' to give him the spoon ...

When I was pregnant with Leo I read a book ( I did a lot of that, always trying to find the elusive 'Baby instruction manual) about Baby-Led Weaning. Not that I'd given it much thought but I'd always assumed I'd be pureeing carrots and stuff when it came to it but the more I read the more that baby led weaning (BLW) seemed the most logical thing to do. If you've no idea what I'm talking about the basically BLW is letting your baby feed itself, right from the very start of weaning, no mush! Not to be started before 6 months, which is when they are capable of feeding themselves (and the advised time to start any kind of weaning although I later found out that everyone seems to ignore that) but after that time you just feed your baby as part of the family, giving them a bit of what everyone else is having (within reason, no added salt, etc) I waited quite happily until Leo reached 6 months, in fact he was six months on the dot as we moved to Cyprus 3 days befor...

One of the things we are trying to teach Leo at the moment is how to ask for things without whining. I know whining tends to come naturally to a 2 yr old but we're starting to get there slowly, with a little prompting he has started to change the whine (you know the tone of voice!) into 'Peease can I have sausage and pasta peease Mummy' or 'Leo like to watch Thomas now peease Mum' It only seems like yesterday that he was smearing food over his face (oh wait, that was yesterday) and learning that there was a lot more exciting things than milk. I decided when he was very small that 'Baby led Weaning' was the way forward. I had a few doubts at first, and endlessly stressed about what I should feed him or whether I 'should' be pureeing and spoon feeding.  At the time I didn't have internet access which I found really hard, I'd previously spent a long time reading though the Baby led weaning site  and couldn't use it when I needed it most....