Little foodie

So, in all important baby news... we've recently started Charles on solid foods!  An exciting milestone in baby development. :)  While working at the daycare, most of our babies started at about 4 or 5 months, and they all started with purees and rice cereal.  My plan for the little man was to make my own purees, until I stumbled upon a system called "baby-led weaning".  The idea behind baby-led weaning is that baby eats what you eat when you eat it, and they do it themselves.  They don't start to eat until they show interest, which is usually around 6 months (rather than 4 or 5) and could be much later.  Once they are sitting up well in your lap or a seat, are showing interest in your food, and start reaching for it, you simply include them in your normal meal times.  We started with avocados, and then started began whatever fruits or veggies we were having with the meal, provided they were somewhat soft and an easy shape for him to hold.  Rather than being fed smooshy purees, and later having to learn how to eat solid foods, baby starts off by learning how to hold, pick-up, and chew everyday food. 

So far it's worked out great!  The first few times Charlie mostly played with and sucked on the food we gave him, but now- less than a month later- he eats anything we give him, and is getting really good at picking up and handling the food.  He's even starting using his pincer grip, which is a pretty neat developmental step. So far he's eaten peaches, plums, prunes, cantaloupe, banana, apples, applesauce, avocado, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, broccoli, and spinach turkey meatballs!  Quite a variety for a little guy.  Here's a few pictures of his (enthusiastic!) eating.