The First Month of Baby Led Weaning
Find out what to do in your first month of starting baby led weaning with your baby!
We started baby led weaning with our son when he was 6 months old.
It went pretty well! He is now 7 and a half months old and is a pro at feeding himself. I’ve learned how to cut things for him so he can put them in his mouth and chew them.
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He now has five teeth (hello teething!) and has learned to use them really well.
We basically feed him everything he ate when was 6 months old, but we now also feed him more of what we are eating.
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When I’m making dinner, I usually put some aside without any of the stuff he might not be able to eat.
For example, If I’m making meatloaf, I will set aside some of the meat and just make some smaller meatballs without any of the extra stuff in it.
He still has a little trouble eating the meatballs I make him, mostly because he likes to stuff his face and gets too much in there to chew properly. But we’re working on it!
We’ve also started trying to give him more water, and he uses this sippy cup. He learned really quickly how to use it. I love the handles that he can grab onto really easily.
I think it’s a great transition cup because it combines the sucking of nursing or bottle feeding with the use of a regular cup.
We also love these Ezpz mats for his food. It makes it so much easier for him to use the sides of the dish to pick up food.
Plus, less mess for me!
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What is Baby Led Weaning?
If you don’t know what baby led weaning is, it’s basically a form of feeding babies solids that involves them feeding themselves.
It is great for developing motor skills and independence. Babies tend to be less picky eaters and more accepting of new foods when starting solids through baby led weaning.
To me, it seems like a more natural approach to feeding babies.
That’s not to say that spoon feeding purees is a bad idea! Some babies prefer it and that’s totally fine.
We started doing a bit of both with D but he really took to BLW, as I figured he would. So, we kept going with that.
What we use for feeding
Highchair
I love this highchair because the tray is super easy to clean. The seat cover is comfy and comes off for easy washing as well.
It has straps for holding D in and supports him well.
Plus, it’s a 3 in 1 so it will grow with him.
Baby Bibs
We’ve used a whole bunch of different bibs for D (as you’ll see in pictures) but these full body ones are awesome. They make cleaning up super easy!
I also really like these bibs because they are silicone, easy to clean, and have pockets for catching dropped food. It helps reduce waste!
Baby spoons and forks
I use the EZPZ spoons (or basically anything by EZPZ) to help D, or to give to him to practice with. They’re easy to grasp and load with food.
Right now, he just likes to play with them! But, I let him practice with them every once in a while anyway but putting food on them for him and allowing him to feed himself with them.
Baby Brezza steamer
This baby steamer is amazing for anyone starting solids with their baby, whether that be through BLW or purees. You can set a time depending on how soft you want the food and can either steam only or steam and puree.
It’s great for steaming food for adults too!
Packaged snacks
These Baby Mum Mums are the snacks I feed D if we are out or if I am looking to feed him quick and without much mess.
I try not to give him too many things that are packaged or not homemade, but these are some of the snacks I felt the safest giving him with their ingredients.
Here is a list of some of the foods and meals we feed him now:
- Rice and beans
- Sausages
- Homemade baby pancakes
- Homemade oatmeal and banana bars
- Cucumber rings
- Squash
These are just a few things that we have added to his diet, along with everything he started with when he was 6 months old.
He may also eat a simplified version of what we eat at dinner time, but I generally try and have his meals prepared for a few days at a time.
A really important part of baby led weaning is having meals together. Of course this doesn’t always happen, but I try and eat at the same time as him.
This helps him learn about meal times, helps him know what to expect when meal times are set at a certain time, and it helps him learn about healthy eating habits.
Being present at meal times with your baby also helps with the development of socialization skills.
We now usually feed him solids at least twice, sometimes 3 times a day. He eats a heavier lunch, and then a lighter dinner, as well as sometimes a light breakfast.
At his age I know milk is still a major part of his dietary needs, so he usually has about 5 nursing sessions a day.
Of course sometimes this is more, sometimes even less with only four nursing sessions. I nurse him on demand so he eats when he’s hungry around his solid feeds.
He’s growing as he should so I usually don’t worry too much about it.
This is our baby led weaning update at 7 months! D has been a great eater from the start. I’m working on not being too anxious with how much he eats or doesn’t eat, as I know he’s human.
Babies learn to self-regulate through baby led weaning, and will eat more when they’re hungry and stop when they’re full. Sometimes they’re just not interested in solids and that’s okay for a time.
It’s all part of the process of starting baby led weaning with your baby!
