Weaning Questions

[MissKW]

I have just started weaning my son as he's just turning 6 months. We started with baby porridge and a little bit of organic veggie puree and he has taken to it really well.
Hubby has brought home some freezer cubes etc so I can finally start making his food myself but we are unable to get a blender for a couple of weeks. I decided to have a go mashing up some very soft boiled sweet potato with breast milk but obviously cannot get it as smooth as a blender would so there are a lot of little soft lumps that I cannot mash up anymore with a fork.
I did offer him a tiny bit and he gagged a little to start with but then ate it down no problem and wanted more. However I looked online afterwards and they suggested waiting until at least 7 months before introducing lumps but I couldn't find a reason as to why.
What are the reasons for waiting until baby is a little older until introducing lumps etc?
Can a well developed 6month old eat lumpy puree or will it upset his digestive system?
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[chattychar1990]

Its worth maybe purchasing a masher hun that will get rid of the lumps much better than a fork x

 

[Cati]

I think it’s advised to wait until baby can sit up and hold his head strong until introducing lumpier stuff.
It’s normal for them to gag things up to begin with, it’s probably a good thing if anything!
My son was sitting up by the time I introduced solid food so I have him finger foods straight away and only spoon fed yogurt. He didn’t really show any interest in food until around two months later though!

 

[MissKW]

I think it’s advised to wait until baby can sit up and hold his head strong until introducing lumpier stuff.
It’s normal for them to gag things up to begin with, it’s probably a good thing if anything!
My son was sitting up by the time I introduced solid food so I have him finger foods straight away and only spoon fed yogurt. He didn’t really show any interest in food until around two months later though!

He has held his head very well from very early on and is sitting without assistance as he has for the past few weeks (I just prop pillows around him on the floor as he still occasionally falls sideways if reaching to one side etc), so that's not an issue for him.
So is it safe to start baby led weaning from this stage right away? I would imagine if so then the lumps should be no problem as long as they are small and soft?
I'm just terrified of getting something wrong and doing harm, though I guess everybody is with their first lol!

 

[Cati]

Yep! I checked with my HV at the 6 month check if it was okay to begin baby led weaning and she said to go for it as he was sitting strong.
I don’t think small lumps would be an issue. We started with mushy finger foods, banana and avocado etc. They’re bound to gag some things up, it’s just baby’s reflex working as it’s new to them.

 

[MissKW]

Yep! I checked with my HV at the 6 month check if it was okay to begin baby led weaning and she said to go for it as he was sitting strong.
I don’t think small lumps would be an issue. We started with mushy finger foods, banana and avocado etc. They’re bound to gag some things up, it’s just baby’s reflex working as it’s new to them.

Fantastic! Thankyou for your help

 

[GingerKitty]

I did pure baby led weaning from 6 months and I loved it. Really helped my wee one's motor control and he's such a good, independent eater now. It is messy though!

If you're interested in finding out more, I'd really recommend the Gill Rapley book

 

[Kholl]

I couldn't agree more enthusiastically with the baby-led weaning suggestion. I did it with all my kids and we've had no scary choking scares (yet! knock on wood) and they all eat everything, they aren't picky at all.

 

[Ann_Whole]

have to wait a bit