Doctors’ recommendations seem to change every few years, and keeping up with the latest information is a challenge. Babies demand a lot of attention and don’t leave you much “me” time for research. With twins, I’m constantly looking for hands-free solutions and anything that supports multi-tasking. Baby-led weaning is the latest trend in baby-feeding methods and seems like a good choice for us. Essentially, the child is allowed to mash food into its mouth with all the grace of a drunken pirate eating for the first time after four hungry months at sea. While a particularly messy approach, one of the benefits is the child learns to feed itself more quickly than if it is spoon-fed.
In current government-promoted recommendations, babies are to start solid foods at six months. Our lactation consultant recommended four months, as twins can use the extra calories to keep up with their extra-steep growth curve. I admit, I dragged my heels on that recommendation. But, this past week after a weigh-in at the doctor’s office, I was told the girls are ready for solid food. I suppose shoving everything into their mouths, including their own feet, is a sign this is the case. And so at five months of age, it became clear I needed to stop procrastinating and start the twins on solid food.
