Is Baby-Led Weaning Safe?

Can My Baby Eat Whole Foods? Is That Safe?

Yes! Current data suggests that Baby-led Weaning (BLW) is just as safe, if not safer, than traditional spoon-feeding. Some experts believe that BLW encourages babies to learn how to chew before swallowing, whereas spoon-feeding purees may not promote this skill as effectively.

Safety is paramount when introducing food to babies, so it’s important to modify or avoid potential choking hazards for babies and toddlers until they’re about four years old. Some common choking hazards include:

• Grapes, cherries, and cherry tomatoes (quarter them lengthwise)
• Whole nuts (serve as thinly-spread nut butters)
• Hot dogs and sausages (cut into small pieces)
• Chips or any hard foods (avoid them)

For a full printable list of choking hazards, check out our Infant Course.

What About Spoon-Feeding Baby Foods?

Spoon-feeding became popular in the early 1900s when formula-feeding was on the rise. At the time, many parents made formula at home from basic ingredients and didn’t have access to vitamin drops or fortified formula. As a result, many babies became iron deficient. Pediatricians started recommending pureed foods that could be spoon-fed to ensure babies received enough iron. If you look at baby books from your parents' or grandparents' generation, you might notice that solid foods were often introduced very early—even within the first few days or weeks of life!

Since these young babies couldn't sit up independently or control their head and neck, pureed or liquified foods were necessary for safe feeding. Commercial baby food soon became a convenient and safe option for families, and it was widely assumed that babies needed pureed foods to eat successfully.

Interestingly, infant feeding literature from the 20th century refers to pureed baby foods as being given "customarily" or "traditionally," without evidence that babies needed to start with purees to learn to eat properly long-term.

Today, it’s generally recommended to wait until around 6 months to introduce solid foods. By this age, most babies have good head and neck control and are beginning to learn how to sit independently, so parents can skip the spoon-feeding stage and let their babies self-feed from the start if they prefer.

Does My Baby Need Teeth to Eat Foods Like Avocado Wedges or Strips of Meat?

Nope! Many babies begin eating solid foods without any teeth. Even if they have a few front teeth, they won’t have molars—their chewing teeth—until they’re 2-3 years old. We can’t wait that long to offer real food! Babies can chew quite well using their back gums and strong jaw muscles.

How Do I Know if My Baby Is Ready for Baby-led Weaning?

We generally recommend introducing any solid foods (whether strips, purees, or lumpy foods) besides breast milk or formula around 6 months of age, when your baby can:

• Sit with minimal assistance and has good head and neck control.
• Bring their hands and safe toys to their mouth.
• Show an interest in food.

What Do I Need to Start?

One of the great things about Baby-led Weaning is that you don’t need much to get started—just a place for your baby to sit and some food to offer. However, having the right knowledge and quality feeding gear can make the process smoother. Some of our favoruite items include:.

• Silicon Utensils - helps babies bring food to their mouth when it’s hard to pick up by hand.
• Baby Bib - A bib that covers your baby’s clothing without being hot, bulky, or uncomfortable. It ties behind the torso instead of the neck, which most babies prefer. Use code FEEDINGLITTLES for a discount at bapronbaby.com.
•  Small Cup - Perfect for learning how to drink from an open cup.
• Straw Cup - Helps your baby learn how to drink from a straw cup.
• A high chair that promotes good positioning.

What Foods Do I Start With?

The beauty of Baby-led Weaning is that there’s no single “right” food to start with. As long as it’s soft and in a shape your baby can pick up, like a strip or stick, it’s a “go!” Many families love avocado as a first food, but roasted broccoli, peanut butter on banana, oatmeal served on a loaded spoon, full-fat yogurt, roasted butternut squash, sautéed zucchini, hummus, pear, and steamed carrot are all fantastic options.

Why Strips of Food?

When babies begin eating solid foods around 6 months of age, most of them haven’t developed a pincer grasp, the ability to pick up small pieces of food between their thumb and forefinger. This skill typically develops around 10-12 months. That’s why it’s important to offer foods they can hold and bring to their mouth successfully—foods shaped like strips or wedges about the length of an adult pinky finger.