Confused by BLW

I've just started BLW. I'm giving him big strips to hold and eat accompanied by some homemade puree of the same veg. But I'm just a bit confused how they're supposed to eat the actual veg when they have no teeth and don't know how to chew. Isn't it dangerous if they break off a huge chunk of cauliflower and accidentally swallow it without chewing? My boy just put loads of it in his mouth, I fished out loads leaving a bit still in there, he gagged then got upset and I had to end it there. I just felt it resulted in a bad experience. And I want him to associate veggies with positive experiences. Is this normal, do I keep going? Do I need to fish it out of his mouth or would he have just spat it out? Do I move to purees for a couple of weeks until he's a bit more experienced at eating in general? He also doesn't really like sitting in the high chair for that long. He's 7 months but can't sit upright by himself yet. And I also struggle to get him out of the d@m thing! His legs get stuck! That makes him even more upset *ikea high chair

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As long as it's boiled and super soft, it'll be fine ❤️ they will gag as they learn ❤️

Really recommend following Baby Led Weaning and Beyond on Facebook, it’s invaluable for letting you know how to serve food etc. I know it’s hard but trust that if food is served the correct way they will learn how to eat it. Mine puts a whole handful in her mouth but only actually eats a small bit of that. It’s really, really recommended to not try and fish food out of the mouth as it can push it into their throat - they have a super sensitive gag reflex right now which will push the food out. I’ve found if you lean your elbows on the ikea high chair you can get them out as I had the same problem. Also, have you got the ikea cushion?

I do a bit of both, every meal has something that gets spooned in and something she can hold, neither of which I really care how much she actually eats, at the minute it’s more about texture and discovering it - along with that is figuring out gag reflex, depth perception, co-ordination etc. Gagging is red faced, noisy and scary, but I found there was only a couple of times it upset my girl once I started congratulating her for doing it now she will propel big chunks out no problem and looks at me for the applause lol. Might sound silly but watch YouTube videos! It’s the easiest way to get realistic examples of what you’re looking out for xx

Solid start is a great app for BLW. With my first, I remember the advice is that if you can squish the food between your fingers, that means that it’s soft enough for babies to eat even if they do not have teeth. What I’ve been doing is model how they should eat and show how to spit it out every time I see her take a big bite but I do notice with my second, she gags and the coughs it out. Take it slow. I’ve been doing a combination of purée and blw. I have a blow up cushion thingy for the ikea highchair and it’s great to keep them supported. I used it with my first too.. You’re doing well!! Keep doing what you’re doing. X

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