What is Baby Led Weaning?

Baby led weaning, or BLW for short is having your child feed themselves what they want and how much they want.  This allows your baby to make the choices they want.  You can start baby led weaning as long as the baby is over 6 months old and starts to show an interest in your plate.  BLW is all about skipping the purees and going right for finger food.  Purees contain so many empty calories and they contain unhealthy starch.  Baby food companies also dilute the baby food which lowers the nutrient amount.

If they refuse any food now, be sure to try again later.  Just because they didn't enjoy it now, doesn't mean they won't later.

Always remember to offer breast milk first.  There is no reason your baby should be eating solids to get a full stomach before the age of one.  This stage is about letting your baby explore different tastes and textures.

Some good tips on offering your baby food is to try a whole banana with the peel on the end so they can hold onto it, strips of cucumber, avocado slices about 2 inches big and pieces of broccoli (make sure you leave the stem so they can hold onto it while sucking on the top of the tree).

There are certain types of food you should just not offer to your baby.

DO NOT OFFER YOUR BABY
-Honey
-Shellfish
-Peanut butter
-Shark
-Undercooked eggs
-Food that is high in fiber
-Chips, sugar, junk food or any hydrogenated fats
-Anything with additives in it including yellow #5, yellow #6, red #40
-Artificial preservatives or sweeteners

OFFER YOUR BABY
-Fruits (bananas are a great start)
-Vegetables (avocado, sweet potatoes, etc.)
-Eggs
-Chickpeas
-Brown rice
-Peas
-Lentils
-Chicken and red meat

Please share your favorite BLW meals!  Also, be sure to check out my related article "Food Under One is Just For Fun".

Food Under One is Just For Fun

If someone asks me one more time when I'm going to start solids, I swear I'm going to go crazy.

Food under one is just for fun. They do not need any solids under a year as nutritionally it doesn't help them.  Lenora is almost 8 months now and I will probably start her on avocado soon, but I'm not rushing it.

So many people are giving their kids solids way too young, starting at 2-3 months old.  It turns my stomach.  Even major organizations like The World Health organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Health and Medical Research council suggest waiting until the baby is 6 months to start any types of solids. This includes baby cereal, purées, juice, etc.  Many people are under the impression that they should be giving their baby cereal at 3-4 months old. This is way too young and you are setting your child up for digestive issues and allergies.  Cereal in general should be skipped because of its dangers.  Not only does it have a huge amount of sugar in it, but it can lead to diabetes, obesity, constipation and it greatly lacks nutritional value.  You see, when rice cereal is made for babies, the most nutritious part is removed and the flour in the cereal becomes sugar. So, what you are really doing is feeding your child a spoonful of sugar with every bite.

Starting solids too early can cause many problems including allergies to food, childhood obesity, gas and constipation issues, weakened immune system and even respiratory illnesses.

If you do want to start your child on solids at 6 months, that is OK but just remember the longer you wait, the more developed their gut will be and it is not nutritionally required.  Before you start him on solids make sure they are sitting up unassisted, at least 6 months old, can grab things with thumb and pointer and has lost the tongue thrust reflex.

I would suggest looking into baby led weaning and skipping purées. Remember, your breast milk is nutritionally sufficient until your baby is a year of age.