Easy baby led weaning that any mom can rock at!

Hey new mamas out there! Before becoming a mom did you ever realize how much you didn’t know was involved in being a mom?! I feel like I have never done more research in my life. BUT at the time time, nothing could be more natural than being a mom to my son. Weird phenomenon there. Well, as you know, babies come with a lot of hard decisions to make! Do you stay at home or keep working? Breast feed, pump, formula? A little of each?

I’ve had a lot of moms ask me what we have fed David and what works the best as baby transitions to solid foods and I am always so excited they asked me because I believe I have the key to making their lives so much easier!! And that makes me so happy!

Now I know the phrase “baby-led weaning” can scare some people. When I first heard of it I wrote it off as some hippie natural fad thing but the more I read about baby-led-weaning and allowing your child to eat finger foods rather than spoon feeding, the more excited I was to jump on board!

What is baby-led-weaning exactly?

Well if you don’t know, it’s basically giving your baby age-appropriate finger foods and allowing them to feed themselves. Yes, this can sound scary, but our babies can do more than we give them credit for a lot of the time! And keep in mind that the finger foods change as baby grows. We started David off on foods that he could pick up and put in his own mouth but were squishy enough that it would be hard for him to choke on the. But *random fact* did you know that a baby’s gag reflex is set up higher in their throat than an adult’s? This means that they will gag sooner (if needed) without choking. Which is great while they are learning to feed themselves. We didn’t have this problem often with David though.

Why should you run to baby-led-weaning and never turn back?

Baby-led-weaning teaches babies to help themselves. They decide when they are full or if they’d like to continue eating. It also helps to develop a child’s hand-eye coordination as well as motor skills. Most important to mama?? Not having to spend so. much. time. boiling, blending, storing,  and spoon-feeding baby food! (or spending a lot of extra cash on purchasing store-bought).

With baby-led-weaning, mama is completely hands free, and baby is just as, if not more, happy.

So if you’re anything like me and are thinking “UM YES! But… I don’t even know where to start…” You’re in luck because it is so easy! I’ve created a list of foods that we regularly give David that you can use as inspiration when wondering what to feed your child!

Canned foods

• Peas
• Carrots
• Beets
• Beans
• Kidney
• Black
• Mixed
• Green
• Mandarin oranges
• Peaches
• Pears

(when buying canned fruits, look for fruits with no sugar or syrup added. When looking for canned veggies, look for no salt added).

Fresh foods

• Bananas
• Avocados
• Berries
• Bread
• Kiwis
• Pineapple (or canned)
• Beets (or canned, usually mixed with something sweet though or else David makes a face like this >:P)
• Tomatos
• Mangoes
• Watermelon

Cooked foods

• Rice
• Cooked mixed veggies (we quick thaw frozen veggies a lot)
• Sweet potato
• Potato
• Frozen veggies cooked
• Eggs (D loves them!)
• Pancakes/waffles (torn up)
• Salmon
• Chicken
• Potatos
• Asparagus
• Spaghetti
• Zucchini
• Squash

Some foods to avoid:

• Corn (almost no nutritional value, not digested well. It wouldn’t hurt, but it doesn’t do much for babes).
• Broccoli (for babies that had a tendency towards bad gas)
• Soy (contains estrogen)
• Honey (does not process well)
• (Anything you would avoid during pregnancy i.e. fish high in mercury, soft cheeses, etc.)

There are many more to foods to experiment with but these are a great starting point and should keep baby’s taste buds pretty happy for a while.

As always I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and we’re always looking for great new ideas. Share in the comments any foods that you’ve tried that you didn’t see in this list.

Also- share this list with a mom you know who might be making the decision for baby foods or baby-led-weaning! I am forever grateful to my friend who told me!