Baby Nico is now almost 7 months old. For the first 6 months of life, I fed him breast milk and formula. I had to give his gut time to develop all the necessary enzymes to break down real food before we introduced it to him. Also, since he was growing, we needed to wait until he could sit up on his own to prevent choking. In addition, when he started showing signs of interest in the food we were eating, we knew he was ready to try real food on his own.
Does this count as eating food? Hahaha!
Being a first-time mom, I have no idea what I’m doing with an infant. This new bundle of joy is a work-in-progress for everything I do with him. And even though I’m a dietitian, I specialize in pediatrics and adults, not infants, so everything is new to me. I’m used to working with people who already know how to eat – not to teach them. So, I was THRILLED beyond belief when Leslie Schilling, MA, RDN, and Wendy Jo Peterson, MS, RDN, fellow dietitians and fabulous mamas, shared their book with me, Born To Eat: Whole, Healthy Foods From Baby’s First Bite.
Born To Eat focuses on a baby-led weaning feeding technique where you let the child feed themselves real food. Crazy concept, huh? I’ve always heard of parents feeding their babies mushy, puree foods. And that isn’t the case anymore. So, I read the book and embarked on a self-feeding journey with Baby Nico. Here’s our story.
Introducing Sweet Potatoes. Cut into finger sticks
Playing with the Avocado and Sweet Potato
It’s fun to play with food
Curiosity is welcomed
The child may try it. Seems like they love to put most things in their mouths
Born To Eat is a fantastic resource for any parent with a newborn and toddler. The book starts with an introduction as to what Baby-Led Weaning is. It discusses the benefits of the self-feeding approach such as raising a less picky eater (WIN!) and encouraging motor skill development. There are fantastic sections in the book about common questions such as “Will my baby choke?” and “What about food allergies?”
Trying a hard-boiled egg
They won’t like everything the first time. Be patient and introduce the same food multiple times. I did 5 days in a row for each food.
The book has many science and research-based concepts in it and contains sample menus, meal plans, the babies first foods, recipes, and more. In addition, there are sections for different months (i.e. month 7-8, months 9-12, etc.) so you know what to do at every stage of the game. I started with real foods such as sweet potatoes, avocadoes, carrots, bananas, eggs, and more. And you don’t have to worry about the child eating all the food for nourishment because he/she is still drinking the breast milk and/or formula. The food at age 6-8 months is just meant more for learning how to eat – introducing textures and flavors.
I’m so thankful for this incredible resource. I now have the confidence I need to continue to let my baby learn how to eat and enjoy this experience with him. We’re both having a ton of messy fun. I highly recommend Born To Eat. Thank you Leslie and Wendy Jo for helping my baby have this incredible food adventure.
Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN
*I was provided a free copy of the book for the purpose of this post. I was not compensated for my time. All thoughts and beliefs are my own.