So how much should I be feeding my 7mo?

[monal]

We are baby-led weaning. Getting started tips say don't put too much on the tray, they'll get overwhelmed. She has totally mastered that food is for eating (v. proud ) and her dexterity is not too bad, she can pick up quite little bits, but she drops bits all the time quite often and so I tend to give her new bits until she stops trying to eat. So we end up with a nice little pile of what she didn't eat under the high chair, a tasty snack for me, getting my five-a-day, fab.

But should I be giving her a baby size portion and just letting her eat what she can and then that's it? Will I be giving her too much? Will I be preventing her from learning the skills she needs to eat everything without dropping it?

Is she dropping it on purpose or accidentally? I think if she is deliberately dropping the food I'd just clear up and let her get down.

No, accidentally, because it's slippery or whatever and she brings it to her mouth and it slips out of her grip and lands on the floor. Also she doesn't usually put whole pieces in her mouth, but holds a bit in her fist, bites the end off and then doesn't really know what to do with the bit in her fist.

When she's really done she neatly (ha) clears off the tray table with her hand.

But no, I mean when she accidentally drops something and then looks around with a vexed look to find out where it's gone.

Sounds like she is doing really well. I'd just keep offering her something until she's no longer interested. The current advice is to offer solids roughly an hour after milk feed and to build upto 3 meals between 8 and 9 months so you sound like you are doing fine