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If you’re a parent, you may have heard of a style of infant feeding called Baby Led Weaning. I first learned of this approach in my Pediatric Nutrition course while working on my Master’s. I have since used the technique with my own three children! In this post I’ll talk you through all the basics and let you know how to get started with baby led weaning.
What is Baby Led Weaning?
The basic idea is that instead of feeding your baby pureed solids, you offer them whole foods. This allows baby to experience a variety of textures and flavors of food. Rather than being spoon-fed, your baby can regulate his own intake. And research suggests Baby Led Weaning babies are less prone to overeat later in childhood*. Babies have the ability to regulate their food intake based on physical hunger cues, something that becomes increasingly more difficult as we get older. Perhaps the longer we allow them to experience food in that way, the better.
What About Purees?
You might be wondering…if she’s a proponent of Baby Led Weaning (BLW), then why are there recipes for pureed baby foods on this site? I’m a strong believer that you should do what works for you in parenting. If you feel that you might better nurture your child by offering pureed foods, or if the BLW approach makes you nervous, trust your instincts. Neither method is the “right” way, they are simply different and may benefit your baby in different ways. Keep reading to find out how I incorporate purees into Baby Led Weaning.
Feeling Unsure?
If you’re feeling unsure because other people have told you it’s a bad idea, take a minute to check out my post on Dealing With Doubters. It’s sure to give you a confidence boost and set your mind at ease about how to get started with Baby Led Weaning the right way.
Many moms (including me!) choose to do Baby Led Weaning while still offering purees to their children. There are some foods, like yogurt, that offer great nutritional value for your infant (protein, probiotics) but can be messy to offer to a 6-month old without assistance. I go more in-depth on how to include purees in my Baby Led Weaning Myths post and my Starter Foods post.
How to Get Started With Baby Led Weaning
When can I start Baby Led Weaning with my child?
What do I need to get started?
What sort of foods should I be offering?
When should I feed my baby solids? Do I still offer breast milk/formula?
But, my baby has no teeth…how can she chew?
What about choking?
When can I start Baby Led Weaning with my child?
The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend offering your baby any solids (pureed or not) before 6 months of age. The majority of infants are not ready to eat solids before then, and there is evidence that it could result in the development of allergies since their digestive systems are not fully developed yet.
6 months is a general recommendation, and of course there are some babies who are ready earlier, and some who might even take a bit longer. All of this should be determined by you and your pediatrician, but generally a baby is ready to go if he/she:
- Shows interest in your food at meal times by leaning or reaching for it
- Can sit up unaided
- Has head and neck control
- Has lost the tongue-thrust reflex, and does not push food out of his/her mouth but is willing & able to swallow
What do I need to get started?
Once you’ve read through this post about how to get started with baby led weaning make sure to prepare yourself with these fun and functional tools! They’ll help minimize the mealtime mess, and make meal prep a breeze.
What sort of foods should I be offering?
The Baby Led Weaning approach means you can offer your baby almost anything you’re eating with a few exceptions.
Be sure any food offered does not have too much salt or added sugar. Too much salt can overwhelm their tiny kidneys and added sugar offers no nutritional value, it just adds empty calories.
Do not offer:
- Honey to children under 1 year of age. Honey can contain botulinum toxin which can cause botulism in infants.
- Cow’s milk to children under 1 year of age. Babies can’t handle the proteins in cow’s milk before 1 year of age. However, yogurt and cheese made from cow’s milk are acceptable since the proteins in these food have been partially broken down.
- Small, hard foods like whole nuts, popcorn and peanut butter (on its own) can all be serious choking hazards. These should not be offered to infants.
Limit the following:
- Bread (limit to one slice a day since it tends to be high in salt/sugar and may cause constipation)
- Fish high in mercury content such as tuna, mackerel, or swordfish (limit to two servings per week to be safe)
- Processed foods like potato chips, canned soups/sauces, condiments and fried foods tend to be loaded with salt & sugar and offer little to no nutritional value.
Proceed with caution:
- If there is history of food allergy in your family you may want to introduce foods one at a time to be sure there is no adverse reaction. Talk to your doctor about this before starting any solids.
- The following foods can be a choking hazard and should be sliced up before offering to baby: whole grapes, bony fish, fruits with pits (cherries, olives, etc.)
Ideas for First Foods:
- Fish fingers (tilapia works really well simply breaded)
- Chicken (grilled or roasted, cut into strips)
- Steamed Broccoli Florets
- Steamed Carrots (larger pieces not baby carrots)
- Cavatappi (or other “curly” pasta, like fusilli)
- Sweet Potato “Fries” (cut sweet potatoes into strips and bake until soft enough to mash with your fingers)
- Avocado cut into long pieces
- Pears, apples, cucumber, peeled & cut into long pieces
- Canned/jarred mandarin wedges in water (I recommend these over fresh because there are no seeds)
- Toast strips with hummus spread
- Cheese sticks
- Banana with peel as a handle (see picture below)
When should I be feeding my baby solids? Do I still offer breast milk/formula?
Breast milk/formula should still make up the majority of baby’s diet until 1 year of age. Babies’ tummies are very small, and breast milk/formula is much more nutrient rich than any food. It provides them with everything they need for the first year. You may have heard this saying before, “Food before one is just for fun!” It’s true, for most babies breast milk/formula offers all they need until their first birthday.
The introduction of solid foods before 1 year is a “bonus”, may help avoid the development of allergies and allows them exposure to various flavors and textures.
To be sure your baby is getting enough nutrition from milk, I recommend nursing/offering a bottle before each “meal” of solid foods. This will also assure that your baby is in a good mood and doesn’t get frustrated while trying to eat.
But, my baby has no teeth…how can she chew?
It’s true, many babies have no teeth at 6 months (my first two babies had no teeth until 9 months of age!) but babies’ gums are incredibly hard and actually allow them to chew pretty well. Babies (breastfed babies especially) develop the muscles in their mouth necessary for the chewing motion very early in infancy. The more they practice the better they’ll get. Take a look at my daughter Monica munching on some breaded tilapia at just 7 months old…
What about choking?
First of all, it is very important that you know the difference between gagging and choking (but also know infant CPR). It is totally normal for your little one to gag a bit as they are learning to eat. It takes a while for them to learn the proper way to move food around their mouth. Here is an example of my son gagging when we began Baby Led Weaning at 6 months. Note how he moves the food around and continues to chew…
Basically, if baby gags but keeps on happily eating and shows no signs of distress, everything is fine. You will know if she’s choking because her eyes will get wide, she won’t be getting any air and she will stop eating. This NEVER happened with with either of my children, and is highly unlikely with Baby Led Weaning.
Because baby is deciding how much food to take in and because BLW encourages chewing rather than sucking, you’ll find babies eat more slowly and very small bits at a time. Offering bigger pieces can help avoid choking, too.
In the unlikely event your baby is actually choking, call 911 immediately and be prepared with infant CPR techniques.
Still not sure what to feed baby?
If you still aren’t sure where to begin, I urge you to check out my 4-week Baby Led Weaning Family Meal Plan! It’s a whole month of original recipes for your BLW baby and everyone else under your roof. Cook once, feed everyone! Along with the recipes are super organized shopping lists and serving tips for various ages (6m+).
For everything you need to know about Baby Led Weaning, check out this book by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett, the “creators” of Baby Led Weaning. I write that in quotations because they write in their book that parents have been doing this for a very long time, they just gave it a name and came up with tips, tricks and guidelines.
For some Baby Led Weaning recipes, check out Baby Led Feeding . It’s chock full of healthy, tasty options for your little one starting at 6 months! A great tool to get you started with Baby Led Weaning.
Do you think Baby Led Weaning is something you might try? Any tips on how to get started with Baby Led Weaning? Post about your experience/opinion in the comments!
Love this post!! We’ve been doing a bunch of BLW, too. Recently found a great all natural teether option. We got some of those dried sliced peaches from Trader Joe’s and put them in the fridge. Our little one just loves chomping on them and they last a while!!!
I want to try this with my 6.5 month old but I’m so nervous. So the apples you feed them are not boiled? And I don’t understand how they chew cchicken.
Hi Tiffany- Thank you so much for your questions. You can offer your baby raw apples, but I would suggest peeling them. You can slice them too if you wish, or just offer the whole apple. The peel can get stuck to the roof of their mouth causing them to gag. If you’re more comfortable baking or steaming the apples that’s also an option. In response to your concern about how they can “chew” chicken…baby led weaning isn’t necessarily about the baby consuming large amounts of food. In the beginning, it is more about allowing your child to discover new flavors and textures and while they may consume a bit of the food, it’s likely a lot of it will wind up on the floor. Your baby will likely “gnaw” more than “chew” the chicken, and may manage to break off tiny pieces or just suck on it for a while and that’s okay. From 6-12 months the primary source of nutrition for your baby is formula/breast milk, food is mostly for fun and exploration! Hope that helps and best of luck on your BLW journey!
I tried baby led weaning with my third and loved it, though we didn’t really start her until about seven months. My fourth just hit the six month mark and seems to be extremely interested (obsessed!) with food so I think we’ll be starting him soon. I love how non – stressful this technique is.
Hi Shawna- Thanks for reading! Would love to hear how BLW is going with your little one and hope this post was helpful for you!
Hi. You mentioned you can do a little of both puréed and BLW. I’m confused since I heard elsewhere that you cannot do both or transition from purée to BLE bc it’s dangerous. Not sure if you can speak to that? I’m looking into BLW and just confused by the amount of information I’m reading! Thanks
Hi Brittany- Sorry for the delayed response. I’ve been busy with a newborn lately! Thanks so much for reading. There are conflicting opinions on purees and BLW, it’s true. Some people are “purists” about BLW and say that any purees are off limits. Others (like me) see a place for both in the diet. In my opinion, BLW is all about exposing your child to a wide variety of tastes and textures and pureed foods are one more texture! I mean, we eat mashed potatoes as adults right? There will likely be some pureed foods in his adult diet, so why eliminate them from his diet in infancy? There is no evidence to support the idea that offering purees and true solid foods together promotes any more instances of choking. There is a place for both. Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out with more questions via my contact page here: http://www.familystylenutrition.com/contact/. Good luck and have fun!
I would really like to try this with my son who is 6.5 months. He has very little interest in puréed food or being spoon feed, but constantly tries to grab at anything I am eating. I am absolutely terrified of the idea though. My first son had oral development delays. He could eat nothing but purées and very soft steamed food until he had months of “oral therapy” right after his first birthday. Is there a limit to gagging? Like maybe it’s not for him if he’s constantly gagging? What is a good food to “test” the process with?
Hi Becky- Sorry for the delayed response, I’ve been busy with a newborn of my own! Thanks so much for reading and congratulations on your second child! In answer to your question, I would first make sure you chat with your pediatrician about starting solids with your son. You want to be sure there are no developmental issues or dietary restrictions that would mean BLW is not for him. If the doc gives you the okay, it’s time to have some fun! Check out my post on starter foods here: http://www.familystylenutrition.com/baby-led-weaning-starter-foods/ for some great ideas on first foods and how to prep them. From what you are saying about his reaching for your food, it sounds like he’s more than ready to begin! Totally understandable that you are nervous about gagging, but I think you will find it happens much less often than you might expect. If it is a constant issue, you might want to consider softer foods (banana, avocado..) for a little while until he gets used to it. Also make sure you are offering larger pieces of food rather than tiny cut up pieces, then your child can regulate his intake by gnawing at it rather than sucking it back into his throat. Hope this helps and feel free to reach out with more questions via my Contact page here: http://www.familystylenutrition.com/contact/. Good luck and have fun!
I have an almost 9 month old son. We started purée with him at 6 months and he hated it! We kept trying off and on with little success until the 8 month mark when we found out about baby led weaning. He loves it. However he has 5 teeth so he can get some pretty good sized chunks off of food. He tends to gag himself and has thrown up a few times. He doesn’t seem to care, he usually just picks up whatever he gagged himself on and tries again. But we are still nervous so he mostly gets things like curries and yogurt. Any tips for late starters with teeth? I read the baby led weaning book and some other resources but everything seems to assume you are starting baby led weaning from the beginning with no teeth. I’m really enjoying your website though, just not sure how the teeth change the situation 😅
Hi Allyson- Great question! Gagging is a totally normal part of the BLW process since babies are learning to move food around their mouths before swallowing. Throwing up can happen occasionally, but if it is happening very often you might want to discuss it with your pediatrician since it could be a sign of a food allergy or intolerance, though this would normally be accompanied by some other symptoms. I would suggest cooking foods thoroughly so they are rather soft, which would make them less likely to be a choking hazard even if he got a big chunk off. Stewed meats (cooked low and slow) tends to shred off the bone in small pieces, avocado, boiled or super ripe pears. Your little one should learn to maneuver food in his mouth and outgrow the gagging soon. If you would like to discuss further and have a real one on one consultation, head over to my contact page to set up an appointment. Thanks for reading!
I’m so glad you asked about this. My baby will be 7 months this week, but has had teeth since 3 mos!! So I’m also worried about her biting off large chunks, since she doesn’t/can’t just knaw and mash things with so many teeth (7 with 3 more on the way). She’s very used to sticking toys in her mouth and biting down on them, and i’m afraid of the same with food.
I love the concept of BLW! However, my husband is allergic to a lot of raw foods (most veggies and fruit, but also nuts). How should I introduce these foods to our daughter? Cooked first, and then if there’s no sign of a reaction, raw? I feel so insecure and don’t want to risk anything :/
Hi Caitlin- If you have a history of allergies in your family, I’d suggest talking with your pediatrician about possibly having your daughter tested for potential allergies and about strategies for slowly introducing these foods one at a time. You’ll also want to have an emergency plan in place just in case. It’s difficult for me to make any concrete suggestions since I don’t know all of the details, but if you would like to discuss this further please head on over to the contact page and we can set up a consultation. Baby Led Weaning is an allergy friendly feeding method, but it would likely require some planning and caution in your case. Thanks for reading 🙂
I am currently trying BLW with my 6 month old but he doesnt know how to grab food himself yet nor hold onto food pieces for a long time to bring it up to his mouth. Do I feed him the food chunks myself ?
Hi Kristina- There are a few signs of readiness mentioned in the beginning of this post including: 1) Shows interest in your food at meal times by leaning or reaching for it. 2) Can sit up unaided 3) Has head and neck control 4) Has lost the tongue-thrust reflex, and does not push food out of his/her mouth but is willing & able to swallow. It’s important that all of these are present before starting solids with your son. It sounds like he might not be ready just yet. 6 months is a suggested age for starting solids, but it’s not mandatory. If he needs a few more weeks to develop interest in the food, that’s fine. Breast milk or formula will provide him with proper nutrition through his first birthday. I would not recommend feeding him the food yourself, since there’s a higher possibility of choking. I would continue to sit him down in front of some food once a day or every other day and allow him to play with it. He will eventually begin to bring it to his mouth on his own. If you have any more questions please feel free to email me via the contact page. Thanks for reading!
I have had a fear of choking since I was young when I choked. So I have the worst anxiety and panic when I feed him things, so I chop or squish everything I give to him. It is turning into a very stressful activity and not fun. I feel like I’m taking away from him all the excitement that he could experience with feeding and also not fun for me. I watched the video with your son gagging and my heart stopped. Any suggestions besides telling me I’m crazy. Lol
Hi Michelle- It’s totally normal to be nervous about your baby choking. It’s a fear I hear most often. I would encourage you to feed your child in the way that is most comfortable for you. If feeding him purees would take the stress away, then you should absolutely do that. I’m not a one-size-fits-all type of thinker. You need to do what’s best for you and your little one. If you’d like to talk more about it, feel free to reach out to me via my contact page. Thanks for reading!
Love everything about this post. So, I have triplet girls and I just feel that they dont have that ability to chew. But we have tried different things like mandarin oranges, pineapple and strawberry. I’m a first time mom so this is all new and, to be honest, frustrating. How do you prevent your baby from putting the full, large piece of food in their mouth at one time?
Hi Jessica- Sorry it’s taken a while to get back to you. The best way to ensure baby does not put the whole piece of food in his/her mouth is to offer large pieces that would be too large to fit in the mouth. The amount they are able to break off by gnawing will be a manageable size piece. Hope your little ones are enjoying lots of foods!
This is a great article thank you! We just started introducing solids last week (though my 6 month old has been VERY interested in food for two months lol). Would you suggest introducing one food at a time until they have shown no reaction before moving to combos? Also he definitely eats & gums everything we offer but doesn’t seem to take in much, inthoucally keep him in his chair till he shows signs of frustration or being done. Is that ok?
Hello! I started doing purées with my daughter at 5 months but when COVID hit it made it difficult for me to get out and get the fresh food I needed to make her purées. I have always been extremely nervous about BLW but she’s been interested in “my” food for awhile now. So I decided to start trying some whole foods with her. She takes little nibbles at first then tries to shove the whole thing in her mouth and gags constantly. I am cutting the foods up as recommended but she still tries to shove it all in her mouth or bites off half of it. I’m not sure if I should keep going with BLW or switch back to purées.
Hi Jenna- Thanks for reading. First I want to say, BLW is a wonderful feeding technique but it’s not a fit for everyone. If it causes you anxiety, or you think your baby is not ready/responding well, you should follow your instincts. If you want to go back to pureeing food for baby, it is possible to use frozen food to make purees at home and they will be just as nutritious (if not moreso!) Just be sure to read the label and make sure they don’t have any added salt or syrups. If you would like to continue with BLW and need some guidance, feel free to reach out to me on the contact page and I would be happy to set up a consult with you (free of charge) as soon as possible!
I’ve been told and read that after 6 months babies do not get enough iron from breast milk. This is why physicians recommend starting with iron fortified cereals. I do not want to go that route, but how do I ensure my baby is getting enough iron to support growth and development through BLW?
First time mom & would like to try this.
Can I do both BLW and purees?
Absolutely. I actually wrote about this in my post 5 Myths of Baby Led Weaning. Click over and give it a read. Hope that helps!