We’ve been doing solids for about a week now. A bit before the 6 month mark we decided to trust the BLW philosophy and let baby actually have the opportunity to take the lead.
Pear core:
Cucumber:
Pasta:
Bell pepper:
She’s also had banana, cooked carrot and some of our dinner that consisted of brown rice, beans, green chiles and cheese. Pretty varied diet for a 6 month old!
Gwyn’s first food was banana, which was quickly followed by pear core (and all the rest). Really, with BLW, you tend to worry less about the “first” food. The goal is to give them the opportunity to explore a wide variety of healthy foods. You definitely want to stay away from foods that are high in salt or highly processed, so your own diet may need to be altered a bit so that baby can have bits of what’s on your own plate. Food should be cut into shapes that are easy for baby to grab. Stick shapes are good and each stick should be at least 2 inches long so that when their fist clamps around it there is still a bit poking out for baby to chew on.
Some tidbits from Rapley’s book:
Vegetables that are hard when raw should be cut into a stick or finger shape (rather than round slices) and cooked (without salt) so that they are soft but not soggy (“al dente” may be fine for you but remember that your baby doesn’t have much in the way of teeth!) Boiling or steaming is good, but a tasty alternative is to roast sticks of vegetables in the oven. This gives them a slightly crisp coating and makes them easier to grip (bear in mind that some vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips, shrink when roasted, so cut extra-wide finger shapes). Sticks of softer vegetables, such as cucumber, can be offered raw.
Large fruits such as melon and papaya can be cut into stick shapes or wedges, while smaller ones (such as grapes) should be cut in half lengthwise, so that they are easier to handle and move around the mouth safely. Fruits such as apples, pears, and nectarines can be offered whole. Softer apples are better than firm ones as they are easier to gnaw and less likely to snap into large pieces. It’s best to leave some of the skin on most fruit and vegetables to make them easier to hold—at least until your baby is able to bite pieces off. Apples, pears, avocados, mangos and potatoes all work well with some skin left on. Your baby will soon work out how to hold the skin and scrape the flesh with his teeth (or gnaw it with his gums). Many parents offer bananas with some skin on too: wash the skin first (in case it gets chewed), then trim it so there is an inch or so of banana sticking out and it looks like an ice-cream cone. Once your baby is more skilled, let him try the banana skinless, to work out how much pressure he can use before he squishes it completely!
Large fruits such as melon and papaya can be cut into stick shapes or wedges, while smaller ones (such as grapes) should be cut in half lengthwise, so that they are easier to handle and move around the mouth safely. Fruits such as apples, pears, and nectarines can be offered whole. Softer apples are better than firm ones as they are easier to gnaw and less likely to snap into large pieces. It’s best to leave some of the skin on most fruit and vegetables to make them easier to hold—at least until your baby is able to bite pieces off. Apples, pears, avocados, mangos and potatoes all work well with some skin left on. Your baby will soon work out how to hold the skin and scrape the flesh with his teeth (or gnaw it with his gums). Many parents offer bananas with some skin on too: wash the skin first (in case it gets chewed), then trim it so there is an inch or so of banana sticking out and it looks like an ice-cream cone. Once your baby is more skilled, let him try the banana skinless, to work out how much pressure he can use before he squishes it completely!
EASY FIRST FINGER FOODS FOR BABIES
• steamed (or lightly boiled) whole vegetables, such as green beans, baby corn, and sugar-snap peas
• steamed (or lightly boiled) florets of cauliflower and broccoli
• steamed, roasted or stir-fried vegetable sticks, such as carrot, potato, egg plant, sweet potato, parsnip, pumpkin, and zucchini
• raw sticks of cucumber (tip: keep some of these ready prepared in the fridge for babies who are teething—the coolness is soothing for their gums)
• thick slices of avocado (not too ripe or it will be very squishy)
• chicken (as a strip of meat or on a leg bone)—warm (i.e., freshly cooked) or cold • thin strips of beef, lamb or pork—warm (i.e., freshly cooked) or cold
• fruit, such as pear, apple, banana, peach, nectarine, mango—either whole or as sticks
• sticks of firm cheese, such as cheddar or Gloucester
• breadsticks
• rice cakes or toast “fingers”—on their own or with a homemade spread, such as hummus and tomato, or cottage cheese
Rapley, Gill; Murkett, Tracey (2010-10-05). Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods—and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater (pp. 109-110). Workman Publishing. Kindle Edition.
IVF on the Down Low 
