Let’s Talk About Baby Led Weaning!

What is Baby Led Weaning? To keep it simple, Baby Led Weaning is a method of introducing solid food to your little one’s diet by allowing them to feed themselves instead of spoon feeding them purees. This usuallly begins around six months old, I slowly started Baby Led Weaning with my little one around this time but starting introducing new foods faster when he was closer to seven months. A major aspect of Baby Led Weaning is limiting or completely skipping the purees and offering them baby sized pieces of food from the beginning. This can be scary for parents (it definitely was for me) but if you know how to properly cook and cut Baby Led Weaning safe foods and you keep an eye on them at all times while they are eating, you will hopefully feel more comfortable after a couple tries. With Baby Led Weaning we as parents choose what we are going to serve our little one’s but we are giving them the freedom to decide how quickly they want to eat and how much they want to eat.

Why I Chose Baby Led Weaning. While I was spending the majority of my pregnancy in my house during the COVID-19 Pandemic, I did an excessive amount of research on…well everything. Baby Led Weaning was something I had read a little bit about and it immediately caught my interest. First of all, I loved the idea of giving my little one some independence when it came to eating. I think that allowing them the freedom to choose how much they want to eat, what they want to eat from the plate, and how quickly they want to eat, establishes a healthy relationship with food from the beginning. They get to enjoy dinner time knowing that they have some control. Another aspect I love about Baby Led Weaning is that it is usually the option that causes less fussiness. As I mentioned, they get to feel like they have some control at dinner time, and by actually cooking them real food as opposed to purees, they seem to really enjoy what they are eating. One of the biggest pros of Baby Led Weaning in my opinion is that it is easier for parents. I do put a lot of time and effort into planning and cooking his meals, but at dinner time, we all eat together. I am not spoon feeding him baby food while my food gets cold. I give him his plate and let him at it, it’s the best to be able to eat all together.

I remember when I was in the hospital in labor with my little one, the nurse was talking to me about Breastfeeding versus Formula Feeding and she said, “Whatever you decide just remember that a fed baby is best”. While I know she was referring to Formula versus Breastmilk, I think it applies here as well. If Baby Led Weaning doesn’t work for your little one, purees are still a great option. You can still get them all the nutrition they need from traditional baby food and that’s what is important. If you have any questions about Baby Led Weaning, email me anytime at TypicalBoyMomBlog@gmail.com