Totally agree! Just relax...Basically I just wait till he either spits it out or swallows and then give more food again. are not we awful? : -)

cheers ella, thanks for your support (to my lack of support if you know what i mean...)

I know, I don't even really seem to notice gagging/choking, it's jus them eating, innit?! Was starting to feel guilty that I don't worry more....

Haha, so true. The only think i worry about is that i don't worry enough...

The more I talk to puree-ing mums they tell me their little ones do everything from pulling faces to gagging when given the first spoon of baby rice or mush of some sort. Part of the whole learning experience it seems.

well hello there, mrs katja. are you enjoying this weather?
you know, i'd be inclined to agree with you about the gagging. funnily enough, the friend who actually told me about BLW in the first place didn't do it because she was frightened of the baby choking. so i said, 'what would you have done if she'd choked on a puree?' and she said, somewhat mortified, that she didn't know...
i went on an infant resus class last year but i should porbably do one again as it's a skill worth keeping up, i reckon. although i'm glad to say i've never had to use it.

I'm a blog-virgin so please forgive me if I've 'posted' this in the wrong location!

I feel like I've failed before I've even started!! I'm having a bad day made only worse by the fact that I decided to start BLW today! I steamed some carrots, settled down with Chicken Licken on my lap and before I knew it she'd reached out and shoved one in her mouth. It fell out a few times but on the third try she gummed down on it and I realised there was a big bit (well, about the size of a finger nail!) in her mouth. She must have been swirling it around her mouth for about a minute and I thought she was mushing it so she could swallow but then I saw it in her mouth still and panicked. I scooped it and promptly located the blender. Next minute I'm spooning carrot purree into her little beak! She liked it but I felt like I'd fallen at the first hurdle and don't know whether I can do it! I really want to give BLW a go (if not just to prove my mother wrong!) but how will I ever have the confidence?!

PS I have read the stuff about gagging but still seems daunting. Maybe I need to get some more sleep (haha) and then I'll be able to deal with it!

dunno what to say, really. it does sound like she was doing pretty well before you got in on the act... as far as i recall Babybear used to swallow what i thought were surprisingly large pieces of food, particularly carrot, straight down. i'd see it in her mouth and think 'blimey, that's going to come out' and then i'd see her swallow and it would be Gone. i'd say that so long as you've steamed the carrot to oblivion there's not much harm in letting her get on with it.

in answer to your question about confidence, though, i'd say the single best thing to do is go on an infant resus course or at the very least look at the info online. of course i'd say that to anyone, BLW or not.

For me, it just made me think that if something bad happened that i would be able to deal with it, if you know what i mean? as i think i've said before, i reckon Babybear choked twice, both times on apple, so i avoided that until i could give her a whole one to scrape on.

thing is, you don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with, so if you decide to do a mix of finger foods and purees then that'll be fine. remember, the goal is to have a happy, healthy child who eats food, that's all.

but if you do decide to give finger food a try again, just try not to stress about it. Steamed carrot is a great place to start. or soft fruit like peaches or apricots... good luck anyway.

I am awash with mixed emotions...oscillating between starting to soon yet not being able to stop myself and I realised I have been so caught up in proper food being flung everywhere that I haven't introduced myself yet!!

My name is Miriam, my wee girl Ellie is 6 and half months old (she was a month early -my husband Barry, likes to point this out during our BLW sessions).

We are practicing Attachment Parenting Dr Sear's styleee and have up until now had fairly rousing support from the family for all that we have 'subjected' our daughter to. Until now. MIL just cannot understand why we would want to put our precious baby through such torture, why would we want her to gag, why cant we just give her mushed up food? So..we bought the high chair and decided to give it a go. 6months and1.5 weeks. First night, she didn't even look at the food on her table, as if she knew, after 10mins she picked up the broccoli put it to her mouth and looked very unimpressed!!! Second night, gave her some millet and she puked up everywhere...excellent beginning????? She did particularly love the apple and blueberry puree on a spoon grrrr not very BLW although at least I didn’t puree it and she held the spoon herself!!!

On her 3rd foray into with the whole BLW thing, I got completely carried away at inlaws Friday night dinner, gave Ellie asparagus, potato, banana(?) and chicken. She seemed completely underawed by the whole momentus occasion, even when she gagged and puked back her banana (AKA by MIL as OMG she is choking she is dying). MIL had shpilkes (yiddish for nervous energy freakout) and burst a blood vessel in her eye, FIL sat muttering at end of table at the utter nonsense of it all. She keeps asking me 'Would you like to gag?'. Would you, do you want to gag?’ What can you say to that?

We went home and I spent the evening crying on my husbands lap feeling my baby was growing up and I had launched her too quickly into adulthood.

Perhaps it was too early for me?? How did everyone else feel?

great to read all your posts and could not work out where to post this so chose here, hope its ok!

>>>off to puree some peach schnapps and lemonade (and freeze until after I finish breastfeeding of course)

Miriam

Hello there,

Don't think as a first start it's super unusual, to be honest. I'd forgotten that the Nome did puke banana all over the kitchen floor in early days - she's demolished half a ton of pasta and chicken tonight, so you do tend to forget... If Ellie was a bit prem, you may to still correct for that when thinking about when to start BLW. Also - she can just have "off days" in front of family when she "just wants to drink milk" - let her try one or two things, just playing, when you're not with other people, and see how she goes. She'll be doing fine on just milk right now, so take it easy.

Best of luck!

tbh i'd give her more time and Never, Ever eat at you MiL's house again. the first thing dd ate was a peach, and she rather launched herself at it when she was sitting on my knee. i wonder if i'd do the same next time (if there is a next time...) and wait until the baby actually made a grab?
maybe, not sure. but if i found myself crying about BLW i really, really would just not do it any more and go back to milk for a week and then try again. nothing's worth crying over, especially not, er spilt milk or puked banana. it's supposed to be fun, remember?
i think your MiL has stressed you out, and to be honest it can't have been much fun for your baby to have you undermined like that. especially if your daughter is a preemie, i'd be inclined to leave it awhile, i never really understand the great rush myself.
would that be better? how would you feel about trying later on, in a week or two, when her corrected age is nearer the 6 months?

well, i think you're right about doing a resus course - my biggest fear has been not knowing what to do in an emergency (not just choking either). and after your words of wisdom, i seem to have calmed down about the whole feeding thing. i'm going with puree this week just whilst i get comfortable with her swallowing something that isn't milk and next week am planning to re-introduce carrot sticks. i think perhaps i also need to steam them for a little longer than i originally did. i'll keep reading your blog because it's been really helpful so thank you!

why is there such a rush to wean our babies? I feel intense pressure from my husband to give my 5 month old food and at present I don't feel that there is any reason why she should. I have no indication that my milk is no longer enough for her. I have explained that we will wait until she is 6 months at least, but would like to take the time limit off and be able to follow my instincts about when we are ready. I think I will be strong and insist that we do follow our instincts. BTW MIL can be so difficult can't they. I see mine less and less at mo since everytime I do she makes comments about why we don't use a push chair and how much trouble we will have getting our baby to leave our bed. As Dr Sears recommend it's best to try not to put yourself in a situation where you can be criticised for your parenting philosophy. Not that you should hid it, but why put yourself through additional stress by putting yourself in the firing line. I wouldn't eat round your MIL's until you have established BLW to a point that you and DD are comfortable. Then you can go around and show off!!!! (inevitably that will be the day DD decides to throw up agian or gag, but hey, that's babies!)

I'm sorry everyone, but I am calling B.S. on this. I am so very supportive of babies calling the shots when it comes to food, and we are excited at how wonderful it's been to put food in front of our 6 mo old and have her learn new tastes and textures herself with her own hands. I'm also happy not to puree it all, and use food that we ourselves are eating, but I will tell you that after today I am no longer giving our baby ANYTHING that isnt' at least mushed up. The piece of apple that I fished out of her throat today was very close to killing her. Have any of you people even taken a CPR course? I'm sorry, but you are completely irresponsible and to laugh about how you "worry" that you're not concerned enough about real choking is repulsive to me? This is not responsible parenting.

Sweetpea 77 - may I enquire as to how you gave the apple? Did you steam it? Did you leave the skin on? How old is your baby? How long had you been BLW before this incident? Had you read the advice on this blog about how or when to give apple from other people's experiences?

Obviously these gagging or choking incidents are scary to each and every one of us when and if they happen. How we choose to deal with them is our own choice. I take offence at my choice to BLW both of my children very successfully as being called 'not responsible parenting'. I very responsibly researched BLW before embarking on it, I very responsibly read the blog from beginning to end before beginning, I very responsibly steamed all veg and tested it myself before giving it to my babies, I very responsibly was in possession of a first aid certificate.

It is very unfortunate that you have had to experience this incident, but it is also exceptionally unfortunate that you feel the need to call those who choose this route of weaning irresponsible and repulsive. After all, we are all doing what we consider to be the best for our children WHATEVER those choices may be. It was your choice to try this route and obviously now your choice to change your approach to weaning - absolutely your right.

I personally have found BLW to be the most wonderful, exciting, funny, messy, and rewarding experience both times I have done it.

Sweetpea77, I believe the current advice re gagging is to let the baby/child/adult get on with it and not smack them on the back or stick your fingers down their throat which could push the offending item further down.

I can understand that you have had a distressing experience but flaming on a blog will not change that and feeding purees will not prevent gagging. Presumably at some point you intend for your child to eat non-pureed food? The mother I know who has the most gaggy baby followed Annabel Karmel to the letter and still encountered gagging once lumpy foods were introduced at the AK recommended time (actually slightly later since her daughter is a preemie).

I would recommend that you avoid raw apple which is a particularly gag-inducing food (as Aitch said above) until your daughter can hold and manipulate an entire apple. Try giving her a soft fruit like nectarine, mango, papaya, melon, you'll have far fewer problems.

And good luck with weaning whichever method you use. This BLW blog and forum is a lovely friendly and inclusive environment and no-one is so hardcore to suggest that puree feeding is a bad way to wean a child. We all have to do what we feel is right for our child.

LB2K from the forum.

I am a dentist, and take an annual CPR course to keep up to date with the ever changing recommendations for CPR. I have never had any worries about letting my son feed himself, and we have never had a choking incident. Plenty of gagging, but it is important to recognise the difference between gagging and choking.

My daughter was puree weaned, and probably gagged more than my son does.

Of course I am concerned about the possibility of my son choking,but the fact is that it is highly unlikely. Babies who are BLW'd learn how to chew before they learn how to swallow, thus decreasing the risk of choking.

Sweetpea77
you have obvioulsy had a traumatic experience today but name calling is just so unneccessary.
If you feel happier mushing up food then you do that.
Please don't judge others.
smac

Sweetpea77 - As the others have said above, you are entitled to wean your child with whatever method you like. What you are not entitled to do is judge and verbally abuse/insult others who are also exercising their right to make informed responsible choices for their children. To call an entire group "irresponsible" and "repulsive" is just not cricket, and particularly not on an extremely friendly forum/blog where, had you sought our support our advice, we would gladly have offered it.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but unfortunately these things happen. One of the first recommendations made by Aitch on this forum is to be in possession of an infant resuscitation certificate before embarking on BLW, and I would suggest that it is an equally valuable thing to have whatever means you choose to wean your child. Yes, many of "us people" have First Aid certificates, in fact I would hazard a guess that probably significantly more of us do than a similar pool of puree weaning parents, who tend to be less aware of the gagging issue in the first place despite the fact that their children are no less prone to it happening. Am I to assume from your post that you don't have one? Again, no one's fault (or, for that matter, business) but yours.

As someone else pointed out above, you will presumably be feeding your child unpureed food at some point in her life, unless you anticipate sending her to university on a diet of apple sauce and mashed potato? Accordingly, at some point your daughter will, presumably, eat an apple in its unadulterated form, and hopefully she will do so without incident, but no one can guarantee that for you, and it is not anyone else's fault that you had a bad experience, any more than it is yours.

Rubyrose from the Forum

Sweetpea77 I am so sorry you've had a bad experience to knock your confidence.

There are lots of supportive people here on the website who will happily offer you advice if your ask politely for it.

Just as an aside. My partner got a chunk of apple stuck in his throat the other day. Does that make me an irresponsible partner? Apple is a nasty hazzard for all ages. There is no evidence to suggest that mushing your LOs food now would prevent him/ her from gagging at a later stage.

I hope you feel calmer soon.

LJ from the forum.

Just to agree with everyone who's posted before me and add: If you were being as responsible as you would like other moms to be, you might not have given a 6-mo old, presumably in the beginning of the solid-eating adventure, pieces of apple unless they were soft enough to be smooshed on the roof of your mouth with your tongue.

Like probably most of the other BLW moms who are reading this site and who are applying their perhaps starving intellects to ceaselessly reading up on these issues, I have in fact taken a CPR course. And in that course I was taught that all babies gag as they are learning to eat (yes, even and maybe especially on mush as its pushed to the back of the mouth without baby's control!). And that we shouldn't interfere with that process unless baby is truly choking.

Being responsible is educating ourselves as fully as possible. Any method of eating is dangerous if you don't know the facts.

sorry i didn't see this before, sweetpea... did you see my own post about apple?

so as you can see, i don't think that this blog has advised you to go ahead and give a 6-month-old apple, in fact i held off on it for quite a while, at least until 9 mos. it's pretty hard stuff. and yes, i have taken a CPR course and advise doing the same
i'm sorry you got such a terrible fright and i'm very glad your baby is fine, but as you can see from the posts above, i do try very hard to be responsible and to put out a message of parents remaining switched-on about the issues regarding choking. gagging, on the other hand...

hello! pretty new to all this stuff and im so excited to start this new weaning plan i no the subject of gaging is being brought up alot, and i no hes going to gag but what do i do if he starts!? it may sound a silly question! sorry

Hello Melly,

You'll probably get lots more responses if you look on the forum - there's a link over on the left hand side of this webpage. Anyway, the general advice seems to be to let them get on with it and try and not panic. Gagging is very common but some babies do it a lot more than others. Remember that they have a very sensitive gag reflex to protect them from choking. Choking is very rare but is different, apparently they are silent (because their windpipe is blocked) and look slightly panicked. I say apparently because it's never happened to me or anyone I know.

Some foods that seem to be particularly gaggy include raw apple (cooked apple slices are fine), bread more than toast, bananas cause a problem for some kids (not here though!). We had a bit of a problem with courgette skins before DD had teeth so I used to score the courgettes before cooking.

HTH, LB2K from the forum

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... there really is a difference between gagging and choking. Choking is serious business, but gagging, which is what more commonly happens and is what people are mostly talking about here. Babies are best placed to sort themselves out when gagging - its just their way of dealing with large chunks, or bits they don't like or whatever - in a practical (but not very polite!) way that can look scary. If people sound... 'unconcerned' it's beacuse actual gagging is nothing to be worried about, it's harmless, natural, how they learn, and they really are best left to deal with it themselves, interferring can make them choke. Parents can get really worried about it at the start which can be stressful for everyone involved - hence the light hearted view taken - we all panic at first, it looks scary but it isn't - so the advice heer is really just meant to help parents new to BLW relax about it and not worry unnecessarily.

Choking would NEVER be joked about here or on the forum. Choking is very different (I think basically gagging = lots of noise and spluttering as baby moves food around, choking = no noise and requires urgent help).

SP 77, I'm really sorry you had such a scary experience. But babies can choke on all manner of things, puree can go down the wrong way, they can pick bits up off the floor etc so with the best will in the world it can still hapen. Personally I think BLW babies are better equipped to deal with things like that as their chewing/gagging skills are so refined.

I think all parents should be trained, or at least well versed in infant first aid (there are great clips on you tube for anyone who can't attend a course). Regardless of how you choose to feed your child, choking can happen. We should all know how to deal with it. And I know if Chops had a choking incident, I would be horrified if anyone blamed my parenting choices. I do my absolute best for him, always and I believe BLW is best for him. I read and read and read, and I ask for advice and support whenever I need it. But I don't have super powers to prevent accidents happening. I don't think that makes me a bad parent.

I don't think any parent in their right might would knowingly take risks... least of all one who spends their evenings on baby feeding websites - we're baby welfare geeks!

Just took a CPR/choking class this weekend. Meant to do since I was pregnant but glad I waited. Now it's fresh in my brain as I'm starting BLW.

As other have said, there is a very big difference between gagging and choking. I started with mush, and even with that my baby gagged in the beginning. I freaked out and so did my baby. But now that we're both used to it, DB gives me a big smile (despite his tearing eyes) and starts re-working whatever bit of food made him gag.

It's important for everyone who's feeding a baby to understand what to do when a baby is choking.

If your baby is coughing, crying, and turning read, leave baby alone. Don't try to pat her on the back or put her hands up. Encourage her to cough and remain calm.

If baby cannot make a noise and is turning blue:This is real choking. And you should be prepared. As I just learned in my CPR class, chest compressions alone can keep a person alive for 10 mins. Chest compressions + breathing can keep a person (including the brain) alive for hours--well enough for emergency services to arive.

All moms, dads, caretakers, grandparents, etc. should know how to help a choking baby, whether you are feeding mush or following BLW.

And we should all know too that gagging is part of the learning process. It's a self-protective mechanism and one that allows babies to learn how to eat! (Ok, that didn't go down right, gotta work on those big pieces a little more next time.)

All that being said, apples freak me out. I've seen the wonderful pics of babies eating whole apples, peel and all. And maybe someday I'll be prepared to let that happen. But apples are up there with carrots, grapes and nuts as major choking hazards. I understand fully the logic of letting the baby suck and work small pieces--but no matter how fully I can understand the intellectual argument, on a gut level it freaks me out. Of course I don't question other moms' judgement: I just know what I am and am not comfortable with.

Like the person who posted above me, I would hate for any accident to be blamed on my parenting style--most of all in my own brain. But the best we can do is educate ourselves as fully as possible and NEVER LEAVE AN EATING BABY UNATTENDED.

So to clarify, I am not against BLW, I am frustrated at how many of these postings brush the whole potential choking issue aside. I am very familiar with the conversations with my MIL and other people about the safety of things like co-sleeping, or trying to get my family to understand why we only want books and wooden toys, or why we wear our baby, but this is very different. I just think postings that state things like "Just relax" joke about being too complacent completely dismisses the fact that choking is a very serious and real risk with BLW.

I'm really frustrated that this site pretty much tells you to hand your kid a piece of fruit and see what happens, and is filled with stories of happy infants of 6 mos gnawing away on stuff. And when I did that, a potentially horrible thing nearly happened. And now posters are telling me that I gave the wrong piece of fruit, in the wrong way, to an infant at the wrong age. So what is it? I feel like the "safe way" is whatever is done by moms whose kids haven't choked, and the "dangerous" way is whatever is done by moms whose kids have nearly, or did choke. Even though the actual risk and probability that a kid will choke is exactly the same - the difference is it happened to someone else's kid, so its because someone else did something wrong.

The problem is, there aren't solid, tested, approved by pediatricians guidelines, or anything even close to that. This whole thing is based on one study, by one person, who's published a book that isn't even in stores yet, and a bunch of anecdotes by lucky moms. When I started looking on this site for info on the hazards of choking and how to avoid it, this whole thread is based on "relax, get over it" and jokes about neurotic MILs - these postings are the ones that I find horrifying. This thread should be focused on concrete discussions acknowledging that these are real concerns, and how we can do it safely. But its' not. Save for a few postings, this whole thread is equally as jugemental and accusatory as my initial posting.

I sleep with my baby. I wear my baby. I consiously don't disinfect everything she touches. i don't spoon feed her/let her eat herself. I also cover my electrical sockets, keep cleaning products out of reach, and have a problem with handing infants food and other objects that can get stuck in their airway. And if the whole rationale that babies that control what food goes in their mouth wont' allow pieces that are too big to get to their throat were true, then choking wouldn't be in the top 3 causes of death and injury to children.

Sweetpea, I think the "just relax" stuff relates to gagging, not choking, and the "neurotic MIL" jokes relate to MILs (and others!) who can't tell the difference between the two.

I haven't seen anyone on here joke about the risk of choking. And look how again and again on the blog and forum people are recommended to take an infant resus course before they even start weaning.

Sorry you had a bad experience. My DD gagged on raw apple the first time she had it too.

Eleanor (can't log in for some reason!)

"The problem is, there aren't solid, tested, approved by pediatricians guidelines, or anything even close to that. This whole thing is based on one study, by one person, who's published a book that isn't even in stores yet, and a bunch of anecdotes by lucky moms."

One study, by one person...... this is not really true. Although the term 'Baby Led Weaning' maybe relatively new, this is a practice which has gone on for many years, if not decades, in fact really throughout time. Certainly mothers of 2, 3, 4 or 5+ children will agree that BLW happens naturally out of ease and older siblings helpfully giving the younger babies food. Do you really need a book to teach you how to feed your child?

"...this whole thread is equally as jugemental and accusatory as my initial posting." Your initial posting contained phrases and words that were offensive and unneccessary. Absolutely nobody on this blog or forum trivialises the very real possibility of a choking incident - it is something that terrifies me even as an adult. Only last week a friend of mine performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on a fellow diner in a restaurant. If you choose to post such a message you should expect to receive replies as you have. We are a very, very friendly, supportive, non-judgemental, cosmopolitan community, with the emphasis on non-judgemental. So when you post using the term "irresponsible parenting" and words such as "repulsive" when describing a parenting choice that we have all made expect these responses.

Nobody is questioning that you have had a truly horrible experience, one of which I should imagine everybody is terrified of experiencing for themselves. However, I really feel that if, as a parent, you are not truly comfortable and confident with something (for example BLW) simply do not do it. Or spend more time researching and learning about it before you embark on it.

Every child is different. Mine have always had gagging issues with courgette, other children have no problems with this. My first child sailed through, gagged twice and has not done since, she took a slow and measured approach. My second child has been very different and at 11 months still gags because he chooses to cram a lot of food into his mouth at any given time. They are all different, so what works for one may not work for another.

What I and other posters are trying to convey is that there is a wealth of knowledge through experience on this site, and a wonderful forum where any question is a valid question no matter how simple. It really is a fantastic resource and has been for a large number of Mums and Dads that have chosen BLW.

poor you, Sweetpea, you've really had a terrible fright and it's understandable that you're lashing out a bit. :-) what i'd say is that it's great that you'll be able to use purees if that will make you feel happier, really the two options are available (as is a mix of both puree and finger food which is what the National Health Service advises in the UK) so the great thing is that you get to choose.

with regards to the study, you're absolutely right of course, it was very small and there was only one. thing is, though, i'm one of four children and as much as my mother deigns to forget this, she was pretty much raised by wolves (ie her siblings). if babies weren't designed for survival there wouldn't be a lot of them. and it's most unfair of you to take issue with the fact that people are telling you it's the 'wrong piece of fruit' when the blog, ie the primary source of information here, tells you that the closest thing my child had to a choke was on apple.

i do want to take issue with your 'choking in the top 3 causes of death' assertion, however. firstly for the reason that i'm not sure it's as common a cause of fatality as you are making out, certainly when i did some research into it i was surprised by how few fatalities there were. (from memory it was under five kids aged under five in England and Wales the last year the figures were collated but don't quote me on that as i have a young baby and am bfing CONSTANTLY so don't have time to double-check it for you ;-D). it's not my impression that i or others have played down the choking risk, i think the post you refer to where i say 'just relax' is under the heading 'the gagging thing', isn't it?

the other thing is, of course, that even if your assertion is correct, you do not specify what they have choked on and even more crucially.... given that BLW is still very much a minority pursuit.... those children who did choke will likely have been weaned on puree.

someone on the forum put it really well, i think. they explained BLW as a baby 'learning to chew before they can swallow, whereas puree-fed babies learn to swallow before they can chew'. i choose the former, you choose the latter, it's all fine. i'm so glad that your baby is happy and healthy and i'm sure that with such a conscientious parent as yourself (we're all a bit geeky here, let's face it, reading a bloomin' blog on weaning, fgs ;-D) she will do brilliantly. good luck with the future, six months is a lovely age.

Sorry, that last posting should have read "I don't spoon feedher - I let her eat herself"

I believe that with BLW a responsible parent will use some commonsense....I have started with some soft foods until I can see that she is attempting to chew before she swallows. I wouldn't even consider introducing an apple until I could see that she was ready..I have noticed over the past couple of weeks she's becoming more efficient at swallowing her food. It's a gradual process and depends on each individual child.

Im just breaking the chain here a bit... ive just started BLW with my 6 1/2 month old who i initially started on purees, and was very excited to discover after giving her the crust off my toast that she actually used her 2 new teeth to bite and then mushed a bit around in her mouth & swallowed!! So proud! So now feeling more confident and have gone out and purchased a high chair on the weekend we are going to try some broccoli and and some stewed pears tonite for tea :) .... and well noted we will stay FAR away from apple!!! and carrots make me a bit nervous too so we will work up to them as we both get a bit more confident. Wish me luck!!

oh how fab. i agree with you about carrots for the moment, although they're fine if you steam them so that if you put thumb and forefinger together they'll smush fairly easily. there's no rush anyway, i hope she enjoyed her pears. the bad news for you is that pear stains are surprisingly indelible. pear and banana... you have been warned.

good luck, and have fun.