Baby-Led Weaning: A Nutritionist Explains How to Do It

Adorable baby in high chair using baby led weaning to savor a cupcake with a candle. Celebratory mood indoors.

What is Baby-Led Weaning?

Baby-led weaning (BLW) is a complimentary feeding method for infants ages 4 – 6 months old that involves allowing infants to feed themselves food instead of using a traditional spoon fed approach.

It was “discovered” by Gil Rapley, PhD. In a sense, Rapley organically discovered this method with her third child. One day she was too overwhelmed to prepared pureed food for her infant while she was caring for her other two children. She gave her infant table food and they started eating. That’s when she “discovered” BLW.

If you make lunch and particularly school lunch for your kids in bento boxes, check out my blog post on how to keep their food safe. Click hereto read it.

The BLW method is as follows according to one of Rapley’s earliest books, “Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introduce Solid Foods and Helping Your Baby Grow Up a Happy and Healthy Eater” on the subject:

The Baby-Led Weaning Method1

  1. The baby sits with the rest of the family at mealtimes and joins in when they are ready.
  2. They are encouraged to explore food as soon as they are interested, by picking it up with their hand. It doesn’t matter whether or not they manage to eat any at first.
  3. Food is offered in pieces that are the size and shape that the baby can handle easily, rather than purees or mashed food
  4. They feed themselves from the start, rather than being spoon fed by someone else.
  5. It’s up to the baby how much they eat and how quickly they widen the range of foods they enjoy.
  6. The baby continues to have milk feedings (breastmilk or formula) whenever they want. They decide when they are ready to begin reducing them.
Adorable baby eating bread and carrots in a high chair with colorful tray.

Giving table food to a very young infant tends to make a few parents uncomfortable. It sounds like an interesting method in theory, but is it even safe?

Is it Safe?

Thought this method is gaining popularity amongst the public, some still question the safety of it. One of the main concerns is whether this method increases the risk of choking. Since infants that are learning how to eat are at a higher risk of choking, this is a valid concern. There have been qa few research studies conducted to test the safety of BLW.

The BLISS Study

One of the most cited studies on BLW is called the BLISS study. BLISS is an acronym for “Baby-Led Introduction to SolidS”. It is an alteration of the BLW method. The BLISS study is a randomized control trial that assessed the risk of choking between a BLW group and a traditional spoon fed group.

During well baby visits at the pediatrician, both groups received education about traditional complimentary feeding which included education about avoiding foods that pose a choking risk. The BLISS group received additional education about the BLISS method.

The Results

They found that the BLISS group was no more likely to choke than the control group and despite education, many children in both groups were offered foods that posed a risk of choking2.

A cute baby in a highchair eating a slice of fruit during their first meal experience.

Adding on to the BLISS Study

To assess the risk of choking, impact of growth, and intake of iron, another randomized control trial took inspiration from the BLISS study. Again, in this study, both groups received education on the traditional spoon feeding approach and the BLW group received extra education sessions on the BLISS method.

The Results

Once again, they found no differences in the risk of choking between the two groups. There was also no significant difference between the two groups in terms of iron intake; however, it was noted that neither group met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations for iron; no anemia from either group resulted.

Lastly in terms of growth, the traditional spoon fed group gained more weight than the BLW group. It was said that it was probably due parents continuing to feed their children past their fullness cues so that the infants could finish the remaining baby food in the containers3.

Safety?

Both of these studies found that even after being educated on foods that pose a risk for choking BLW may not pose more of a risk than traditional spoon feeding. There are definitely things you can do to lower your little one’s choking risk even more.

How to Safely Use Baby-Led Weaning

NOTE: Before starting solid foods, always consult with your child’s pediatrician’s recommendations. Most babies are able to start solids between the ages of 4 – 6 months. Premature infants may need to start later or based on their pediatrician’sadvice.

There are several things you can do to safely use BLW for your child. They include:

Judge for Readiness

It is important for your baby to show signs of readiness before they start BLW or solid foods. This ensures that they are able to safely eat.

A family having breakfast at home, sharing food and drinks, embodying togetherness and love.

Five Common Signs of Readiness for Solid Foods

  1. They can hold their head steady independently.
  2. They put fingers or toys in their mouth.
  3. They show interest in what you are eating.
  4. They can open their mouth wide.
  5. When food is placed in their mouth, they swallow it and don’t push it out with their tongue.

Your baby needs to show all five signs before they are ready to start BLW. Once they have shown all five signs, you can start complimentary feeding.

Continue Formula or Breastmilk Feedings

Whether you decide to use baby-led weaning, traditional spoon feeding or any other feeding method, it is important to continue breastmilk and formula feedings up until the age of 12 months. Breastmilk or formula should be your child’s primary source of nutrition until they are 12 months old. Eating table food is for fun and experimentation at this age. When using BLW, it is still important to give them foods that are the appropriate texture and size for them.

Provide Appropriate Foods

The Solid Starts app description of a cucumber for parents who want to use the BLW method
A screenshot of the free version of the Solid Starts app.

While I was using BLW during my daughter’s complimentary feeding days, I was recommended an app called “Solid Starts” by my lactation consultant. This app was designed by pediatric feeding experts. It gives information on how to introduce solid foods to infants for parents using BLW or a similar complimentary feeding method that does not involve traditional spoon feeding.

Click here to download the Solid Starts app for Android. Click here for the Apple app store version.

Like many other apps, there is a free and paid version. I used the free version and I felt like it was enough information to safely feed my baby. It provides detailed information on hundreds of foods that includes the appropriate age to serve the food, allergy information, iron richness of the food, how to serve the food, and choking risk of that food. This leads me to my next point on safely using BLW which is to learn the difference between choking and gagging.

Understanding Choking vs Gagging

When infants are first learning to eat, it is completely normal for them to gag. Gagging occurs when a piece of food or object touches the back your baby’s throat. They cough or their face may redden. This is fine too because coughing indicates that air is flowing through their throat. When a baby gags, they can usually resolve the issue on their own by continuing to cough or moving the food to the front of their mouth.

On the other hand, choking is a life threatening situation that occurs when something blocks the throat and air cannot properly enter the throat. Gasping may occur or some may silently choke. Your infant may become blue in the face and may be unable to cough or cry. Immediate action needs to be taken by an adult to resolve this.

It is important to always supervise your baby during all mealtimes, snacks, and feedings to be able to react in times of an emergency. If an emergency such as choking happens, it is important to be prepared by already knowing infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR.

Learn Infant CPR

Even if you follow all of the steps above and take all of the necessary precautions, sometimes things happen. Learning infant CPR before you need it will allow you to feel more comfortable using this method and any other complimentary feeding method. It’s an important life skill that’s useful for anyone. I encourage you to sign up for the next available class in your area.

Your Thoughts on Baby-Led Weaning

What are your thoughts in BLW? Would it be something that you’d be comfortable trying on your little one? Let me know in the comments down below!

References

  1. Rapley, G & Murkett, T. (2010). Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods and Helping Your Baby Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater. The Experiment.
  2. Fangupo, L. J., Health A. M., Williams, S. m>, Erickson, L. W., Morrison, B. L. , Fleming, E.A., Taylor, B. J., Wheeler, B. J., Taylor, R. W. (2016). A Baby-Led Approach to Eating Solids and Risk of Choking. Pediatrics, 138 (4). https://doi-org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/10.1542/peds.2016-0772
  3. Dogan, e., Yilmaz, G., Caylan, N., Turgut, M, Gokcay, G., Oguz M. M. (2018). Baby-Led complentary feeding: Randomized Control study. Pediatrics International,60 (2). https://doi.org/10.1111/ped.13671

Author

  • Selfie of a woman with a yellow dress on

    MeaLenea is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Her love for food began when her mom taught her the basics of cooking when she was little. Eventually, she was whipping up full meals in the kitchen by the time she was a preteen. She studied food and nutrition during her undergraduate and graduate school years and is now, a subject matter expert in foods and nutrition.

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