An increasingly popular method for introducing solid foods, baby-led weaning skips purees and goes straight to finger foods. Here’s why you might want to try it — and how to get started.

You may imagine mounds of mushy rice cereal and puréed peas, plus lots of coaxing baby to open that tiny mouth.

But while many parents do choose to introduce solids in the form of purées, there is an alternate approach you can also consider for your baby’s foray into solid foods: baby-led weaning.

These days, a growing number of parents are bypassing purées and jarred baby food altogether in favor of this practice, which involves offering age-appropriate finger foods to give babies more control over what (and how much) they put in their mouths.

What is baby-led weaning?

Popular in the U.K. and gaining traction in the U.S., baby-led weaning is a practice where babies 6 months old or older jump straight to finger foods as soon as solids are introduced, bypassing purées and mashed-up foods.

This approach is called baby-led weaning because that’s what the premise is — letting your little one feed herself the healthy foods she wants to eat right from the start (which is why this works only for a baby who’s at least 6 months old and capable of self-feeding).

Baby-led weaning allows babies to learn how to chew (or more accurately, gum) first, then swallow. It also prevents parents from pushing food, since babies are in control of how much they put into their mouths.

But those aren’t the only benefits. According to advocates and some research, the potential perks of baby-led weaning include:

Encourages babies to become familiar with a greater variety of textures and flavors

This may make them more likely to develop more varied and healthy food preferences in the long run. A number of studies have shown that babies who eat a variety of foods (including peanut products and fish) may actually be less likely to have food allergies later in life. Just keep in mind that nuts (in the form of nut butters) and seafood are some of the most common childhood allergens, so you should always consult your child’s pediatrician about how to best introduce these foods to your baby.

Could reduce the risk for child obesity

With spoon-feeding, the parent is in control (which may make babies eat faster and more than they really need, potentially leading to a habit of ignoring feelings of fullness) — but similar to breastfeeding, baby-led weaning allows baby to self-regulate how much she eats based on her hunger levels. That could result in a lower chance for becoming overweight compared to children who are spoon-fed.

Promotes fine motor skill development

Sticking primarily with finger foods encourages the development of manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination skills.

But no feeding method is perfect, of course. Though there are plenty of reasons to consider baby-led weaning, there are a few downsides, including:

It’s messy

Eating finger foods is messy for babies of any age, especially those who are learning how to hang onto foods and get it into their mouths.

You need to pay attention to iron

Breastfed babies get enough iron from your breast milk until baby is 4 months old — but levels can diminish at this point, which is why your pediatrician will likely add a liquid iron supplement to the mix (1 mg/kg per day) until baby starts eating iron-rich solids. However, it can be hard for some babies to chew on many iron-rich foods (like beef). Puréed meat, green veggies, and fortified cereals can help fill the gap. Your doctor may also recommend that your little one stay on an iron supplement through the first year as an added precaution.

When to start baby-led weaning

Experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), now say the best time to start solid foods is around 6 months. By that age, most babies are able to sit up by themselves and grab and hold onto objects. They’ve also dropped the tongue-thrust reflex (which causes them to push foreign substances out of their mouths), plus their intestines have developed the necessary digestive enzymes to absorb solid food.

While baby-led weaning is growing in popularity and has benefits, it does differ from traditional methods of introducing solids by spoon-feeding your baby purées (the AAP recommends parent-initiated spoon-feeding). If you’re not sure whether baby-led weaning is right for your child, run the idea by your little one’s pediatrician.

While most babies will get the green light, some (those who have special needs and are unable to pick up and chew foods on their own) might not be able to try baby-led weaning. Then look to your baby — some like taking the lead, while others don’t.

How to start baby-led weaning

You may be skeptical that your 6-month-old will be able to handle solids right off the bat, but your baby’s ability to chow down will likely amaze you. If you’ve decided to start your baby on solids the baby-led-weaning way, follow these basic principles:

Continue to nurse or bottle-feed. Keep up the same nursing frequency or bottle-feeding frequency, since babies get the majority of their nutrition from breast milk or formula throughout most of the first year.

Keep it soft. No matter what’s on the menu, in the beginning, the food’s texture should be soft enough for you to smush with your fingers or easily dissolvable — signs that your baby will easily be able to gum or chew it. Steer clear of foods that are hard or crunchy, like raw carrot or apple slices.

Prepare food according to your child’s age. For 6-month-olds just starting solids, offer foods that can be sliced into thick strips or sticks so your baby can hold them in her fist and chew from the top down. Once your child has developed her pincer grasp, usually around 9 months or so, you can start cutting food up into tiny bite-sized pieces that she can easily pick up.

Dine together. If your dinner is steamed cauliflower and salmon, there’s no reason that baby can’t eat the same foods right along with you. Eating is a social activity, so let your little one see what you do with food and give her a chance to mimic you. Baby wants your toast or reaches for the banana you’re snacking on? Offer her a portion (as long as it’s baby-appropriate).

Offer a variety of foods. Over time, expose your baby to a wide range of choices to help her develop an adventurous palate and make her less likely to be a picky eater later in life. Serve up foods of different colors (roasted tomatoes, steamed green beans, and sweet potatoes) and different textures (smooth avocados, juicy watermelon, and even tender cooked pasta). You should aim to offer at least one high-iron food per meal.

Safety tips to keep in mind when trying baby-led weaning

It’s natural to have choking concerns when introducing solids to your baby. But as long as you offer safe foods, your little one’s gums are quite capable of chewing soft solids.

Still, it’s important to know the signs of choking in babies, as well as understand how choking differs from gagging. Gagging is common, especially in the first few weeks of baby-led weaning as baby tries to maneuver unfamiliar lumps in her mouth. But bear in mind that gagging is actually a safety response to food traveling too far back into the mouth — and it’s not the same thing as choking.

When babies gag, they’re handling the problem themselves, and it’s best to just stay calm (or at least look calm) and wait until it passes. Gagging should ease up as baby learns to cope with solid foods. That said, you’ll do well to learn the difference between gagging and choking, and how to act if it’s the latter:

• A child who is gagging appears to be coughing mildly and may make a little noise.
• A child who is choking will look terrified, be unable to breathe and make no noise, or might gasp or wheeze. They may also have a panicked look and bluish color to the skin, and may grab their throat (in toddlers).

The bottom line?

Baby-led weaning is safe for little ones, as long as you present food safely and stick with a few common-sense feeding guidelines. Remember to:

• Avoid serving any foods that are choking hazards. These include foods such as nuts; whole grapes, cherries or cherry tomatoes; raw vegetables; uncooked apple slices; uncooked dried fruit; thick gobs of nut butter; hot dogs; large chunks of meat or cheese; fish with bones; popcorn; and crunchy snacks like chips, pretzels or granola bars.
• Always supervise your baby while she eats. Never let your baby eat unattended.
• Keep baby sitting upright in her high chair while eating. Don’t let her eat while she’s crawling, playing or reclining, and don’t serve food in the stroller or the car.
• Watch for allergic reactions. The thinking is no longer to hold back on certain foods to avoid allergies: Most experts believe that the more options you offer, the more likely your newbie foodie will accept different foods, which translates into fewer mealtime battles in the future. However, it’s still important to know the signs of a food allergy — which can include hives, skin swelling, tongue swelling, sneezing, wheezing, throat tightness, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, and stomach pain and diarrhea — and consult your child’s pediatrician about how and when to introduce common allergens such as eggs, peanuts, and seafood.
• Explain baby-led weaning to everyone who takes care of your child. It’s important to ensure all caregivers follow the same safety precautions you do.
• Take an infant CPR class. And regularly refresh your memory on how to help a young child who is choking.

Best baby-led weaning foods

As long as it’s soft, cut into manageable pieces (baby fist-size at first) and not on the list of foods that pose a choking risk, it’s on the baby-led we

aning menu! Here are some of the best foods to serve first:

• Soft fruits: Banana, pear, apple (steamed or baked until soft), avocado, peach
• Vegetables: Sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini, peas, cooked carrots, green beans, roasted pumpkin
• Meats: Chicken, beef, turkey, pork (cut into strips and softened by cooking), fish
• Grains and starches: Oats (made with water or milk), mashed potatoes, soft scrambled eggs, soft bread, pasta, waffles
• Dips: Hummus, yogurt (unsweetened), guacamole

If you’re new to baby-led weaning, the process of allowing your baby to eat solids independently may seem daunting at first. But as long as you stay informed and follow the guidelines, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience for both you and your baby as you introduce her to a world of new flavors and textures.