Matti's Slow BLW Journey

Having a child is one of the best things that had happened to me. It took us five years, my first was born in heaven as I had an ectopic pregnancy in 2017 and undergone an operation.

In 2019, when we traveled to South Korea, I had no idea that I was already carrying a baby the second time around. He was meant to live because when we travel, we do DIY one and we did a lot of walking, it was also in the last week of November so it was already the start of winter and I am not used to the weather. Thank God, He had kept us safe throughout.

So long story short, I gave birth to Matti on the 25th of July 2020, amid the pandemic. I had my mask on for 17 hours but I am thankful that I only had five hours of active labor. 

Living in Cebu City with just me and my husband with a newborn was hard thus we resort to going back to Bohol and live with my parents who had helped us with taking care of my baby plus, the environment is healthier, we are thankful for the work from home set up from both of our employers.

Baby-Led Weaning 

Baby Led Weaning (BLW) was my primary goal as soon as Matti turns six months. I watched a lot of videos on different social media sites of babies and toddlers eating by themselves and they eat whatever is given to them by their parents, even vegetables! For me, that's what I wanted Matti to become when he starts eating solids.

So I researched and stumbled upon a Facebook community for BLW. It was a delight being a member of that group. I read and understood the advantages and disadvantages, I also checked how to get started and what are the needed equipment. 

I got excited, I already imagined Matti eating by himself, putting all that I place on his plate into his mouth, and seeing him happy during mealtimes. That was all in my mind, but then, things are different from my expectation.

Getting Started with BLW

Baby Led Weaning's aim is for children to eat on their own and eat healthily. Compared to traditional weaning, this way allows the baby to decide and lead the weaning process. 

There are what are referred to as signs of readiness for BLW.

Signs of Readiness

The baby has to meet all of the mentioned items below:

• Baby can sit on his own without support for at least a minute, this means the baby can sit straight and not in a tripod position where he would be placing his hands on the sides of his front, this is to prevent choking

• Baby is interested in food, an example is that he would try to grab food from an adult or a plate 

• Baby can bring food to his mouth

Matti was not yet ready when he turned six months. He couldn't sit straight when we let him sit, he always put his hands on his sides to support himself and would stumble down when we let go of him.

It took another two weeks before he was ready although when on a high chair, he was able to sit well. It is advised to delay BLW if the signs are not met so I decided to delay.

BLW Purchases

Together with BLW are purchases needed to get started. I ordered a few items before Matti turning six. Here are the items I bought online and their corresponding prices.

IKEA Antilop High Chair

After many comparisons, research, and item review reading, I finally decided to buy the IKEA Antilop High Chair. I was close to buying a different one with a higher price but with a booster seat but because the Antilop chair had great reviews for BLW, I decided to get it.

The price was ₱1,980 and the shipping fee was ₱381, I got a discount of ₱57 for my Shopee coins so I paid a total of ₱2,304.

I also purchased a second-hand cushion with a cover for the high chair which was worth ₱300 plus shipping fees, I paid ₱360 in total.

Plates and Etc

Bamboo plate from Bamboo Bamboo sold by Babyplatesph with the Fox Blue variant. This was the most expensive plate I have ever purchased with the price of ₱1,399 and a shipping fee of ₱110, I paid ₱1,509 for this plate.

I made an unboxing video here: 

Another plate I ordered an Ocean Blue Bear design silicon suction plate from Bolliebaby ₱259, I purchased it along with a spoon and fork set ₱149

, a footrest for the high chair ₱369, a waterproof feeding bib ₱129, a silicone bib ₱149, cutter, rice molder, and a rice ball maker. All in all, I paid ₱1,352 for the items including the discounted shipping fee.

The last item that I had purchased was a Baby Silicon suction feeding bowl with a spoon in marble variant. This was only ₱199 plus shipping for a total of ₱254.

It looks pretty expensive but really, these things don't matter. Anyone can still do BLW without the high chair or the suction plates. If there's no high chair, the baby can do a picnic style and just sit right on the table or the floor.

Daily Preparation

Every single day, I try to wake up early to cook for Matti's meal. On the first month of our BLW journey, he only ate once a day, only during breakfast. He eats with the entire family so I have to prepare as early as six in the morning as we eat breakfast at seven.

In his second month of BLW, we started offering him food for lunch and dinner. Because I don't want to give him anything that has salt or sugar, I have to set aside a meal for him instead of giving him what the entire family eats and so it was truly challenging to get up and cook especially that I also don't get enough sleep.

Gagging 

One of the fears of BLW was choking. I had to watch several first aid videos for me to get familiar with what to do when the baby is choking. Fortunately, we had no choking incidents, however, Matti had several gagging episodes.

With the proper cuts and cooking time, choking can be prevented. There's a right way of cutting the vegetables. Some foods are considered choking hazards so it is important to be educated with all of these things before starting BLW.

Matti's gagging was a scene that my parents thought Matti was already choking but I told them that it was gagging and they don't have to worry as the baby was able to manage himself.

Gagging and choking are different and it is important to know the differences. 

I am thankful that they are very supportive and even if they have their traditional ways, they still were open-minded about my way of introducing solids to my baby.

Embrace The Mess

While the preparation may seem already challenging, there's more to it and that's the mess. While still trying to learn more about BLW, I have known that there's a mess with BLW. Unlike the traditional weaning where the mother feeds the baby, BLW suggests letting the baby explore the texture of the food, play with it, and more. Thus, there's a mess indeed.

Matti's first few days were all about getting everything into his face, his body and even reaching the floors. I prepared steamed vegetables at the start so it was not so messy until I introduced mashed and soups. 

Every after the meal, he would be washed. I would also need to wash the high chair and its tray, as well as the floor, which has to be cleaned up too. Thankfully, the high chair's tray is easy to wash, I just have to pull it from the high chair and wash it from the sink. My husband also helps me out with either cleaning the baby himself or he washes the tray.

Giving Up BLW

There were times when I thought of giving up BLW most especially when Matti was just throwing everything to the floor. He learned about throwing on our second month. He lifts the food and let it go on the side of the tray, he would then look down to see where the food landed.

Sometimes, he won't eat at all. My effort in cooking and plating are all wasted and I get frustrated at times. I even consulted one of the admins of the group that I follow and some mommies encouraged me saying that food before one is all about fun. With BLW, we have to lengthen our patience, we have to give the baby time to explore and time to learn, our babies are capable of learning and are born intelligent, they just need time.

After learning that I was not alone in this case, that other moms are also having the same dilemma, I was relieved. I also noticed that Matti dislikes it when I feed him, I tried to but he cries when I feed him.

Slow but Sure Progress

Matti shows progress now compared to the first month. Today, he sits in his high chair and already anticipates that food is coming. He still plays but he also eats when he likes the food. He likes broccoli, bitter gourd, pasta, watermelon, banana, and mango. If he dislikes the food on the plate, he would be throwing them out. 

The advantages of BLW outweigh the challenges I faced, I know that in the long run, there will be fruit to my labor. It is all for Matti.

xoxo,

mommy jean of momentswithmatti

Love harder than any pain you've ever felt.