Baby Led Weaning
| May 22, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under 7-9 Months, Baby, Baby Food, Baby Led Weaning |
We started Emmalyne on solids when she was just about 5 months old. While we started with the traditional purees at the time I was really interested in learning more about Baby Led Weaning. After doing some research and realizing there really is no scientific or nutritional reason indicating that babies MUST start with purees we decided to give BLW a shot … and never looked back.
Baby Led Weaning basically means you allow your baby to eat real foods rather than purees. By eating real foods, your baby gets to experiment with different foods and textures at their own pace. They are responsible for deciding which foods on their “plate” they eat and how much of it they consume. This is done by providing foods cut into manageable sizes for them to enjoy. Emmalyne is a HUGE fan of self-feeding at this point. While breastfeeding is recommended when doing BLW there really is no reason why a formula fed baby couldn’t do it as well. We are still going strong with breastfeeding and I hope to keep that up until Em turns one.
There were several pieces of information that led us to trying BLW. First, there is indication that BLW helps with motor development, particularly with hand-eye-coordination and chewing. This makes perfect sense since Em is responsible for getting the food to her mouth on her own. Also, some studies are showing that children that children that do BLW are more likely to make healthy food choices and are less likely to become overweight. While there isn’t enough scientific data for me to fully believe that it is still pretty interesting.
So, when did we start Baby Led Weaning? We started using BLW at 6 months per suggestion by our pediatrician. She was familiar with the method and said it is best suited for kids 6 months and up because they are developmentally at the point where self-feeding is both possible and safe. Other indications that your child may be ready for solids include them being able to sit in your lap and their high chair unsupported, they indicate interest in food, they reach for food, or they have doubled their birth weight. As with anything else regarding your child, check with your pediatrician to see what they think.
For us BLW has been an awesome experience. Emmalyne gets to be a part of meal time with us and we all get to enjoy our meal rather than either Chris or I have to wait to eat because we have to spoon-feed Emmie. Emmie normally eats what we are eating or a random assortment of easy to prepare foods that I keep stocked. One thing that BLW says it that it supports independence. I can completely see this in Emmie because now if I try to feed her anything she gets MAD and wants to do it herself. IE: I will try to feed her a pea and she will slam her mouth shut and use her hands to take the pea from me and then feed herself. It’s pretty funny haha.
When I am getting Em’s meals ready I prepare her foods into manageable and “soft” pieces. For things like sweet potatoes, I cut them into strips and bake them so they get soft enough to mush but firm enough to grasp. For meats I tend to shred them and most fruits I just cut in to strips. While the risk of choking isn’t increased with BLW it is still prudent to refresh your CPR skills before starting … I did! Granted I did that before feeding her oatmeal the first time too because babies can choke
on mush too 
I also try to wait 3-4 days (per pediatrician)between introducing foods to make sure Em doesn’t have an allergy. So far so good! I will admit that I have broken this rule on occasion.
Here is a list of some of our favorite BLW friendly foods:
Those are great foods to get started with! AND here is a video of Em demolishing her dinner … proof that she loves to eat 
We also give Emmie a couple “treats” a day. Her favorite are Mum Mums and puffs. These don’t hold a ton of nutritional value but they are great in a pinch when she needs to be occupied in the store. She LOVES Mum Mums … like crazy love. She sees the box and goes NUTS.
I will add that although our approach is 90% BLW we still on occasion give Em “mush” to eat. She really likes oatmeal mixed with applesauce at breakfast and sometimes yogurt as well. In addition, if we are going out to eat and I am unsure of the menu and what options it would afford Emmalyne we will bring a baby food pouch with us just in case. Same thing when we are traveling.
Anyway … I would love to answer any questions you have so feel free to leave them in the comment section or drop me an email at FoodFitnessandFamily {at} gmail {dot} com. I will answer all those questions in an upcoming follow-up posts so dish them out!
Other bloggers who do BLW:
- Brittany at A Healthy Slice of Life
- Maria at A Life to Bragg About
- Kristen at Concrete Runner
What do you think of Baby Led Weaning? Have you tried it with your kids or know someone (besides me) that has?
We did BLW 90% of the time. I did make my own purees for them to take to daycare 2x/week in addition to the Happy Baby Puffs. I actually really liked the puffs too! I think every baby is different and you just roll with their needs.
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama recently posted..The Fountain of Youth
I completely agree! This is just what works for us
Emmie goes NUTS over the Puffs!
I love reading personal experiences about BLW! I’m super excited about it!
Chantal recently posted..Debt Free (Part One) – 7 Baby Steps
Thanks for sharing! I’m so glad BLW is going well. W turns 6 mos tomorrow and we’re thinking of transitioning to a BLW approach. Solids are so much fun
Jen recently posted..Train smarter, not harder
I don’t have any children but I LOVE hearing about BLW
I have friends that have done it and it sounds like something I would want to do when (if?) we have children.
Carly recently posted..The Weekend in Pictures
Looks like she is such a great eater!
We are doing a combo right now, but more on the puree side. I think as M gets older we will start to introduce more BLW foods and less purees. She just isn’t quite at the skill level yet for BLW but it looks like so much fun!
p.s. Thanks for the high chair recommendation. I love it and so does M.
Hallie(@ChasingHallie) recently posted..Daddy Daughter Friday: Sushi
Thanks for sharing about BLW!! We primarily do jarred baby food, but I want to start doing more self-feeding. Thomas loves the Mum-Mums too! They kept him quiet during church last Sunday when he was fussier than usual.
Lani (@armytbonegirl) recently posted..Moving Monday
OMG she is so freaking cute. Can’t get over it! Can I steal her??
Talia @ Bite Size Wellness recently posted..Celebrate More: Rejoice in the Big and the Small
Oh she is SUCH a cutie!!!!!!
Dawn recently posted..Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone: My First VLOG
she is precious. you and Emily (DailyGarnish) are dangerous to read sometimes
charlotte recently posted..I Think I’m Injured
Thanks for the shout out, although I wish I could say BLW was going well for us. MacKenna isn’t exactly the greatest eater and it has become quite the source of stress for me. I am hoping to continue trying it, but we are doing some purses for now to see if that work better (so far, not at all).
Mac misses Emmie! She is such a doll!
Kristen @ the concrete runner recently posted..chocolate chip cookie green smoothie
I can definitely say that Emmie is crazy for mum mums!!!!
Victoria recently posted..Fleet Feet Savannah Grand Re-Opening
I love reading your post, especially ones about your adorable baby girl! I think it would be interesting if you did a “Day in the Life” video. I know you aren’t a “vlogger” but I watch many “youtube mommies” (who vlog about their lives/babies instead of blog) and I love watching their Day in the Life videos. Just an idea
[...] Baby Led Weaning is still going great for us. Em seriously loves food … maybe she gets that from me? She’s addicted to Mum-Mums and does a happy dance and almost hyperventilates when she sees the wrapper. I haven’t found a food yet that she won’t eat so it’s pretty easy. I love when we have our meals together and that she eats when we eat so it’s a family affair. [...]
[...] mini waffles, 1 egg scrambled with spinach, and diced cantaloupe. Perfect example of how we do baby led weaning … Em eating what I [...]
I’m interested in BLW. I’ve given my daughter bananas and she enjoyed it. But I’m not sure about other fruits and veggies. Should a cut up apples chunks and steam it so it’s soft?