Baby-Led Weaning: Why I Chose to Let My 5 month old Try Solids

First of all, if you are thinking of doing Baby Led Weaning (BLW), I highly encourage you to read the book. It made me feel much more confident in giving my baby solids when I knew the biology behind it.

My main concerns were - How does the baby chew food? How do you know the baby won't choke?

1. Your baby is just playing with food, not eating for primary nutrition, like an adult would. Food is a new 'toy' for your baby. She will discover that some substances have a taste and can be broken into smaller pieces. Little K started with a slice of fresh peach. She licked it and decided it had a yummy flavor!

In this case, since baby is getting the majority of calories and nutrients from breastmilk or formula, chewing is overrated. Baby can gum or gnaw on food, but she doesn't need to chew efficiently yet. Still, it's a good idea to stick with first foods that are melt-in-mouth baby friendly. Juicy foods (like a good steak) let baby explore a variety of flavors and textures.

2. Young babies have a gag reflux much further forward in their mouths than adults and older children. This helps teach your baby to take small bites and chew her food throughly before swallowing. She has to have the food in small pieces in order to swallow it. Baby will gag on food that is too big without danger of choking.

I knew Little K was ready to start Baby Led Weaning when she grabbed my bowl of cereal and dumped it, followed by grabbing my full spoon and attempting to put it in her mouth. Your baby will let you know when she is ready to try eating like Mama!

Daycare Decisions

Unfortunately, Day Two of daycare went no better than the first day. The good news was that the next day we sent Little K to stay with her aunt for the day. This worked much better. Little K was sleeping peacefully when I picked her up. She ate rice cereal and took a bottle. YAY!

The bottom line:

 1. Find a daycare location where your baby is comfortable. Little K had visited and spent several hours a time at her aunt's house while I was there, too. So, she had semi-familiar surroundings.

2. Provide opportunities for you and your baby to visit your provider. Let your baby know your provider is a friend.

3. Leave some baby clothes at your provider's house, then put them on your child when you are at home. This way your baby becomes familiar with the smell of your provider's home. Sometimes it helps to send something from home with a comforting scent (like a blanket).

Down in the Daycare Dumps

So, everyone said, "It's going to be so hard to leave her." Confession: It wasn't. I knew Little K would enjoy playing and watching the other kids. She had been taking a bottle of formula regularly for me during mid day. While she was shy around others, when I wasn't around, she didn't seem to care... So I left her, smiling and cooing, at daycare, confident she would enjoy herself.

WRONG! When I picked Little K up from her first day (only a half day) she was screaming. The daycare provider confided that Little K had bawled the whole time and refused to eat. My provider had rocked her, walked around with her, tried to distract her with toys, the pacifier, and a bottle to no avail. Little K quieted the instant I picked her up.

I spent hours crying, thinking, "She thought that she had to cry for FOUR HOURS until I came for her." To top off my anguish, the provider said she won't take Little K if she won't eat. (When we got home, Little K took 4 ounces from her bottle.)

What am I going to do? Well, we're trying it again, with pumped breastmilk instead of formula, and LOTS of prayer. Fingers crossed for a better half day this morning.

Almond Cranberry Granola Bites

Do any other breastfeeding mothers feel like they're always starving or is it just me? I have eaten so much food today, I don't even want to think about it.

One of my healthy snack foods has been granola bites. I got started with Funfetti Granola Bites, but, like my husband pointed out, they're too sweet. So, I tried to find healthier granola recipes. I tweaked this Almond Cranberry Granola recipe to fit my tastes. The original recipe called for peanut butter (why do that when almond butter is available?).


After assembling the ingredients, mix everything together and chill for about 30 minutes.






Use one of these nifty scoops to shape the bites. TA-DA!

Almond Cranberry Granola Bites

1 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup almond butter

1/3 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Chill 30 minutes. Scoop into bites. Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Granola Bites a.k.a. Mom Snacks

I got addicted to granola bites when I made a Funfetti version. My hubby complained they were too sweet.....which would explain why they were sooooo good. So, I tried several different recipes. My favorite (after the Funfetti) were these.

Dark Chocolate Granola Bites

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup flax seed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, chopped

Mix all ingredients together. Chill 30 minutes. Roll into balls.  

 This is a great recipe for a breastfeeding mother because it has lactation encouraging oatmeal! Plus, they're quick to make and easy to snack on while nursing.

My Natural Childbirth Experience

Ever since I got married, I had a niggling fear that when I had a baby, it would end in a c-section. While I understand the importance of the medical procedure, I had no desire to be cut open! So, when I found out I was expecting Little K, I began researching how to avoid a c-section. My findings led to a home birth-which I knew my husband wouldn't go for. However, I thought I might be able to convince him to let me go to a birth center.

So, I shared all the information I had gathered on the medicalization of birth. I pointed out that I dislike hospitals. I emphatically stated that I wanted to recover in my own bed. After briefly trotting out the idea of home birth, I put that horse in its stall and suggested the birth center. My husband graciously told me I could decide where I wanted to give birth (as long as it wasn't at home). That settled it. I was going to the Topeka Birth and Women's Center.

The center is in an old Victorian home. I loved the pictures of the exterior and interior immediately. My house was built in 1900, so the center would be the next best thing to being at home. I knew I would be able to relax in such comforting surroundings. This also helped convince my husband, because he loves old homes as much as I do.


In the weeks leading up to Little K's birth, we got to know the ladies at the Birth Center and respect their incredible knowledge. After the first required childbirth class (which for me was a review of what I had read online about the dangers of medicalizing birth), my husband really understood why I had been so emphatic about avoiding a hospital birth. This information did not imply that you can't have a natural birth in a hospital, but just pointed out that it's much more difficult to do so.

I was encouraged to labor at home as long as possible. This ended up being about half the day. I labored on the bed at the center for several long hours. Then I moved to the tub. That was heavenly! I relaxed in the water....until it was time to push. I moved to the bed and my husband said the midwife did a great job of having me change positions to help move things along. (I just did what I was told at that point.)


After Little K arrived that evening, we had some quiet cuddles. My husband and I snuggled with her on the bed for quite a while. Then, four hours later, we got to go home! I was so excited to be headed back to my own, comfy bed. Although, to be fair, I didn't have any complaints about the bed at the birth center.

Even though I'll be the first to admit I didn't handle the pain of labor well, I will be going back to the birth center for my next birth. I felt like the midwives cared about our family as people, not patients. Bonus: no c-section needed!

Traveling with Baby: Avoiding Screaming Serenades

I never really worried about traveling in the car with baby. Everyone said things like, "Babies always sleep in the car. They love riding in the car. We always take our baby for a drive to put him to sleep."

They are some lucky ducks. My baby was only like that until about 4 weeks old. Then we were rudely thrust into a world where the baby screamed in the car seat. Oh, things would start out well. She would lay quietly. Then she would scream her head off until we reached our destination and took her out. So, aside from buying some earplugs, we came up with some solutions to content the baby.

1. Start with a full tummy and clean diaper. Whenever possible, change the baby's diaper and nurse her immediately before placing her in the car seat. If she doesn't fall asleep while nursing, being full will at least help her be more comfortable on the ride.

2. Give baby a comfort object. For Little K, we give her a lightweight or fluffy blanket, depending on the weather. It helps her relax when she has something to grasp. If your baby gets quiet, be sure to glance back and made sure she hasn't pulled the blanket over her face. Little K has never done this, but it's better to check just in case.

3. When the baby starts to show interest in toys, find a favorite one for car rides. Little K loves her turtle. It rattles, makes crinkly noises, and has a mirror on the bottom.

4. Give baby something interesting to look at.  We put one of those car mirrors at the base of Kaylee's seat so she can admire herself. Sometimes it also works well to have someone sitting back there to amuse her







5. Make sure baby is comfortable. Little K gets the sun in her eyes in the mornings and evenings, so we hang a light blanket over the bar of the seat to provide some shade.

6. Have a pacifier handy. We keep a pacifier clipped to the head support in the seat. Sometimes Little K needs a few minutes of sucking to tip her over into dreamland....








7. Sympathize with baby. Think of how you feel after riding in the car for hours on end. Your rear starts tingling and you just want to stretch out. Babies get the same way! Whenever possible, take your baby out for a stretch. Put her in the carrier or sling while you're in the grocery store. Let her nap in your arms over lunch. Giving your baby a break from the car seat will do wonders.

Good luck to fellow suffering parents...you have my deepest sympathies for your hearing. My final tip is to drive fast and don't take the scenic route! The sooner you reach your destination, the sooner your baby can be comforted.