Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1 What Is Baby-Led Weaning?
What Is Weaning? 7
Why BLW Is Different 8
Why BLW Makes Sense 10
When Should a Baby Start Solids? 11
Baby-Led Weaning Isn't New 13
A Brief History of Feeding Babies 16
What Your Mother Was Told 21
Building a Healthy Relationship with Food 25
The Trouble with Spoon-Feeding 27
The Benefits of BLW 34
Are There Any Disadvantages? 41
2 How Does Baby-Led Weaning Work?
Growing Skills 43
Self-Feeding; A Natural Skill 50
The Motivation to Try Solid Foods 50
Needing Extra Nutrients 51
The Importance of Milk Feedings 55
Developing the Ability to Chew 57
Is There Really a Window of Opportunity? 59
Eating Enough but Not Too Much: Understanding Appetite Control 59
Won't He Choke? 61
Do Babies Really Know What They Need to Eat? 68
Baby-Led Weaning and Babies Born Preterm 70
Baby-Led Weaning in Special Cases 72
3 Getting Started
Preparing for BLW 77
When to Eat 79
Basic Safety 81
Finger Food 82
Improving Coordination 84
Offering Rather Than Giving 87
How Much Food to Offer 89
Rejecting Food 91
Helping Your Baby to Learn 92
Eating Together 97
Expect Mess 100
Equipment 103
The Secrets of Successful BLW 109
Q&A 110
4 First Foods
Basic Principles 117
Foods to Avoid 118
Foods That Are Different for Babies 124
What About Allergies? 126
Adapting Food in the Early Months 129
Drinks 138
Breakfast 140
Easy Snacks and Food on the Move 142
Desserts 143
5 After the Early Days
Progressing at Your Baby's Pace 147
Adventurous Taste Buds 150
Learning About Textures 153
Feast and Famine 156
Eating Enough: Learning to Trust Your Baby 158
Telling You She's Had Enough 161
Food Fads 163
Your Baby's Appetite for Milk Feedings 166
Three Meals a Day? 169
Your Baby's Diaper 172
Introducing a Cup 175
Introducing Cutlery 176
Eating Out 180
BLW and Childcare 185
6 A Healthy Diet for Everyone
Healthy Eating from the Start 191
Balancing Your Family's Diet 192
What We Need to Eat and Why 193
Variety Is the Spice of Life! 200
Buying Organic 202
Tips for Getting the Best Out of Your Food 203
7 Growing Up with BLW
Maintaining a Baby-Led Approach 207
Avoiding Negative Labels 208
Encouraging Self-Service 209
Mealtime Behavior 211
Bribes, Rewards, and Punishments 214
Avoiding an Emotional Battleground 215
Ending Milk Feedings 218
Conclusion 221
Appendix 1 The Story of Baby-Led Weaning 223
Appendix 2 Basic Rules for Food Safety 227
References 231
Photo Credits 232
Acknowledgments 233
Index 235
About the Authors 242
