We are a month into our BLW journey! ?Just like with any new adventures/experiences, there’s definitely been many ups and downs as we strive to learn and grow together. I remember feeling extremely anxious that first week, picturing in my head all the things that could go possibly go wrong. I must’ve watched the infant CPR video like kazillion times while praying that I’ll never have to perform it ??????. It wasn’t easy to just sit and smile while watching my baby gagging, but I just kept reassuring myself that this is normal and a part of the journey. And sure enough, the gagging started to get better and better with each meal.
What I’m trying to work on at this point is learning to trust and follow the baby’s lead more. I find myself getting really discouraged when he doesn’t eat as much as I think he should, and boy do I have to resist the urge to just put the food into his mouth. And honestly, I have done so, especially with meat (oh the precious iron!) on several occasions ?. It also tests your patience on a whole ‘nother level as mealtimes can last up to an hour. My husband’s totally on board and has been very supportive this whole time, but his one complaint: “so I thought one of the benefits of BLW is that the baby eats what we eat. But I feel like I’m eating what the baby eats.” ??You see, I’ve become very stingy with my use of salt or anything with sodium in it. I hand him a salt shaker now ?.
I’ve still not come to embrace the mess either and am trying hard to just roll with it. I will say that I’ve become quite the ninja at catching food before it hits the floor and putting it back on his plate ?. Nursing is all over the place now, and as I mentioned before, it’s been sad (and physically painful) to see session(s) drop. I’m feeling better about it with each day. So as you see, BLW comes with its challenges, but oh man..when I see him experiencing new flavors and textures (35 new foods in a month!) and finding food bits in his ?diapers, it’s all worth it! ???
Wow! Can’t believe we’ve been doing BLW for 2 months now! ??I’m going to try my best to recap what this past month has been like compared to the first month. The most exciting change is that more food is actually going into Caleb’s belly rather than the ?or mine ?. He’s grasping the food better, and his hand-eye coordination has been improving w/continuous practice. He wasn’t very enthusiastic about food but now he comes to the table w/much excitement, although there are def days when he’d rather play.
He’s now eating breakfast, lunch, and 1-2 snacks on most days. Initially, he wasn’t all that interested in bfast. However, I continued to put strips of food in front of him, and he’s been doing pretty well for the most part. Lunchtime (around 2) continues to be his fav, and that’s when I offer him a plate full of food. Ideally, I’d love for him to eat when I have my lunch (around noon. I cannot wait until 2), but then he ends up just playing w/food ?. His fav food seems to be anything in muffin-form. He also hearts eggplants & purple sweet potatoes.
When we 1st started solids, the baby was refusing nursing session(s), and I shared how that made me a bit sad. Whelps, I don’t know where it’s all going, but he’s back to nursing every 3 hours or so in addition to the solids ?. I feel like he’ll eat more if we decrease nursing, but I guess I should continue to follow his lead…
Before solids, he had at least 2 ?diapers, but now it’s decreased to 1-2 every 2-3 days or so. We just went through a 5 day stretch w/no poo, and that was no fun ?. We’re trying to have him drink more water, esp. now that he’s figured out how to drink through a straw, but he doesn’t really care for it. Pears more than anything works best so it’s def become a pantry staple.
He now has 4 teeth, refuses to sit still (changing diapers zero fun), and makes the cutest noises non-stop (only at home, though). I hear I should fully enjoy this time before he starts to walk. I already have to watch him like a hawk at all times as he crawls w/lightning speed. It took us 5+ years to meet this lil’ miracle of ours, and everyday I’m reminded of how blessed I am! ❤️
It’s been nothing short of amazement and excitement to see the progress the baby’s been making. His hand eye coordination is just incredible and his movements deliberate w/much accuracy. I LOVE you, pincer grasp. And that means Less mess! I’d say about 90% of the food on the plate gets eaten ???
Now, I want to emphasize that it wasn’t like this from the start. Caleb was born at 35 weeks so we waited until he was 6 mo. adjusted (7 1/2 months old) to start solids. And even then, he wasn’t interested in food. Most of the food got tossed to the ground, leaving me questioning my decision to do BLW and switch to purees instead. But I just knew in my heart that this was the way to go and just kept at it, offering strips of food whenever I ate. I also made it a priority to eat in front of him whenever possible so he can observe ?
I remember seeing babies eating like a champ during those times & thinking there might be something wrong w/Caleb or that I’m doing this all wrong. So if you’re seeing Caleb eat now and wondering the same thing, know that we were right there with you. The key, I think looking back, is CONSISTENCY & PERSISTENCE. I started a daily diary here on Instagram to help keep myself accountable, and I’m so glad that I did! ? My biggest advice is continue offering and try not to get disheartened. It’s hard, I know. I also believe there’s no hard-set rules! I know it’s a big no no, but I used to put food directly into his mouth in hopes that it might get his attention. You know your baby more than anyone else so you do what you think is best! ?
As you can see from the food list, I’m determined to introduce Caleb to as much delicious bounties of this season as possible ??! Like mama, he LOVES all varieties of winter squash. He’s still nursing 4 times/day and is now eating 3 meals/day, although dinner is more like a large snack.