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.

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