My Hungry Little Caterpillar

My little man has developed a lot during those past few weeks, especially when it comes to eating. He constantly has growth spurts and given his size (well above average), he needs good and plenty of food so that he can continue to move around the house all day. Even though Elliot had a late start when it comes to solid foods and he is definitely a Momma's boy as he rejects any bottles and only wants to be nursed, he finally got the hang of eating. 

He received his first spoonful's of solids at 5.5 months of age while we were visiting family and friends in Germany. Oma (my mom) was determined to feed her grandson some wholesome foods ,even though Elliot did not had any interest in being fed. Let's just say, he wasn't very happy about eating solids.

 

 

So once we came back from our trip, we increased his feedings and he actually started to like it. I had read about baby-led weaning, which means letting your child feed themselves from the very start of adding complementary foods’, and wanted to give it a try. At around six months, children are developmentally capable of feeding themselves proper food, in other words – no more mush! So, I started giving him pureed foods (to fill up his tummy) but also food that was prepared in suitably-sized pieces and if he likes it he eats it and if he doesn’t he won’t.

 

So far, he has eaten cooked carrots, fresh mangos, bananas and blueberries, soft-boiled apples, zucchini, cauliflower and sweet potatoes, puffs and even bread. He loves feeding himself and does very well smashing the food with his gums.

Of course, this method is very messy but it's also fun to see him enjoying his foods and sitting with us on the  dinner table like a big boy.

And today (because his first tooth is popping thru, he tried Raspberry popsicle and loved it. Just like his Momma and his sister. :)