I am sooo excited about this week’s blog post! Baby feeding and baby led weaning are topics I’ve wanted to write about for a while now. I want to get into it ALL. From breast feeding, to formula, to pureed foods and solids. This post is going to be all about my feeding journey with Archie. What I’ve learned and what Archie has learned so far.
***Before we get started, I just want to disclose, in no way am I a medical expert on this topic. This is just MY experience. Every baby’s experience is different and mine will be different from yours! As always, never hesitate to reach out to your pediatrician if you have questions about baby led weaning or feeding in general.
For the first 4.5 months, Archie was strictly breast fed, every three hours. A few tips on breast feeding – do not hesitate to utilize the in hospital lactation consultant prior to being discharged from the hospital! They are there for a reason and are extremely knowledgable! The most important thing you want to have down pat prior to being discharged is the latch. The latch was a problem initially for Archie. His latch was “shallow” making it difficult for him to feed and painful for me. To ease my pain and discomfort, I used LANSINOH CREAM before and after feedings. This cream helped a ton. After a couple of weeks, Archie learned to latch properly on his own and we haven’t had any issues since!
There will be a learning curve at first for you and your baby and that’s totally normal. Some suggest avoiding the use of a pacifier for the first couple of weeks until they have that latch down pat because going back and fourth can cause confusion for some babies. We began using a pacifier around two weeks and had no issues.
They also say, the more you feed during the day, the less hungry the baby is at night. Thus, less middle of the night wakings. Some suggest feeding every two hours during the day. We attempted this at first and it did not go too well. A lot of stomach discomfort and spit up. We stuck to every 3 hours during the day and by 2.5 months, Archie was sleeping through the night.
When we did have those every 3 hour feedings, I made sure they were full, intentional feedings. Meaning – he was feeding at least 20 minutes. After the first five minutes of feeding, we sat Archie upright and paused for a burp (lol). This was a HUGE help with stomach discomfort!
Another issue with breast feeding is milk supply. Feeding often is key. Most women overproduce initially, but your body will regulate to produce only what your baby needs. In turn, if you’re skipping a feed for any reason, try to pump. If you skip the feed all together, your body thinks producing the milk is unnecessary and will stop. I also used the Haakaa Manual Pump on the side I was not feeding on. You stick this on and it collects milk which helps you build a freezer stash.
Some items that helped, I mean really helped me with my milk supply – Body Armor Drinks, oatmeal, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! There are several over the counter supplements they do say helps with your milk supply. One of these supplements is Fenugreek. I took this supplement for several weeks and noticed an increase in GI side effects with Archie (which they do say may happen). So, I stopped the supplement and did not see a decrease in supply. Personally, what really helped me was oatmeal every morning for breakfast, a Gallon of Water a day, and a body armor drink at night – I really don’t think I needed any supplements other than those three items.
By our 4 month pediatrician check up, we got the green light to begin pureed foods! We started very small. There are several important items you need to begin pureed foods. Sitting up with good head and neck control is the most important. Also, showing interest when you’re eating. Once Archie started smacking his lips and watching me intently while I was eating, I knew he was ready. I waited until about 4.5 months and started with one to two tablespoons a day.
We started our morning with oatmeal. Good old fashioned rolled oats ground up in a food processor or spice grinder is really all you need. Mix that with a bit of either breast milk or formula. Start with a thin almost water consistency. The first few feeds, you’re really more practicing with a spoon than anything else. Once your little one gets the hang of feeding with a spoon, you can begin to thicken the consistency of the oatmeal.
Our evening meal time was a tablespoon of pureed veggie or fruit. The Ninja food processor was my best friend, but any blender will do! To save some time, make a large batch of your own. For example; I would cook a whole bag of frozen peas and toss it right into the Ninja. If it was too thick in consistency, just add water. Once the peas were the right consistency, grab an old fashioned ice cube tray. Fill the tray and place it in the freezer. Once frozen, pop the cubes out. One cube is about two tablespoons. When you’re ready, just grab a cube from the freezer and microwave it on high for about 10 seconds and you’re ready to go!
Let’s talk food allergens! There are eight and they include: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. The new school of thought is to introduce these allergens early and often. Always keep Benadryl on hand, in house in case of an allergic reaction. Here’s a tip: when introducing an allergen such as peanut butter, introduce it in the middle of the day on a weekday so you can observe for a reaction. I suggest during the week when your pediatrician’s office will be open. This way, if you have any problems, you can contact them right away and do not have to go through their answering service. When introducing, introduce one a week. This way, if there is an allergy, you will be able to pin point the food. I introduced peanut butter about three hours before our six month appointment. Just incase of any reaction, the pediatrician would be able to observe. To introduce peanut butter, I placed the tiniest bit on the tip of a spoon and mixed it into oatmeal or yogurt.
By Archie’s six month check up he was more than ready to start solid foods! We went the baby led weaning route for several reasons. I wanted to prevent picky eating. Studies show, when you introduce foods of different colors, consistency, and different types of food early, the less likely you are to have a picky eater or a child with food aversions. Also, a big one…when you’re younger, your gag reflex is closer to the front of your mouth. As you get older, the gag reflex slowly begins to move towards the back of your mouth. Some parents worry about choking when initiating baby led weaning. Rightfully so, but an important lesson to learn, gagging and choking are two different things. The gag reflex is there to PROTECT baby. You want baby to learn HOW MUCH they should be putting in their mouth and this is much safer at a younger age due to the gag reflex being closer to the front of baby’s mouth.
Solidstarts.com is my number one go to resource on all items baby led weaning. On this website, they have a “food database.” Here you are able to type in any food you’re planning on feeding baby. They break down: how to cook, how to serve, whether or not the food is an allergen, and even give a recipe for each food. I trust this website – they have an excellent team with exemplary credentials and lots of pictures showing ways to serve food, helpful for visual learners. They were recently a focus story on GMA. If you want to watch the clip, check it out here.
*** Prior to 10 months, Archie had not quite perfected his pincer grasp (grabbing smaller items between thumb and index finger). When first starting baby led weaning, it was best to serve Archie food in long, thin pieces he could pick up with all five fingers.
Overall, I am extremely happy with our decision to practice baby led weaning with Archie. There is no single food he does not enjoy eating. Archie sits down with us for meals, we eat as a family. Whatever we’re having for dinner, Archie is having as well and this makes things easier on me too! I’m not in the kitchen cooking a meal for Matt and I and a separate meal for Archie. He’s slowly weaning himself off milk and I am slowly making less. My milk supply diminished pretty drastically in the evening. I pump and give a bottle with 2 oz. formula and breast milk combined. Archie did just fine with the transition and we’ve had no issues adding that 2 oz. of formula. We enjoy trying new foods together and watching that cute little face when trying foods for the first time is just an added bonus!
Check below for my every day baby led weaning products!
Tara Barnes
You’re awesome! I did mostly the same things with Ryan. He eats everything now. It was torture combing families for this reason. Jeremy’s girls don’t eat like he does. That being said it has expanded their taste buds. They watch Ryan eat all the yummy foods and they want to try.
jacqueline.bianchino
I’m really hoping for this with Archie!! I think he eats more than both Matt and I haha