Sunday, January 10, 2010

MIA and Baby-led Weaning

I've been MIA for a while so one of my New Year's goals is to keep up with this blog. I will be trying to at least post once or twice a week. I'm going to change things up just a little bit too. Instead of just doing reviews on products, I'm going to talk about everything I try and change in my life.

Today I thought I'd talk about baby-led weaning. Baby-led weaning is the "hands off" approach to introducing solids to your child. Instead of starting with thin, runny purees, you skip the spoon feeding and start by giving your child age appropriate foods that are soft cooked and cut/mashed into pieces that are big enough for baby to manage on their own.

Lyla LOVES being able to feed herself! It is so much fun to watch her explore new foods and textures instead of it being about her eating "x" amount of jarred baby food. Lyla gets to go at her own pace and tell us when she's done. So far she's tried avocado, green beans, rice, banana, steak, sweet potatoes, egg yolks, and pickled okra. We also still breastfeed on demand and I always nurse before offering her other food.

My mom picked me up the book Healthy meals for Babies and Toddlers by Valerie Barrett and it has a lot of good information and yummy meal ideas. I thought I'd share one with you that I will be making Lyla tomorrow.


Pastina with Butternut Squash
Prepare: 5 minutes
Cook: 15-20 minutes
Servings 4-6

6oz butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 cup dried baby pasta shapes or pastina
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
small piece of unsalted butter

Steam the butternut squash for about 10-15 minutes, or until tender, then mash with a fork.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions, then drain and return to the pan. Add the butter, oil, and Parmesan cheese and stip until the pasta is coated, then combine with the butternut squash. Enjoy!

I can't wait to make this up for Lyla tomorrow night. I think I'll have to make a little bit more so I can enjoy it, too!

Here's Lyla enjoying egg yolks for the first time:)


And rice:)

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