Baby-Led Weaning-

A Practical Approach
to Starting Solids
Andrea Potashnick, Registered Dietitian
www.YourFamilyRD.com
E-mail: Andrea@YourFamilyRD.com
Social Media: @YourFamilyRD 1
 Objectives

•  Identify how to ensure babies have a healthy

relationship with food right from the start

•  Understand the benefits and basic concepts of the

Baby-Led Weaning method

•  Obtain practical tips for advising on when and how to

initiate Baby-Led Weaning

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About Me

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 Pressure

•  What does pressure in

feeding look like?

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 Pressure

•  Internal or External
–  Children feel the brunt of the pressure
–  Positive and Negative forms
•  Release the pressure to release food tension

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 Pressure

•  Pressure in feeding often leads to disordered

eating patterns.
–  Pressure to eat more
•  Resistant behavior may cause child to eat less
•  Ignoring internal hunger cues may cause child to overeat
–  Pressure to eat less
•  Feelings of restriction may cause child to overeat
•  Ignoring internal hunger cues may cause child to eat less

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Feeding Philosophy

Ellyn Satter’s
Division of
Responsibility

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 Division of
Responsibility

• Parents • Children
– What – Whether or not
– When – How much
– Where

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 Family Goals
•  Fostering a Healthy Relationship with Food
–  Be aware of messaging around food, feeding and labels
–  Avoid pressure in all forms
–  Implement the Division of Responsibility at home
•  What- No short order cooking
•  When- Structured mealtime routine
•  Where- Eat together at the kitchen table when possible
•  Whether or not- Child takes from options parents provide
•  How much- Child determines how much they eat of each food
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 Feeding History
•  Early 1900s
–  Breast milk from mother or wet nurse for 8-9 months
–  Smooth biscuits or hard baked crusts at 7-8 months
•  1900s-1920s
–  Recommendations for a strict timetable of feedings
•  Led to failure to thrive
–  Start semi-solid foods around 2-4 months to supplement
–  Scientists developed non-milk formulas

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 Feeding History
• 1930s-1960s
– Variety of fruit and vegetable-based
baby foods became available
– Introduce finger foods at 6 months

Woman’s Day Magazine, 1949 11

Swi=’s Meats for Juniors
 Feeding History

• 1970s
– Aggressive advertising of infant formulas led to decline in
breastfeeding
– Push to promote breastfeeding
• 1980s
– AAP recommended 4-6 months of age to start solids
•  2002
–  World Health Organization recommended exclusively
breastfeeding until 6 months of age

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 Traditional Weaning
•  Begin with spoon feeding pureed foods
–  Set stages to advance
–  Baby is NOT in control of whether or not,
how much or how quickly they eat
•  Pureed foods aren’t necessary
–  Consistency easy to suck off of a spoon
–  Less opportunity for exploration
–  Common practice but no research to back it up
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 Baby-Led Weaning
•  What is it?
–  Practical, safe, hands-on
approach to starting solid
foods for baby
–  Baby self-feeds right
from the start
–  Baby eats family food
and joins in family mealtimes
–  Up to baby how much they choose to eat
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Baby-Led Weaning

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 Benefits

•  Healthy Relationship with Food

–  Free of pressure
–  Baby IS in charge of whether or not,
how much and how quickly they eat
–  Enjoyable and stress-free mealtimes
for everyone
–  Teach baby to trust and have a
positive attitude towards food

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 Benefits

•  Learning opportunity
–  Using all of their senses
•  Exposed to the smell, taste and texture of different foods
–  Explore at their own pace and follow instincts
–  How to eat safely
–  Hand-eye coordination
–  Dexterity
–  Strengthen facial muscles

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 Benefits
•  Less Pickiness and a Healthy Weight
–  When also following the DOR
–  Exposure to a wider variety of foods
•  Ease and Expense
–  No spoon-feeding so adults and babies eat at the
same time
–  Cheaper and less time consuming to serve baby the
same food as the family
–  Babies able to eat food at restaurants
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 Disadvantages

•  It’s a mess!
–  Short-lived
–  Get equipped
•  Bib
•  Splash mat
•  Longer Mealtimes
•  Difficult for families that don’t cook often
•  Unsupportive family, friends and caregivers
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 Is it for Everyone?
•  Premature babies
–  May not be ready
•  Developmental delays
–  May prevent baby from
picking up or chewing foods
•  Physical Deformities
–  Cleft lip or cleft palate
–  Tongue-tie
•  Digestive Disorders
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 When to Start
•  Signs of Readiness
–  6 months of age
–  Sit up with little or no support
•  Allows baby to spit food out to help prevent choking
•  Better trunk stability to aid chewing skills

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 When to Start
•  Signs of Readiness
–  Gnawing on toys and making chewing movements
–  Baby appears excited to eat and curious about food
–  Reach out to grab things and take them quickly and
accurately to their mouth
•  Palmer grasp
–  Loss of the tongue-thrust reflux
•  Will not automatically push
food out of their mouth
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 Feeding Schedule
•  Offer food when baby isn’t tired or hungry
–  30 minutes to 1 hour after a breast milk or formula
feeding
–  Allow baby to explore and play with it
–  Don’t expect baby to eat much at first
–  Don’t try to persuade baby to eat more than is desired

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 Feeding Schedule
•  Start with 1 feeding of solids per day
–  Carry on with 4-5 breast milk or formula feedings
•  Gradually advance to 2-3 solid feedings per
day
–  Allow baby to naturally drop 1-2 breast milk or formula
feedings
•  At one year mark
–  3 meals with 1-3 snacks per day
–  2-3 cups of milk per day
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 How to Serve the Food
•  One or two pieces of a few different foods to
start
–  Foods that are easy for baby to pick up with a variety
of flavors, textures and colors
•  Place food in front of baby on table or tray
–  Pre-loaded spoons
•  Long strips for beginners
–  Easier to hold
–  Learn how to chew 25
 How to Serve the Food

•  Vegetables
–  Steam, boil, grill, roast, stir-fry, or baked
–  Firm enough to hold but soft enough to munch on
–  Examples:
•  Broccoli and Cauliflower- Florets with stalk as a handle
•  Asparagus and Green beans- Trim and serve whole
•  Potatoes and Squash- Thick sticks or wedges
– (~2 inches long and ½ inch wide)
•  Cucumber- Cut into thick strips
– Freeze for teethers
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 How to Serve the Food

•  Fruit
–  Leave peel on if possible
•  Easier for baby to grasp
–  Examples:
•  Avocado, pineapple and melon- Cut into wedges
•  Strawberries and raspberries- Serve whole
•  Apples and pears- halved or quartered (soften as needed)

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 How to Serve the Food

•  Grains
–  Large pieces that baby can hold
with their hand
–  Examples:
•  Fusilli and rigatoni- Serve plain or
with sauce on the side at first
•  Risotto or rice patties
•  Toasted bread cut into
sticks or small triangles
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 How to Serve the Food

•  Meat
–  Babies can suck or gnaw on
–  Large strips on the bone
–  Examples:
•  Chicken drumstick- Remove gristle and splint bone
•  Lamb, beef and pork- Cook so meat is tender
•  Homemade patties or burgers

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 How to Serve the Food

•  Runny Foods
–  Prepare soups and breakfast cereals extra thick
–  Add pieces of bread or pasta for baby to scoop up
handfuls
–  Offer pre-loaded spoon to hold
•  Drinks
–  Offer water in a small open cup
–  Okay to help hold steady for drinking
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How to Serve the Food

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 Nutrition
•  Babies main source of nutrition is still breast
milk or formula
–  Is food before one just for fun??
•  Salt
–  Limit to 400 mg/day
•  Iron
–  11 mg/day
•  Vitamin D
–  Supplement 400 IU’s/day

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 Gagging vs Choking
•  Gagging- The body’s protective mechanism to
prevent choking
•  Baby coughs, makes noise and may vomit
•  Happens quickly
•  Gag reflux is sensitive- trigger point farther forward in the
mouth
•  Choking-The airway is either partially or
completely blocked
•  Baby is silent or gasping
•  Baby turns blue
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Baby-Led Weaning

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 Keeping Mealtimes Safe

•  Baby should sit upright

•  Never leave baby unattended with food!
•  Don’t let anyone put food into baby’s mouth
•  Foods to Avoid
•  Honey
•  High Choking Risks
– Hard fruits and vegetables, whole grapes or cherry
tomatoes, hard candies, whole/chopped nuts, popcorn,
whole hot dogs
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 Ensure a Healthy
Relationship with Food

•  Keep mealtimes relaxed and free of pressure

•  Follow Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility
while feeding
•  Start solid foods at 6 months
using Baby-Led Weaning

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“The secret to feeding a healthy
family is to love good food, trust
yourself, and share that love and
trust with your child.”
Ellyn Satter, MS, RDN, MSSW

THANK YOU!
Questions?

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References
House, Jennifer. The Parents’ Guide to Baby-Led Weaning. Robert Rose Inc. 2017.

Peterson, Wendy Jo and Schilling, Leslie. Born to Eat: Whole, Healthy Foods from Baby’s
First Bite. Skyhourse Publishing. 2017

Rapley, G and Murkett, T. Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid
Foods and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater. The Experiment
LLC. 2008.

Rapley, G and Murkett, T. The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook. The Experiment LLC. 2010.

Satter, Ellyn. Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family. Publishers Group West. 2008.

Satter, Ellyn. Child of Mine. Feeding with Love and Good Sense. Bull Publishing Company.
2000.

Resources
www.FortifiedFam.com
www.JessicaColl.com
www.EllynSatterInstitute.org
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