Baby Led Weaning tips

I want to share some tips and ideas for baby led weaning (BLW a.k.a. BLS / baby led solids).  I'll do some more posts like this, as ideas come to me - and as experience teaches me!

• When I make my own porridge for breakfast (I love Carmen's oats, they are fabulously thick), I add delicious things like sliced banana, chopped dates, shredded coconut and chopped pecans.  I then pour some of the porridge into a square container (I use this one) to about 1.5cm thick, and leave it in the fridge to set into a sort of cake.  This can then be cut into squares or fingers, and eaten by hand much more easily than actual porridge!  This works best if the porridge is on the dry side (very thick) - you can pour out the baby's serve and then add milk to cook yours a little more.  NOTE:  You can add breastmilk, soy milk or cows' milk to the porridge, but when cooking it for Tabitha, I do as the Scots do and make it with just water, adding a little milk at the end.  It is still incredibly creamy, as long as you use good quality (not instant) oats.

• When eating something messy at home (porridge, banana, sardines on toast, rice), I pop Tabitha on the floor, sitting up on a towel, and give her the food in just her nappy.  I sit and eat on the floor with her, and when she's done, I simply whip off the nappy and give her a 'hose off' under a stream of warm water in the bathtub - no need to bother running an actual bath!  She really loves these 'messy floor picnics', enjoying the feeling of squishing the food between her fingers and all over her legs and belly.

Here is Tabitha eating her porridge fingers this morning (with banana, dates and coconut):

Avert your eyes if you are afraid of mess!

• When eating in a restaurant, I try and give Tabitha foods that aren't too messy, but inevitably a mess is made, even with plain bread.  A waitress friend told me not to stress about it at all, and just to leave a good tip!  So I clean up as much as I can with a napkin or two, and leave a tip and a big 'thank you'.

• When eating out, I tend to order a serve of steamed vegetables for Tabitha - normally there are lots of great things like snowpeas, beans, carrot fingers, broccoli stalks and zucchini.  I fish out any steamed Asian greens like bok choi, because, like lettuce and rocket, they seem to be a bit of a choking hazard.  Asking for steamed vegetables without oil or butter can be a good idea, as oily veggies are slippery and seem to make a lot more mess!

• Sadly, most children's menus are complete rubbish, but some good restaurants will happily prepare a 'child's portion' of fish, chicken or steak.  It's worth asking, and generally doesn't cost any more than an over-priced side of steamed vegetables anyway.

• Make your own meatballs with high quality mince (you can ask the butcher to mince a couple of steaks if you prefer), and add grated vegetables such as carrot, capsicum, zucchini, squash and even apple.  Add some chopped herbs to introduce new flavours, or even spices like cumin or allspice, and some fresh breadcrumbs for a nice texture.  Shape the meatball mixture into 'fingers' or logs for ease of eating, and freeze.  These can then easily be defrosted and baked or fried for lunch or dinner.

• Pasta spirals with sauce (pesto, bolognaise, chunky vegetable sauce etc.) are easy for baby to eat with her hands.

• Rice can be a messy finger food.  Try making risotto for dinner, and using the leftovers to make little arancini - just roll the cold risotto into balls (or logs, for ease of eating) and then crumb and fry them in some olive oil.