Guide to Baby-Led Weaning: When to Start, Which Foods to Use, and What to Avoid
Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
When your baby starts eating solid food, it’s an exciting milestone. A squeal of delight or a look of uncertainty–you’re never quite sure what reaction you’ll get!
Reaching this milestone takes some thought and decision-making from parents and caregivers. Did you know that there are a few feeding approaches to consider? One is traditional feeding, where babies are spoon-fed purees by their caregiver, then slowly progress to eating mixed textures and eventually soft finger foods.
Baby-led weaning is another approach, and it’s one you may be hearing more about. In this article, our feeding therapists explain the basics: how baby-led weaning works, when to start baby-led weaning, foods to try and foods to avoid, and how to decide what’s best for your baby.
What is baby-led weaning (BLW)?
Baby-led weaning, sometimes shortened to BLW, is an approach that skips the puréed food stage. This means no spoon feeding. You simply begin by giving your baby soft solid foods that they feed themselves.
Baby-led weaning focuses on letting babies eat foods the rest of the family may be eating. This can make it easier for them to be a part of mealtime. It can also mean easier food prep for you, since you’re not making as many separate meals.
When can you start baby-led weaning?
To do baby-led weaning, your baby should be 6 months of age or older. You can start baby-led weaning when your baby is be able to:
Sit unsupported
Have good head control
Pick up food and bring it to their mouth
Show interest in food by leaning toward it
Why do parents choose baby-led weaning?
There are many pros to baby-led weaning. Parents may choose BLW because it encourages early independence. Infants who use this type of feeding approach have more control over how much and what kind of food they eat. They can explore eating a variety of foods. This may even help them be less selective or picky in their food preferences.
Parents also enjoy that their baby can eat what they eat. This can make mealtimes easier. Plus, their baby gets to feed themselves, which can cut down on the power struggles that often happen when trying to get a baby to try new foods.
BLW encourages early independence, and babies can explore eating a variety of foods.
With baby-led weaning, Infants are exposed to lots of different textures and types of food. This allows them to grow their oral-motor skills and improve their chewing, jaw and tongue strength, and ability to manage food.
Baby-led weaning can even be less expensive. Baby food in jars or containers is costly. Allowing your baby to eat the food you’re already preparing can be a money saver.
What are the downsides to baby-led weaning?
While there are pros to baby-led weaning, there can also be some cons. One factor to consider is whether your baby is getting enough important nutrients like iron. Iron-rich foods include meat, green vegetables, and fortified cereals. These foods can be hard for babies to chew, so they may not eat much of them if they’re feeding themselves.
What type of foods can be used during baby-led weaning?
Even though infants who do baby-led weaning are eating table foods, the texture and the way the foods are cut is still important. Foods used in baby-led weaning should be soft and need to be cut appropriately. The typical suggestion is to cut the food into a long stick-like shape so the child can hold it easily.
Some foods that are good for baby-led weaning include:
Sliced bananas
Steamed and peeled slices of apple
Sliced avocado
Smushed beans
Steamed green beans
Quartered hard-boiled eggs
Most cheeses
What types of foods should you avoid with baby-led weaning?
The following foods should be avoided during baby-led weaning:
Firm, round foods such as whole berries or whole grapes
Crunchy foods such as chips, popcorn, and nuts
Processed foods
Foods high in sugar or salt
Mold-ripened soft cheeses
Cow's milk as a drink
Caffeinated drinks
Honey (honey should not be given to babies under 12 months old)
Is choking a risk with baby-led weaning?
With the traditional feeding method, babies typically start with pureed food and are fed by spoon by their caregiver. With purees, there is no chewing involved. The pureed food is thin and smooth, compared to solid pieces of food that have to be gummed or chewed.
Many people think that baby-led weaning may put infants at higher risk of choking. At this time, the research shows no increased risk of choking in children who follow baby-led weaning with foods that are cut and served in a developmentally appropriate way. However, a review of 38 studies done on BLW found that the risk of choking “has not been ruled out by scientific studies."
It's also important to note that research finding no increased risk of choking with BLW is based on children who are developing typically and do not have known problems with dysphagia (swallowing) or oral-motor abilities.
When is baby-led weaning not recommended?
BLW is not recommended for any child who is younger than 6 months old, cannot sit unsupported, cannot hold their head up, or cannot feed themselves. A child who has any type of feeding issue, is at higher risk for aspiration or choking, or has a diagnosis that can contribute to weakness or oral-motor problems also should not try baby-led weaning.
Although research has not shown that baby-led weaning is linked to a higher risk for choking, it’s still important to know the skills required for baby-led weaning and not give a child foods that could be a safety risk.
How to choose the best feeding approach for your baby
If you’re trying to decide how to feed your baby, talk with your pediatrician to get their input and guidance. As mentioned above, there may be some children for whom baby-led weaning isn’t the right fit.
If your child is in feeding therapy with a speech therapist and you’re considering BLW, it’s important to get your therapist’s input. They may have recommendations that are specific to your child.
If your child is developing typically, you can choose to use aspects from both feeding approaches. You may want to feed your baby purees while still allowing them to try some soft finger foods. You don’t have to fit solely into one box or the other. Just pay attention to how your child responds to the food and watch for any signs of choking, just as you would with any feeding approach.
How and what you feed your baby is a big decision. Learn about the options, listen to guidance from professionals, and trust your “parent gut.” You’ve got this!
