Baby led weaning - A happy accident

It was always my plan to wean Reuben with a mixture of spoon feeding and finger food as i wanted to be sure he was actually eating a decent amount of food but when Reuben was 5 months old we tried offering him some pureed food on the advise of our health visitor. He absolutely hated been spoon fed so we decided to stop and wait until he was ready to do baby led weaning. Well 2 weeks later he stole a cheese scone from me and started eating it...he was ready.

Since that moment at 5 and a half months old i have been offering Reuben a wide range of foods in the form of "finger foods." He absolutely loved exploring the texture and taste in the early days and felt fiercely independent. He has always been strong willed and knows exactly what he wants. I think the fact he was exclusively breastfed and used to working for his food also contributed to him wanting to do it for himself.

Reuben was eating a solid 3 meals a day by 8 months and he was literally having the same as us just slightly adapted to make sure the salt/sugar levels were appropriate. He loves the social setting of baby led weaning and us all sitting down to eat together. I should have never worried about him eating enough as he has a very healthy appetite and loves most foods.

Baby led weaning is so simple, quick and easy. There's no extra preparation, you can eat at the same time and your baby will take the lead and eat what and when they are ready. Baby's are very good at self regulating so they will not over feed themselves and they will feel in control of the situation. Reuben eats curry, chilli, rice, pasta, meat, fish, veg you name it he will give it a good go.

Just a little note, when you first start baby led weaning your little one will gag quite a bit as they learn and figure out what to do and how to move food around their mouth. Gagging is a good thing and nothing to fear. Choking and gagging are very different and i would highly recommend you read/look up the difference between the two.

I found the baby led weaning cookbook really useful as not only does it have recipe's in, it also has a good introduction to baby led weaning and the philosophy behind it.

I have found baby led weaning so easy and fun that i wouldn't even consider traditional weaning with future children unless i'm advised to wean early on medical grounds. The current advise is to wait until around 6 months to wean and not before 17 weeks on medical grounds as the gut is still open and immature.

In my opinion a child will not be ready to start baby led weaning much before the recommended 6 months as they need to be able to sit up unsupported and grab hold of an object/bring it to their mouth.

I'm so happy we were forced in to this style of weaning and i feel Reuben has a really positive relationship with food as a result of it.