The baby food debate: Baby-led weaning
Photo by Stephen Andrews on Unsplash
If you’ve made it to 6 months with an infant, congratulations! Those 6 months were exceptionally hard. I’d like to say things get easier now, but having done this for a few months I’m going to guess things get easier around age 20.
For now, you have some new hurdles to face. Primarily, food.
At 6 months most pediatricians will give you the green light to start your baby on solids. It’s a time that’s both exciting and terrifying. Yay, your baby is exploring more about their world. But the choking hazards and dangers of food are oh so real.
There are two main schools of thought when it comes to starting babies on food, baby-led weaning vs purees, and it’s your job to decide which version you want to follow. Or do a mix of both. Full disclosure, I mixed the two. I introduced 100 solid foods in the first three months, but I also made a ton of my own purees so my kiddo was actually eating something at meals.
Everyone has to decide what’s right for you so let’s drive in with the current most popular baby food theory: baby-led weaning.
What is baby-led weaning?
Your parents might wax poetically about feeding you from store bought baby food jars, but move over, 80s parenting. The new things is to chuck those purees right out the door. Baby-led weaning is the idea of introducing babies to solid foods right from the start. So no purees or spoon feeding. Babies learn to do it themselves.
Why are people doing this? Well, the theory is this will help avoid picky eating behaviour later. Many also like the Montessori vibes of teaching their baby to be self-sufficient. It also helps improve independence and works on oral motor skills right from the start. And lastly, research shows that babies who learn to eat this way are less likely to choke than babies who start with purees.
Baby-led weaning starting foods
If you want to go this route, don’t give your kiddo an apple and call it a day. The idea is to start slow introducing soft foods that are safe for baby to munch on. They might not actually consume much and that’s ok. It’s more about exploration and play.
You’ll want to start with the “Squish Test.” Basically, squish the food between your fingers and if it mushes easily, it’s ok for baby. So a steamed carrot, cooked potato, ripe avocado, etc. Once babies gain a little confidence eatting soft food you can give them resistance foods as well to work on their chewing skills. A mango pit, for example, is a great thing to give them as they can’t eat it but they can gnaw on it and practice chewing and biting.
Food ideas to try: steamed peeled apple slices, steamed peeled pear, ripe mango, steamed green beans, steamed broccoli or cauliflower, ripe avocado, cooked and flaked salmon, banana.
101 under one
One other thing to consider as you try new foods is the theory of introducing 101 different foods before a child’s first birthday. The 101 covers a variety of veggies, fruits, meats, nuts, grains, beans and of course the top 9 allergens. There are more formal ways you can do this with a checklist to keep you on track or you can just do your own thing and keep track as you go.
I’m going to include the list of what I did for my baby’s 101 foods. We also aimed to do it in 100 days so he was getting a new food every day. Some were bigger hits than others. I don’t know if the science behind this idea is solid, but I do have a kid that eats everything with gusto so there may be something to it.
Solid Starts: The app that will save you so much worry
If you’re going to do baby-led weaning, download the Solid Starts app or find them on Instagram. The app is a catalogue of just about every food you might feed a baby. Select the food you want to try and you’ll find information on how to introduce it safely, what size to serve at each age range, and other useful information about the food itself. It’ll also highlight if it’s a choking risk or allergen.
There is an upgrade you can buy that let’s you mark off foods as you introduce them, but honestly, I just used the free version and it was great.
LifeVac for safety
LifeVac emergency kit
If you’re going to teach your little one to eat this way, you might want to consider investing in a safety tool like the LifeVac. My brother-in-law helpfully describes it as a “plunger for people.” If your child (or anyone in the house) is choking, you place this device over their mouth and nose and press down. The suction created clears the airway. Hopefully you’ll never need a tool like this, but personally I decided I’d rather have it just in case. It did make me breathe a little easier when my kiddo would choke as he learned to eat.
Take a CPR class
As cool as the LifeVac is, nothing replaces knowing how to act in emergency situations. I strongly urge every parent or caregiver to get CPR certified for infants. Most cities have options for in-person or online classes to learn what to do if your child is choking, injured, loses consciousness, etc. A few hours of your time might save your baby’s life. Everyone in my family from grandparents to aunts and uncles have this certification, just to be safe. Pro-tip, get the online class then keep your video off and load the room with the whole family to learn together.
Good luck with baby-led weaning!
All the best as your start your little one’s food journey. It can feel overwhelming at the start, but you’ve got this. But smart about which foods and allergens you introduce first and take things slow. Let the baby set the pace. The aim is to make meal time fun so you’re little one will be encouraged to try new things when they’re older.