Tag: newborn

Otto’s Baby-Led Weaning Journey

.Reading time 14 minutes.

I started researching Baby-Led Weaning when I was pregnant, and Carlo and I knew right away it was something we wanted to do with Otto. Turns out it was one of the best decisions we ever made for our son! 

What is Baby-Led Weaning?

Baby-Led Weaning is simply the idea that your baby will start eating whole foods when they start solids, and that they will self-feed. There is a lot more to it, and I encourage you to do your own research, whether that is reading books or checking out websites devoted to it. But essentially, it’s the idea that babies do not need to be spoon fed purees. To me, baby-led weaning makes perfect sense and is very natural. But I do understand why some parents might be hesitant to try it. For years, we have been told to spoon feed our babies and start with only purees. But there is really no reasoning behind it, besides the fact that it might be considered easier and less stressful for some. When I started learning about the benefits of baby-led weaning, it really made my decision for me.

Benefits of Baby-Led Weaning

There are honestly so many benefits, and too many to list. I can’t stress enough how positive of an experience this has been with our little guy.

Firstly, exposing your baby to different textures of foods helps them learn to use their mouth/gums/tongue to move food around in their mouth and chew. Babies will get messy, but this is just a part of the process. Letting them play with and explore their foods helps them become independent with their eating, and it also will lead to less texture aversions in the future. It also allows for babies to be and feel in control of their eating, and they will learn to start trusting their hunger cues (and other instincts). They get a chance to eat as little or as much as they please, and know when they are full. It is also a great way to expose babies to allergens, and contrary to old beliefs, exposure is key (not avoidance)! Babies also get a chance to build their fine motor skills, like palm gripping spoons and foods, as well as developing their (adorable) pincer grasp. The process of picking up and moving food to their mouths is such a great way for them to develop coordination. So, you can see that BLW goes way beyond just the food aspect.

Where to Start?

I would recommend starting with doing some basic research on BLW. If you find that you want to consider it, I would then suggest taking a Baby-Led Weaning course or something like a Starting Solids/First Foods course with a BLW focus. There are tons out there by reputable dietitians, and they are available to do online at your own convenience. A great time to do it is when you are pregnant! I would look for a registered dietitian and/or nutritionist who specializes in baby and/or childhood nutrition. Go browse on Instagram and TikTok and look for someone whose content you enjoy. Most of these content creators will offer some sort of course, and they are very reasonably priced for what you are getting. I took a course with The Baby Dietitian and it was awesome; I learned so much and it made me feel SO much more confident when starting solids with Otto.

I would also recommend taking a Baby First Aid/CPR course. This will give you the confidence you need when watching and supervising your baby eat pieces of food. Besides this, it is critical knowledge for any parent to have. These courses are easy to find online, and your local hospital may even offer them for free!

Finally, let family know this is the route you are going – especially family members who will be taking care of your baby or taking part in their feeding journey. If you have family coming to take care of your baby, you want to make sure they are on the same page and keep your feeding routine consistent.

An easy BLW dinner – baked salmon, steamed broccoli, steamed carrots

Otto’s BLW Journey

We started Otto on solids one week before he turned 6 months old as recommended by our paediatrician. It was exciting, nerve-wracking, messy, and hilarious all at the same time. Some of his first foods were steamed broccoli with butter and nutritional yeast, slices of and mashed avocado seasoned with lime and garlic powder, sweet potatoes, whole grain toast, scrambled eggs, and yogurt mixed with peanut butter. At first, there was a lot of play involved and not a whole lot of consuming. It got better and better every time though. For the first couple of months Bailey ended up eating probably 50% or more of what I actually prepared for Otto. Between what he dropped and what he just didn’t eat, she was a lucky dog (she still is – to this day she lies by his high chair for every meal). 

One thing I learned while cooking and prepping for Otto was not to be afraid of spices and seasonings. The only things I really avoided were added salt and sugar, and of course honey before he was 12 months old (it can cause botulism in infants under one year). A common misconception people have is that baby food has to be bland. This could not be further from the truth! Why shouldn’t babies try new flavours? From the start, I cooked for Otto with garlic, onions, tons of herbs (such as basil and cilantro) and other spices like cumin, ginger and smoked paprika. I think this really helped him develop his palette for a variety of foods!

We started off with one meal and gradually worked our way up by adding meals and snacks over time. Two meals turned into two meals and a snack, which eventually turned into three meals and two snacks. You might wonder how you will know when to transition or introduce more food, but truthfully it becomes very intuitive. Your baby will give you signals that they are ready for more food (like finishing all their meals when they didn’t before, or making gestures or sounds for food). The beauty of BLW is they learn to honour their hunger cues, so they will naturally assist you in this process!

OK, I’m convinced… but what about the mess?!

Honestly, coming from me, a clean freak, I can tell you that it’s not as bad as you think it’s going to be. We bought one of those splash mats to put under the high chair but never ended up using it – we found it easier to just wipe the hardwood floor right after. And, having a dog definitely helps with clean up. Seriously though.😅

I am not going to say it’s not messy. But I will say things are going to get messy no matter what when you have a baby. You can really only control the mess for so long until you just give in. At some points, they are going to grow into kids and be messy eaters… so really you are just prolonging the inevitable. My advice is to think about the benefits your baby is getting out of it and allow them to enjoy their meal, then deal with the clean up immediately after. It’s when things pile up that it’s not easy to clean. And in all honesty, every single meal is not going to be disgusting. A few will be, but most will be manageable. Yes, your toddler is going to throw pasta with sauce all over the place. Yes, at times the wall is going to be splattered. But it all washes off. And it’s all part of the fun. It makes for funny photos and memories too!😁

BLW is messy but worth it, something you will hear all BLW parents say!

What We Noticed With Otto

As I said before, there are countless benefits. With Otto, he really is not a picky toddler like everyone said he would be. Yes, he definitely has more “preferences” these days, and some things he used to love are useless at this point, but that is also just part of normal toddler development. Otto has always been open to trying new foods, and for the most part has a wonderful and healthy appetite. Family and friends are often impressed when we go over to their places or go out to eat!

We also notice him honouring his hunger cues… pretty much all the time. If he wants more, he says “more” very enthusiastically. If he is not feeling particularly hungry, he pushes food away or leaves it. Now he is even starting to tell us “all done” and hands us his bowl or plate (or tells us to give it to Bailey). Otto will run to the fridge or kitchen when he wants a snack. I love this for him, because I know intuitive eating is such a healthy habit to have as he grows up. I want him to learn he can trust himself to make decisions for his own body, and I really believe BLW is a great entry point for that.

Lunch: Homemade chicken quesadilla, homemade hummus (actually super easy to make) and strawberries

Many Different Approaches

I want to stress that BLW is not a one size fits all approach. Like most decisions we make for our babies, there is a wide spectrum of options to choose from. The thing is, you can make BLW work for your family without having to check every single box. If you want to ease into it, that’s an option. If you want to take aspects of it and incorporate them into your feeding plan, that works too. If you want to start with a mix of purees and BLW, so be it! I love that this approach is not all or nothing and your baby can still reap the benefits even if you are not “all in”. I do think knowledge is power, and the more educated you are on something, the more confident you will feel going into it. As I lead with this post, start researching and see what you think!

For more inspiration…

I also have an entire TikTok playlist devoted to BLW with tips, amazing recipes, and more!

My Breastfeeding Journey

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As I am currently weaning my 16 month old, I have been reflecting a lot lately on my breastfeeding experience. I figured now would be a good time to write about the ups and downs and what these 16 months have been like for me as a first time mom. It has by no means been easy, but I am grateful for and amazed by what my body has done for my son.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means I may earn a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only share products I personally recommend and use in my own motherhood journey. As an Amazon Associate I earn commission on qualifying purchases.

The First Few Hours

After giving birth, everything is such a blur. I remember thinking how natural it would be, holding my little newborn and having him breastfeed for the first time. Boy was I wrong! My first experience with breastfeeding was with the postpartum nurse guiding me. She roughly grabbed my boob and started massaging it, and I was not expecting that😅 – it HURT! She pushed Otto onto my nipple and said that I really have to “shove him” onto it. She wasn’t wrong of course, but I was surprised. It didn’t feel all that natural. In the hospital I ended up hand expressing colostrum and feeding it to Otto because I wasn’t all that confident in my latch yet.

The First Few Days

At home, I started getting the hang of it. I think having privacy and the time to bond with Otto was really helpful for me. He was latching well and I was happy! It was definitely something to get used to though. I couldn’t believe I was now a mom, let alone a breastfeeding mom. My body had just gone through so many changes and this was yet another one.

The first couple of days my body was of course producing colostrum (a.k.a. liquid gold). After two days my milk started coming in, first on my right side and a couple of days later on my left. This was unexpectedly uncomfortable and to be honest quite painful. I felt like my boobs were carrying a bag of rocks.

I fed on demand which ended up being every 1-2 hours, and even though I knew this going into it, the reality of it absolutely rocked me. Nothing prepares you for being someone’s lifeline 24/7. The days were long and hard but the nights were complete insanity.

I still can’t believe how
tiny he was here!

The First Few Weeks

I became pretty obsessed with making sure Otto was fed properly. I kept a note in my phone with the timings of all his feeds. I set alarms throughout the night for every 2 hours in case he didn’t wake me up (though he always did, and it was usually before the 2 hour mark).

I heard to avoid offering bottles for the first month while exclusively breastfeeding so baby doesn’t get confused and then only prefers bottles. So I stuck it out, and it was all me for three weeks. After this I would pump once a day so Carlo could use that milk to do at least one or two feeds. I also started a nice freezer stash this way which became really handy. I didn’t love pumping – the feeling of it was unnatural to me and I hated having all those cords attached. That’s when I started doing some research and I found out about the Haakaa(#ad). It’s a silicone pump that attaches so one breast while you feed baby on the other one. It catches all the milk that naturally comes out and it really relieved the feeling of constant engorgement that I had.

I’m not going to lie, breastfeeding, for me, was painful at the beginning. I remember crying every time Otto would latch and I would feel the milk come out. My nipples were in so much pain. I bought nipple shields to help with this, and they did provide a little relief. The pain only lasted a few weeks thankfully and went away naturally. Had it lasted any longer, I would have reached out to a lactation consultant.

Daddy giving Otto a bottle. This gave me a break, and allowed them to have extra bonding time.

Cluster-feeding (WHAT THE ACTUAL ****?!)

Cluster-feeding is when baby feeds multiple times within a short time period. So, instead of every 1-2 hours it can be every 30 minutes or even more often. It can last for a few hours or more (my first time this happened it lasted a full day). I had no idea what it was and I was confused, exhausted, and overall in shock.

The first time my baby decided to cluster-feed, my sister was over spending time with us. I kept thinking we would all be able to hang out, she could hold the baby, maybe I could get some rest. But… it just never happened. She ended up bringing me water and food all day while I was in bed feeding my hungry monster. TGFS (Thank Goodness For Sisters)! We laugh about it now, but it was really a WTF moment for us.

After it happened once, I Googled it and realized it was totally natural and normal. I dreaded the next occurrence but of course it continued randomly over the next little while. He was a growing boy after all!

Mastitis

It took me a few months but I did get into a good rhythm with breastfeeding and slowly started feeling more comfortable with it. Feeding was still on demand, but every 2-3 hours instead of 1-2 (yes, still often but the one hour made a huge difference). I was finally starting to get the hang of things and feel good about breastfeeding! That is, until mastitis happened.

Mastitis came out of nowhere and I feel like I have said this so many times, but I was not prepared for it! I had read about it while pregnant but for some reason I just figured it would never happen to me. After all, I was careful to do everything right while breastfeeding – like keeping clean, sterilizing pump parts, and feeding often and on both sides. Unfortunately I still got mastitis. I was in a lot of pain and had a high fever for days. Having to take care of a baby and breastfeed through this was truly one of the most difficult things I have done. If you want to read more about my experience, I go into more details in my blog post about it.

After I got better, I really considered stopping breastfeeding. I had to really think about the pros and cons but in the end I decided to continue on.

We’re Finally on a Set Schedule

After months of feeding on demand, we FINALLY reached a point where feedings were timed. Let me tell you, this made things so much easier. This was around when Otto was about 9-10 months old. I had been told that once baby starts eating solids (at 6 months) he would naturally stop breastfeeding as much. This was not the case for me. I had been looking forward to this magical moment that didn’t come until months later! When he did start dropping feeds, I was ecstatic. That’s when I decided to create a set schedule and it surprisingly worked really well for us. I thought Otto might be upset that I wasn’t feeding on demand, but he adapted to the schedule. I could finally leave the house feeling less anxious about being away from him. I knew I had to be back at certain times, so I was still restricted in a sense, but this was far better than wondering if he was okay without me.

A bedtime feeding.

Getting Easier… But I Want My Body Back!

I made it to the year mark. I was so proud of myself. My goal going into breastfeeding was 2 years, but after I started I changed my goal to 1 year. (Setting a goal without knowing what I was getting into was not realistic😅)!

I loved what my body was doing for Otto but I missed my freedom. I was often “touched out” and I know a lot of it had to do with breastfeeding. I also wanted to stop constantly thinking about my diet, caffeine intake, not being able to enjoy a drink, having to wear nursing friendly clothes, etc.

Starting to Wean

I really started making a conscious effort to wean once Otto turned a year old. Even though it was gradually and naturally happening, I wanted to move things along. 12 months was the magic number for me… I could finally relax knowing that after this age, breastfeeding isn’t necessary anymore. I felt so much relief knowing this, and that anything above this age was just a bonus.

After speaking to our paediatrician, I was told to cut one feed a week mainly so I could avoid discomfort or even mastitis. Nope, I did not want that again! I think this was also helpful in the sense that it didn’t shock Otto.

We tried substituting 3% cow’s milk with each feeding that was cut, but he rejected it for quite some time, until one day he didn’t. Now he drinks it just fine! I did notice he was grumpy for a few days with each reduced feeding, so I would distract him with snacks and extra cuddles.

Almost The End

Fast forward to today, Otto is 16 months old and he is down to simply one breastfeeding session per day. It’s always at 7pm, right before bed time. While it still does keep me “hostage” a bit, it’s a vast difference to what I was doing just a few months ago. I decided I can handle once every 24 hours. I am able to do whatever I want during the day and that is so liberating for me.

I don’t know how long I will continue to do this evening feed, but for now it’s working for us. Maybe Otto will naturally grow out of it, or maybe things will change in the next few months. Whatever happens, I am so proud of myself for how much I have accomplished and been through with breastfeeding!

For My Personalized Recommendations:

Check out my full list of recommended Nursing Products (#CommisionsEarned).

I also created this TikTok playlist about my Breastfeeding Journey! ☺️

Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.