Crikey - am about to try baby led weaning. Please hand hold!

[AmIDoingThisRight]

DS is now unbelievably 6 months old and today's the day we're going to try baby led weaning.

Am feeling quite (well, very) nervous about it but it seems to make such a lot of sense and he seems quite keen already and is watching us eat things with interest.

My mum is very dubious about it, and other people I've asked about baby led weaning have never come across it and already think I'm a bit of a kooky chic (I carry him in a sling, am breastfeeding on demand and use terry nappies) so they haven't been wholly supportive of the whole idea.

Have already been to a first aid class on infant choking and have been reading up on it this morning just in case.

Will try him out on some banana in a couple of hours - wish me luck!

[littleducks]

Good luck! It is only the first day so dont expect him to eat too much.

WORD OF WARNING banana stains have to be soaked immediately or are indellible and post banana nappies may look like baby has worms

but the actaul eating bit should be fun!!!

[AmIDoingThisRight]

Thank you littleducks! That's good to know in advance!

[MrsJamin]

Good luck from me too - do remember the difference between a gag (very usual in the beginning, coughing, red eyes) and a choke (very unusual, go blue, stop breathing). Through gagging, he might look at you and it seems he's going "oh dear is this supposed to happen" and you just need to reassure him that you're there and encourage him to enjoy himself! Don't be tempted to get him out of his chair, look worried, or pat him on the back - this will only worry him further and won't help him deal with the gag.

To be honest the first time DS had banana he projectile vomitted as his gag reflex was still pretty sensitive, don't be put off if this happens, just try different foods (roasted veg sticks and/or toast are a great start).

Do let us know how you got on

[BouncingTurtle]

Bananas are great - so are big chunks of melon - my ds loves them straight from the fridge!

Check out Aitch's blog for lots of tips and advice and enjoy.

A word of caution - don't get too hung up on how much your ds is eating - at first it'll be more about him experiencing different tastes and textures - it might take a few weeks before he starts really tucking in - I started my ds at 23 weeks with wedges of fruit and veg but he only really started eating lots when he was about 27-28 weeks.

[AmIDoingThisRight]

Thank you all!

Well, we tried it. Was quite nerve wracking but I tried to be laid back and nonchalant about it all and luckily no choking, or even much gagging really. He just made a shocked face as if to say "what on earth is this?" and had the tiniest amount, maybe the equivalent of half a teaspoon.

Banana was very slippery and slimy and he couldn't really get a good grip on it - I think I will try smallwhitecat's excellent suggestions tomorrow and see how we get on with some roasted carrot and maybe broccoli.

Or should I just stick to one food at a time? Or do I wait several days with one food before introducing another?

[MrsJamin]

It sounds like it went really well, AmIDoingThisRight - I loved the faces DS pulled in his first meals, and the little wiggle/shake he did when he swallowed a bit of food.

You can offer your DS different foods at the same time, this is what Gill Rapley advises as your DC will try different things and know he can make choices about what he needs and wants to eat.

The several days thing only really applies to early (pre-6-months) weaning, it's only really necessary if you have allergies in the family. It feels like you should have to wait before introducing wheat, dairy, meat etc but there's actually no need if none of your family have intolerances of those foods.

[ruddynorah]

offer a few things at one time and see what he goes for. so do the carrot and the brocolli and maybe poato and see what he makes of it all.

[callmeovercautious]

Brocolli is great as it has a built in handle

Yes the same food for a few days is advised but only if allergies are a possibility. Just don't go straight for things like Kiwi as the seeds can have a bad effect on LO. Kellymom has some good advice on foods that can cause an allergy/food intollerance.