Pickles and Watermelon...are you pregnant? Or How we're taking a step back in BLW

Stefan was getting along famously with avocado and cereal until this week. It all started with some peaches. Fresh, ripe, soft, organic peaches. Stefan hates them and mommy learned that if you keep trying to convince a baby he wants what you're giving him, you may end up with a lap full of puke. Good gag reflex, Stef.

No problem, lets go back to bananas. Fresh, ripe, succulent, organic banana. Nope, now those are on the "gag until he pukes" list too (no I didn't learn my lesson the first time...or rather, I'm persistent).

Ok, no problem, lets just go back to our old buddy avocado...but, mark my words, mommy is making it thick- you need new textures! Blat!! Even after I thinned it out! That's now on the list. Ok, but how could we go wrong with rice cereal....we could. On the list. He had no clue what to even do with cheerios.

A side note: he still salivates over my food, like bacon...so maybe he's just ticked that I get the good stuff;)

In my efforts to be a sassy mommy, I gave him my pickle- just a hint on his lip. Viola- he loved it. Just like he loved water melon the other day- however that is kind of prone to being bitten with Mr. Tooth and chokable chunks come loose, which cause him to gag, then puke, and really has little nutritional value, so don't count on it too soon, Kid.

And just what is BLW and why does all the current food refusal effect it? Baby Lead Weaning, where basically we skip pureed food and head right to solids when he's developmentally ready. However I got a little bored and started him with some solids that could be easily mashed- by my definition, ones that he could eat if left to his own devices.

To be ready for BLW, baby has to exhibit certain signs...sits upright unassisted well, gag reflex lessened/gone, and able to pick up things with a pincher grasp. Then, healthy food is served in pieces that can be held in a fist. Baby experiments more with the new morsels than eats them, is able to explore on his own, and isn't forced to eat foods he don't want. He's not eating for nutrition, but rather for experience. Also, it prolongs the amount of time he receives breast milk, as he isn't filling his belly with solids quite yet.

So, in an effort to work on his gag reflex, I've been thickening his current food, without success. And I think we've worked backward in solid food, but it seems the other babies in his cohort on a forum I read kind of have done the same thing, so we'll just wait this out. Two steps forward, one step back...