Baby led weaning – The facts

examples of baby led weaning

In the strictest sense, no or very few pureed and mashed textures will be given at all.

As part of a baby-led weaning approach, you can offer:

• carrots cooked until soft and offered as batons
• meat well-cooked and given as soft
• moist pieces or meatballs, for example
• pasta cooked well and offered in whole pieces, not finely mashed with sauce.

what is the difference between baby-led weaning and mixed feeding?

Many parents and carers refer to baby led weaning as the offering of finger foods alongside pureed textures. We call this approach “mixed feeding”.

Mixed feeding

Mixed feeding, where some food is spoon fed and some is offered as finger food, means the parent is still largely in control of how much food is eaten.

This means it’s important to recognise the signs that your baby has had enough (like turning their head away or refusing the spoon) so you can help them learn to eat in tune with their appetite.

Baby led weaning

Baby led weaning hands control over feeding and eating to the baby.

Introducing more variety into the diet and increasing the quantity eaten is decided by the baby rather than the parent. Babies choose what and how much to eat of what the parent or carer offers.

what are the benefits of baby led weaning?

A well-planned baby led weaning diet can offer many benefits:

• The opportunity to develop self-feeding skills such as hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills like grasping and pincer grip
• The focus is on the food rather than the person feeding so little ones might be less influenced by a parent or carer who might be encouraging them to eat more when they’re full, for example
• Families eat together more when practising baby led weaning and often eat similar foods (ensuring no added salt or sugar for little ones). Eating together is a time to appreciate food and the social benefits of eating as a family. It’s also an opportunity for parents and carers to model healthy eating behaviours
• Baby led infants can be more willing to try new foods than those weaned more traditionally
• Allowing babies to decide when they are full can help them be more aware of their appetite when older and hence, they may be less likely to overeat.

what really matters when choosing a weaning style?

It’s important to bear in mind that the choice of weaning approach is very personal to you and your baby.

Even if you use a traditional weaning style,

• by offering finger foods, you can still help your baby to develop fine motor skills and coordination;
• by practising responsive feeding, you can still help your little one learn appetite control;
• by offering a wide variety of foods and tastes, you can still encourage acceptance of new foods;
• and by eating together, you can still role model healthy eating behaviour.

The most important thing is to do what works for you and your little one and to offer a wide variety of foods and textures that offer balanced nutrition safely.

are there any concerns about baby led weaning?

A very well planned and prepared finger food diet can be very safe and nutritious for growing babies, but parents and carers are often very concerned about the risk of choking or of offering the wrong food or insufficient nutrients.

As with any weaning approach, it’s important to do your research to make sure the foods you prepare are right for your little one.

how to prepare food

Finger foods prepared with the right shape, size and texture should not pose a choking risk.

• It’s important to avoid any foods that are hard, flaky, crumbly, round, stringy or gristly to reduce the risk of choking.
• Be careful to remove seeds, pips, bones from food and cut foods into strips rather than chunks.

Avoid using manufactured foods

• Avoid using processed foods with added salt, sugar or other ingredients that might not be suitable for very young children, e.g. fish fingers, nuggets, meatballs, falafel.
• Try making your own using specific baby led weaning recipes which provide advice on suitable ingredients and how to prepare food to the right texture, shape and size.

Offer a wide variety of foods

• As with all weaning styles, make sure you offer a wide variety of foods, especially those rich in iron like red meat and pulses.
• Be mindful of including foods rich in vitamins and minerals as well as sources of protein as these nutrients can be lacking in baby led weaning diets.
• It can be hard to offer iron-rich finger foods to very young babies aged 6-10 months as they might struggle with the texture so again, use specific baby led weaning recipes to help guide you

starting baby led weaning safely

All foods should be soft enough to mash easily under the back of a fork or between your thumb and finger and should be stick shaped, so they are easy to hold and self-feed.

Always, always supervise your baby while they are eating.

I’m worried about my baby choking

To understand if your baby is choking and for advice on what to do, we have a handy article here: gagging v choking advice

And for more information on food safety for babies, take a peek here: food safety for babies

will my baby get all the nutrients they need? is food just for fun until they’re one?

You might have read that food is just for fun until babies are one but this isn’t the case.

A baby’s natural iron stores run out by the time they are around 6 months of age so it’s important to offer iron-rich foods in the diet like red meat, pulses and fortified foods.

how can I ensure a balanced diet for my baby?

Baby led weaning diets can be very healthy and balanced, but they can also be lacking in certain nutrients compared to mixed diets (purees plus finger foods).

nutrients to include in baby led weaning diets

• Iron – found in red meat, pulses (like lentils and beans) and fortified foods – meatballs, falafel and hummus dips are great sources of iron for baby led weaning
• Zinc – found in meat, dairy and wholegrain bread – try offering slices of cheese or grated cheese, meatballs, toast fingers or yoghurt dips
• Calcium – found in dairy foods like cheese, milk and yoghurt, as well as green leafy vegetables like kale (but not spinach), and bread that uses fortified flour – try some of the above options or add leafy greens to macaroni cheese or scrambled egg
• Vitamin B12 – found in meat, fish, milk, cheese and eggs – scrambled or hard-boiled eggs (cut into fingers) make great finger foods, along with meatballs or moist strips of meat and fish (always check for bones and gristle)
• Vitamin C – found in many fruits and vegetables as well as potatoes, so offer a rainbow of fruit and veg sticks, as long as they are soft enough to squish between your thumb and finger
• Protein – meat, fish, eggs, milk, yoghurt, soy products like tofu and beans and lentils are all good sources of protein – check out the advice above for ways to serve these foods. Tofu can be served in fingers.