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The Best Way To Start Baby Led Weaning As A Nervous First Time Mom
starting baby led weaning as a nervous mom
Being nervous can keep a lot of moms from doing baby led weaning.
I don’t want it to stop you.
Instead, let’s face those nerves, ok?
Let me shed some light on the facts and safety about this feeding approach, so you can feel informed and comfortable, and enjoy baby led weaning with your child!
As the owner of a Montessori-inspired playschool, and the mom of twin toddlers, I have helped dozens of babies start solids, first hand.
And, baby led weaning, from what I have seen and learned, makes babies happier, better eaters (and moms happier, too!)
Here’s what you need to focus on if you’re nervous about BLW…
Get All The Details
Get informed.
Learn about what to expect, the benefits, and how to be safe.
What questions do you have?
Seek the answers, first. Then decide.
When it comes down to making decisions, the people we take advice from are usually those who align with our values, who understand our position, and/or who have expertise in the areas we are looking to know more about.
There is certainly A LOT of information out there on baby led weaning to suit different types of parents, from all sorts of sources, sharing tips from super traditional approaches to modified or hybrid (baby led weaning plus purees) approaches.
If you want to follow a holistic baby led weaning approach that shows you how to protect and defend your baby’s health from day one, this is the best BLW course for you.
Understand Hunger Cues & Safety Prep
Overall, as a mom who did baby led weaning with her very different twins (one was a gagger and one was a hesitant eater) and as a childcare professional who has been starting babies on solids since 2014, what I want you to know is THE BEST way to do baby led weaning is *responsively* with *safe softness* of foods (soft as a banana is a good rule of thumb).
However you choose to feed your precious little baby, do it when they show signs of hunger (responsively) so that you are sure they are actually hungry, which means they are more likely to eat than play or ignore the food. Even 6 month olds will show hunger signs, so be sure to check that article out if you’re not familiar.
After a few days, you’ll know the best times for your baby’s meals. (And if you’d prefer to start with a timing guideline, you can download my free blw starter guide here.)
As far as safety, avoid choking hazards, of course.
Familiarizing yourself with what to do if your baby is choking (video) and infant CPR will give you and your baby a blanket of security as well. I highly encourage ALL new parents to do this. You can also opt to take a class through The American Red Cross or the like.
This will make you feel more safe and confident at mealtime rather than feeling stressed that your baby isn’t safe/isn’t eating much/that you aren’t doing it right/wondering what is going on… And will allow your baby to have a more pleasant meal time experience. Such a win win for everyone and a SOLID way to start your child’s relationship with food and the family, during meal time (rather than get into a cycle of worry, stress and anxiety that can negatively affect you, your baby and mealtimes)…
Go Slow & Build Up To More Later
Go with your child’s flow.
Go with your comfort level.
Make it more natural and less “do this, schedule that, it has to be this way”…
Also – start with what makes YOU feel comfortable, and then build up to more variety of foods, shapes and sizes as you gain confidence in your baby’s abilities.
You may choose to pre-load a spoon and hand it to their hand. You may choose to smash bananas and sweet potato and let them slap grab it (palmar grasp) or you may choose to give them the traditional baby led weaning finger sizes of safe softness foods for them to grip… All can be a great start depending on you and depending on your baby!
Read this Baby Led Weaning Starter Guide next: EVERYTHING You Need To Know Before Starting Baby Led Weaning
Another thing many first time moms don’t know is, it is totally fine to feed your baby solids before or after milk (there is varying information out there, but I have done both depending on the baby I am working with, and Registered Dietitian and BLW Expert Katie Ferraro and I talked about this on her podcast where she said it’s fine either way). Test it out and see which works best for them.
Want to learn more about the steps to starting baby-led weaning? What are the do’s and don’ts of baby-led weaning? This article goes over EV-EVER-Y-THING you need and want to know before starting including, safety information, first foods list, myths, allergen introduction, choking hazards, gagging, feeding schedule example, supplies and more!
Next, if you are looking for a master list of baby-led weaning starter foods to have in your back pocket for inspiration, this article has you covered.
And lastly, if a breakdown of baby led weaning foods by age would help to make things easier for your meal planning, this article is for you!
Read this next:
16 Simple & Sensory Ways To Serve First Foods (Recipes!)
21 Picture Examples Of How To Serve Foods With Baby Led Weaning
Just getting started with baby led weaning and not sure how to go about it all? Check out my Low Stress Baby Led Weaning eBook & Starter Kit for nervous first time moms!
Starter Kit for Low Stress Baby Led Weaning: Mom's Step-By-Step eBook For The First 6 Weeks, First Foods List, What To Expect, Foods To Avoid, Supply List & More!
It Doesn’t Have To Be Instagram-Perfect
You don’t have to do it all, at the beginning.
Or ever.
Yeah, all those BLW pictures you see on Instagram, your food doesn’t have to look like that.
Aim instead to break down meals you already make for your family, and feed those safe components to your baby, with the goal of inching them toward eating the full meals you make already.
Makes sense, right?
And keep this in mind – you don’t really know the type of eater your baby will be until you start solids.
ALSO, the type of eater they start out as at 6 months, is not an indication of the type of eater they will grow into with exposure, practice and positive modeling (mom eating and enjoying her food, not forcing bites, hanging out together at mealtime feeling happy…)
Did you know some babies seem to ‘not like solids’ when they start? It’s true that it appears that way BUT it is actually what their ‘learning solids’ looks like!
To learn more about what is common for babies to do with solids (besides eat them) when starting solids, read this post (and put your mind at ease so you’re not freaking out if your baby doesn’t chow right away!):
—->7 Common Things Babies Do With Food When Starting Solids (Besides Eat Them!)
Read this next:
EVERYTHING You Need To Know Before Starting Solids With Baby Led Weaning
7 Foods To Avoid When Starting Baby Led Weaning
The Ultimate List! Top-Rated Baby Led Weaning Supplies Other Moms Are Loving
Here are some questions I want all nervous first time moms to think most about when starting baby led weaning:
- How can I do this in a safe way that also makes me feel comfortable?
- When am I already feeding my baby milk? Do they respond more to solids when I feed them before or after milk?
- Can I teach them some sign language now so they start to learn it and use it as they get older like “eat” and “all done”, and I can know when they are hungry and full?
- Once they start getting a hang of chewing, swallowing and bringing foods to their mouth better, how can I make sure they get a variety of foods so they get all the nutrients they need like iron, calcium, protein…?
Want a FREE instant download of my Low Stress Baby Led Weaning Starter Guide Cheat Sheet? Drop your name & email below! We never spam.
Everything you need to start solids with more ease and confidence. Includes: what to expect, introducing allergens, how to serve foods, foods to avoid, sample feeding schedule and more!
Tips on how to prepare foods for baby led weaning
- Always ensure that fresh fruit is very ripe/very soft so your baby can easily gum at or chew up and swallow safely. Gums are great for mashing soft foods, so baby doesn’t need to have teeth to start.
- For all fruit, a good rule of thumb is to have everything be as soft as a banana.
- For cooked foods, use the same rule – as soft as a banana. Steam, sautee, roast, however you prefer to prepare it.
- When presenting the food, the traditional way to prepare is to cut into slivers the size of an adult index finger. You can see other safe alternatives here, depending on your baby’s needs and abilities.
- Avoid choking hazards, like coin-shaped foods. Cut long ways instead or into slivers. You can see a full list of choking hazards here.
- How often to serve a new food: the most recent recommendation is one food per day OR per every few days, depending on your comfort level and baby’s abilities. As you see them handle a food well, and as you start to feel more comfortable and confident, you can begin to add another or switch to another.
- Keep salt and sodium-dense products to a minimum, as your baby’s kidneys aren’t quite developed enough to process it properly. The same goes for spicy seasonings – avoid those until baby is more accustom to flavors, and you can decipher what they are able to tolerate.
- Strongly consider taking an infant CPR class. Although studies have found that baby led weaning does not pose a greater choking risk than feeding pureed food does, the likelihood that you have choking fears is high. And, the reality is, choking can be a risk up until age 5-6 years old, so if you actually know what to do in case of a choking emergency, you are likely to feel far more at ease when serving foods.
Note: ALWAYS consult your pediatrician for professional guidance on starting solids. There is a lot of educational information, like mine here, on the internet that is never to replace medical advice from a medical professional.
So there you have it! If you are a nervous mom starting baby led weaning soon, I hope you not only got some great baby led weaning starter tips BUT also some reassurance about how it all will go, behind the scenes, and not in the spotlight of staged social media posts!
For more content on baby led weaning, you can follow me on Instagram!
Read this next:
Baby Not Eating Much Solids? 7 Common Things Babies Do With Solids Besides Eat Them
The Ultimate List! Top-Rated Baby Led Weaning Supplies Other Moms Are Loving
About Low Stress Motherhood
Let's harness the chaos so we can find your happy place in motherhood. I'm here to help moms find some solace and helpful resources that ease the load of motherhood and allow them to show up as the person they want to be, for themselves and their children.
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