Broccoli Wokly: Baby-Led Weaning in Real Life

Baby-Led Weaning, by Rapley and Murkett, clearly states that broccoli makes a great first food.  The stem serves as an excellent handle while the top is perfect for gnawing. 

When I first read this, I remember thinking "What about gas?"  Broccoli makes adults gassy, so I can only imagine what it would do to a baby.

Over the past month, Andrew has tried a variety of the fruits and veggies that are typical for babies his age, leaving little left to try that is part of our family's normal diet.  But all of us like steamed broccoli, so I decided that we would follow BLW's advice and give it a try once he hit 7 months. 

He loved it!  It was pretty impressive to see such a young baby eating and enjoying a whole stalk of broccoli.  We finished dinner happy, pleased that we had found another vegetable that all of us could eat together.

I bet the seasoned moms out there can predict what happened at bedtime.

He was one fussy baby. 

The kid woke up at 10 pm, 12 am, 2:30 am, 4:30 am, and 6 am. Our 2 year old woke up around 7.  Mommy was just a little bit grouchy the next morning.  But coffee is good.  Really good.

The moral of the story?  Go with your gut, mamas.  And drink coffee.

I'll try to make time for a lengthy review of Baby-Led Weaning next week.  I'll explain the basic premise, how it's supposed to work, our experience so far, and our points of disagreement with the book.