What is Baby Led Weaning: Have you heard about baby led weaning and aren’t sure where to start, or even what it even means? In this post, I’ll define what baby led weaning is, share how to start baby led weaning, show how we do it in our family, and even give you the scoop on the best baby led weaning gear!
What is Baby Led Weaning?
Seven years ago, when I told people we were going to do baby led weaning with Bowe, our firstborn, I got some rather confused looks. People who knew me immediately asked, “But, wait? I thought you wanted to breastfeed for a year? Is everything ok?”
Others were flabbergasted by the thought of skipping purees entirely (like our doctor), and then some like my grandma (a mom of six and the youngest of 10 in her family) just said, “Well what else would you feed them?” If there was something that cemented in my mind how right baby led weaning was to our family, it was her response. Why wouldn’t you feed your baby real foods from the start?
Plus, the lazy part of me was all for baby led weaning–no special meals to cook, no expensive purees to buy, and no wiping pureed sweet potatoes off the ceiling of my kitchen.
What is meant by baby led weaning?
Simply put, baby led weaning is feeding your baby solid foods from the start. When children are six months old, and strong enough to sit up in a high chair, and have enough coordination to hold food to their mouths, they are likely ready for starting solids. You start with easy to swallow foods that are easy on baby’s tummies and go from there.
Why is it called baby bed weaning?
It is called baby led weaning because instead of spoon feeding a child and deciding how much and what they should eat, you let a child regulate it themselves. It is a slow weaning process to transition from being exclusively breastfed to eating real foods (and supplementing with breastfeeding until they are weaned).
I also term baby led weaning “feeding babies real food from the start.” For the most part, my babies eat what we eat on a daily basis, and I don’t give them processed food (except when we are traveling and then they get all the crackers they want)!

What foods to start baby led weaning?
- Egg yolks scrambled
- Bananas
- Sweet potatoes (roasted)
- Avocados
- Roasted root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beets)
- Soft fruit (kiwi, mangoes, peaches, pears)
- Berries (9 months and up)
Does that mean no purees at all if you are doing baby led weaning?

The biggest reason I love baby led weaning is…



What gear do you need for baby led weaning?


Transitioning from breastfeeding to a sippy cup


What is the best high chair for baby led weaning?
