Easy Upcycle: Baby-Led Weaning Helper

Our little girl is 7 months old, and we were a bit late on solids—just started them a couple of weeks ago. We tend to have a relaxed approach to solids—we mix feeding purées with baby-led weaning (BLW), heavier on the latter approach. A more detailed explanation of BLW can be found here  but it's just allowing baby to eat what you eat. They gum down banana, chomp small bites of fish, eat small bits of pasta, all under careful supervision, of course.  It worked well for our youngest son (I didn't know about it with my oldest), and has been going great with our daughter.

The only thing that has been frustrating from time to time is slippery fruit. She loves it, but it's hard for her to grasp without is squishing out of her little hands. I do have a mesh feeder, but she isn't too big on it (I think she likes more surface area of actual food) and I am always a little nervous about whether it's getting really clean.

As I was trying to get her to eat a square of cantaloupe, something caught my eye: an old popsicle mold that my son plays with.

The handle is soft plastic and perfect for piercing chunks of fruit!

Just slide a square right over it.

And, bam! Happy baby.

You should keep your eye on baby at all times while doing BLW, (and, as with any feeder, don't let baby poke herself in the eye or something crazy) but it's a fun, easy, and inexpensive way to get baby used to all different foods and textures from the beginning, and promotes self-feeding. This little holder makes it easier, and is a great way to upcycle old popsicle molds, which tend to get used for one season in our home, then become toddler toys.  Happy baby-feeding, everyone!