Baby Led Weaning in the Kitchen

Hi Azminia,

You’re right, there are so many contradictory opinions about those topics. I’m going to give you the information that’s the most up-to-date and backed by research. Let’s start with meat. Meat contains lots of iron and zinc, which are really important nutrients for babies 6-12 months old. So you can offer your baby meat starting at 6 months old. There isn’t one particular type of meat you should try first.

Meat tends to be tough and difficult for babies to take bites from so here are some of my ideas to make it easier:

MEATBALLS

You can take 1 lb of ground meat (any meat, so chicken, beef, lamb, veal, bison), add spices and herbs, shape it into meatballs that your baby can easily grab. A 6 month old’s hand movement ability is quite limited and they can’t pick up small pieces of food. They don’t even have the ability to re-position a piece of food in their hands so I found that log-shaped meatballs work best. About the length of an adult pinky finger. That way, the baby will grab the log-shaped meatball and some of it will be sticking out of their fist so they can easily take bites. You can experiment with different shapes like golf ball sized meatballs once your baby gets more practice. You can bake them in the oven at 400F for about 20 min. Meatballs are super convenient because you could freeze them and take them out when you need them, if what you’re eating isn’t really appropriate for your baby. My favourite meatballs are Indian-style meatballs made with ground chicken, curry, minced onion, ginger and cinnamon. If you’re feeling creative you can even add some chopped up veggies to your meatballs.

HOMEMADE SAUSAGES

I’m not talking about store-bought sausages because those can be quite tough, salty and might contain some ingredients that aren’t appropriate for babies. I’m talking about easy homemade sausages without any casings. My favourite sausages are made from a pound of ground lamb and toasted spices (1 tsp cumin and 2 tsp coriander). You just combine the toasted spices with 1 tbsp paprika, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ cup fresh cilantro, 2 garlic cloves and your 1 lb ground lamb. Then you roll the seasoned lamb mixture into small sausages about 5 cm long and 3 cm of diameter and cook them in a skillet on medium heat for about 8 minutes. Those are great dipped in homemade mayo and sauerkraut. I have tons more recipes in my BLW online course at blw.jessicacoll.com and my Baby Led Weaning Recipes iBook at jessicacoll.com/book.

KEBABS

You can make kebabs from ground beef or bison, mixed with your favourite herbs and spices about 10 cm long (like long meatballs), thread the seasoned mixture onto a skewer and cook on the barbecue for about 10 minutes.

SLOW COOKED MEAT

You can cook meat in a slow cooker or pressure cooker (pulled pork, stews- just don’t add salt while you’re preparing the meal because babies really don’t need a lot of salt). Meat on a bone works really well because there is an integrated handle so babies can get a good grip (garlicky chicken drumsticks and rosemary lamb chops are some examples). You can even offer the meat from your soup because it’s usually quite tender (chicken soup for example and take out the chicken)

LIVER PÂTÉ

The most smooth textured and the highest in iron is liver pâté (recipe on my blog at jessicacoll.com/blog but it’s really easy and inexpensive to make your own). You can spread the liver pate onto a cucumber stick and enjoy some for yourself as well!

Dairy doesn’t contain lots of iron and that’s part of the reason we recommend not including lots of it in your baby’s diet until iron-rich foods are eaten twice a day. What’s more, the calcium found in dairy tends to block iron absorption. So dairy here and there is OK starting at 6 months old but just not on a regular basis. If there is some dairy in recipes, it’s OK. Just not regularly because their iron needs are so high.

What types of dairy products? You don’t want to choose low fat or fat free milk products because babies need fat for their development. So choose Greek yogurts and Mediteranean yogurts with lots of fat and no sugar added. Also, look at the ingredient list to choose the yogurt with the least amount of ingredients possible. Cheeses tend to be high in salt content so don’t offer them daily. You can choose hard cheeses and cut them in sticks.

Eggs are a great starter food. They contain B vitamins, good fats and even some iron. You can include them starting at 6 months of age. In the past it was recommended to wait until 1 year old to prevent allergies, but the current research concludes that babies may be more protected against allergies if they’re exposed to eggs earlier (6-9 months).

I hope this clarifies everything for you!

Thank you so much! My son turns 9 months on Saturday so I'm glad I can feel more comfortable about incorporating these items in his diet.

My pleasure! Have fun!

Hi Jo,

You can offer the same foods as I mentioned in Azminia, Eva and Rebecca’s posts. Your 9 month old can bite down quite strongly with his gums and can manage a huge variety of foods. If you put your finger in his mouth, you’ll see what I mean! So go ahead and offer slow cooked meats, meatballs, roasted veggies and fruit. You can find more inspiration in my BLW Recipes iBook at jessicacoll.com/book if you’re interested!

Hi Melissa,

As you know, babies show interest at different ages and some don’t show any interest until much later. Your twins are only 6 months adjusted now so you don’t have to worry. As long as they are following their growth curve and continuing to breastfeed/bottle feed on demand, you don’t have to worry. You certainly don’t want to force them to eat because you don’t want them to associate eating with forcing (I’m sure you’re not doing that though). I suggest including your “uninterested baby” at the table at times during the day when he is happy, not tired and not hungry. You know him best so you can choose at what time during the day that is for him. That way, he won’t be irritated and will be more willing to explore. Remember, BLW is all about exploration and discovery. Some babies don’t show any interest until much later so be sure that the foods that you are offering them are filled with calories and the nutrients they need. I talk about that in detail in my BLW online course at blw.jessicacoll.com. Focus on foods like meats, liver pâté, eggs, avocados and try to limit foods like bread, pasta and foods without much nutrients. You’re already doing it but one thing that helps with babies starting out is to vary the shapes and colors of the foods offered. It will make it more stimulating for them. If he doesn’t want to sit in a high chair, maybe have him sit on your lap. That way, he might feel more confident. Those are the tips that come to my mind for now but you are definitely on the right track. Keep it up Melissa!

Feel free to check out my previous post for Rebecca about why I recommend waiting until around 6 months of age. I strongly recommend waiting until your baby is really ready to start solids because his digestive system isn’t ready to accept foods earlier than that (among other reasons). At 4.5 months old, it’s normal that your baby is showing interest in food when he sees you eating. He will show interest in everything that you will do (playing with pens, talking on the phone, etc) but it doesn’t mean that he is ready. He doesn’t make the connection between “I’m hungry” and “this is food and I want to eat it to make me feel full” yet. It’s coming soon though! My take on it is to wait until his fine motor skills are developed enough to grab pieces of food on his own. That way, it’ll be easier for you and less frustrating for him. Does this make sense?

Thanks Jessica. So, to clarify, you recommend ONLY breastmilk/formula until solids at 6+ mos? And not offering anything like puffed cereal or puréed foods before that time?

Yes that's right! Breastmilk/formula provides everything your baby needs until he starts solids.

Hi everyone, I'm excited to be here today to answer all your questions about BLW in the kitchen! Thank you for having me. I'm a registered dietitian, lactation consultant and mom of two kids who did BLW. I'm also the author of the Baby Led Weaning Recipes iBook that can be found at jessicacoll.com/book and the creator of the BLW online course. If you'd like to find out more about me, I'm at jessicacoll.com and on instagram.com/jessicoll. Have a great day!

Hi Rebecca, how exciting! It is normal that your baby is showing interest at this age but doesn’t mean that he/she is ready to start just yet. The World Health Organization recommends starting solids at around 6 months for many reasons: safety reasons, prevention of choking, allergy prevention and maturity of the digestive system. So before starting, make sure your baby is showing all these signs of readiness: able to maintain a sitting position with minimal help, able to bring objects to his/her mouth with precision, around 6 months of age and of course you want him/her to show interest (which he/she already is doing).

When you feel like your baby is ready, you can start with foods that are easy to grab because a 6 month old’s coordination is quite limited. Pieces of food the size of an adult pinky finger (or larger) work best. That way, the food sticks out of his/her fist and he/she can chew on it. So you can start with large pieces that are firm enough so your baby can hold them but soft enough that he/she can take bites.

Since your baby’s iron needs are so high, you can prioritize foods packed with iron like meats, fish and eggs. It’s true that there is some iron in rice baby cereal but it’s not well absorbed in his/her body. So a long piece of plain omelette is a good starter food. For size, refer to your pinky and make sure it’s about that size or bigger. You’ll notice that your baby may not be taking bites for the first few days and that’s normal. He/she only knows how to suck at this point. With practice, he/she will learn to take a bite and chew. It’s important to let your baby take his/her time.

Other ideas of foods that have lots of iron are: meatballs made with ground beef or bison, meat cooked in a slow cooker, a skinless chicken drumstick (just be sure to remove the small pointy bone) and salmon sliders. You can then let your baby explore roasted veggies, ripe fruit and so on. You can stay away from honey until 12 months old and undercooked eggs, raw fish, raw meat and excessive amounts of salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.

If you’re interested in BLW recipes created especially with baby’s nutrient needs in mind, feel free to check out my Baby Led Weaning Recipes iBook at jessicacoll.com/book.

The quantity that the baby eats per meal will vary a lot. The principle behind BLW is to trust that your baby knows how much to eat. So include your baby at the table whenever someone in the family is eating and see if he/she is interested. You might start with only one food and let him/her discover the food offered. You’ll progressively offer more food as your baby shows interest. You’ll continue breastfeeding on demand and shouldn’t see the number of feeds decrease for a few months. Happy BLW!

Hi Aimee,

A 7-month old’s coordination is quite limited so she can’t pick up small pieces of food like cut-up pieces of avocado or mashed avocado. She can only close her fist so sticks of food work best because the food will be sticking out and she’ll be able to take bites easily. At first, it’s normal that she picks up the piece of food and sucks it (that’s how she drinks milk and easts purees). Soon enough and with practice, she will learn to take bites, chew and swallow the foods. A rule of thumb is to offer pieces of food about the size of your pinky finger or larger. So sweet potato fries, meatballs shaped like logs and a chicken drumstick are great options. You can check out my answer to Melissa’s question for suggestions on how to make the experience more stimulating for your baby. At this point, you can offer your baby pieces of food when she is happy, not tired and not hungry (maybe snack time?). That way she could explore just for fun. You’ll probably see her interest in purees go down and progressively replace her puree meals with pieces soon enough. You could also totally stop offering purees at this point and just offer pieces of food. It might be easier for her. In this case, she might ask for more milk for a short period of time, while she adapts. Feel free to check out my other answers for more info about starting out BLW!

As for the puffs, I don’t recommend them since they don’t have the right nutrients that babies need. Here are there it’s OK but since their stomachs are so tiny, they can get full very easily and may not be able to ingest the foods they really need. I have tons of “to-go” recipes in my newest Baby Led Weaning Recipes iBook at jessicacoll.com/book if you’re interested! Another reason I’m not into the puffs is that they’re usually too small for 7-month olds to pick up on their own so not as safe as large pieces of food. Take care!

It’s always great to save some time when you have kids! If you can make meals that are appropriate for all the members of the family, that’s even better. Your 10-month old should be starting to get pretty good at picking up small pieces of food with his/her pincer grasp so the sky is the limit as to which foods you can prepare. You don’t need to be a short order cook and prep individual meals for everyone. Here are some of my time-saving ideas:

MEAL PLAN

You can meal plan in advance. Usually I plan 4-5 meals and make a grocery list. Make sure you do the groceries ahead of time so you can get down to business on Sunday. I love to have breakfasts planned ahead of time because the kids always seem so hungry in the morning. I love preparing waffles ahead of time so I can just pop them into the toaster. Here is my favorite waffle recipe:

Apple Pie Waffles (make 8 large waffles)

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup almond butter
4 eggs
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch ground cloves

Plug in waffle maker and grease both sides with coconut oil. In a large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Allow to cool before serving to baby. Offer about ¼ waffle to your baby at a time, cut into a stick as shown in this picture. Pour into waffle maker and cook for 5 minutes.


BATCH COOK

I usually batch cook for 2-3 hours on Sundays to prep everything for the week. Uninterrupted, you can get a whole lot done! Usually I prepare 2-3 meals completely and just prepare the ingredients of 2-3 other meals (cutting, measuring). That way, you don’t have to worry about meals for the next few days. Mid-week, you can prepare one meal per day but there won’t be much prep needed since the ingredients will be ready. I usually like to have those meals be in the slow cooker or pressure cooker if you have one. You can just throw the ingredients in before you leave for the day and some home to a nice meal without hassle.


HAVE READY-TO-EAT FOODS PREPARED

I usually like having hard boiled eggs, cooked sweet potatoes, cooked rice and roasted vegetables always available and ready to go. This makes it easier when you can’t prep a meal at all one evening (we all have those evenings!).


BUY SOME MINIMAL PREP FOODS

Frozen vegetables, washed and packaged leafy greens, canned salmon, pre-made guacamole, marinated meats and cut up fruit and vegetables can be so practical. Don’t feel like you need to make everything from scratch. This can be huge time-savers!


RECIPE IDEAS

I included my favorite recipes in my Baby Led Weaning Recipes iBook that can be found at jessicacoll.com/book but I thought I’d give you a sneak peek at the recipes to show you that they’re all totally appropriate for the whole family.

Here are some of my favorites: 3-ingredient breakfast cookies, spinach soufflés, rosemary lamb burgers, garlicky chicken drumsticks, coconut shrimp cakes, salmon sliders. There are more than 45 other ones in the book! I’m sure you’ll find them inspiring.

To finish off, I have to give you my salmon sliders recipe because it’s so easy and loved by everyone! There are so many flavors.

Salmon Sliders

2 cans salmon in water no salt (213 g each)
2 eggs
zest of 1 unwaxed lime
1 tsp pepper
½ cup spinach or kale
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp cooking fat (unsalted butter or duck fat)

Drain and pat dry canned salmon. Mix all ingredients together (except fat). Shape into sliders about 3 tbsp each. Heat skillet over medium heat, add fat and pan fry them 5 minutes on each side.

I hope these tips will be helpful!

Hi Jenny, did you mean to post a question? I can't see it.

Hi Shefali,

You can continue nursing on demand, just like you’re been doing since birth. He will satisfy his hunger from drinking milk and not from the foods offered. At the beginning, he won’t eat a lot of food since he will need time to learn and practice.

Just include him at the table when someone in the family is eating and see if he’s interested. You want to choose a time when he’s happy, not tired and not hungry so maybe you’ll nurse him before. Continue satisfying his needs by nursing on demand. Food that he will ingest will be “extra”. Once solid foods will be introduced, you don’t want to the number of nursing sessions decrease dramatically. That’s how you will know he’s getting enough milk. You can browse the previous questions for more information about starting out with BLW .

As for the “helping out”, as long as the foods are prepared in a manner that the baby can easily grab them, parents don’t have to assist them. Check out my answers to Azminia, Aimee and Melissa’s questions for tips on how to make it easier for your baby. Also, I have tons more information on my BLW online course at blw.jessicacoll.com and you can even continue asking me questions there. One tip that comes to mind now is leaving the peeling on the fruit and veggies in the beginning stages. This will help prevent the food from slipping out of your baby’s hands. All you need to do is scrub the fruit or vegetable (kiwi, pear, plum, sweet potato) under water and leave the peeling on. Cut it in sticks larger than an adult pinky finger and offer to your baby. You’ll want to roast the veggies because they’re too hard so usually 20 minutes at 400F works well!

Hi Jessica,

You can thaw frozen food in the fridge or at room temperature and then either in a skillet or in the microwave. Some parents prefer not to use the microwave because it leaves some hot unexpected spots in some foods. If you use a microwave, be careful and don’t heat the foods for too long. Also, verify yourself by taking a bite into the food first. As for the nutritive value, I don’t think there is a big difference between reheating in a skillet or the microwave. Some parents find that using the microwave is super useful because of the lack of time we have as parents with a baby. Bottom line: choose what’s right for you! You can always thaw the food and then offer it to your baby at room temperature if you prefer. Usually by the time the hot food gets to your baby’s mouth, it’s room temperature anyway!

Cooked meats keep for about 3 months in the freezer.

Hi Anna,

You want to make sure your babies show signs of readiness for eating pieces of food so we’re talking:

- maintaining a sitting position
- around 6 months of age (corrected)
- show interest
- able to bring objects to their mouth with precision

So bottom line is to wait until your baby is 6 months corrected. You’ll probably want to talk to your pediatrician to see if iron supplements (or others) are recommended if you’re not giving some to them already. If you notice that your babies aren’t showing those signs as you start to approach 6 months corrected, they may need extra help. I’ve worked with a few occupational therapists and physical therapists that have been very helpful. They will give you tips to help them maintain a sitting position and also some tips to help them bring food to their mouths. You may need to continue feeding them purees longer as they adapt and practice. I hope this helps!

My quick answer is: no! Definitely no need to worry about controlling his portions. You’re offering him healthy foods. He needs lots of energy now that’s he’s starting to move around more, learning to walk, explore. Some babies eat more than others, just like some adults always seem to eat more than others. Also, the fact that you’re continuing to breastfeed on demand is amazing. You’re doing the right thing!

Katrina: it makes sense. We should continue meeting their needs and feeding them on demand, just like we've been doing since birth, right?

Great!

Hi Jenny,

You can’t really force a baby to eat her fruit and vegetables but I do have some tips that might entice her to eat them. Here they are:

1) Vary the sizes and shapes of the fruit and veggies offered. For example, you could offer her a large ripe strawberry or a slice of melon with the peel on (scrubbed under water of course). The different colours and shapes might look appealing to her and she might take a liking to them.

2) Vary the spices used with the veggies. For example, you can make some Cajun sweet potato fries. Prominent spices sometimes make the food more enticing!

3) You can try offering her the fruit and vegetables at the beginning of her meal. That way, she might be hungrier and more likely to eat them.

4) You can try to stop offering her purees by the spoon and in pouches all together for a few days and see if she gets used to feeding herself. Sometimes I’ve seen babies who get used to their parents feeding them and they don’t want to feed themselves anymore. You can of course go back to pouches and purees here and there afterwards.

In the end, she’s eating some fruit and vegetables, right? She’s also eating the meat (what she needs most because of the iron and zinc). So you can try those tips for fun but you don’t need to worry about it too much. She’s getting the nutrients she needs. *After trying the 4 points above doesn’t help at all, it might be a texture aversion but it’s hard for me to tell. If that’s the case, you can always make an appointment with your local pediatric occupational therapist to see what they think. They could give you more tips.

Hi Sarah,

Let’s start with number 1. Toddlers’ tastes and appetite vary so much (as you’ve noticed!). Just like a particular toy for example, some days she loves it and some days she won’t pay any attention to it. You can think of this “food relationship” as a division of responsibilities where you’re in charge of the choice of foods and your toddler is in charge of the quantity she eats. As her tastes evolve and change, you’re the one deciding which foods to offer her at each meal. Then, be sure to trust that she knows how much to eat. She can survive on barely anything and she does have stores so it’s very normal (yet frustrating at times!) that toddlers eat huge amounts one day and almost nothing the other. Think about the division of responsibilities and you should be good to go! I know Ellyn Satter has a lot of information about the division of responsibilities on her website.

Now onto number 2! Being a working parent and having dinner ready is not easy. I share tons of tips in Eva’s post this morning. I’m sure you will get inspiration from there. One thing I’d add is to try to cook the same meals for the whole family (and not be a short order cook). It will make life easier for you and save you tons of time! What do you think?

Hi Crystal,

Babies don’t absolutely need milk other than breast milk. You’re nursing her 3-4 times a day and she’s eating some meals. That’s why you really want the foods she eats to be carefully chosen and full of calories and great nutrients. You can get tons of ideas of meals that I designed for babies in my iBook at jessicacoll.com/book.

The reason kids are given milk is mostly because of the protein, calcium and vitamin D. You can find those nutrients in foods instead.

Vit D: fatty fish, egg yolks and beef liver. You can try out my liver pâté recipe that can be found at http://jessicacoll.com/blog/liver-pate-recipe-babies/.

Calcium: yogurt, cheese, leafy greens, homemade bone broth, soaked sesame seeds, etc.

What about making smoothies with coconut butter, frozen fruit and water? You can even add some yogurt and leafy greens to them for extra calcium.

As for protein, you can make sure you offer meat, fish or eggs (hard boiled eggs or scrambled eggs work well!) twice a day. Whether she eats it or not, that will be her that decides. Check out my answer to Sarah’s question about the division of responsibilities which you might find interesting.

I hope this helps Crystal! If you're worried about her intake, feel free to make an appointment with a paediatric dietitian to make sure your toddler is getting everything she needs. Take care!

Hi Zoe,

Although some babies are able to learn how to manage purees and BLW at the same time, I don’t recommend doing both at once. This is because the action needed to ingest purees is very different compared to the action needed for BLW. With purees, your baby just needs to suck and swallow. With BLW, it’s more complicated: she needs to bite off a piece, chew, manage the piece in her mouth and swallow. So what should you do? You can focus on BLW alone and introduce purees a bit later here and there. With BLW, you can let your baby feed herself at her own pace and that in itself helps to protect her from choking. Also, ensuring that her position is at 90 degrees and that there are limited distractions (no TV or large crowds for the first meals!) also help with choking prevention. It’s also important to note that as long as those criteria are met (90 degrees, let her feed herself at her own pace, limited distractions, appropriate foods), she is not more at risk of choking.

I usually recommend offering pureed textures (mashed potatoes, yogurt, apple sauce for example) only once your baby is able to manage eating pieces of food (BLW). With BLW, babies are offered pieces of food large enough for them to hold, about the size of an adult pinky finger. They usually suck the piece at first, then progress to bite a piece off (no need to monitor the size of the bites), chew and swallow bites. In the beginning stages, babies might take bites that are too big and have to spit them out (or sometimes swallow them whole). The more they practice on their own, the better they’ll be able to manage the size of the bites. As long as you’re offering the appropriate foods and you stay away from small, round and hard foods like nuts, small pieces of raw carrots or small pieces of raw apple, seeds, legumes like chick peas. Also sticky foods like fresh bread (you want to toast it), and spoonfuls of nut butters (a thin layer is OK). You also want to avoid offering raw spinach and lettuce because they can stick to the roof of their mouth.


After your baby becomes an expert with a variety of textures (check out my answers to questions from Azminia, Aimee, Eva and Melissa for ideas of foods that are appropriate to start with), you can then offer purees without actually feeding your baby. When it comes down to it, purees are just another texture but a bit more difficult to manage on their own. Here are a few ways you can offer purees to your baby (once she manages a variety of textures):

- Pre-load a spoon with the pureed food and let you baby bring the spoon to her mouth
- Offer thick purees directly on her platter (that tends to be more messy)
- Spread purees onto something like a cucumber stick (liver pâté for example)


For all the information that you need about BLW and for continued support from me, check out my BLW Online Course at blw.jessicacoll.com.

This was a lot of information and I hope this helps Zoe!

Thank you everyone for asking all your questions! I hope I inspired you to try new things! It was fun!

Hi Kyla,

At this point, it’s not too late to start BLW! I would go straight to pieces of food rather than offering her thick purees. You can offer her pieces of food (roasted vegetables, omelette, fresh fruit, meatballs) and put them on her tray. Let her grab them and bring them to her mouth and explore. You can stop the purees at this point and you might temporarily see her milk feeds get more frequent. Trust that she can do it (because she can!). Some babies are more sensitive to gagging and in some babies, it triggers a vomiting reflex here and there. It’s normal as they get used to different textures. Feel free to check out my answers to previous questions for guidance and inspiration on how to start BLW. If you’d like more support, feel free to check out my online course at blw.jessicacoll.com. In the course, you can ask all the questions that you want and I answer them within 24 hours. Take care!

Hi M,

I suggest that you can take a break from feeding him. Some babies find it daunting when they don’t have control of the food going into their mouth. Imagine yourself at his place having someone else feed you. It’s so much more enjoyable to have full control of when you will eat and at what pace.

So you can prepare the pieces of food and place them on his tray. Let him explore and eventually he will bring the food to his mouth. Trust that he knows how much to eat. If you have follow up questions, feel free to ask them on my online course at blw.jessicacoll.com. I hope this helps!