The story below is from our March/April 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Baby-led weaning is transforming mealtime, letting babies explore real foods while fostering healthier family habits.
Courtesy of Kyle Butto
At seven months old, Colette Butto enjoys feeding herself. Colette likes meats over veggies while twin sister Scarlett prefers fruits and vegetables over meats.
It has been 13 years since I had a toddler, and wow, a lot has changed in taking care of a baby! Back then, I remember feeling a mix of excitement and nerves as a new mom, navigating the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) while occasionally butting heads with my own mom’s well-intentioned wisdom. For instance, she once suggested adding baby cereal to my 4-month-old’s bottle to help him sleep — a tip she swore by. My reaction? A hard pass, thanks to the AAP’s guidelines at the time. Instead, I waited until he turned six months to start pureeing his foods, eventually introducing solids around his first birthday. Like many new moms, I followed the “book” meticulously.
Fast-forward to today, and I’ve realized the feeding rules are not as rigid as they once seemed. The AAP now emphasizes flexibility, saying, “Your baby’s first foods are your choice,” so long as they’re soft or pureed to avoid choking hazards. This open-ended guidance has paved the way for baby-led weaning (BLW), a feeding method gaining popularity among modern families. BLW skips spoon-feeding purees and goes straight to offering babies a variety of solid foods, allowing them to explore and feed themselves at their own pace. It’s about including babies in family meals from the start, modifying dishes for safety while still enjoying the same foods.
I first heard about BLW from my colleague Kyle Butto, who welcomed twin girls last February. When he showed me a picture of his six-month-olds gnawing on a strip of steak without a single tooth in sight, I was floored. How could such little ones handle food that seemed so ... grown-up? Kyle explained that he and his wife, Kayla, learned about BLW through friends who praised its benefits. Intrigued but still skeptical, I decided to learn more.
Courtesy of Kyle Butto
Kyle and Kayla began introducing soft foods like packaged purees and mashed fruits at four months, but by six months, their girls were diving into whole foods — omelets, green beans, toast and even chicken and steak. “We didn’t want to make separate meals just for the babies,” Kyle shares. “Now, they eat what we eat, and we’ve found ourselves eating much healthier as a result.” Seasoning is still part of their routine, though nothing too spicy for tiny taste buds.
BLW is about offering whole, unprocessed foods in manageable forms for babies, from soft avocado slices to roasted carrots and thin strips of chicken. Babies lead the way, feeding themselves and deciding when they’ve had enough, while breast milk or formula remains their primary nutrition source during the first year. Kyle noted that their girls still get bottles with each meal, ensuring they meet their nutritional needs.
Another inspiring BLW story comes from my nephew, Cailum. His parents, Micah and her husband Chris, noticed their baby’s disinterest in pureed foods. At nine months, he eagerly sampled salmon off their plates after turning down several batches of homemade baby food. “He seemed more interested in what I was eating,” Micah says. The couple adjusted their meals’ seasoning to ensure they were flavorful yet baby-friendly. “I’ve learned that if I don’t like it, neither will he,” Micah adds. “So I always make it to my taste, and he usually gobbles it right up.”
Watching these new parents embrace BLW has been both humbling and enlightening. Babies, it turns out, are pretty capable of self-preservation and can safely explore new textures and tastes under the right conditions. Of course, safety remains a priority: The AAP advises introducing one new food every three to five days to monitor for allergies and sticking to easy-to-grip, nutritious options like bananas, steamed broccoli and scrambled eggs.
Reflecting on my own parenting journey, I’ve realized that raising a baby is never easy, no matter the era. Trends change, but the goal remains the same: keeping our little ones happy and healthy. Seeing Kyle and Micah’s success stories, I’m reminded that trying new methods doesn’t have to be scary. Armed with research and a willingness to adapt, today’s parents are finding creative ways to raise confident, adventurous eaters.
If you are thinking about starting baby-led weaning, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Don’t attempt baby-led weaning until your baby is at least 6 months old and showing signs of readiness like fine motor skills.
- Avoid choking hazards. That includes foods like firm, round foods (like whole berries or whole grapes) and hard, crunchy foods like tortilla chips, popcorn or nuts.
- Always seat your baby upright and make sure they’re well-supported and supervised.
- Consider a child and infant CPR class to learn to respond in case of choking.
The story above is from our March/April 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!