This is an exciting and messy milestone! While traditional weaning involved spoon-feeding purées, baby-led weaning (BLW) puts your baby in charge of exploring a wide world of tastes and textures from the very beginning.

This guide will walk you through how to start your BLW journey safely and with confidence.

What is baby-led weaning?

BLW is an approach to introducing solid foods that skips spoon-fed purées and encourages your baby to feed themselves. The “weaning” part refers to the gradual transition from an all-milk diet to one that includes solid foods, with breast milk or formula remaining their primary nutrition source for the first year.

The core principles are simple:

• Baby takes the lead: You offer a variety of safe, age-appropriate foods, and your baby decides what, and how much, they want to eat.
• Family meals: Your baby eats with the rest of the family to learn about chewing and swallowing by watching you.
• Exploring with senses: Getting messy is part of the fun! Playing with food helps develop fine motor skills and familiarizes them with different textures.

Is your baby ready for baby-led weaning?

Age is a factor, but developmental readiness is key. Most babies are ready around 6 months old. Before starting, look for these signs:

• Sits upright unsupported: Your baby should be able to sit in a high chair with good head and neck control, ensuring a safe swallow.
• Puts objects in their mouth: If your baby can bring toys to their mouth, they have the hand-eye coordination needed for self-feeding.
• Lost the tongue-thrust reflex: This reflex, which pushes foreign objects out of their mouth, should have faded.
• Shows interest in food: Your baby might lean forward or watch you intently while you eat, showing a curiosity about solids.

Gagging vs. choking: What’s the difference?

A major concern for many parents is choking. However, it is crucial to understand the difference between gagging and choking, which often gets confused.

Gagging

• What it looks like: Loud coughs, sputtering, and retching sounds.
• The purpose: This is a safety reflex that moves food that is too far back in the mouth forward again.
• What you should do: Nothing. Allow your baby to work it out on their own. Intervening could make it worse.

Choking

• What it looks like: Silent or high-pitched, wheezing sounds. The face and lips may turn blue.
• The purpose: The airway is blocked. This is a medical emergency.
• What you should do: Be prepared by taking a CPR course. This will empower you to act quickly in the rare event of a blockage.

Your first baby-led weaning foods

Your baby doesn’t need teeth to succeed at BLW—their strong gums are perfect for mashing. Focus on offering soft foods cut into a manageable shape.

• Shape: For babies just starting, cut foods into finger-length strips (about the size of your pinky). This allows them to hold it in their palm with a portion sticking out for them to chew.
• Texture: Foods should be soft enough for you to easily mash between your thumb and forefinger.

Great first-food options:

• Fruits: Ripe banana, avocado spears, soft roasted apple slices.
• Vegetables: Soft-cooked broccoli florets, sweet potato wedges, carrot sticks.
• Protein: Cooked chicken or beef in long, soft strips; soft-scrambled eggs; flaky salmon.
• Grains: Toast fingers with a thin spread of nut butter (checking for allergies first).
• Dairy: Strips of full-fat cheese or a pre-loaded spoon of plain, full-fat yogurt.

Foods to avoid:

• Hard, raw vegetables and fruits (like raw apple or carrot)
• Round, coin-shaped foods (whole grapes, cherry tomatoes, hot dogs)
• Popcorn, whole nuts, and seeds
• Sticky, thick foods like large globs of nut butter
• Honey (until age 1 due to the risk of infant botulism)

Tips for success

• Start with one meal a day: Begin with one solid meal and gradually increase the frequency as your baby gets used to it.
• Keep milk feeds constant: Solid foods are for exploring, not for replacing their main milk source.
• Offer iron-rich foods: After 6 months, a baby’s iron stores begin to deplete. Prioritize iron-rich foods at most meals.
• Introduce allergens early: Current recommendations suggest introducing allergens like eggs, fish, and peanut butter early and often to potentially lower allergy risks.
• Keep it fun and low-pressure: Don’t worry about how much your baby eats. Allow them to explore, taste, and get messy. Trust them to listen to their hunger cues.
• Embrace the mess: Lay down a splash mat, use a wipeable bib, and remember that mess is a sign of exploration and learning.

The start of solids is a wonderful adventure. By focusing on safety, readiness, and a variety of nourishing foods, you’ll set your baby up for a healthy and happy relationship with food.

It’s also okay to be frustrated with this process. I hate to see the mess but sit through it anyway. I’ve introduced the same foods over and over and some days we like it and other days we don’t but we keep trying. It’s okay to sit through the mess and it’s okay for them to change their minds from day-to-day.