baby led weaning?

I started at 6 months with soft fruits and vegetables.  My WIC counselor wasn't surprised at all, apparently a lot of people around here do BLW.  My pediatrician was totally fine with it too.  The only thing she said was "don't be surprised if she doesn't really eat it until closer to 12 months".  It's true, but it just surprised me that she was that "ok" with her not eating solid food until that much later.  My dd actually took to it really well and was eating immediately.

I don't care what wic says, i know when my kid should be doing things. I started giving my son cereal when he was 4mos old. Hes now 14mos and is completely off baby food and eats anything. I gave him formula until he was a few weeks over his first birthday. He didn't like milk then. So, i bought the next step up. Enfa grow stage 3. For older toddlers. He drank about 3 bottles of it, then i put a scoop of it in regular milk. Did that twice before he started drinking straight milk. He was 13 mos by the time he was on straight milk. He just weaned himself off the bottle last week. After 5 different sippy cups, i found one that works. That was it, he doesn't drink out of a bottle anymore. Hes slowly weaning off the pacifier. He only uses it if he sees it. He doesn't need it to sleep anymore

Our pedi reccomended the "Super Baby Food" book.  I used it as a guide and pureed my own foods.  We started solids around 8mos b/c daughter showed interest in foods.  We are not on WIC, so I'm not sure what their 'rules' are.  With our son I plan to do the same, however I want to do smaller solid foods and not do purees.  You just have to watch and listen to your child and take the cue from them when they are ready.

WIC or doctors aren't parenting your child so who cares what they say:)

You can use any soft fruits or veggies(you can steam them to make them soft.) I started at 9 months. I cut up banana in little chunks he could pick up. He didn't just played the first time and the second he got a piece in and gagged and threw up. I learned this was common because its a defense against choking. When I did sweet potato I steamed and mashed it with breastmilk, then I loaded spoons and let him feed himself. He flung some across the room, touched the spoon to his tongue, then he took a little bite. He gagged but managed to swallow a couple bites before throwing up. He just has a sensitive gag reflex so I will do mashed food for a little while then move from there. He is almost 11 months and pretty much exclusively breastfed.

At 6 months, I started letting her have bits and pieces of our table food and DH was a little nervous so if he fed her, he went with puree. She very quickly (like a week) decided she didn't like puree so he tried the stage threes which lasted a few weeks but she definitely preferred table food. Before long, I think just shortly after 7 months she wouldn't touch baby food. She eats anything and everything and does well with it. I was expecting her to take a while to really eat but you literally cannot have food in her eyesight and not give her some (most) of it without her screaming her tiny little head off. She eats basically a meal at each meal with us and lots in between and has been since about 8 months, in addition to her still nursing. She's gonna be a year in less than 2 weeks and I'm not kidding, she eats more than my 5 year old DS.

Honestly, I can't stand WIC. They don't know what they're talking about half the time and most of the time contradict my pedi and my reading. I didn't tell them I was CHOOSING not to give her purees and cereal. I just said she didn't like it and wouldn't take it. Which was true about purees but not the cereal, I never tried it. She just smiled, nodded and moved on.

My pedi seemed pleased that she was doing so well with eating solids. She chews through everything (even before she had any teeth).

What if they dont have teeth? My dd (2.5yo now) didnt get teeth till after her first bday (then it was all at once and that was a sucky week!) and it looks like ds is going to do the same, I am thinking ill keep ebf till 9mo and then try soft veggies or poofs till he gets his teeth...

I did soft veggies and fruits around 8 months with DD. she didn't have any teeth so made sure it was stuff she could mash with her tongue. As far as her dr was concerned all he asked is if she's eating and I said yes and left it at that. He was more concerned with getting them in then out so he could make more $$. Their new dr asked how I was feeding her so I told him (started with him at 10 months) and he said good. Cereal is junk and purees are a waste because they taste nothing like the real food.

My son didn't have teeth until 11.5 months, but at 9 months could gum an apple to the core - keep in mind that baby teeth are lurking jsut below the surface, making their gums super hard and strong  :) 

Quoting krusesbaby:

What if they dont have teeth? My dd (2.5yo now) didnt get teeth till after her first bday (then it was all at once and that was a sucky week!) and it looks like ds is going to do the same, I am thinking ill keep ebf till 9mo and then try soft veggies or poofs till he gets his teeth...

The only thing my doctor asked me is if she was getting this amout of veggies and that amount of fruit, not what method I'm using to feed her.

Dd hates mashed foods and took to table foods quickly so we jus went with it. Took it slow, cut things very small, and gradually add to her palate.

like an uncooked apple?! thats awesome my daughter gummed everything she loved those gerber hard cookie things

Quoting TiffanyMarie80:

My son didn't have teeth until 11.5 months, but at 9 months could gum an apple to the core - keep in mind that baby teeth are lurking jsut below the surface, making their gums super hard and strong  :) 

Quoting krusesbaby:

What if they dont have teeth? My dd (2.5yo now) didnt get teeth till after her first bday (then it was all at once and that was a sucky week!) and it looks like ds is going to do the same, I am thinking ill keep ebf till 9mo and then try soft veggies or poofs till he gets his teeth...