Baby Led Weaning or Traditional Purees?

We began weaning Isaac a couple of months ago. Like his big brother, we waited until he was 6 months old, showed readiness, able to hold his own head and once again, have chosen to do Baby Led Weaning.

We had quite a successful journey with Noah, so thought it best to do this again. A lot of people ask me about it when they see the boys eating. BLW is simply offering real foods, initially in finger like shapes for babies to grasp and feed themselves. As baby becomes more competent, they'll eat the same meals as the rest of the family.

There are lots of pros and cons however:

Pros
At the child's own pace-not adult led, baby eats at their own pace.
Family friendly-meals are easy to adapt and elements for baby are easy to organise.
Time-no time spent batch cooking and blending foods.
Fosters independence-baby able to handle food and make decisions for themselves whilst feeding.
Hand and eye coordination-encourages baby's skills in hand and eye coordination. Baby's pincer grip is enhanced.
Baby is given a range of flavours and textures of foods, rather than smooth puréed food-baby is more keen to try out new flavours and textures, rather than refusals at a later date.
Expense-no expensive jars or pouches to buy!
Healthier weight- babies tend to be a healthier weight compared to babies weaned on purees (http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/02February/Pages/spoonfeeding-baby-led-weaning-obesity.aspx)

Cons
The mess-it can get very messy, so if you're a clean freak, it's probably not for you.
Volume of food-it can be difficult to know how much food has actually been eaten, as a lot of it ends up on the floor.
Eating out-whilst eating out, some places have a limited children's menu and sometimes a lack of suitable vegetables for little ones to handle themselves.
Constipation-we've had a few occasions with the boys where they've clearly eaten too much and struggled to go.

A lot of friends and family expressed concern when we were weaning Noah; often confusing gagging with choking. Some even suggest that there is actually more of a risk of baby choking with puréed foods than the Baby Led route. As baby learns how to chew first, rather than just swallow, so personally, I found their concerns unfounded. I'd suggest that anyone, whether choosing to do BLW or traditional puréed foods should have a little knowledge of first aid, in the event of any choking incidents.

For more information about Baby Led Weaning, Gill Rapley's books are a wealth of information. Gill's information book and cookbook have been invaluable (both available on Amazon), alongside several Facebook groups dedicated to BLW. We also use a lot of Annabel Karmel's family friendly recipes from her website http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes

Our current breakfast favourite is banana and blueberry pancakes! Very simply, mash a banana, mix in an egg and add a handful of blueberries and fry. Very tasty and filling for all the family!

What's your favourite weaning recipe?