Baby Led Weaning- Why I love it & Why you might not.

By the age of one, The Little Dude was eating everything we ate. His favorite foods were Pork, Chicken, Tomatoes, and Cheese. He loved to eat everything he could. Also by the age of one, my son had choked, stop breathing and I had to intervene to get him breathing again.  Baby Led Weaning is an amazing way of introducing foods to children and has proven to help avoid having a picky eater. Baby Led Weaning also requires a fully educated parent, ready and able to jump in and help their child should they choke. Luckily there is a product(*Sponsored Post*) to help should your child choke like he did.

Baby Led Weaning(BLW) is essentially when you decide to completely skip purees, spoon feeding and rice cereal and just start feeding your child what you are eating. Okay, it isn’t exactly what you are eating in the beginning. You start with bland flavors, introduce new foods a few days apart, and follow some of the same rules are introducing new purees however there is no pureeing. My son’s first foods were strips of toast and cantaloupe. In the beginning, food is cut into strips, then as the child gets more teeth & understand the concept you cut into smaller pieces. Before I go any further, I need to state, I am not a doctor or a professional. What I am sharing are my opinions and my personal story. If you have questions, please reach out to a feeding specialist or your pediatrician.

Some of the benefits of Baby Led Weaning that made me decide to give it a try:

1. Family Meal Time- I can eat while my child ate. We could all sit down together and have a happy family meal.
2. A more open palate- Child is less likely to become a picky eater as they will be exposed to more of the typical flavors from the beginning.
3. Sensory Development- Children are able to explore different textures of foods along with the different flavors.

Now with the benefits there are some precautions you must be ready for and these are a few key things I encourage all parents to learn:

1. The difference between gagging and choking. Baby Led Weaning Equipment does a great job of explaining the difference. 
2. How to perform infant CPR. Located a local CPR course through your Pediatrician or the American Red Cross

Luckily there is now an awesome tool, the Life Vac, which is actually able to be used on children or adults when they are choking. You simply follow the enclosed instructions, placing the mast over the face and push/pull the Life Vac until the item has become dislodged. My favorite fact about Life Vac, is that in the event of an emergency, a parent could use this one their child(or themselves) before EMT’s even had a chance to arrive. It shortens the time the child goes without oxygen and vastly improves the child’s chance of a full recovery.  I hope we never need to give the Heimlich to either of my children again or actually have to use the LifeVac. However knowing how to save my child & that I have a tool to help do so more efficiently, is so relieving. Get your own LifeVac Home kit today & use Coupon Code ihelpmoms for a discount!

Overall, I would choose BLW for any future(not happening) children I had because we are so happy with our experience with the little dude. Although I love BLW I do encourage any parents who are wanting to try, to do their research, become educated and make sure they have the tools for a bad situation should it arise.