The ultimate guide to baby-led weaning is here.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Nutrition is one of the major drivers of brain and gut development during the first 2 years of life.¹

THE BABY-LED WEANING E-BOOK

60+ pages of science-backed strategies for starting solids and raising healthy eaters using baby-led weaning (BLW).

Learn how to:

  • Introduce foods from all the major food groups safely and confidently
  • Protect against picky eating as your child gets older
  • Cut down on puree prep and serve modified family foods from day one
  • Navigate allergens safely
  • Prevent nutrient deficiencies and support early growth and development
  • Create a positive mealtime environment at home
BUY NOW $24.95

BENEFITS

Take the stress out of starting solids.

Learn easy, fast ways to introduce new foods while giving your child the nutrients they need to thrive.

Get the latest science on infant nutrition.

We’ve poured over the latest infant nutrition research so you don’t have to.

Lay a foundation for the future.

Foster fine motor skills and exploration to help reduce picky eating later in childhood.

GET THE GUIDE

DID YOU KNOW?

Research indicates that early exposure to lumpy foods at 6 months improves food acceptance.²

Amy L.S.

Baby food was a total blackbox for me. My husband and I really wanted to make sure we were setting up our child for a successful and healthy lifestyle. This book really hit the mark! It was easy to digest yet comprehensive. A lot of people try to sell their opinions, but I really appreciate how Edwina is a Registered Dietitian and her book is backed by science. I would recommend this book to any new parent! 

Anthea P.

I’m a first-time working mom and just started my baby on solids. About a week in I got nervous because my generally happy baby started throwing tantrums at meals. This book completely changed mealtime for us. It covers everything from the importance of nutrition to serving sizes, meal ideas, and building balanced, healthy meals. I highly recommend this book to all mothers who are starting or currently on the solids journey with their little ones.

From the blog

FAQs

What is baby-led weaning (BLW)?

Baby-led weaning (BLW) is a novel approach to starting solids where babies skip the purees-only phase and self-feed soft finger foods from the get-go. BLW is based on the premise that allowing babies to explore food and try a variety of textures promotes motor development, food acceptance, and appetite regulation. Research indicates that introducing lumpy foods at 6 months may reduce the likelihood of feeding problems and picky eating later in life2. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that eating finger foods is associated with improved child language outcomes3.

Is baby-led weaning safe?

Evidence to date suggests that BLW, when done properly, does not increase choking risk. In fact, babies who are exposed to finger foods less frequently are more likely to experience choking episodes4. Babies should be seated upright, ideally in a high chair, in a distraction-free environment during meal times to minimize choking risk.

When can my baby start baby-led weaning?

Babies can begin BLW when they are ready to begin solids which is usually at 4-6 months of age. Signs of readiness to start solids include:

  • Being able to hold up their head and sit in a high chair
  • Opening their mouth when food comes their way
  • Being able to move food from spoon to throat
  • Achieving 2x birthweight
  • Tongue thrust reflex has disappeared (automatically pushing food out with tongue)

If your baby was born prematurely, has a cleft palate or has other medical conditions, contact your pediatrician about the right time to introduce solids. Babies should not begin solids before 4 months of age.

What topics does The Busy Parent’s Guide To Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) cover?

The Busy Parent’s Guide To Baby-Led Weaning covers everything you need to know to introduce solids safely and confidently using the baby-led weaning framework. The book is broken down into 4 sections and includes worksheets, graphs, and printables to help you navigate infant nutrition needs, and raise an adventurous eater.

Section 1: A primer

  • Parent vs. child responsibilities
  • When to start solids
  • Baby-led weaning 101

Section 2: First foods

  • First food ideas for BLW
  • Meal sizes by age
  • Flavoring food
  • Adding fat
  • Hydration
  • Choking hazards
  • Organic vs. conventional
  • Food refusal and making food fun

Section 3: Special considerations

  • Vitamin D
  • Iron
  • Probiotics
  • Omega-3 fats
  • Choline
  • Fluoride
  • Heavy metals and BPA
  • Introducing allergens
  • Vegetarianism and veganism
  • Constipation and diarrhea
  • Teething

Section 4: Family meals

  • Benefits of family meals
  • Creating a positive environment
  • Building healthy family meals and snacks
  • Prep-ahead tactics and cooking methods
  • Food safety basics
  1. .Moore, T. & Arefadib, Noushin & Deery, Alana & West, Sue. (2017). The First Thousand Days: An Evidence Paper. https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2017-09/apo-nid112701.pdf
  2. Northstone K, Emmett P, Nethersole F; ALSPAC Study Team. Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood. The effect of age of introduction to lumpy solids on foods eaten and reported feeding difficulties at 6 and 15 months. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2001 Feb;14(1):43-54. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-277x.2001.00264.x. PMID: 11301932.
  3. Webber, C., Blissett, J., Addessi, E., Galloway, A. T., Shapiro, L., & Farrow, C. (2021). An infant-led approach to complementary feeding is positively associated with language development. Maternal & child nutrition, 17(4), e13206. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13206
  4. Brown A. (2018). No difference in self-reported frequency of choking between infants introduced to solid foods using a baby-led weaning or traditional spoon-feeding approach. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association, 31(4), 496–504. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12528