FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I've already started feeding my baby. Will I still learn something?
ABSOLUTELY. But how much of the course you find helpful will depend on how far into solid foods your baby is and how it's going. If feeding is going well, you can skip the two lessons that discuss signs of readiness and choosing baby's very first foods (approx. 15 minutes of the course).
Roughly 25 minutes of the course tackles a way of progressing baby through food textures from purees to solids. If your baby is still on purees or soft foods and you're not sure how to know when baby is ready for other foods, you'll still find this lesson helpful. Or if you feel your baby is stuck on a certain texture and you aren't sure how to move on, you'll find value in this lesson. Nearly all course participants find the sections on choosing baby supplies (like bowls and cups), choking prevention, how much and when baby should be eating and independent feeding skills like using a spoon, fork, cup and straw very helpful, regardless of how far along their baby is with feeding.
Still not sure? Email me and I'm happy to help you figure out if this course is right for you.
I want to do Baby Led Weaning. Is this course right for me?
If you're heart-set on starting your baby exclusively on large solid chunks of food right from the start, you'll likely find about 40% of the course content doesn't align perfectly with that method. But you might learn why from a developmental perspective, BLW is throwing your baby into the deep end of the feeding skill pool and why I recommend starting in the shallow end and easing in. And you may be surprised to learn that even babies who start with purees from a spoon can finger-feed noodles, bread, meat and solid fruits and vegetables by 9-10 months of age, enjoying many of the same foods as the rest of their families. The main differences with my approach are (1) how they got to that point, (2) the size of the solid foods offered and (3) the exclusion of the most difficult food textures until baby is developmentally ready.
While I've never used these words, parents who use my approach consistently refer to it as a "modified Baby Led Weaning" approach. It's perfect for parents who want to encourage independence and self-feeding, who want their babies eating table foods with the rest of the family as quickly as possible and who want safety to be a top priority when introducing foods.
Is this a complete baby-feeding program or system?
No. I wish I could offer you a total feeding plan - week by week instructions and recipes - wrapped up neatly with a bow. But every baby is different. Every family's food choices are different. What I offer is an approach, a way of understanding food textures and your baby's feeding skills that helps you RESPECT your baby's cues and allows you to feed your baby they types of foods your family eats.
So whether you'll be making your own baby food or buying store-bought foods, sharing flavorful ethnic dishes or Grandma's crock pot favorites you'll have the knowledge and confidence to safely and happily feed your baby!