is there any reason why this is "wrong" / not advisable?

[nannyl]

DD is 5months (&3days)

she has seemed ready to wean for quite a while, but i held off until last week when she was very nearly 5m, and 5m by due date!

she has so far has baby rice / carrot / apple / swede purees.

Yesturday i was eating a really delicous juicy and soft ripe pear while holding her.... she was looking and i let her lick it... she seemed to like it so i cut a small chunk off and held it while she knawed at it... she seemed to like it so i put it in one of those mesh things (you know, so they dont choke etc?) and she really enjoyed having a good old chew, and ate a bit of it.
(I plan to try her on pear puree tomorrow)

Today i was just eating a very soft and over ripe banana... again i let her put the end of my banana in her mouth... she seemed to like it, so i broke off a small piece (about 1cm) and gave it to her in her mesh food bag thing again

she ate the lot.

I feel baby led weaning will really suit my DD, but i always understood you shouldnt do it until 6m old, but i dont really know why?

Am i doing anything bad / wrong by letting her try fruits (and potentially perhaps some cooked carrot sticks or cauliflower etc) like this already?

My Mummy instinct says its fine and that she is enjoying it.

My Mummy instinct says its fine and that she is enjoying it

there is your answer

Can she sit up unaided ? I recall debating similar issue myself with a friend who was very pro-baby led weaning and think one of her reasons when I was debating starting earlier was 'well imagine if you were lying in bed or propped up on pillows' being fed how would you like it ? It kinda put me off ..
Think the reasoning is too that there guts etc aren't developed sufficiently until 6 months - sure there will be experts out there that will correct me if I'm wrong.
BUT, having said all that, if you comfortable with it go with it !

I agree with black

You have answered your own question

You can get a net thing that you can put fruit and iced things in so they can suck and crunch but cant get big bits. I thin its a nubby?

Sorry just reread post ignore me im tired

I think you should do whatever you want! We started weaning at 4.5mo on the advice of my DSs paediatrician.

I think you are fine to carry on as you are doing. Just take things slowly and she will probably be eating far less than if you were spooning purées into her. Remember the mantra food under one is just for fun...sounds like she's having fun!

yes its one of those nuby net things...

the chew through it

yes she can sit up

pleased im not missing something as to why she cant

Happyjoyful is right.

I don't think you need those mesh things though. At that age they have a gag reflex to stop them choking. Of course this doesnt mean you should ever take your eyes off them. But baby led is fab in my opinion.

The whole point of blw is that they do it when they're ready.

She sounds ready to me! Make sure she's sitting upright and let her get on with it.

I think you're misunderstanding what baby-led weaning is. Baby-led weaning is baby-led, that is, you start weaning when your child is showing the signs of being ready, not when you hit a certain date in the calendar.

If your child can sit up unaided for a while, has lost the tongue thrust reflex and is able to pick up food and put it in their mouth themselves, then they are ready for baby-led weaning. Some babies start early, mine started BLW at 19 weeks, some start later, around 7-8 months.

You don't need one of those mesh things, pear and banana are both great foods to give for BLW. Cut the pear into chip-shapes to enable baby to get a good grip.

Sounds like she's good to go. As others have said though, lose the mesh thing. It goes against the whole BLW ethos (if that is the way you want to go). She'll learn how to chew and swallow much quicker without it. Have fun.