Baby-led weaning
The great thing about this topic is it is steeped in research so we take a look at what the science says about baby-led weaning.
When making your parenting decisions, it’s important to seek information from informed, trusted sources so you can make the right decision for your child/ren. I fully support you to make your own decisions, even if they differ from my own opinions. My passion is ensuring you can make informed decisions based on science, not opinions.
What is baby-led weaning?
Baby-led weaning is a way of introducing solid foods that allows babies to feed themselves. The baby sits with the family at mealtimes and joins in and feeds him or herself with the same food as the family eats. It is a totally different approach to feeding babies pureed foods on a spoon. Let’s have a look at what the research says about why it’s a great idea.
The benefits to baby-led weaning
It can reduce the risk of picky eating by the time they are 2 years old because your baby gets to choose what they eat and they are exposed to a wide variety of foods
Babies are more satiety responsive - they learn to stop eating when they are full and are in better control of their appetite because they are in charge of what they are eating
It may be linked to being less likely to be overweight later in life - studies have shown that babies tend to weigh less at 12 months of age if they can control what and how much they eat
It does not lead to nutrient deficiencies - research shows babies get more nutrients through fruits, vegetables and meats than through purees
It increases gut microbiome and assists the immune system through increased diet diversity - the more variety of foods in the first year of life improves babies health
Early diversity of food reduces the odds of having a food allergy by 10 years of age by 11%
It does not increase choking risk - spoon fed babies learn to eat their food in a different way which increases the risk of choking - they are essentially drinking their food when it is puree and when the time comes for more textured food the risk of choking increases
Your baby feels part of the family by sitting with the family during mealtimes and it builds on family traditions of eating together
It allows your baby to gain confidence and learn to trust food
Your baby is more likely to try new things because he or she knows they won’t be forced to eat (we often inadvertently force babies with spoon feeding - i.e. ‘here comes the train, open the tunnel!’)
It encourages experimentation with texture
When should my baby start?
The World Health Organisation recommends starting your baby on solid foods at 6 months of age, as often babies guts are too immature to manage the digestion of foods prior to this age. Many health professionals recommend to start babies on solids ‘around’ 6 months of age, with two key signs to look for to determine they are ready:
your baby is able to sit supported with a straight spine (to prevent slumping and blocking the airway)
your baby’s tongue thrust reflex has gone
Please be aware that there are a number of myths around starting solids which include that your baby is watching you eat, that your baby is reaching for food, that if you give your baby some food they will put it in their mouth, that solids will help your baby sleep longer at night. These are very common beliefs that babies are ready, when in fact there is no evidence to support these. Developmentally, at around 4-5 months, we would normally see babies take great interest in what we are doing and their world around them. Babies explore their world with their mouths, so it makes sense that everything they get hold of goes in their mouth, including food. Research has clearly shown that eating solid foods does not help them sleep longer at night!
There may be some medical reasons why a baby could start eating solids prior to the age of 6 months. Please take any medical issues for your baby into account and seek medical advice. In the case of a baby born prematurely, there are strong recommendations that these babies may need to start solids later. Again, if you are in this boat, please be guided by medical advice.
What foods should my baby start eating?
At the global summit on baby-led weaning it was strongly expressed by the health professionals (peadiatricians, dietitians, professors etc) that we do not start our babies on rice cereal. Many mums believe this is the normal way to start solids, and the marketing of the products have most of us convinced that we need to do so for the iron supplements.
Evidence suggests that rather than starting our babies on a highly processed food, that we start with natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs. Think about what you eat for dinner most nights and you are probably on the right track!
A well balanced diet with a variety of foods will usually see babies consuming enough iron.
Have a look here at this resource for more information on foods to provide:
Gagging versus choking
Choking on food is the biggest fear most parents have in relation to starting solids. For this reason, many parents worry about baby-led weaning because they believe it increases the risk of choking. It’s interesting to hear that the evidence tells us the opposite - starting purees is what increases the fear because of the delay in babies learning how to move textured food around in their mouths and learning to chew.
Gagging for babies is very common as their gag reflex is much more forward in their mouth compared to adults. Having said this, gagging can still create anxiety for parents, and it does take time (and practice) to learn not to panic yourself.
My suggestion is that you attend a first aid course for babies and toddlers, however, in the meantime, these are the basic guidelines of what to look for:
Gagging - baby makes audible noises and turns red or pink in the face. Baby can recover by self
Choking - baby is silent and turns blue or purple. Baby requires your intervention
Other resources
Two of my trusted sources of evidence-based information can be found here:
If you would like more information on baby-led weaning or would like individual assistance for your baby, please contact me here: