Baby not yet sitting unaided

[IShallCallYouSquishy]

DS is 24 weeks and is DC2.

With DD I did purées then moved to finger foods around 9ish months. With DS I want to BLW from the start due to ease more than anything.

He's definitely ready for weaning. He BF's more frequently over past couple weeks, watches every morsel of food that passes my lips, sleep got worse, etc. I just "know" he's ready in that sense. However he can't sit unaided and I think that's a requisite for BLW? DD sat unaided at 23 weeks so wasn't an issue.

I've just bought a mamas and papas snug to use for putting food on the tray, but he's just sat in it for first time and just leans against the tray.

Any experience with babies being ready but not physically ready? If that makes sense?!

I don't think the sleep changes or increased bf indicate baby is ready for weaning. They are most likely developmental. The interest in you eating sounds like a definite sign though. For blw sitting up straight is really important in order to avoid choking.. If you can't get him sitting consistently and comfortably like that even in a high chair or on a lap, I would just wait until that is possible, which should be pretty soon.

I started weaning my DD around 23 weeks. She couldn't sit unaided, but she could sit well (straight backed, etc) on a lap or in a Bumbo seat. That was good enough for me.

Should have said: I didn't give finger foods until much later.

He's definitely interested in my eating fanjo!

I was eating some leftover pizza, plate on floor and playing with him. He was rolling closer and closer trying to touch the plate!

If I sit him on my knee he is very sturdy, sits straight, head up and has always had great head control just if I sit him on the floor he flops over.

The "interested in what you're eating" thing is also a bit of a red herring IMO. Babies will be interested in lots of things that you're doing, it isn't a sign of anything.

I would wait until he can reliably sit in his high chair without slumping over forwards or to the side.

The key physical ability is sitting upright rather than sitting completely unaided. I wouldn't start if he regularly slumps while he's in his highchair but if he can sit upright in there for a reasonable length of time, that's sufficient.

The BLW book refers to "sitting up with little or no support". Analytical Armadillo did a blog post called something like 13 BLW myths and number 1 was that they need to be able to sit unaided. Upright with a clear straight path from mouth to stomach, yes, totally unaided, no.

If he can sit up straight, pick up food and get it in his mouth, chew it and swallow it then I would say he's ready.

Well everything he touches does go in his mouth. But I think that's safe to say about pretty much every 5.5 month old.

I'll give it another week I think. See how he's doing with sitting. It's no great rush to wean. It's probably me that's more ready than him (vain hope that he might cut down a BF or 2!)

Does he have enough control of his posture that he could lean forwards to let gravity help get something out of his mouth? If not, I'd leave it until he does.