taco leads the way...

to his own mouth. taco's now 6 mths and we're off and running on solids. as is the usual case with milestones, i've scoured the internet for the method of introducing solids that suits our parenting style. ask moxie had a great discussion dispelling several myths on solids and also introduced us to a dutch study of a baby-led intro to eating. we've spent the past 6 months letting taco eat on demand so why should we take that power away now that he's onto foods?

the article shows a 6 month old eating a pear. not mushed up or even cut up like we're inclined, but a whole pear. the baby led method is a bit extreme and elicits visions of taco choking as he puts that piece of bacon into his mouth (yum yum). however, there is some logic in there that i agree with. the article states babies are not capable of moving food to the back of their throats until they learn to chew and chewing happend after they can pick up and grab something. if a babe can put the food in his own mouth than he can chew. to suck food off a spoon however causes the food to go straight to the back of the mouth. with lumpy foods this is a potential choke hazard.

this week, we're continuing with the mushy foods and a slow intro. one maybe two servings a day, between breast feeding, of home made sweet potatoes or carrots with a bit of rice cereal mixed in. taco is loving eating and downs 2-4 oz a sitting. who knows, maybe we'll try broccoli stalks tonight.