Baby Led Weaning: Isn't it time your baby was less hassle?

When my pediatrician first brought up solids for Edie a few months back, I was shocked. It seemed so early. The few sparks of motherly instinct in me just didn't buy that it was time yet. So, I went about learning more about the topic right away. First I came to discover that Germans typically start babies on solids well before the age currently recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. That bought me some time, and time for me = copious baby research and endless conversations with Will that start with "Did you know...?" And by conversations I mean me spewing facts and him saying "Huh," "Okay" or "Really?" in as interested a tone as he can muster.

I ended up getting drawn by the idea of baby led weaning, which is a yuppified way of saying letting your baby eat on her own basically whatever you eat. I can't say that the simplicity of it wasn't a big draw. No purees, no spoon feeding, no sweet potatoes for five days, then avocados for another five. See, as a breastfeeding mom, I've never packed a bottle, counted ounces, or otherwise prepared for my daughter's sustenance other than by just showing up. And this level of planning has been right up my alley. I like to think that helping E love food was a bigger purpose, though. As a kid, food was my battleground. I was endlessly picky and ruthlessly stubborn about it. So it appealed to me to approach food with my daughter in an easy-going and exploratory way. And never planning her meals is a suh-weet bonus.

In the past few weeks, we've begun to offer Edie food. So far, de-salted soft pretzels, spoonfuls of oatmeal, watermelon, yogurt, rasberries, and banana flapjacks have all been on the menu. Her evolution from indifferent to connoisseur has been magical and messy. She is enjoying it immensely. And the dogs have begun circling her highchair like sharks, Billy today ending up with a bright red poodle 'fro from E's berry laden fingers.

Enjoy the pics and video of our self-feeding babe! Now if I can just figure out how to teach her to do her own laundry.....