If you’re passionate about keeping purity a priority, especially in what you watch, then Pure Flix might be a good fit for you and your family.

The mission at Pure Flix is to influence the culture for Christ through media with family-friendly content. They’re also extremely invested in charitable giving, and that’s why we’re partnering with Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit, humanitarian-relief organization. When their customers watch one of their Christian movies or shows during the month of May, they will be making an impact on our world as they’ll be delivering over $100,000 of food, supplies, and medicine to Americans in need in partnership with Convoy of Hope.There are 13 million children in America that are going hungry, and they’re committed to doing their part to help.

Baby-led Weaning: The Basics

Blog post inspired by FAQ’s in my Facebook inbox.

Is your baby refusing spoonfuls of purees?  Have you noticed your baby longingly watching you eat?  Have you noticed your baby putting everything in her mouth?  These are all god-given traits that point to your baby’s desire to feed themselves the baby-led weaning (BLW) way.

BLW is the best!  Did it with Maisy, some of my day care kiddos and now I’m doing it with Penny.  Penny is almost 8 months now so we’re still introducing new foods all the time but the general idea is to give your baby foods that you’re eating.

BLW starts your baby on solids at around 6 months – no cereals, no purees… nothing but breastmilk until 6 months of age.  At 6 months if your baby can sit up, either supported or alone that means your baby is ready for solids.  Biologically, this means that your baby’s digestive system is actually mature enough to work on solids.  If your baby can’t even sit up supported, it might be wise to hold off until she is.

When Penny turned 6 months old she was sitting up supported. Until she sits on her own solidly the Bumbo is our meal time chair of choice. We do a lot of “stick shaped” steamed veggies because it’s the easiest for a 6 month old to manipulate. Cooked carrots, broccoli, and sweet potatoes are some of our favorites. Avocado, oatmeal, and scrambled eggs are also a awesome starters. At her age I only alter our meals so far as to try to cut veggies larger so they’re easier for her to grab onto, otherwise I just serve her what we’re eating and get to watch and see what she makes of it.  She does a great job figuring all of it out!  Babies are smart and know what they can handle so if we give her chili she usually mostly goes for chunks of sweet potato or tomatoes as the beans and smaller things will be too tough for her to pick up until she perfects the pinscher grip.

Beyond those starter tips it’s largely observation based, just watch your baby while they’re eating to find out what sizes, shapes, and consistencies of foods they are doing best with and just keep offering a little of what you’re eating at any meal. There are only three restrictions: no honey until 1 year, no cows milk (or other fluids except water) until 1 year (although other dairy products are fine), and keep salt intake to a minimum. Hard things requiring teeth like whole nuts and stuff you’ll obviously want to steer clear from until baby has the chompers to handle it.

Last, but not least, be aware of gagging and choking.  Your baby will gag as they learn how to manage food.  The reason why BLW and introducing solids in this way is the best time to do it is because a baby at 6 months have a built in safety mechanism, a gag reflex.  This gag reflex is positioned very far forward in her mouth thus making it very unlikely your baby will manage to actually choke on anything (especially provided you have them sitting up, not reclined at all).  But, it may freak you out a bit!  Take a look at some YouTube videos and you’ll see the gagging is very common and, often, very short-lived in the learning process.

If you want more comprehensive information or more food suggestions check out the book Baby-Led Weaning or The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook – it’s the only resource I ever referenced, it’s perfect! And don’t be afraid to ask questions! I’m happy to help, I love talking about BLW.

Why Choose BLW

• Skip the puree’s; less mess, less fuss, less work
• Your baby naturally wants to feed themselves
• Sets your baby up to be a diverse eater – no picky eaters with BLW!

BLW Starter Foods Basic List

• Steamed veggies (cut in stick size is best)
• Freeze dried fruits and veggies
• Bread
• Semi long, textured pasta
• Soft fruit: (bananas, kiwi, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, mango, etc)
• Soft veggies such as avocado and cucumber (stick size)
• Scrambled eggs
• Oatmeal

BLW Restrictions

• No honey until 1 year
• No cows milk or other fluids except water until 1 year (although other dairy products are fine)
• Keep salt intake to a minimum
• Hard things requiring teeth like whole nuts and stuff you’ll obviously want to steer clear from until baby has the chompers to handle it

BLW Resources

• Baby-Led Weaning
• The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook
• YouTube Videos

Good luck!  Have fun!

How to Clean Your Exclusively Breastfed Baby’s Diapers

1. Dump everything in the washer
2. Rinse
3. Hot wash
4. Rinse
5. Hang dry diaper covers (and inserts if it’s summer)

How to Clean Your Baby’s Diapers After She’s on Solids

1. Get the poop off (I use a sprayer that attaches to my toilet)
2. Dump everything in the washer
3. Rinse
4. Hot wash
5. Rinse
6. Hang dry diaper covers (and inserts if it’s summer)

Best Smell Busters

• Best smell buster and diaper whitener: line dry in the sun.
• Next best smell buster for when it’s frozen outside:  in the wash, hot soak with ammonia buster; in the dryer, spritz of Purification for deodorizing.

Do you have any tips or tricks to add?  Comment below and share your know-how!

Dear Maisy,

Ever since I got pregnant with Penny I find myself in a kind of mourning.  I can’t even put a name to it.  A title.  But basically my heart is so sad for you and that my time is largely pulled away from you.  It feels like I spend my whole day either tending to Penny’s constant needs or catching the Penny-free moments to do tasks I have on my list.  My list is important to me.  But you are far more important.  I pray you know that to your core always.  That you are the most important “task” I have to do every day.

I want to say sorry to you several times a day for not having, or making, the time for you like I feel I should, or could, or would if I didn’t have Penny demanding me at all times.  You are so sweet and understanding and somehow don’t lash out.  The love you have for her and me is so full and selfless it amazes me.  But I can’t help but think you hurt.  Inside that beautiful exterior and beyond that sweetness I sense there has to be a yearning for more quality time with your mom.

It’s so strange for me to be at war with myself on the inside.  On the one side I have a cute, sweet baby to tend to that should captivate me the most right?  But on the other I have my best friend ever so sweetly asking me to play with her or snuggle with her or watch her go poopy (some of your favorite social time).  I always want to play with my best friend over answer the demands of the baby.  But answer the cries of the baby I must and I’m left telling you for the millionth time, “sorry honey I have to help Penny.”

I keep telling myself it will get easier.  That the older Penny gets the more even my time will be split between you two and you won’t inherently inherit the shaft.  I pray that it will get easier.

With all my heart,

Mommy

Remember that post I wrote about the end of breastfeeding?

A Letter to Maisy: The End of Nursing

Well, the morning after I wrote that post Maisy asked for milk, I said ok, and she hopped back on the nursing train like she never got off.  So here we are again.

Maisy at 6 months

A Letter to Maisy

The End of Nursing, Part 2

Dear Maisy

One wintery afternoon, some time in February, I said “no.”  For some weeks I’d been attempting to trim your milk sessions down from 3 times a day to 2 times a day to one time a day and to none but you simply kept on asking.

I tried to offer you alternatives – almond milk, rice milk, cows milk, a snack. “No, I want Mommy’s milk.”

I tried to distract you from your milk request.  “Hey, can you color me a picture?”  “Hey do you want some grapes?”  (In our house grapes are a treat.) “Hey can you build me a tower?”

I tried saying no without saying “no” outright.  “Not right now.”  “Maybe later.”

I tried playing it off to be something else.  “Mommy, can I have milk?”  “Sure baby, it’s in the fridge for you.”  “No Mommy, I want Mommy’s milk.”

I started just sharing how I felt about it.  “Babe, I really just don’t want to.  Is it really that important to you?  Can you have some rice milk instead?”

I worked on coming up with reasons why you should be done having Mommy’s milk.  “Maisy, milk is actually for babies.  Big girls don’t have Mommy’s milk.  Big girls get to have things like ice cream, and apples, and treats.  Are you a big girl?”  Sometimes she actually wanted milk so deeply she actually shook her head no.

Finally, just mere weeks ago, I just said “no.”  You melted into the saddest puddle.  Ripped my heart out. I just held you as you cried, wracking my brain for how to fix the situation.  Should I just give you the milk now?  Could I offer you anything else.  I wanted to take it back!  But after that heart-wrenching moment the requests mostly stopped.  I didn’t hear about milk for days.

Several days later you randomly asked, “Mommy, I wan moke.” I laughed, “Maisy big girls don’t have Mommy’s milk.”  You didn’t fight it.  We had finally arrived.

One evening, I nursed Penny at the dinner table.  She was a half a second away from shrieking her displeasure, cracking like a bolt of lightning into a quiet night, but I caught her just in time.  After I finished nursing her I met eyes with you.  You plainly just looked on longingly at the scene before you.  Finally, you opened your mouth, “Mommy, only babies have moke.  Big ghews (girls) don’t have Mommy’s moke.”  In my mind I’m thinking, “oh you sweet sweet girl, no, of course you can have Mommy’s milk.”  Instead, with a forlorn look on my face and sad grit to my voice I utter, “yeah baby that’s right.”

It’s so good to be done nursing you, but it is also so sad to me.  I couldn’t take the tandem nursing anymore nor could I handle how it messed with my supply, leaving me too dried up to adequately nurse your baby sister.

I love you so much, Maisy, it makes my heart hurt and soar at the same time.  You make me smile and laugh more than anything in my world.  You make me a little crazy sometimes too but what’s life without a little crazy?  You are sweet, full of feelings, compassionate, observant, passionate, and so silly.

I love you with all my heart,

Mommy