Food size

Every thing that I read when we first started BLW talked about food that was stick like with a handle.  We started our solid food journey with sticks of sweet potato, broccoli stalks,  and carrot sticks.  But, as you can see as the blog progresses, the size of Derrick's food keeps getting smaller and smaller.


This is our own natural progression based on Derrick's needs.  As his pincer grip became better and his desire to eat food grew by leaps and bounds at 9 months, we had to change how we fed him.  Derrick was getting so excited about eating food, that he would put the whole piece in his mouth.  He ended up overwhelming himself by stuffing his cheeks full of food that he couldn't swallow.  We tried giving him his sippy cup to help with swallowing, but it didn't always work.  He would end up getting upset and crying.


So we started giving him smaller pieces.  This worked for awhile, until his excitement overcame him again and he started pushing food into his mouth until he cheeks poofed out like a little chipmunk.  Again we tried giving him his sippy cup to promote swallowing, but that didn't always work.  We have had to change our mindset with feeding him, giving him the small pieces and only giving him a few at a time.

I don't remember reading anywhere in the BLW how-to's about reducing food size.  I guess the important thing is to not take BLW too seriously or thinking that you 'have' to follow a strict set of rules.  The only reason there is a label is because it is against the mainstream way of thinking and by having a name, others can plug something into Google and learn more about it.  Just follow your instincts and your baby's lead on what they like and what they can handle :)

Happy eating :)