What is baby-led weaning or BLW?
By now, I assumed baby-led weaning was pretty well known by the majority of people and the go to method for introducing more solid foods to an infant. It might be in other areas, but in the circle of people I know, I’ve found that most of them have never heard of it or considered trying it.
Baby-led weaning ditches the phase of spoon feeding only purees and jars of baby food. Instead, once developmentally ready to explore beyond milk bottles, your baby would be allowed to manipulate foods his/herself entirely and at their own pace, whether that be a strip of chicken, bites of fruit, or pureed veggies. No spoons or foods are getting placed in their mouths by you or someone else. BLW targets so many areas of your little one’s development, such as hand-eye coordination, in-hand manipulation, chewing skills, dexterity skills, visual scanning, social skills, and more! All of which are minimally addressed when a baby is spoon-fed the same few jars of puree foods by their parent or caregiver. Gill Rapley, PhD, and Tracey Murkett are the creators of the baby-led weaning movement and have an amazing book- Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide– that dives deep into what BLW is, tips and important things to note, why it is the better approach when weaning away from breastmilk and/or formula, etc. I’ll talk more about that book later in this post, but I 100% recommend reading prior to starting this new season with your kiddo.
Baby-led weaning has been the best for our family! Oakley gets so much joy out of exploring foods and trying new things. Not to mention, her fine motor and developmental skills have improved leaps and bounds in just a short timeframe. Besides the benefits she is getting from BLW, it has caused Dawson and I to really be conscious of what we eat and saves us money. Instead of dishing out extra funds for baby foods, we just make sure to have enough healthy meals and snacks planned so that Oakley eats everything we do! Plus, dinner time has become such an amazing time of quality conversations, no distractions from busy schedules, and reconnecting.
When do I start baby-led weaning?
Every baby and family is different. Any research you dig through about BLW will suggest you not start introducing solids until your little one has reached 6 months of age, can sit upright with minimal support, maintain good head control, and is able to pick up objects and bring to their mouth. You also will notice that your little one will show increased interests in watching you eat or leans/grabs towards foods. That is a sign they are ready to start solids!
What do I need to start baby-led weaning?
There are 1000+ different opinions on what supplies are “essential” for BLW. It can quickly get overwhelming and costly. When you search Amazon for “baby-led weaning supplies,” you get so many different variations of cups, suction plates, small utensils, charts to track foods, etc. To each their own, but we wanted ONLY the items that were actually going to be useful for our family! So, I’ve compiled a list of the things I suggest doing and purchasing for starting the baby-led weaning journey with your little one.
- LifeVac Rescue Device
VERY ESSENTIAL!!!!! I can’t stress enough how important and beneficial it is to have a LifeVac ALWAYS on hand. We keep Oakley’s in her diaper bag so it’s handy even on outings where meals aren’t planned. You never know what’s going to happen. When she is eating, we get it out of the bag and sit it right beside us for fast grabbing in case of emergency. Even with my medical background and certifications, I won’t ever go without this device. It comes with a pediatric mask and an adult-fitted mask so anyone can use the device if needed. A bonus, if you ever have to use your LifeVac on a child or adult, report it on their website and they will replace it with a new one for free!
- Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide Book
There can be a lot of anxieties and questions when gearing up to start baby-led weaning. Especially with so many people never hearing of BLW, many parents choose to not even attempt. I highly recommend reading Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide prior to starting any solids with your kiddo. My copy has highlights and notes all in it. Let it be your guide and use the book to your benefit! It answered SO many questions and concerns we had with the whole process. It also helped us in picking safe and healthy foods for ourselves and Oakley to eat! Rapley and Murkett have also published this cookbook that goes with the book. It is a great resource for meal ideas, recipes, food storage tips, etc.
- High chair
Between our house and family’s, we have a few different high chairs that Oakley uses. The UPSEAT chair is recommended by pediatric therapists over the popular bumbo seats. A lot of research has been done on the positioning and effects certain chairs can have on infants’ hips, legs, and physical capabilities. The UPSEAT is designed with a child’s physical development and future in mind. Oakley does really good with this one and is comfortable for a long length of time. Super easy to clean, but note that the tray and height aren’t adjustable. So, if your kiddo has a cute milk belly, this seat may get a little snug. A piece of advice if you choose this chair: put a towel, puppy pad, or something between the Upseat and your kitchen chair. We didn’t and now have one dining seat ruined. I’m thinking the rubber material paired with all the foods and liquids getting smashed under it didn’t mix well with our wooden kitchen chair.
Out of all the highchairs we have tried, the Fisher-Price booster chair is our current favorite! Unlike the Upseat, this high chair has multiple adjustment options. You can change the height to fit any table/chair combo and the tray has 3 different ‘distance from child’ settings. (While unable to link the specific seat we use, here is a similar one.)
Another option for a high chair we recommend is the Chicco Polly2Start. This is a good one if you don’t want to strap anything to a kitchen chair, don’t have enough seats for everyone eating at the time, or need something on wheels to easily move your kiddo around. Now that Oakley is older, we use this chair for snacks so she can safely eat in other rooms besides the kitchen. This comes in handy when I need to accomplish a task while having two hands free. I can fix my hair while watching her snack- it’s a WIN haha! I still recommend keeping the LifeVac with you in any room your child is snacking in. And ALWAYS keep your eyes on them, and stay alert!
- Dreft Stain Remover
Is it any surprise that BLW gets very messy? Dreft Stain Remover Spray is a necessity at our house. Anytime Oakley is having a meal with an outfit on, it gets sprayed down with stain remover before washing. Messy exploring and play is SO good for infants though. Just think of all the sensory input they get from being allowed to touch, feel, and manipulate their own foods! They wouldn’t get that if they were just force-fed purees from a jar. The messy meals make for some good laughs and funny photos. Don’t worry, it’s only a phase LOL. A bonus tip: try to plan the really messy meals around bath times. For instance, we usually try to have mashed potatoes on a night we plan to give Oakley a bath. That way we can just go straight from the high chair to the bathtub without using a whole pack of wipes or a roll of paper towels to clean her up. Another bonus tip: a large pack of washcloths is cheaper than the multiple rolls of paper towels you will no doubt use. We have found that it is easier and cheaper to just designate some simple washcloths as our mealtime ones instead of using anything disposable to clean Oakley and the mess up. Just pop them in the washer or laundry basket after meals!
- Straw cup
In Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide, the authors recommend introducing an open cup to your infant. We loved that idea, but after some thought, that just wasn’t for us. As an adult, 99.9% of the time I’m drinking from a straw. I carry my Hydrojug with me everywhere I go. Restaurants use straws for the most part. A friend of mine actually suggested we start out with a straw rather than open or sippy cups. Here’s the reason: since I carry my hydrojug with me, if Oakley already knows how to drink through a straw and is thirsty when out, we don’t have to scramble to find water and a usable cup for her. She can just share mine! Genius! Oakley learned really fast how to use a straw and now has her own tumbler. We’ve tried lots of different infant tumblers. This Infantino tumbler has been Oakley’s favorite!
- Mat
Amazon has disposable splash mats. Maybe that’s good for restaurants or to stash in the car. However, once your little one is eating multiple times a day, you will go through those mats like crazy. That cost will add up over time. We use this plastic picnic mat at home, visiting friends, on the go, outside, etc. It folds up really easily for storage, and the material makes it super easy to wipe down. We actually have two of them- one for our house and another that stays in the vehicle so we never forget it when on the go.
- Solid Starts app
The Solid Starts app is free to download. There is a premium upgrade you can purchase through the app for more features and such. However, we use just the free version and still love it. The free plan allows you to search any food item & read on the research regarding suggested age to introduce, how to serve based on age, choking hazards, allergens, and more. They also have social media accounts that share lots of helpful tips and info randomly.
What about spoons, plates, bowls, forks, and all that? You will need those things in time, but at six or seven months old, I can pretty much guarantee that your little one is not going to be interested in using a plate or utensils properly. If anything, they would serve as more of a distraction and act as a “toy” rather than being beneficial. Oakley didn’t start showing interest until around nine months in using a preloaded infant spoon properly. Watch for cues that your child gives to know when to introduce plates and such! I will also write about that at a later time! The same goes for bibs. We have put one on Oakley a couple of times for a meal. It gets in the way more than anything. She just pulls at it and gets frustrated. And honestly, it doesn’t really save us any cleanup.
Introducing solid food to your child is a huge milestone! Grab a coffee and celebrate. Or cry. I don’t judge! It’s bittersweet seeing your sweet baby grow up so fast!
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