Are you wondering if you should do Traditional Weaning or Baby-Led? Like every aspect of raising a child, there are so many opinions out there and it can be difficult to decide what is best. This is a summary of my experience with both methods. Of course, everyone is different, as is every baby. What is great for one person may not be for another.
There are two basic approaches to weaning: the traditional method, where you offer purees to start with, and the baby-led method. I went down the traditional weaning route with my eldest, Finn, and I am now three months into weaning Rory, my youngest, using the baby-led method. Both have been a positive experience but have their pros and cons.
Traditional Weaning
I weaned my eldest (Finn) at five and a half months using the traditional method. I hadn’t really heard much about baby-led weaning (BLW) and so hadn’t considered any other way. I started with smooth purees, progressed to mashed/chopped and introduced finger foods around seven months.
I made most of his meals and my freezer was packed with a range of coloured cubes of frozen purees. I would cook up several recipes one afternoon a week and then took out the required cubes daily. I liked to cook with a range of spices, herbs and food types to ensure his diet was varied in nutrients and flavour.
Finn is a fantastic eater and basically eats anything I give him. I feel that I should mention this here as I have read so many pro BLW articles that shout about how BLW results in more adventurous, less picky eaters. Finn, traditionally weaned, has to be the least fussy eater I know and is willing to try any new food.
Advantages
- I knew how much Finn had eaten
- It was easier to ensure he was gaining the right nutrients (e.g. iron)
- Less messy
- I could use jars/pouches when out and about.
Disadvantages
- Preparing separate purees was time-consuming
- Having to spoon-feed Finn at mealtime made it harder to enjoy a meal together.
Baby-Led Weaning
I started Rory on solids at the recommended age of six months. He has joined in with family meals and fed himself from day one. I offered him softer finger foods for the first week but by week two he was really just eating what we all were as a family. (see more here)
As I was already cooking for Finn, I was no longer adding salt to my cooking and was ensuring that I was preparing nutritionally balanced meals. It was no extra work for me to make more for Rory. If I had done BLW with Finn I would have had to change our diet a lot sooner than I did. Before Finn ate with us we ate a lot of Thai and Indian style foods which were packed full of chilli and had a high salt content (through fish sauce, curry pastes etc.) If you are thinking about doing BLW then it is important to ensure you are providing a balanced, low sodium, low sugar diet.
Although still early days, Rory seems to be a good eater. He gets very excited at mealtimes and can demolish meals in minutes! He does, however, know what he likes best and will pick those foods to eat first. Sometimes his less favoured foods can be found chewed and dropped on the floor!
Advantages
- I have no baby purees to make.
- I can enjoy meals at the same time as Rory. He feeds himself as we eat.
- Rory has joined in with meal times from the beginning.
- Has allowed Rory to explore a range of flavours and textures which he would not have got if his food was all blended together.
- No transitioning from smooth to lumpy/mashed/whole food.
Disadvantages
- Messy! This is what I have struggled with the most. After each meal, I feel like it is a military operation to clean the kitchen.
- Food Waste. At the start, I found that there was a lot of food wastage but already (at nine months) I have noticed that this has decreased dramatically.
- Uncertainty on what was eaten. At the start, I was never quite sure how much he had eaten and how much was swept up. This, in turn, made me worry that he was not receiving enough nutrients (such as iron)
- Eating out. This is easier in some way but sometimes I’ve struggled to find something on the menu suitable for a young baby.
- Other people’s opinions. Our parents’ generation generally fed through purees so be prepared for the unsolicited advice from people who do and do not know you. I think I would have found this harder if I had done BLW the first time around. I feel a lot more confident this time around and find it easier to ignore comments and opinions.
- I’ve personally had no worries about choking but my husband was really worried at the start. Rory would gag slightly but nothing too concerning.
Musts for Both Weaning Methods…..
- No honey until one.
- Limit salty foods and don’t add salt to your cooking.
- No foods with choking potential (read more about finger foods here)
Final Thoughts and Weaning Tips…..
- If I were to have a third child I would probably choose the BLW approach again. Purely because I will be preparing healthy meals, that are low in salt & sugar, for Finn and Rory so adding another child into the mix would not cause any more work. The thought of having three kids, preparing family meals and finding time to puree separate meals scares me! I would be looking to keep any extra work to a minimum. That being said, if I had no other children then I think I would be torn to what method I would choose.
- Every baby is different and every parent is different, choose to do what is best and easiest for you and your baby.
- Stay calm, some days your baby will eat tons and the next day they will pick. Try not to worry about it and trust your baby’s appetite. Don’t force your baby to finish or eat something they are refusing.
- If you are thinking of going down the traditional weaning route then check out the following websites for great puree ideas and recipes.
- Baby Foodie – fab puree recipes with gorgeous pictures that would tempt even adults!
- Annabel Karmel – the queen of baby food.
- If you want to give BLW a try then I found the Baby-Led Weaning Book by Jill Rapley really informative.
- Have a look at these websites (as well as this one!) They are packed full of recipes for kids.
- Super Healthy Kids ,
- Weelicious ,
- My Fussy Eater,
- One Handed Cooks,
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Some interesting points Amy, having done mainly traditional weaning with Isaac, but with finger foods thrown in for good measure, I appreciate the time it takes to purée everything up! Think I would consider BLW if a second time round comes – as you say, if you’re cooking good homecooked meals anyway for the family, it’s no bother to add some extra in!
Definitely Julia! I have certainly found it the easiest as I was cooking for Finn anyway. It is also so amazing to see them eating real food from day one!
Ciaoooo julia,
Sorry to write here for a comment, but I don’t found how to make a comment by myself …
I want to ask you with BLW how is the progress with the baby I mean at 6 they explore and have fun stick food, finger food, then at 7, 8??
With the milk?
Its always good to consider options. I went down the puree and jars route with finger foods mostly because my son lost so much weight just before weaning so really needed to keep an eye on what he was actually consuming. But I might consider blw with my baby daughter
Rory had very slow weight gain as a newborn and dropped from the 90th to the 7th percentile. I was slightly concerned about trying blw for this reason but he seemed to take to it really well and gained weight quickly once on the solids. I did keep an eye on it though and would have changed to traditional weaning if I thought he wasn’t eating anything or if he continued to drop weight. BLW would def be worth a try but you have to do what is right for you and your daughter! Good luck! Thanks for stopping by, Amy
This is a great “neutral” post. I’ve seen a few from both sides, that are great but not unbiased, which makes it harder for new parents to figure out what’s good advice. I’ll share it on our FB page.
Thanks Karen and thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for such a thoughtful post. It’s so good to hear other mums’ experiences and because you’ve tried both methods, this is really helpful. Dawn xx
Thanks for your comment Dawn. I have luckily had a positive experience with both methods and really do believe that it depends on the baby and your situation.
We did purées with Annabel Karmel as that’s what you did then. I’m not sure what you do matters as long as it works for you, your family and your circumstances
Yes, it has to work for you and your family. Thanks for commenting 🙂
Some interesting points there. I did the traditional way with my son, and it worked for us. He is a really good eater now too. I didn’t know much about BLW when I was putting my son on solids. Not sure if I would try it with my next baby, but it’s not a bad idea :). #TwinklyTuesday
Thanks Kelly 🙂
Popped over from #twinklytuesdays and this so SO relevant for me at the moment with my 8 month old who refuses the spoon! I have had to ‘resort’ to BLW but am now on the second week and he is eating more quantity and actually enjoying eating rather than it being me trying to trick him into having spoons of mush and him screaming, whilst we simultaneously are playing youtube cartoons in the background! I was also worried about the choking but now feeling more confident that he won’t as each day passes….lets see how it goes but a great article, which has instilled me with yet more confidence. And YES…..the mess is a nightmare!
Thanks for your comment. A few of my friends had to do blw too for the same reason as yourself. I’m glad that your 8mth is eating better and you have find the best method for you and baby. Amy
Great post, I have weaned with both methods too. Although I was rubbish at the traditional method and she was having finger food by 7 months anyway!
Thanks Claire, it certainly is less time consuming not having to puree everything. 🙂
Great post! I wanted to do BLW but Emma wasn’t getting enough protein so she lost weight. I ended up introducing purees as well just to make sure she had all the nutrients although I made sure she always had finger foods to encourage self feeding. If I have another baby I’ll definitely try BLW again. Emma was never bothered about lumps and will now eat anything – most of the time all by herself! #KidsCorner
Thanks! If I found out Rory wasn’t getting enough nutrients due to the blw process I would def switch to purees too. I think a lot of people do a mix of purees and finger foods now. That is what a lot of my friends are doing.
I think its great you have done both, I went the traditional option with Monkey – just sort of fell into it if I am honest. If we ever have another I am more inclined to try BLW so I have book marked you just incase 🙂 #kidscorner xx
Thanks!
Oh wow, this is a really useful post (wish I’d seen it before we went on our weaning journey). I started off weaning my daughter (now 15 months old) the traditional way but I found it really stressful. In the end we did a mixture of purees and blw until she seemed more into her food (she really wasn’t that fussed on it for the first few months) then we went BLW all the way.
Popping over from the #KidsCorner linky xx
Thanks Jenna, I 100% believe that the best method is what works for the parent and their baby.
I don’t think you have to choose one or the other — I did both with the twins. I would spoon feed them, so I knew that they had actually eaten something, then give them whole foods so they could develop their motor skills and learn to feed themselves. It worked so well for us 🙂
I think there’s a lot to be said for BLW but don’t think I would have felt comfortable *just* letting them feed themselves!! I value my sleep too much and always felt confident that if they had full bellies, we’d all get a good night’s sleep!! LOL! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday — hope to see you again next week! x
Caro | http://www.thetwinklediaries.co.uk
Thanks for hosting 🙂
Some great points there. We started off doing purees but within a few days I switched to the baby led weaning way – my son really enjoyed trying different foods and I loved how he could just eat what we were having. He’s now almost 3 and loves his food, hes not fussy and is a big fan of fruit and veg! I certainly don’t miss the messy early days of BLW…my highchair is still stained orange from spag bol!! #kidscorner
I kind of did a mixture of both with my girls dinner times were more me feeding them either something I had prepared previously from the freezer of having out dinner masked up but lunch tended to be more finger foods letting them feed themselves as you say its what works for you and that always suited us thanks for sharing on #kidscorner
Thanks Amy! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this. I used the traditional method for my first two and am trying BLW with my third. I can’t say we’re completely baby led, but we’re getting there. Like you, I’m hesitant about the mess, but I’m sure we will get there in the end.
Thanks Katie!
Yeah, the mess is really hard. I remember between preparing food, waiting patiently for it to be eaten/smushed/thrown for an hour, and then the hour-long clean up, it felt like we were constantly sat at the high chair! I gathered my best mess lessons learned here, if it’s helpful: https://www.littlegourmetbaby.com/baby-led-weaning-recipe-blog/2016/12/10/baby-led-weaning-12-ways-to-handle-the-mess
It was really nice to read a balanced article about TW v BLW. So much of the information on the Internet is pro one way or the other which I think makes it difficult for parents to a) understand the difference between the 2 methods and b) be able to make a decision which is right for them and their baby as to how they want to wean. I went BLW with my little boy and for my family that worked, but my view is as long as baby is safe, happy and fed then each to their own. So thanks for writing something so balanced!
Hi Claire, Thank you so much for your comment and I’m so happy you enjoyed the article. I share the exact same view as you – as long as baby is safe and fed them that is the most important thing. We are all different and our babies are all different, one method will not work perfectly for all. It is the same for every aspect of parenting – you need to do what is best for you and your baby / kid.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment ??
Hi, was doing some research online for a course I’m completing, and discovered that Tommee Tippee have an article that uses virtually the same wording and layout as your blog post! 🙁 Thought you might appreciate the heads up.
Hi Kelly, Thanks for the heads up, it was really nice of you to take the time to let me know. Unfortunately, this happens all the time although I am shocked that Tommee Tippee has done this. So frustrating.