Street Address

City, State, Zip

Phone Number

Your Custom Text Here

Baby Led Weaning| My Tips and Tricks and Products I Swear By

November 1, 2020 Channing Hanneman

Hey Guys!
Luke is officially 13 months which means he has been eating table food for 7 months! I can’t even believe it! When we started on our BLW journey I never imagined it would be this fun and easy. Please read on for some tips I have, as well as all the products I highly recommend if you want to start on this journey.

Show your support today (1).png

I have never heard of Baby Led Weaning until I had a child. I saw some of my favorite influencers on Instagram feeding their babies regular table food and I found it so fascinating. I started researching the idea of BLW and found that I loved the concept. Now, this isn’t for everyone. I HIGHLY recommend doing research on your own before you start. BLW is an amazing thing but you have to be extra careful about the way you present the food so babies learn to eat without getting frustrated. I learned a lot from this book HERE.

I won’t bore you with all the amazing things I learned from this book but here is a quick summary. BLW is great especially for breastfed babies because they are already independent in their eating meaning they already control what they are drinking/eating and are teaching themselves when they are full to stop. Not saying that bottle fed babies can’t do BLW as well but this concept started with breastfed babies. Since these babies are already more independent, feeding them by spoon takes a step backwards because it teaches them to rely on you to feed them rather then themselves. BLW also encourages family bonding at mealtime so that every meal is shared by the family at the same time. I liked this idea because sitting trying to spoon feed a baby mushy messy food while my own food got cold didn’t sound fun to me.

20200811_073337 (1).jpg

The book also talks about the importance of cutting the food properly for each age. At first, you want to cut the food in long thin strips. This scares people because they worry about choking and think the food is too big. I learned that young babies don’t have a proper pincher grip to grab small food so when you cut it in long strips, they are able to pick it up and knaw at the end that is sticking out of their fist. Pretty cool huh! As they grow older and their pincher grip and hand eye coordination develops, you can start cutting pieces into normal small sizes like we adults eat. Speaking of hand eye coordination, I really believe that BLW has led to Luke having amazing little fingers and he has been able to use stacking toys and other complicated toys since he was really little.

Alot of people’s main concern about BLW is choking. This is understandable. From my research, babies are no more prone to choking in BLW than in regular spoon feeding. That being said, it is extremely important to always watch a child when they are eating no matter how old. I will never walk away from Luke when he is eating. Anything can happen in a second no matter what it is.

The number 1 rule for BLW is that you can’t start until they meet ALL signs of readiness. This includes sitting up on their own for 1 min straight, being 6 months old, loss of extrusion reflex, and baby brings objects to mouth with ease. There are also foods that you must not feed to baby including raw honey before the age of 1 (this can hide in objects such as bread so check the labels) obvious choking hazards, unpasteurized foods and anything undercooked. Besides that everything is fair game!

The other most important rule about BLW is food before 1 is just for fun and milk is still king. Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding, you should always offer milk first before every meal. This is where babies get the majority of their nutrients from especially before they aren’t eating a lot of regular food.

We don’t follow a specific diet for Luke. We have always given him what we are eating. He eats sugar and processed foods in moderation, we don’t add a ton of salt or seasoning to his food, and he eats plenty of fruits and veggies. He loves meat but sometimes red meat can be hard on his tummy so we have to cut him off ( which he hates haha)

Many people have doctors and family members who will try to talk them out of BLW. My own doctor had never heard of it but once I explained that this is what it is she didn’t say anything. My family was very confused and often tried to steer me away from my decision but I pushed forward. I knew what I wanted for my son and ultimately everyone is now amazed at what a great eater he is! Many people will also try to tell you to introduce foods in a certain order or one at a time to avoid allergies, This is also a myth. Allergies can pop up at anytime during your life so you don’t need to do this.

Overall, this is your child and your decision. You can do BLW 100%, half spoon half BLW or all spoon. Whatever you decide remember, you are the parent and you know what is best for your child.

See below for the products we love!

Highchair: I have talked about the highchair from Ikea a few times now. It is inexpensive, so easy to clean and works amazing. You can get a little blow up insert to go in to help move baby closer to the tray. Luke used this until he was about 9 months. I love the sleek minimal design and the fact that it takes up so little space.

Splat Mat: To go under the highchair to help stop any messes is this splat mat. It comes in many designs and can be washed in the washing machine. It is super travel friendly as well so we like taking it to places when Luke needs to eat at his grandparents or for holidays. This is waterproof so in the future we will also use it for the beach and other outdoor activities.

Smock Bib: Since BLW is messy, Luke wears a smock bib over his clothes. These are made of almost the same material as the splat mat and can be thrown in the washing machine for easy cleaning. I highly recommend having at least 2 for easy rotating. Luke also spends alot of time at his grandparents so I have a couple there as well.

Silicone Bib: I also recommend going with silicone bibs rather than cloth ones. These can be wiped clean, also can be thrown in the washing machine and have a pocket to catch extra food.

Sippy Cup: Obviously this isn’t eating, but when we started BLW we also started introducing Luke to a cup. We started out with water in a shot glass to teach him to tilt his head back and drink. Then we graduated to these cups. They are spill proof, easy to clean and Luke loves them.

Utensils: These were great in the beginning to load a spoon and let Luke feed himself. Obviously babies don’t know how to use spoons and forks yet so BLW encourages parents to preload spoons, set them on the tray and let the baby pick them up and feed themselves.

Bowls: These bowls are amazing and stick so well to the tray. Luke can’t rip them off. I am still trying to find plates that suction as well so I won’t be recommending any plates just yet.

Overall, we have really enjoyed this journey with Luke. He is an amazing eater and pretty much likes all food. Some days he eats more than others but more often than not, he eats more than me! If you have any questions or want to share any of your favorite products, let me know down below!

XOXO Channing

Breastfeeding Made Easy Featuring Kiinde Twist Set| Storage, Warming, and Feeding

August 22, 2019 Channing Hanneman

Hey Guys!

Today I wanted to share some products from the brand Kiinde to help other Mom’s like me on their breastfeeding journey. I will also have a code at the end to get a FREE breastfeeding starter kit so please stick around. I also have a video on my Instagram under my “Baby” tab showing me unboxing the Twist Gift Set I will be talking about so if you would like to see my talk through please check out my Instagram HERE.

Let me share a bit of information on my breastfeeding journey. I am a first time Mom due September 21st and am very interested in breastfeeding. My goal is to breastfeed a minimum of 6 months and wean at about a year. This being said, I am not against formula, supplementing with formula or pumping and using a bottle to allow others to feed the baby. In my opinion, fed is best. I already have a pump, and I am very open to pumping and feeding from a bottle so my husband and family can help with feedings so I have been on the hunt to find a system that would allow this process to happen easily.

I have been looking for products that will help my breastfeeding journey and making it easier and Kiinde was nice enough to send me their Twist Gift Set. It is the perfect set to give a new mother or get for yourself. This set comes with everything needed to help with breastfeeding, formula feeding and even includes an attachment for food pouches when babies reach that age.

What I like about the Twist set is that it is a revolutionary system that allows me to pump directly into a pouch and then insert into a bottle for easy feeding. This helps to eliminate milk transfer, and helps to kept washing to a minimum since there aren’t any extra bottles or containers. This also helps to eliminate milk loss and exposure to germs. The set comes with different nipples depending on babies age also.

Check out the video below to see how the system works.

I also like that you don’t need a special pump to use this system. I have the Medela system and it works great with it! Many other popular pumps are also able to be used with this system which I think is amazing! I love that you don’t have to buy or use a specific pump to use the Kiinde system.

The gift set is amazing because it includes so many useful things from storage pouches, pump adapters, bag storage holder (which I love for space saving in the fridge or freezer), bottle warmer with timer, bottles, different nipple sizes, cleaning brushes, and a food attachment.

What I also love about the system are the Twist Active Latch Nipples that are designed to reward a deep latch so that baby learns proper latching. This helps to discourage a “lazy” latch and help the transition between breast and bottle.

Other things I like about the Twist set are that the pouches are recyclable, BPA, phalate, and PVC free which is very important. And everything is dishwasher safe which is great for this lazy Mom!

This system makes me very excited to start on my breastfeeding journey because I feel it will help me be more successful and reach my goals. I know breastfeeding will be a difficult journey and anything that will help me or other Mom’s is a Win Win! I will be a stay at home Mom, but this system would also help Moms who work outside of the home make the transition easier. Since there is less clean up, they have more time to feed and spend time with their baby.

If you are interested in the Twist Gift Set for you or a Mom in your life, Check it out HERE.

If you would like a FREE Breastfeeding Starter Kit, Check it out HERE

Are you a breastfeeding Mom or Soon to be one? What is your go to product to make the process easier? XOXO Channing