Reddit reviews Baby-Led Feeding: A Natural Way to Raise Happy, Independent Eaters

I really recommend Baby-Led Feeding by Joanna Helwig, as it's a lot less "ARGH, IF YOU GIVE THEM PUREES, YOU HAVE FAILED" than than the actual BLW books :D

I have this one and I really like it. It has pictures of appropriate sizes of different foods for first foods and even for toddlers. It’s also has some nice simple realistic recipes as well

Avocado was our baby's first food, too! To this day, it's still one of her favorites.

In contrast to iamnicole, our pediatrician steered us away from (rice) cereal in a bottle. There's a variety of reasons the thinking is changing on that--you can ask your own pediatrician about it if you're interested.

I basically went to the library and got a bunch of books. There's basically the traditional school (start spoon feeding them purees) and the "baby led weaning" school (let them self-feed).

We didn't start off with BLW because we were introducing solids at about 5.5 months because baby had reflux and was having trouble gaining weight. So we spoonfed to make sure she actually ate. (BLW says "food before one is just for fun", which I like for taking the pressure off when they're learning, but has to be balanced with your babies circumstances.)

So we did purees for the first month or so. Avocado, banana (which was too strong for her at the start), iron-fortified multigrain cereal. (They need a source of iron after 6 mos.) Egg yolks or steamed egg. Sweet potato. Almond butter or peanut butter mixed into banana. Full-fat yogurt. (We were trying to focus on calorie dense foods to help baby make-up on the weight gain, but it's really open.) (Our pediatrician encouraged us to introduce allergens like egg and peanut butter before 6 mos., but you can check with your doctor.)

We mostly made our own purees, because it didn't feel like too much work. I'd make a batch of something and then freeze little portions in ice cube trays. Or with things like avocado, we'd just mash it up what we needed with a fork right before serving. Easy peasy.

But we still got some jars/pouches of baby food for back-up. And for meats. Meats are drier and don't puree well. (If I could do it over again, I'd probably dice it into a lentil/bean/vegetable stew and then puree that).

I feel like all the recipe books for this stage are basically page after page of the same formula:

1.) cook the fruit/vegetable (steam/braise/bake/roast)

2.) puree in a blender/put through a food mill, adding liquid (water, breastmilk, broth) if necessary. (Or in one case, "bone broth" + a source of fat.)

That said this book seems to be popular (checked out a lot). I also liked Baby Led Feeding by Jenna Helwig, though I felt like it was probably more helpful for older babies who are eating finger foods. Books are nice for getting out of your rut of things to puree.

When you get to introducing finger foods, there are two BLW books that are informative, the original Baby-Led Weaning by Gill Rapley, and the more recent Baby-Led Weaning by Teresa Pittman. A lot of overlap in content between the two. More about the hows and whys and what to expect when babies are learning to eat, not a recipe book. I think they helped give me patience toward the process.

Our experience, and the experience of some of the other moms I've met, is that YMMV with the BLW food advice. Some of the foods that are recommended my baby had trouble with, in one way or the other. So you'll have to figure out what works for your baby. (Baby hitting 9 months and being able to do pincer-grip has really opened up a lot of options.)

It's messy, but so fun to see their reactions to new foods and their preferences and "favorites" emerge. I hope you and Malcolm have fun with it!

Book recommendation.