Baby Led Weaning| My Tips and Tricks and Products I Swear By

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Hey Guys!
Luke is officially 13 months which means he has been eating table food for 7 months! I can’t even believe it! When we started on our BLW journey I never imagined it would be this fun and easy. Please read on for some tips I have, as well as all the products I highly recommend if you want to start on this journey.

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I have never heard of Baby Led Weaning until I had a child. I saw some of my favorite influencers on Instagram feeding their babies regular table food and I found it so fascinating. I started researching the idea of BLW and found that I loved the concept. Now, this isn’t for everyone. I HIGHLY recommend doing research on your own before you start. BLW is an amazing thing but you have to be extra careful about the way you present the food so babies learn to eat without getting frustrated. I learned a lot from this book HERE.

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I won’t bore you with all the amazing things I learned from this book but here is a quick summary. BLW is great especially for breastfed babies because they are already independent in their eating meaning they already control what they are drinking/eating and are teaching themselves when they are full to stop. Not saying that bottle fed babies can’t do BLW as well but this concept started with breastfed babies. Since these babies are already more independent, feeding them by spoon takes a step backwards because it teaches them to rely on you to feed them rather then themselves. BLW also encourages family bonding at mealtime so that every meal is shared by the family at the same time. I liked this idea because sitting trying to spoon feed a baby mushy messy food while my own food got cold didn’t sound fun to me.

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The book also talks about the importance of cutting the food properly for each age. At first, you want to cut the food in long thin strips. This scares people because they worry about choking and think the food is too big. I learned that young babies don’t have a proper pincher grip to grab small food so when you cut it in long strips, they are able to pick it up and knaw at the end that is sticking out of their fist. Pretty cool huh! As they grow older and their pincher grip and hand eye coordination develops, you can start cutting pieces into normal small sizes like we adults eat. Speaking of hand eye coordination, I really believe that BLW has led to Luke having amazing little fingers and he has been able to use stacking toys and other complicated toys since he was really little.

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Alot of people’s main concern about BLW is choking. This is understandable. From my research, babies are no more prone to choking in BLW than in regular spoon feeding. That being said, it is extremely important to always watch a child when they are eating no matter how old. I will never walk away from Luke when he is eating. Anything can happen in a second no matter what it is.

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The number 1 rule for BLW is that you can’t start until they meet ALL signs of readiness. This includes sitting up on their own for 1 min straight, being 6 months old, loss of extrusion reflex, and baby brings objects to mouth with ease. There are also foods that you must not feed to baby including raw honey before the age of 1 (this can hide in objects such as bread so check the labels) obvious choking hazards, unpasteurized foods and anything undercooked. Besides that everything is fair game!

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The other most important rule about BLW is food before 1 is just for fun and milk is still king. Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding, you should always offer milk first before every meal. This is where babies get the majority of their nutrients from especially before they aren’t eating a lot of regular food.

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We don’t follow a specific diet for Luke. We have always given him what we are eating. He eats sugar and processed foods in moderation, we don’t add a ton of salt or seasoning to his food, and he eats plenty of fruits and veggies. He loves meat but sometimes red meat can be hard on his tummy so we have to cut him off ( which he hates haha)

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Many people have doctors and family members who will try to talk them out of BLW. My own doctor had never heard of it but once I explained that this is what it is she didn’t say anything. My family was very confused and often tried to steer me away from my decision but I pushed forward. I knew what I wanted for my son and ultimately everyone is now amazed at what a great eater he is! Many people will also try to tell you to introduce foods in a certain order or one at a time to avoid allergies, This is also a myth. Allergies can pop up at anytime during your life so you don’t need to do this.

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Overall, this is your child and your decision. You can do BLW 100%, half spoon half BLW or all spoon. Whatever you decide remember, you are the parent and you know what is best for your child.

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See below for the products we love!

Highchair: I have talked about the highchair from Ikea a few times now. It is inexpensive, so easy to clean and works amazing. You can get a little blow up insert to go in to help move baby closer to the tray. Luke used this until he was about 9 months. I love the sleek minimal design and the fact that it takes up so little space.

Splat Mat: To go under the highchair to help stop any messes is this splat mat. It comes in many designs and can be washed in the washing machine. It is super travel friendly as well so we like taking it to places when Luke needs to eat at his grandparents or for holidays. This is waterproof so in the future we will also use it for the beach and other outdoor activities.

Smock Bib: Since BLW is messy, Luke wears a smock bib over his clothes. These are made of almost the same material as the splat mat and can be thrown in the washing machine for easy cleaning. I highly recommend having at least 2 for easy rotating. Luke also spends alot of time at his grandparents so I have a couple there as well.

Silicone Bib: I also recommend going with silicone bibs rather than cloth ones. These can be wiped clean, also can be thrown in the washing machine and have a pocket to catch extra food.

Sippy Cup: Obviously this isn’t eating, but when we started BLW we also started introducing Luke to a cup. We started out with water in a shot glass to teach him to tilt his head back and drink. Then we graduated to these cups. They are spill proof, easy to clean and Luke loves them.

Utensils: These were great in the beginning to load a spoon and let Luke feed himself. Obviously babies don’t know how to use spoons and forks yet so BLW encourages parents to preload spoons, set them on the tray and let the baby pick them up and feed themselves.

Bowls: These bowls are amazing and stick so well to the tray. Luke can’t rip them off. I am still trying to find plates that suction as well so I won’t be recommending any plates just yet.

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Overall, we have really enjoyed this journey with Luke. He is an amazing eater and pretty much likes all food. Some days he eats more than others but more often than not, he eats more than me! If you have any questions or want to share any of your favorite products, let me know down below!

XOXO Channing

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