If you saw my breastfeeding update blog last week you’ll know that I stopped breastfeeding Annie on Mother’s Day of this year when she was 8 months old! My original goal was to breastfeed Annie a minimum of 9 months up to a year but unfortunately, my supply had other plans! So, we transitioned Annie to formula (read more about that here!) and started LED Weaning right away!
Annie is an AMAZING eater! She has a massive appetite and will try anything that’s in front of her! While we pretty much skipped right over purees we do feed her Love Child Organics purees when we’re running short on time or on the go and she gobbles them right up! When Leo was Annie’s age I made him homemade purees (check out his journey with solids, here … and omg … look at those photos! ?) but this time around we went straight for the solids and Annie pretty much eats what we eat! When I make dinner for our family, I’ll normally make a basic version of our meal first and set it aside for the kids and then I’ll add in all of the ingredients and spice up the rest of the meal for myself and Justin!
I like to go heavy on the beans, avocado, and pasta when making food for the kids as I know this way they’re getting a good amount of protein, healthy fats and carbs into their diets! I normally choose 3-4 different foods and set it in front of them as they like being able to choose what they’re eating … consider it a kids “charcuterie board” … LOL!
But seriously … check out these old photos of Leo below …
Leo & Annie’s favourite foods are:
- Smoked tofu
- Steamed broccoli
- Avocado
- Pasta (I keep it plain with vegan butter or sometimes I’ll toss it in tomato sauce!)
- Scrambled eggs
- Toast (with vegan butter)
- Cheerios
- French fries (of course … ?)
- Baked beans (one of Leo’s personal faves!)
- Watermelon (Annis is OBSESSED!)
Some other faves include:
- Steamed carrots
- Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Banana
- Hardboiled egg
Sometimes I also like to get a little sneaky with the veggies over here in this household as I’m sure MANY of you mamas out there do as well! You know those times when you have a ton of veggies kickin around and you need to do something with them but you know if you just steam a ton of veggies ultimately the kiddos won’t eat them?! Well, as you may have already picked up on, we love our pasta around here so this is exactly how I sneak those veggies in!
That’s right, I’ll roast up a bunch of veggies and blend them in our Vitamix and puree them, I’ll then add a little cashew cream and veggie stock and some seasoning and BAM … I’ve got myself a pasta sauce! LOL! In fact, last week I made a delicious green sauce that the kids LOVED, it was loaded with kale, celery, broccoli, and zucchini! I’ll make sure to share that recipe with you in another blog post!
So, have you done LED weaning with your little one? If so, what were some of their favourite foods? Make sure to share in the comments section below!
xo
Jilly
We are absolutely a baby led weaning family, and pasta rules supreme in our house too. I blend white beans into my tomato sauces for Theodore to boost the protein content, and he will happily eat any vegetable you put in front of him.
Favourites include: grape tomatoes (quartered), steamed broccoli, steamed beets, pasta salad (any kind!), and PC Veggie Bites when mama is feeling lazy.
I have a 10 month old and he is also eating solids but I cut them really small because I’m afraid he will choke. Do you have any tips to give that you might have done with Annie and Leo to show them how to take small bites and to chew their food well? Thanks!!
My daughter loves butternut squash, carrots, eggs, and strawberries! Her and Annie are close in age and transitioning straight to solids was what we did as well. I make some purées like apple sauce still but it’s just tasty ?! Thank you for sharing her journey!
My 8 month old LOVES carbs!! Lol comes by that honestly! He doesn’t seem to chew a lot of food rather sucks and spits out chunks! Unless it’s pasta. We have been doing LED for almost 2 months! He has tried over 50 different foods! Watermelon he is obsessed with too right now. Its been a fun adventure!!!
I so want to try this with my little, who is just a few days shy of 9 months now, but she has no teeth! How did you get over the fear of choking? I do feed her some of what we eat, and she LOVES it all, but I feel like a Momma bird over here, chewing up everything first and then feeding it to her! Haha!
Sweet potato fries, fish and chicken sticks, cheese and apples. Funny thing Jackson Asher has a strict pasta shape preference. We are working on more fruits and veggies but he asks ‘why do mommy and daddy eat leaves?’ LOL
Sounds like Annie is one amazing eater – so great! I’m so glad you posted this.
I was so curious about your journey into solids with Annie. I had my daughter in September as well so I’m always so excited to see what Annie is up to 🙂
We did baby led weaning as well and absolutely love it. It’s so nice to be able to feed her what we are eating. And just like you, we give her love child organic pouches on the go. Although when Once Upon a Farm becomes more readily available near me, that is what I will feed her on the go. It’s organic cold pressed food that’s also in pouches, but in the refrigerated section. They’re a fav when I can find them.
My daughter loves avocado, banana, pasta, scrambled eggs, strawberries, broccoli, cheese, toast with almond butter, Cheerios basically, anything we put in front of her 🙂
I love this idea but I dont know where to start this is my first baby and we did do jarred and packaged purees but know at 8 months he has no teeth and I have no idea where to start with solids and I’m sure he won’t get enough to fill him up so how do you supplement?
I just started BLW yesterday with my 6 month old.. Im wondering if I need to be tracking or concerned about how much he’s actually eating? What’s your take on that? glad you are writing about this! Take care
Hey Jillian!
First off, I love what you do and your positive attitude!
Second, how/what do you feed Annie when your family is having soup or a stew for supper?
I am so amazed at how much Annie eats! I can’t get more than 2 TBS of food into our 11 month old in one meal (unless it’s yogurt, then she’ll eat the whole carton if I let her!). We didn’t do baby led weaning (didn’t know it was a thing until after starting purees); we started purees at 4 months as advised by our pediatrician.
Hi Jillian,
My daughter, Evelyn, is almost 9 months and I’m trying to incorporate more fun foods into her repertoire and I’m intrigued by the smoked tofu. Is this a recipe of yours? Or do you buy it smoked? Thanks! PS Little Annie is so sweet! As is Leo 🙂
I purchase it smoked!! xoxo
Thanks for sharing all of these snack ideas! My 7 month old eats purées mainly, but we’ve tried steamed broccoli and scrambled egg , I get so nervous he’s going to choke, so I’ve been cutting back and only offering purées. Do you ever worry about this or have any tips to ease my mind? (first time mom-obviously, LoL!) Thank you!!!
I am 50/50 on the baby LED weaning. I actually think the purees are easier.. a bit more prep, but that way I know she is eating enough. Plus, a lot less ends up on the floor!! thank goodness for dogs though! Automatic mops!! My baby girl is now 11 months, and we are going towards chunks of food more and more. We definetely lack on variety though.. great ideas in your blog! Thanks!.
Hi! Wondering what cushion Annie is using with the Tripp Trapp? I notice it looks different than the one Leo is using in the older photo. I’m looking to invest in this chair and the set up for Annie looks very supportive! Thanks!
I guess I have a fear of my baby choking. He barely has two teeth and he’s almost 9mo old. He does well with the purées and avocados. I gave him some orange today and he loved it. Maybe I should start giving him more of what we are eating? Does your 8 month old have more teeth?
So, I am really struggling with advancing my 1 year old (please don’t judge). My anxiety is terrible and I’m so scared of choking. We just had an instance where she probably had a little egg stuck in her throat and she wouldn’t take a drink to clear it, so ended up puking all over the place a little later when it started to irritate her gag reflex. We mostly like beans, avocado, banana, and eggs, sometimes very soft green beans. Just struggling with letting her put stuff in her mouth! I know that sounds so stupid 😞 Any advice on how to start?