A Family Pancake Breakfast

I have been reading more about Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) as an approach for feeding Henry. As I wrote before, I am looking for alternatives to spoon-feeding and BLW seems promising. After the entertaining but unsuccessful attempt at letting Henry feed himself peas and avocado, I needed to get a better idea about how to make self-feeding work.

After some initial investigation, it seems like the best place to begin is with long strips of food that Henry can easily grasp and bring to his mouth. Large stick-shapes can work for pieces of fruits, vegetables, bread crusts, or meat.

Pancakes make a frequent appearance on our weekend breakfast table, so started there. Daddy made two small pancake strips for Henry and placed them on his tray as we started breakfast. Henry wasted no time picking one up and getting it to his mouth. It was easy for him to suck on the pancake strips, which gradually dissolved in his mouth. He was completely engrossed in figuring out how to handle these new objects – picking them up, dropping them, pulling them apart, and slurping on the slowly disintegrating pancakes.

Henry investigates his first pancake.

This was our first real family meal together and it was very enjoyable. We all sat at the table and ate the same foods. Henry learned new skills and watching him maneuver the pancakes was great breakfast entertainment for Daddy and me. There also was not much clean-up involved. After breakfast, we just washed Henry’s hands and cleared off his tray.

Henry joins the family in eating a pancake breakfast.

Based on our pancake experience, I am feeling more confident that BLW may work for us.

Comments

The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook

UPDATE (10/2/12): Unfortunately, I did not hear back from our original winner. Congratulations to our alternate winner for "The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook" -- Robin Pfefer. UPDATE (9/29/12): I am happy to announce that Kashia Clopper is the winner of "The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook". When I was first thinking about using the Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) model for Henry, I was unsure about whether it would really work. I was excited about BLW’s claims of less stressful meals that the whole family could share together. Plus, I was all for encouraging Henry to gain new skills by learning about the shapes, textures, colors, smells and flavors of food. This sounded ideal in theory, but would it work in practice? After some fun but ineffective attempts at letting Henry feed himself, I went in search of resources to learn more about BLW. I needed to learn how to prepare meals for our family in which Henry could participate. That’s when I found “ The Baby-Led ...

Do Your Kids Eat Everything?

UPDATE (3/15/2013): Congratulations to Kia as the random drawing winner in this giveaway! Thank you to all those who entered this contest. Before we began our food adventure with Henry, Daddy and I had many conversations about how to encourage Henry to become “a good eater.” After watching other parents constantly struggle with their toddlers, we wanted to know if there was anything we could do from the start to prevent picky eating. That’s when we read “ French Kids Eat Everything ” by Karen Le Billon . The book is an easy and enjoyable read about the year that Karen’s family spent in France and how it changed the way her family eats. The heart of the book explores the 10 French Food Rules for raising happy, healthy eaters. “French Kids Eat Everything” sparked numerous discussions at our dinner table about how our family eats. We have become more conscious of our assumptions about food and how that will influence Henry’s understanding of mealtimes. In addition,...

Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: Set a good example

This week’s Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: Set a good example. As parents, we are the first role models for Henry. He will learn from our example, so Daddy and I need to eat our fruits and vegetables too. I am not a big fan of mango, but I let Henry watch me eat it with a smile on my face. Then he wants to try some mango too. Henry is more likely to eat fruits and vegetables when he sees Mommy and Daddy eat them too. A recent study confirmed that when parents lead by example their children have a more nutritious diet. The best way to inspire healthy eating habits is to demonstrate them first-hand to your children. Another study found that when parents ate an extra serving of fruit or vegetables each day, their child ate an additional half serving. Yes, it is important to talk with kids about food. But don’t just tell your child to eat their vegetables, let them see you eating a balanced meal that includes plenty of fruits and veggies. It may not always seem like it,...

How to Feed a Henry

Search This Blog