How To Start Baby Led Weaning
Baby Led Weaning: How To Start & What You’ll Need!
The first thoughts that may come to your mind when you hear weaning is messy, mushy and puree. Whilst lots of parents do choose to introduce their little ones to solid food in the form of purees and mashed up food, there is another method that is growing popularity and that is, baby-led weaning. Baby-led weaning is when your little one is the age of 6 months or older dives straight into finger foods as soon as solids are introduced, skipping purees, and mashed up food.
How to start baby-led weaning?
The best age to start your baby on solid foods is from 6 months old. At six months of age, most babies will be ready to try their first foods. Softly cooked pieces of vegetables are usually the best foods to start with. Softly boiled carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips are some of the most popular vegetables to start with. One of the many benefits of baby-led weaning is that your baby gets to explore a range of types and textures of food straight away whilst you get to watch their priceless expressions.
When baby-led weaning your little one is in control. It’s important to remember to offer food to your little one and let them decide what they would like to take. A great tip is to include your little one in your family meals whenever you can as this is a chance to socialise too. They will love interacting with family members and even copy them!
Although your baby is beginning to eat solid foods, it’s important to carry on offering breast milk or formula feeds as this is where they get most of their nutrition for the first few years. This means you don’t have to worry too much about how much your little one is trying solids.
During baby-led feeding it’s a good idea to encourage your baby to sip water out of a cup. This will help them stay hydrated and create good habits!
Now you know how to start baby-led weaning, lets move on to what you will need.
A Highchair
A chair is one of the most important items on your shopping list. It’s important that the height and reach of the highchair is right for your baby so they can easily grab their food.
Bibs, bibs, and more bibs!
Never underestimate the mess that a weaning baby can make! A long-sleeved coverall bib is the perfect choice when baby-led weaning. Ziggle have a gorgeous selection of coverall bibs that are easily cleaned and perfect for when you’re on the go! You can shop them here and match your coverall bib to your favourite Cosatto highchair design.
Beaker
As mentioned before, you should encourage your little one to drink water as soon as they start eating solid food. Try and choose a beaker with a free-flowing spout, this will help your baby learn to sip instead of suck.
Now you know how to start baby-led weaning and what you will need we hope you enjoy yourself on your little one’s weaning journey! Don’t forget to share your baby-led weaning experiences with us over on our Instagram!
Love, Team Ziggle X