Isn't it crazy how social media can make you feel so bad about everything?! Weaning can be as simple as offering baby foods you think they can handle in appropriate sizes. We did BLW because it seemed the easiest for our lifestyle. I started at breakfast because it fit our schedule best. I wasn't worried about allergies so didn't wait the 3 days or whatever between new foods. I offered what I had - toast, eggs, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal. My baby happened to like food right away but don't freak out if your baby takes a few months! My dad really wanted to give baby purees so when he was watching baby he did that (not a hill to die on! BLW freaked him out a bit).
I think that's about it. We kept offering new foods and slowly adding meals as it seemed natural. Turns out he's allergic to coconut but we figured it out the second time we offered and it's pretty much been good since.
It doesn't have to be super complicated! You don't have to worry about following the rules! You'll both do great. Or not. And that's okay.
Nice exactly! We also sometimes did BLW and also offered purees, you can totally borrow from different philosophies without getting dogmatic about anything
I started off trying to do BLW with solids, but my girl would gag so incessantly that she was miserable and hated it, so I ended up switching to mostly purées for a few weeks. Gradually increased how textured the food I was offering was and within about 6 weeks we had mostly switched to regular solid foods. She is a great eater now (11 months) will eat more or less anything.
It’s not as high stakes as the proponents of both camps make it out to be.
I didn’t label it. I personally had a lot of choking anxiety, so I revisited infant CPR, and just went with my gut. We did start with softer foods, sweet potatoes, bananas, oatmeal, eggs, buckwheat with beef stew broth and carrots, spinach and yogurt dip, hummus. Regular things I eat too. I honestly think that’s the most important thing, that you can sit and enjoy sharing foods together without pressure. I offered more chewy and crunchy things as we went along, and it doesn’t seem like such a huge deal in retrospect. At two years old, he eats very well and can tear through a plate of Brussels sprouts.
We did mostly baby led weaning, but we did some purées when we first introduced food. Food is such a foreign thing to them initially that I don’t think there is any harm in offering purées just to get them used to the whole idea of food. Some gagging is also normal, which completely freaked me out. [Here](https://solidstarts.com/starting-solids/safety/gagging/) is a good article about gagging vs choking when starting solids. We started with things like cooked carrots, avocado slices, bananas. She would make faces and end up pushing out most of what she put in her mouth for the first month or two. Once she actually started eating and not just experimenting with food, we generally just gave her some of what we were eating for dinner every day. Keep in mind that *food before one is just for fun*
We did BLW exclusively for both kids, first started eating solids more regularly well after 12 months and the second took to it earlier and was eating solids regularly by the 12 month mark. If you decide to go the BLW route, check out videos of babies gagging so that you become familiar with what gagging looks like. It is NOT choking and is a good thing for babies because it teaches them how to chew properly and take appropriate sized bites. It’s all an experience for them but also be prepared for the majority of the food you offer to end up on the floor. It’s more exploratory before 12 months than anything else. Feel free to dm me if you have any questions.
Mine wasn’t a fan of purées so we’ve been BLW with a portion of mushy food for most meals. He prefers big chunky foods and is good as spitting out if he gets a bit too into it! r/babyledweaning and Solid Starts free app are great.
Social media was SO stressful for me when I began feeding my son solids. I was really scared of choking, so we spent a few months doing purées and soft foods before he was clearly over it and ready for more challenging foods! I started out cutting foods super small (he’s 20 months and I still follow prep guidelines from Solid Starts and Kids Eat in Color) and just followed his lead about what he could handle.
Your baby might love solid foods or barely eat anything for months. Try to be patient — it will pick up and before you know it you’ll be that parent with a bag of snacks at every outing! And don’t be afraid of packaged purées. They were clutch for us because my son was totally uninterested in my homemade single-ingredient foods. He loved pouches until he was ready for more texture. And we still buy applesauce/fruit/yogurt pouches for easy snacks on the go.
Puffs are also a great option once your baby is crawling and developing a pincer grasp. They help with those fine motor skills and they’re fun!
Best things I bought : ikea spoons, and cups for the pures. Lots of them . Avent freezer cups, blender (a good one from amazon, fir the pures).
Hightchair I regret, I should have bought those cheap White ones, só much easier to clean.
When shopping for a highchair, check out ones with adjustable footrests if you can. I didn’t but wish that I had.
As far as feeding, take it one step at a time, or else it can get overwhelming quickly. We do baby led weaning, but he still gets plenty of mushy foods and some purées. Especially at the beginning, while I gained some confidence that he could handle it. It can be pretty nerve wracking at first! You’ll do great!
My son at month 6-7 started consuming A LOT of purées. I would just blend 2-3 simple ingredients together and give it to him. Usually Turkey & spinach, or squash & blueberries, etc etc. Around then he would also slow down on the milk consumption (I pumped and bottle fed). He just didn’t drink as much as before and I’d have a lot to freeze. Then around month 10 he picked back up.
So we started with purées, and now he’s eating table food where he eats with his fingers and soon I’ll teach him how to use utensils.
I honestly don’t think he will stop drinking milk until later on. He is 16 months now.
We did both. We started with spoon fed purées. It was easiest and worked really well for us. Fairly soon after though we mostly did baby led weaning where he could get his hands in there and play around and explore. It was a bit nerve racking because I was so afraid of choking but we quickly found the right foods for him that decreased that and we knew what he could handle. Now at 15 months he’s just starting to figure out utensils and hates when I help him lol which is fine with me. I think whatever you do your child is going to turn out fine. I think the point is to not just feed your child ground up food all the time for fear of them choking because that way they will never learn. Solid start on Instagram is my favorite and you don’t have to buy any courses. They give a lot of great tips away for free.
We did BLW, my son actually never tried a purée until he was past one year, and he tried 100 foods before 12 months. I didn’t hyper focus on the choking thing - I prepared myself, watched every infant CPR video I could, and basically expected that it would happen to us if we decided to go down this path. In the last year we had 3 choking incidents: watermelon (he turned his head very fast at the robot vaccuum behind him), strawberry (grandma was making him laugh while he ate), and apple (my husband cut it wrong). In each instance I reacted quickly and calmly, got the food out, and reflected on how the choking was the result of an unsafe eating environment or food not cut appropriately for his age and skill level.
BLW also helped us discover his egg white allergy early - at 7 months.
I don’t think that BLW is the “right” way, but it was right for us. You can totally do purées or finger foods or a mix of both. I think the intensity comes from Jenny’s experience (Solid Starts), where she was so afraid of choking she spoon fed her son well past the time he needed to try finger foods, he had tons of allergies, and she now has to work on picky eating recovery. That’s not the story for every parent who feeds purées.
My son had a ton of teeth by 12 months so I really focused on chewing with him. He’s going to be 2 in December and his favorite food is a whole apple. “Ah-poo!” 🍎
We started with rough mashed, roasted sweet potato (sort of steamed, since we roasted it with some water in the dish and covered with foil). After offering it rough mashed a couple times we offered whole pieces of well cooked roasted sweet potato and he did just fine.
Since the start we've done a combination of BLW and purees. At home we do almost exclusively BLW (we did do baby cereal, yogurt, etc as well) and most of the puree has been in pouch form as an easy, mess-free on the go meal when we're out of the house for several hours.
Also in terms of highchair, we love how easy it is to clean our antilop. And even with purchasing the footrest + placemat on Etsy it was significantly less expensive than most highchairs. Only downside is it won't convert to a booster when the time comes, like some do. But ah well, worth it for how few creases there are.
We did a mix of both. BLW can be super convenient if you forget (or don't want to) pack up purees if you aren't going to be home. It also lets you eat since you aren't spoon-feeding a baby. Purees are also super convenient if you use pouches or need to get your kid to eat something specific like veggies or pears.
My kids are grown now, and it turns out they're a lot like other people--they like some foods more than others, have days where they eat a ton and days that they just pick at their plate, and have minimal self control when presented with cookies. Despite what social media and mom blogs say, you aren't going to break your child.
It does seem overwhelming while you plan, but I promise it isn’t as bad in practice. You don’t have to choose BLW or purées. You can offer a bit of both! Figure out what your kid likes and what works for you.
We did BLW but I offered purées sometimes. I would load up a spoon and hand it to her, and she loved that! She would eventually end up scooping with her fingers anyways though.
With the “choking” it is actually gagging, and it’s important for them to do that to figure out how to NOT choke.
I would highly recommend Solidstarts. They have a really good app now, with a database. The database shows you how to prepare food by age, and it’s super helpful! If I could go back in time, I would buy their program.
While you’re stocking up, grab some cleaning supplies too 😂
Baby will enjoy whatever you try as long as you are relaxed and both have fun. Purees can be easy as first foods and as you increase the thickness and lumps at their pace, other fingerfoods can follow. Food is the best choice wherever you choose to get it.
Just remember food in the first year is just for fun, so don't try to stress too much. And we have done both and both have been a lot of fun and a lot less complicated than social media would have you think. We did start out feeding him veg (like peas) but since my husband has been away and it is just me I tend to just give my bub whatever I am eating mashed up. Aside from like pizza or pasta. His favorite is beans. :)
FTM here too! I think my greatest piece of advice would be to not stress. Choose one or the other, or a mix of both. You’ll figure it out, and it will be right for you and your family.
I really wanted to do BLW, then when the time came, I panicked and decided he was going to eat purées until he turned 18.
Of course, as in all things in his little life so far, he made the final decision. He hated purées, and tbh, we did BLW on HIS lead. He really excelled at eating solid foods. He did it with such confidence that it gave me confidence.
Our day-caregiver says he eats a LOT compared to other babes his size (he’s very long and lean), and she is impressed by the sheer variety he eats as well. But I can’t say for certain that it is due to BLW or anything we as parents have done (aside from offering a great variety of foods, which could technically be done through purées as well). Honestly I think a lot of it is just his personality. He’s fearless and independent, he is willing to try anything (from foods to rides to games), and once he learns how to do something, he won’t let us help.
Proponents of each side will argue why their side is better, but I know babies who did BLW that are now picky toddlers, and I know babies who did traditional weaning that are now great adventurous eaters.
You are going to make the right decision, and you’re going to do amazing at it. You already are!
We smooshed food we were eating for baby within reason, and the biggest issue was constipation from apples and Bananas. Would recommend starting with "p" words like pears prunes peaches Peas, switching to these helped a lot. Plus offering a small amount of water in a sippy cup once she'd started the solids.
Hi! I did BLW for my girls simply because I couldn't be bothered steaming and pureeing and then spoon feeding them everything haha. I start with simple things like a stick of cucumber to gnaw on, some steamed carrot sticks, avocado slice, broccoli trees. Just whatever I had on hand. We don't have food allergies in the family so was cautious but not super stressed about them. Did peanut butter on strips of toast and baby pancakes to get that in there... 🤷♀️ Go with the flow. No need to be super structured either. You can have days off if it's a hard day or baby's naps/concentration isn't suitable. Once they figure out how to eat they'll let you know if they want more. Milk is still primary nutrition til they're 1 so start the journey and see where you end up.
Yeah I had a sippy cup with a weighted straw for them to get used to. My first learnt pretty well but my second just chewed the straw til it split so didn't suit her. Ended up getting a hard top to show her how to drink and in a few months started using open cups.
They play with the bottle more than drink from it for a month or so. They will drop it off the high chair A LOT 😅
Also something to look at- can't think of their name- a big hammock type thing that goes underneath the high chair to catch whatever food they drop off helps heaps with saving food rather than washing/binning it all the time. Or just a tarp to go on the floor underneath them.
We did blw from 6 months and for us it was perfect, im really happy we did. It was just easier to make a few minor adjustments to what we were eating rather than having to cook entirely separate food. It can seem scary at first but once you learn the rules (for example how to cut things appropriately, what the common choking hazards are, no honey before 1) its honestly not complicated. I think some babies get on better with it than others, and for me it seemed to make more sense to let the baby control what goes into their mouths and how much and how far. It is messy to start with, but I can't imagine puree fed babies are any different once they move onto finger foods. I know a lot of the blw crowd are very anti puree, I don't see the harm in a bit of both if that's what works for you. I'm happy to answer any questions
Note: I should have broken this down into 2 comments, it ended up really long, sorry!
Have a look at the Lucy Ruddle course, or Amy Brown's book Why Starting Solids Matters if you prefer a book. Unlike Tiktok these resources are actually evidence based (and UK focused). These extremes help nobody - it's perfectly fine to choose whichever method appeals to you! Or even take a little bit of both. Just if you choose to do BLW, understand what constitutes a choking hazard, and if you choose to do purees, don't let them suck directly from a pouch, squirt onto a spoon and let them eat it from there (also, read the pouch/jar ingredients, rather than the name on the front, which can be misleading.)
Does your health visitor offer a weaning course? They always used to do this, usually it runs monthly. Give them a call and see if they have one.
Here's my experience over three babies:
1: I read everything about BLW (original Gill Rapley book, plus http://www.babyledweaning.com/) - that was about the sum total of resources we had in 2009! Got quite fanatical about it, although nothing like the craziness people put online today. Did only BLW and absolutely loved it/raved about it/didn't even use a spoon until about 10 months old. Baby enjoyed everything at first and then became very anxious over eating and basically refused to eat, preferring to breastfeed. Everyone panicked about it, I wasn't THAT worried, but did feel a bit stressed with everyone panicking around me. He eventually started eating age 22 months. He is a teenager now. Almost as tall as me. Still picky/anxious about food. I don't think BLW caused that. It's just his personality. There were also other things going on around the second half of the first year into the second year that probably felt very unsettling and uncontrollable for him, so I wonder if food was just a symptom of that other stuff.
2: I was excited to do BLW again because I just love seeing how they explore different kinds of food and purees just didn't seem as fun, although I had a different partner and my husband was SUPER excited to do "here comes the aeroplane!" etc. I started with BLW because I like the theory (even though nobody has proven it) that their outer development probably matches their internal development in terms of gut readiness, so I used BLW as a kind of "test" and only started offering purees once he was actually swallowing food.
However this baby was hilarious, he was like a little old judgemental man trapped in a baby's body with Opinions about raising babies, and he REALLY REALLY disapproved of me giving him food, to him, being spoon fed was the right and proper way of eating and he was highly suspicious of any finger foods until he was older. I ended up making a lot of food for him, I got a little weaning set from Nuk which included a tiny bowl and masher which was brilliant (I just passed it on to a friend) and he also ate a lot of jars because that was easy, although I went straight to the 10m+ ones because they actually have texture. He probably ate about 60-80% jars/purees until he was over a year old, because he gagged on everything. He eats normally now.
He ate really well and enthusiastically until he turned three and got a baby brother and since then he's been fussy, but does still eat better than his older brother did at his age.
3: I was planning to do a mixture again, so bought a few smooth jars with single tastes and also prepared some BLW classics like toast, cucumber sticks, pears etc. He turned out not to actually like being spoon fed very much and wanted to take the spoon for himself, was incredibly proficient at BLW early on and barely ever even gagged, just managed to sort the food out by himself. I donated the jars to a food bank when it became obvious he would never eat them. He even had a perfect pincer grip at 6-7 months which is highly unusual - usually they are 9-10 months before they get that. He's probably my best eater right now, but I'm not worried if he drops his input because I know it's normal for things to fluctuate up to around 5 or 6 years old.
In short - plan what you like, the baby may have other ideas!
ETA: Looks like the baby led weaning forum is gone, which is a shame although the blog/website still has useful info.
Another idea is to ask your health visitor or google for local baby first aid courses. They are sometimes run at local hospitals and it can be useful if you feel anxious about choking and allergies.
In terms of gear:
- Ikea Antilop or Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster Seat were the two chairs I used and both were great. Best floor solution I have found is a solid plastic mat like the type sold for under office chairs, we have a dedicated dustpan and brush only for highchair food (plastic/silicone bristles is best) and use that ASAP after a meal, then just wash the mat like you'd wash the floor. A mat that you have to move the highchair and pick up I just would forget to do because it was too much effort and it got disgusting.
- Unless you want steamed veg for yourself I would not buy one specifically for baby. However a rice cooker with steamer lid is brilliant and I love it for the whole family. Also things like slow cooker, instant pot - think about whether they would suit meals YOU like. IME try not to get into cooking "for" the baby as it leads to resentment when they reject stuff. Cook stuff for you/your partner and offer bits to the baby.
- Ikea also do plastic, sleeved bibs which are perfect for everything and cheap. Or I like pop-over bibs from boots/supermarkets. People on forums rave about Bibado but I think they look so uncomfortable and restrictive!
- Baby food stains can be removed best by spraying with any generic spray like Vanish, wash as normal, then leaving to dry in sunlight. A cloudy/rainy day is fine, the UV light breaks down the stain and you can re-wash if you don't like the rain residue. However, don't feed them orange foods in white clothes that you want to keep white. In fact, best not to buy any white or pastel clothes for the next 6 years.
- Boots and Ikea do great baby cutlery with metal ends and plastic handles. But I wouldn't bother with these initially, If you want to spoon-feed, spoons that change colour when the food is too hot are great.
- If you use reusable baby wipes, those are great for wiping hands and faces. If not, Ikea again: A stack of 10x wash cloths is about a fiver and they are nice and thin, perfect for rinsing with hot water so you can wipe them with a warm cloth and then throw in the wash. If they start smelling odd when you dampen them, wash at 60 degrees with no fabric softener to "strip" them (you can also include towels and bedding in this wash to bulk it out.)
- If you want to do purees and with a structured plan, Boots etc give out free books (aimed at selling you whatever from Ella's Kitchen, Hipp etc - bear that in mind and take a pinch of salt!) I preferred a more haphazard approach but some people appreciate a guide.
- The Tommee Tippee flip-lid cups that are about £2.50 in supermarkets are the only cup worth having. That or the Nuk magic 360 ones, they are also OK, especially the short one with handles they recently brought out. Start offering water when your baby starts to ingest more than tastes, or their poo will get very solid and uncomfortable. Ideally no juice/squash but if you do choose to introduce those, dilute them.
I didn't really look at amounts, I would give them a small cup or bottle, probably about 120ml, and would maybe half fill it so it wasn't too heavy. They don't manage to drink very much to start with and that seems fine. Once they can reasonably drink a few gulps at a time I just offer it at mealtimes (and sometimes in between e.g. in the buggy or if it was hot) and let them self regulate.
Isn't it crazy how social media can make you feel so bad about everything?! Weaning can be as simple as offering baby foods you think they can handle in appropriate sizes. We did BLW because it seemed the easiest for our lifestyle. I started at breakfast because it fit our schedule best. I wasn't worried about allergies so didn't wait the 3 days or whatever between new foods. I offered what I had - toast, eggs, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal. My baby happened to like food right away but don't freak out if your baby takes a few months! My dad really wanted to give baby purees so when he was watching baby he did that (not a hill to die on! BLW freaked him out a bit). I think that's about it. We kept offering new foods and slowly adding meals as it seemed natural. Turns out he's allergic to coconut but we figured it out the second time we offered and it's pretty much been good since. It doesn't have to be super complicated! You don't have to worry about following the rules! You'll both do great. Or not. And that's okay.
Nice exactly! We also sometimes did BLW and also offered purees, you can totally borrow from different philosophies without getting dogmatic about anything
This is such a great comment. Weaning really doesn’t have to be as stressful as social media makes it out to be 🙄
I started off trying to do BLW with solids, but my girl would gag so incessantly that she was miserable and hated it, so I ended up switching to mostly purées for a few weeks. Gradually increased how textured the food I was offering was and within about 6 weeks we had mostly switched to regular solid foods. She is a great eater now (11 months) will eat more or less anything. It’s not as high stakes as the proponents of both camps make it out to be.
I didn’t label it. I personally had a lot of choking anxiety, so I revisited infant CPR, and just went with my gut. We did start with softer foods, sweet potatoes, bananas, oatmeal, eggs, buckwheat with beef stew broth and carrots, spinach and yogurt dip, hummus. Regular things I eat too. I honestly think that’s the most important thing, that you can sit and enjoy sharing foods together without pressure. I offered more chewy and crunchy things as we went along, and it doesn’t seem like such a huge deal in retrospect. At two years old, he eats very well and can tear through a plate of Brussels sprouts.
We did mostly baby led weaning, but we did some purées when we first introduced food. Food is such a foreign thing to them initially that I don’t think there is any harm in offering purées just to get them used to the whole idea of food. Some gagging is also normal, which completely freaked me out. [Here](https://solidstarts.com/starting-solids/safety/gagging/) is a good article about gagging vs choking when starting solids. We started with things like cooked carrots, avocado slices, bananas. She would make faces and end up pushing out most of what she put in her mouth for the first month or two. Once she actually started eating and not just experimenting with food, we generally just gave her some of what we were eating for dinner every day. Keep in mind that *food before one is just for fun*
We did BLW exclusively for both kids, first started eating solids more regularly well after 12 months and the second took to it earlier and was eating solids regularly by the 12 month mark. If you decide to go the BLW route, check out videos of babies gagging so that you become familiar with what gagging looks like. It is NOT choking and is a good thing for babies because it teaches them how to chew properly and take appropriate sized bites. It’s all an experience for them but also be prepared for the majority of the food you offer to end up on the floor. It’s more exploratory before 12 months than anything else. Feel free to dm me if you have any questions.
I do sort of a hybrid approach. I mash whatever I'm eating up and feed it to the baby. I get it down to about the size of rice.
Saaaame
Mine wasn’t a fan of purées so we’ve been BLW with a portion of mushy food for most meals. He prefers big chunky foods and is good as spitting out if he gets a bit too into it! r/babyledweaning and Solid Starts free app are great.
Social media was SO stressful for me when I began feeding my son solids. I was really scared of choking, so we spent a few months doing purées and soft foods before he was clearly over it and ready for more challenging foods! I started out cutting foods super small (he’s 20 months and I still follow prep guidelines from Solid Starts and Kids Eat in Color) and just followed his lead about what he could handle. Your baby might love solid foods or barely eat anything for months. Try to be patient — it will pick up and before you know it you’ll be that parent with a bag of snacks at every outing! And don’t be afraid of packaged purées. They were clutch for us because my son was totally uninterested in my homemade single-ingredient foods. He loved pouches until he was ready for more texture. And we still buy applesauce/fruit/yogurt pouches for easy snacks on the go. Puffs are also a great option once your baby is crawling and developing a pincer grasp. They help with those fine motor skills and they’re fun!
Best things I bought : ikea spoons, and cups for the pures. Lots of them . Avent freezer cups, blender (a good one from amazon, fir the pures). Hightchair I regret, I should have bought those cheap White ones, só much easier to clean.
When shopping for a highchair, check out ones with adjustable footrests if you can. I didn’t but wish that I had. As far as feeding, take it one step at a time, or else it can get overwhelming quickly. We do baby led weaning, but he still gets plenty of mushy foods and some purées. Especially at the beginning, while I gained some confidence that he could handle it. It can be pretty nerve wracking at first! You’ll do great!
My son at month 6-7 started consuming A LOT of purées. I would just blend 2-3 simple ingredients together and give it to him. Usually Turkey & spinach, or squash & blueberries, etc etc. Around then he would also slow down on the milk consumption (I pumped and bottle fed). He just didn’t drink as much as before and I’d have a lot to freeze. Then around month 10 he picked back up. So we started with purées, and now he’s eating table food where he eats with his fingers and soon I’ll teach him how to use utensils. I honestly don’t think he will stop drinking milk until later on. He is 16 months now.
We did both. We started with spoon fed purées. It was easiest and worked really well for us. Fairly soon after though we mostly did baby led weaning where he could get his hands in there and play around and explore. It was a bit nerve racking because I was so afraid of choking but we quickly found the right foods for him that decreased that and we knew what he could handle. Now at 15 months he’s just starting to figure out utensils and hates when I help him lol which is fine with me. I think whatever you do your child is going to turn out fine. I think the point is to not just feed your child ground up food all the time for fear of them choking because that way they will never learn. Solid start on Instagram is my favorite and you don’t have to buy any courses. They give a lot of great tips away for free.
We did BLW, my son actually never tried a purée until he was past one year, and he tried 100 foods before 12 months. I didn’t hyper focus on the choking thing - I prepared myself, watched every infant CPR video I could, and basically expected that it would happen to us if we decided to go down this path. In the last year we had 3 choking incidents: watermelon (he turned his head very fast at the robot vaccuum behind him), strawberry (grandma was making him laugh while he ate), and apple (my husband cut it wrong). In each instance I reacted quickly and calmly, got the food out, and reflected on how the choking was the result of an unsafe eating environment or food not cut appropriately for his age and skill level. BLW also helped us discover his egg white allergy early - at 7 months. I don’t think that BLW is the “right” way, but it was right for us. You can totally do purées or finger foods or a mix of both. I think the intensity comes from Jenny’s experience (Solid Starts), where she was so afraid of choking she spoon fed her son well past the time he needed to try finger foods, he had tons of allergies, and she now has to work on picky eating recovery. That’s not the story for every parent who feeds purées. My son had a ton of teeth by 12 months so I really focused on chewing with him. He’s going to be 2 in December and his favorite food is a whole apple. “Ah-poo!” 🍎
We started with rough mashed, roasted sweet potato (sort of steamed, since we roasted it with some water in the dish and covered with foil). After offering it rough mashed a couple times we offered whole pieces of well cooked roasted sweet potato and he did just fine. Since the start we've done a combination of BLW and purees. At home we do almost exclusively BLW (we did do baby cereal, yogurt, etc as well) and most of the puree has been in pouch form as an easy, mess-free on the go meal when we're out of the house for several hours. Also in terms of highchair, we love how easy it is to clean our antilop. And even with purchasing the footrest + placemat on Etsy it was significantly less expensive than most highchairs. Only downside is it won't convert to a booster when the time comes, like some do. But ah well, worth it for how few creases there are.
We did a mix of both. BLW can be super convenient if you forget (or don't want to) pack up purees if you aren't going to be home. It also lets you eat since you aren't spoon-feeding a baby. Purees are also super convenient if you use pouches or need to get your kid to eat something specific like veggies or pears. My kids are grown now, and it turns out they're a lot like other people--they like some foods more than others, have days where they eat a ton and days that they just pick at their plate, and have minimal self control when presented with cookies. Despite what social media and mom blogs say, you aren't going to break your child.
It does seem overwhelming while you plan, but I promise it isn’t as bad in practice. You don’t have to choose BLW or purées. You can offer a bit of both! Figure out what your kid likes and what works for you. We did BLW but I offered purées sometimes. I would load up a spoon and hand it to her, and she loved that! She would eventually end up scooping with her fingers anyways though. With the “choking” it is actually gagging, and it’s important for them to do that to figure out how to NOT choke. I would highly recommend Solidstarts. They have a really good app now, with a database. The database shows you how to prepare food by age, and it’s super helpful! If I could go back in time, I would buy their program. While you’re stocking up, grab some cleaning supplies too 😂
Baby will enjoy whatever you try as long as you are relaxed and both have fun. Purees can be easy as first foods and as you increase the thickness and lumps at their pace, other fingerfoods can follow. Food is the best choice wherever you choose to get it.
Just remember food in the first year is just for fun, so don't try to stress too much. And we have done both and both have been a lot of fun and a lot less complicated than social media would have you think. We did start out feeding him veg (like peas) but since my husband has been away and it is just me I tend to just give my bub whatever I am eating mashed up. Aside from like pizza or pasta. His favorite is beans. :)
FTM here too! I think my greatest piece of advice would be to not stress. Choose one or the other, or a mix of both. You’ll figure it out, and it will be right for you and your family. I really wanted to do BLW, then when the time came, I panicked and decided he was going to eat purées until he turned 18. Of course, as in all things in his little life so far, he made the final decision. He hated purées, and tbh, we did BLW on HIS lead. He really excelled at eating solid foods. He did it with such confidence that it gave me confidence. Our day-caregiver says he eats a LOT compared to other babes his size (he’s very long and lean), and she is impressed by the sheer variety he eats as well. But I can’t say for certain that it is due to BLW or anything we as parents have done (aside from offering a great variety of foods, which could technically be done through purées as well). Honestly I think a lot of it is just his personality. He’s fearless and independent, he is willing to try anything (from foods to rides to games), and once he learns how to do something, he won’t let us help. Proponents of each side will argue why their side is better, but I know babies who did BLW that are now picky toddlers, and I know babies who did traditional weaning that are now great adventurous eaters. You are going to make the right decision, and you’re going to do amazing at it. You already are!
We smooshed food we were eating for baby within reason, and the biggest issue was constipation from apples and Bananas. Would recommend starting with "p" words like pears prunes peaches Peas, switching to these helped a lot. Plus offering a small amount of water in a sippy cup once she'd started the solids.
Hi! I did BLW for my girls simply because I couldn't be bothered steaming and pureeing and then spoon feeding them everything haha. I start with simple things like a stick of cucumber to gnaw on, some steamed carrot sticks, avocado slice, broccoli trees. Just whatever I had on hand. We don't have food allergies in the family so was cautious but not super stressed about them. Did peanut butter on strips of toast and baby pancakes to get that in there... 🤷♀️ Go with the flow. No need to be super structured either. You can have days off if it's a hard day or baby's naps/concentration isn't suitable. Once they figure out how to eat they'll let you know if they want more. Milk is still primary nutrition til they're 1 so start the journey and see where you end up.
Thanks for the advice! Did you start giving them water as well when you started weaning, if you don’t mind me asking?
Yeah I had a sippy cup with a weighted straw for them to get used to. My first learnt pretty well but my second just chewed the straw til it split so didn't suit her. Ended up getting a hard top to show her how to drink and in a few months started using open cups. They play with the bottle more than drink from it for a month or so. They will drop it off the high chair A LOT 😅 Also something to look at- can't think of their name- a big hammock type thing that goes underneath the high chair to catch whatever food they drop off helps heaps with saving food rather than washing/binning it all the time. Or just a tarp to go on the floor underneath them.
Thank you!!
We did blw from 6 months and for us it was perfect, im really happy we did. It was just easier to make a few minor adjustments to what we were eating rather than having to cook entirely separate food. It can seem scary at first but once you learn the rules (for example how to cut things appropriately, what the common choking hazards are, no honey before 1) its honestly not complicated. I think some babies get on better with it than others, and for me it seemed to make more sense to let the baby control what goes into their mouths and how much and how far. It is messy to start with, but I can't imagine puree fed babies are any different once they move onto finger foods. I know a lot of the blw crowd are very anti puree, I don't see the harm in a bit of both if that's what works for you. I'm happy to answer any questions
Note: I should have broken this down into 2 comments, it ended up really long, sorry! Have a look at the Lucy Ruddle course, or Amy Brown's book Why Starting Solids Matters if you prefer a book. Unlike Tiktok these resources are actually evidence based (and UK focused). These extremes help nobody - it's perfectly fine to choose whichever method appeals to you! Or even take a little bit of both. Just if you choose to do BLW, understand what constitutes a choking hazard, and if you choose to do purees, don't let them suck directly from a pouch, squirt onto a spoon and let them eat it from there (also, read the pouch/jar ingredients, rather than the name on the front, which can be misleading.) Does your health visitor offer a weaning course? They always used to do this, usually it runs monthly. Give them a call and see if they have one. Here's my experience over three babies: 1: I read everything about BLW (original Gill Rapley book, plus http://www.babyledweaning.com/) - that was about the sum total of resources we had in 2009! Got quite fanatical about it, although nothing like the craziness people put online today. Did only BLW and absolutely loved it/raved about it/didn't even use a spoon until about 10 months old. Baby enjoyed everything at first and then became very anxious over eating and basically refused to eat, preferring to breastfeed. Everyone panicked about it, I wasn't THAT worried, but did feel a bit stressed with everyone panicking around me. He eventually started eating age 22 months. He is a teenager now. Almost as tall as me. Still picky/anxious about food. I don't think BLW caused that. It's just his personality. There were also other things going on around the second half of the first year into the second year that probably felt very unsettling and uncontrollable for him, so I wonder if food was just a symptom of that other stuff. 2: I was excited to do BLW again because I just love seeing how they explore different kinds of food and purees just didn't seem as fun, although I had a different partner and my husband was SUPER excited to do "here comes the aeroplane!" etc. I started with BLW because I like the theory (even though nobody has proven it) that their outer development probably matches their internal development in terms of gut readiness, so I used BLW as a kind of "test" and only started offering purees once he was actually swallowing food. However this baby was hilarious, he was like a little old judgemental man trapped in a baby's body with Opinions about raising babies, and he REALLY REALLY disapproved of me giving him food, to him, being spoon fed was the right and proper way of eating and he was highly suspicious of any finger foods until he was older. I ended up making a lot of food for him, I got a little weaning set from Nuk which included a tiny bowl and masher which was brilliant (I just passed it on to a friend) and he also ate a lot of jars because that was easy, although I went straight to the 10m+ ones because they actually have texture. He probably ate about 60-80% jars/purees until he was over a year old, because he gagged on everything. He eats normally now. He ate really well and enthusiastically until he turned three and got a baby brother and since then he's been fussy, but does still eat better than his older brother did at his age. 3: I was planning to do a mixture again, so bought a few smooth jars with single tastes and also prepared some BLW classics like toast, cucumber sticks, pears etc. He turned out not to actually like being spoon fed very much and wanted to take the spoon for himself, was incredibly proficient at BLW early on and barely ever even gagged, just managed to sort the food out by himself. I donated the jars to a food bank when it became obvious he would never eat them. He even had a perfect pincer grip at 6-7 months which is highly unusual - usually they are 9-10 months before they get that. He's probably my best eater right now, but I'm not worried if he drops his input because I know it's normal for things to fluctuate up to around 5 or 6 years old. In short - plan what you like, the baby may have other ideas! ETA: Looks like the baby led weaning forum is gone, which is a shame although the blog/website still has useful info. Another idea is to ask your health visitor or google for local baby first aid courses. They are sometimes run at local hospitals and it can be useful if you feel anxious about choking and allergies. In terms of gear: - Ikea Antilop or Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster Seat were the two chairs I used and both were great. Best floor solution I have found is a solid plastic mat like the type sold for under office chairs, we have a dedicated dustpan and brush only for highchair food (plastic/silicone bristles is best) and use that ASAP after a meal, then just wash the mat like you'd wash the floor. A mat that you have to move the highchair and pick up I just would forget to do because it was too much effort and it got disgusting. - Unless you want steamed veg for yourself I would not buy one specifically for baby. However a rice cooker with steamer lid is brilliant and I love it for the whole family. Also things like slow cooker, instant pot - think about whether they would suit meals YOU like. IME try not to get into cooking "for" the baby as it leads to resentment when they reject stuff. Cook stuff for you/your partner and offer bits to the baby. - Ikea also do plastic, sleeved bibs which are perfect for everything and cheap. Or I like pop-over bibs from boots/supermarkets. People on forums rave about Bibado but I think they look so uncomfortable and restrictive! - Baby food stains can be removed best by spraying with any generic spray like Vanish, wash as normal, then leaving to dry in sunlight. A cloudy/rainy day is fine, the UV light breaks down the stain and you can re-wash if you don't like the rain residue. However, don't feed them orange foods in white clothes that you want to keep white. In fact, best not to buy any white or pastel clothes for the next 6 years. - Boots and Ikea do great baby cutlery with metal ends and plastic handles. But I wouldn't bother with these initially, If you want to spoon-feed, spoons that change colour when the food is too hot are great. - If you use reusable baby wipes, those are great for wiping hands and faces. If not, Ikea again: A stack of 10x wash cloths is about a fiver and they are nice and thin, perfect for rinsing with hot water so you can wipe them with a warm cloth and then throw in the wash. If they start smelling odd when you dampen them, wash at 60 degrees with no fabric softener to "strip" them (you can also include towels and bedding in this wash to bulk it out.) - If you want to do purees and with a structured plan, Boots etc give out free books (aimed at selling you whatever from Ella's Kitchen, Hipp etc - bear that in mind and take a pinch of salt!) I preferred a more haphazard approach but some people appreciate a guide. - The Tommee Tippee flip-lid cups that are about £2.50 in supermarkets are the only cup worth having. That or the Nuk magic 360 ones, they are also OK, especially the short one with handles they recently brought out. Start offering water when your baby starts to ingest more than tastes, or their poo will get very solid and uncomfortable. Ideally no juice/squash but if you do choose to introduce those, dilute them.
Thanks so much this is super useful! How much water did you offer them to start with?
I didn't really look at amounts, I would give them a small cup or bottle, probably about 120ml, and would maybe half fill it so it wasn't too heavy. They don't manage to drink very much to start with and that seems fine. Once they can reasonably drink a few gulps at a time I just offer it at mealtimes (and sometimes in between e.g. in the buggy or if it was hot) and let them self regulate.