Parenting Tips: Baby-Led Weaning

*Disclaimer here. Weaning does not mean stopping breastfeeding or formula feeding with this method. Weaning means starting your child on solid foods, its simply the name of the method*

What comes to mind when you think of starting your infant on solid foods? Is it you sitting the baby in a high chair, them squirming around while you try to steer the "airplane into the hanger"? Mushy bland looking baby foods, or mixed fruits and veggies in combos you wouldn't put together. There is another way. One far more pleasant for you and your child. Not to mention simpler and more fun.

It used to be that doctors said it was healthy to introduce solids to your baby at 3 months old. When a baby still has the tongue thrust reflex and cant swallow much more then thin liquids. They said to give babies rice cereal, thinned down with formula or breastmilk. Then to dribble it into the babies mouth, while the baby pushes it out of their mouth with the tongue thrust reflex. Ending in the baby getting little of the cereal in their stomachs and most of it on themselves. However if you put a piece of food in a 3 month olds hands, they may possibly be able to get it to their mouth, but they would only suck on it for am moment before spitting it out. They would not swallow it.