Anonymous wrote:I did BLW because I was too cheap/lazy to buy purées and/or make them. I did a few like sweet potatoes and applesauce but mostly did soft foods to start like yogurt, oatmeal, avocado and then pretty quickly moved into whatever we had on hand. Like I said, fair amount of laziness in my part. I liked Solid Starts philosophy that bigger is better for young babies and choking so we have tons of large fruit—jumbo strawberries, banana spears, large slices of melon, mango pits (still a favorite at 15 months), strips of steak, large pizza crust. I really sat and was 100% attentive to him at first out of paranoia so I really got a sense of how he handled food and responded to sticking things all the way in his mouth.

I followed all the Instagram pages for months before starting so I was pretty confident in knowing what to expect and watch out for allergy and choking wise. One thing I learned that made me feel better is that younger babies have a better gag reflex to prevent choking than older babies. So (supposedly!) it’s actually better to start early to teach babies how to chew and swallow while that reflex is still present than later on when it’s not as strong. I’m not an expert and may not be 100% accurate on this, so please feel free to research and correct me! But I thought it may be reassuring to know as you get started!

But also, however you want to feed your baby is fine. Everyone has an opinion on everything (like breastfeeding ba formula) and starting solids is just another opportunity for annoying people to push their opinions on moms. (No one ever told my husband what to feed the baby!) Pick and choose what works for you and your family.

Anonymous wrote:I never did BLW. I actually loved spoon-feeding feeding my kids fresh purées. DH and I both over-salt our food so there would never be anything we could share anyway. Both kids are advanced in every way the pediatrician asks about at 3 and 1.5 and started feeding themselves when they were ready.

Anonymous wrote:I also (I think wrongly) got the sense most people were doing BLW. I think Instagram was partly to blame for this understanding. I asked my pediatrician about BLW a few weeks ago at our six month appointment and she advised against it for now. She said she doesn't understand why it is all the rage when it creates a greater risk of chocking. She recommended we stick with purees until baby shows more of an interest in self feeding. This was relieving to me because I am also very stressed about chocking. So much so that I'm contemplating getting one of those DeChocker or LifeVac things, though it seems sort of silly, so I haven't done so yet. Feeding/eating seems like one of those things that all kids really do master eventually. It's not like there are a bunch of adults running around who don't know how to feed themselves. So, if my kid is a few months slower on self-feeding, this seems like a pretty minor concern. Definitely interested in other thoughts, though!

Anonymous wrote:Most people don’t do BLW. It’s popular on Instagram but I didn’t know many people who did BLW. There’s a reason purées are tried and true. And recommended by pediatricians.