Learning About Baby-Led Weaning (BLW): Introducing Solid Foods

Baby-led weaning (BLW) is a way to introduce solid foods to your baby. Your baby will go from having only breast milk or formula to having a mixed diet that includes breast milk or formula and some solid foods. Using BLW can teach your baby to feed themself, be curious about food, and safely explore food on their own terms.

Many babies are ready when they are around 6 months old, but some babies may be ready as early as 4 months old. Every baby develops at their own pace. If your baby was born prematurely, they may need more time before they are ready to start solids. Your baby may be ready to start eating solid foods when they:

• Can hold their head up and sit without support.
• Are interested in food. Maybe they watch you eat or try to grab food from your plate.
• Seem hungry after breastfeeding.
• Don’t push food out of their mouth.

Your baby's introduction to solid foods is new, exciting, and messy. It’s a time of discovery for both of you. When you and your baby are ready, here are some ways to get set up for success:

• Use a high chair. Sit your baby inside and buckle the harness.
• Give food that is blended, mashed, or soft and cut small. Try proteins, vegetables, iron-fortified infant cereals, and fruits.
• Start with a single food from any food group. Try not to mix food groups at first. For example, try giving only mashed sweet potatoes.
• Let your baby lead. Your baby can self-feed and eat as much (or as little) as they want. They learn by doing, so try to let them make their own choices. It may look like eating or playing. It’s all learning, and there’s no right or wrong way for your baby to explore.

Here are some other things that can help your baby explore eating solid foods. You can start to think about the foods you give and how you give them.

• Let your baby sit and eat with the family.
• Offer small portions. Just 1 or 2 tablespoons of a new food is often enough for your baby to try. You can always offer more.
• Don’t add salt or seasonings to food at first. Keep flavors simple. This also helps you look for your baby's reaction to a food.
• Offer a variety of foods. Think about the food groups, flavors, colors, and textures.
• Keep offering. Babies will love some foods the first time they try it. Other times, babies may need many tries with a new food before they like it. Don’t give up on a certain food, like broccoli, just because your baby doesn’t like it the first time.
• Consider introducing potential allergenic foods early. These foods include peanut butter, eggs, dairy, soy, and fish. Give these foods at least a day apart so that you can notice if your baby has an allergic reaction to one of these foods.
• Use baby-led weaning along with breast milk or formula. Early on, baby-led weaning is mostly about exploring new flavors and textures and learning how to eat through practice. It’s not about how much is actually eaten. Your baby will learn this as they get older and have more practice with eating.
• Stay flexible and open to the experience. Your baby may want to self-feed, or you can help with a small spoon. This may change by the day or the meal. Your baby might decide, or maybe you will. Try to stay flexible about what happens, what food is eaten and how much, and what ends up on the floor.

Some benefits include:

• Improved motor skills with self-feeding.
• Freedom of choice. Your baby can stop eating when they’re finished.
• A safe sense of independence.
• Possibly less picky eating later on. It helps when a baby is exposed to a variety of flavors, textures, and colors.

Here are some ways to safely practice baby-led weaning:

• Don’t give honey or cow’s milk in the first year.
• Don’t give foods that are choking hazards or that require chewing. These include hot dogs, nuts and seeds, chunks of meat or cheese, whole grapes, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, raw vegetables, chunks of fruit, and candy that’s hard, gooey, or sticky.
• Know the difference between gagging and choking. There is a big difference.
  • Gagging is a normal body reflex that can prevent choking. It’s loud and may include retching and pushing food out of the mouth. It means slow down and give smoother foods or smaller amounts.
  • Choking is an emergency. It’s quiet. Your baby's skin or gums may turn blue. It means food is caught in your baby’s airway and they can’t breathe.

Call 911 or seek emergency care if you notice:

• Signs of an allergic reaction that happen within 2 hours of eating food, such as:
  • Isolated hives or blotches on the face or body.
  • Vomiting or diarrhea.
  • Trouble breathing.
  • Coughing.
  • Swelling on the face.
  • Widespread rash or hives on the body.
• Signs that your baby is choking, such as:
  • Not being able to make sounds or cry.
  • Blue skin or gums.
  • Becoming unresponsive or unconscious.
  • Note: While you wait for help, perform choking rescue. If your baby becomes unresponsive, start CPR.

Watch closely for changes in your baby's health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:

• You have questions about feeding your baby.
• You are concerned your baby isn’t eating enough.
• You have trouble feeding your baby.
• Your baby is losing weight.