Baby-led vs Purees

Ever since last Sunday when Micah really starting making a fuss when people ate food in front of him I've been putting off really starting solids with him - trying to hold out until 6 months. I did however buy some avocados this past week and have been deliberating between baby-led solids or making his baby food purees. Baby-led weaning/feeding is giving the baby food he can pick up and bring to his mouth to chew and swallow. Babies who have the coordination to grab and bring the food to their mouths also tend to have the skills to chew and swallow said food. They also then are in control of how much they want to eat similar to how a babe nurses because when they nurse they control the flow of milk and can change from nutritive sucking to non-nutritive comfort sucking when they are full. I'm intrigued by this method of letting a young baby have larger pieces of food instead of making the purees. This would save me the step of pureeing/freezing the food as I plan to make all of Micah's food as I did for Abby. In baby-led I would still steam or roast harder foods to make them easy to Micah to chew and eat. 

So back to the avocados... I decided to give the baby-led a shot - nothing to lose there. So we got Micah all situated (stripped down to a diaper and bib and sitting in his bumbo) and gave him the avocado in two halves - large pieces that would be easy for him to grip - or at least as easy as an avocado can be. 

Hmm... maybe not so easy to grab. It does however prove to be quite the amusing item to push and shove around and kept him occupied so I could eat my dinner take pictures of him. 

Since dinner was calling my name at this point, I decided to put some of the avocado in his mesh feeder so he could finally get a taste as I was getting tired of picking the avocado up from his lap between eating bites of my food. He seemed to like it okay but also enjoyed checking on the handle side of the mesh feeder almost as much. Then again I guess that side had avocado all over it as well since his hands, tray, lap, bumbo and table were all covered in avocado by this point. 

After we were all done eating I contemplated how I was going to get the avocado covered baby upstairs and into the tub without leaving a trail of avocado through the house. Plus it wasn't quite bath time yet and he is pretty used to our routine of bath, books with sister and bed. So we opted for option k.

His first (and probably not last) kitchen sink bath. 

I'm now thinking we may stick with purees but am still some what undecided at this point. I did however get to enjoy a full meal without a baby in my lap!