Family Recipes for Baby Led Weaning (2024)

FAQs

What are the arguments against baby-led weaning? ›

Some parents worry that baby-led weaning is more likely to cause their baby to choke than spoon-feeding. Emerging evidence suggests that baby-led weaning may result in more gagging as babies get used to swallowing but no increased likelihood of choking . Baby-led weaning can be messier than spoon-feeding.

By age 1, babies should be eating the same foods as the rest of the family. It's good to start feeding your tot modified versions of family meals beginning around 6 months of age. For example, if you're having roasted carrots at dinner, shred them for your young toddler and puree them for your baby.

For starters, baby-led weaning can let babies gauge their own appetites. “Over time, they can learn to self-regulate,” Dr. Churbock says. “They're not going to overeat because they're in control of what's going in their mouth and what they're swallowing.”

Baby-led weaning (BLW) offers safe table foods right from the start, often forgoing spoon-feeding and purees. Babies are encouraged to develop their fine motor skills and independence when they self-feed.

You absolutely can eat eggs on a pureed diet. Scrambled egg works best. Blend it with a veggie broth, and you can serve it with a side of toast blended with a little extra plant or dairy milk.

Stage 3 (typically 10-12 months old, but may occur sooner): At this stage, you can slowly replace purees with soft, chewable chunks of food, and offer your baby more finger foods that they can pick up and feed themselves.

The rule suggests that when you introduce a new food to your baby, you should give them that same food for four consecutive days before introducing another new food.

Well-cooked vegetable sticks, including steamed carrots, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and beets. Food with interesting shapes and textures, such as steamed broccoli and cauliflower florets, and slices of ripe avocado. Soft, ripe fruits, including banana, papaya, pear, kiwi, melon, and soft-cooked apple.

Is cucumber OK for baby-led weaning? ›

Cucumber is a great first food and can be introduced once your baby has reached 6 months. 🛑 Cucumber is a vegetable that can make parents nervous, but just ensure you are serving in a safe way, and never leave your baby alone when they are eating.

Some ideas include casseroles, lasagna, soups, stews or a meal with chicken, rice, broccoli and veggies. Use a slow cooker. Chili, chicken noodle soup and lentil soup are all great options for a baby-friendly meal that can be made in the slow cooker.

Secondly the MOH is concerned about infants choking on solid foods without progressing through the runny-smooth-lumpy stages currently recommended. Lastly there is a question over whether BLW babies may be less likely to grow well (“failure to thrive”).

Moreover, if giving solid foods too early, then the child's digestive system does not secrete enough mucus as well as enzymes to help break down protein and fat and lead to overworked organs. Early weaning puts children at high risk of digestive disorders, diarrhea or constipation due to the immature digestive system.

Studies have found that families practicing baby-led weaning tend to eat more often together. They also find mealtimes calmer and less stressful. Meanwhile, mothers who do BLW say they feel less pressure and worry around weaning than those who traditionally wean.

Breast or formula milk should be their main source of nutrition until after six months old. Babies weaned too early may gain excess weight, and may develop allergies and intolerances to some foods. Babies who are weaned at around six months should progress more quickly from smooth to lumpier textures.