One of the most common questions parents have when starting baby-led weaning is, “What are the best foods to offer based on my baby’s age?”
In this guide to Baby Led Weaning foods, I’ll walk you through the best first foods for your baby at different months of age. Plus, when to introduce the common food allergens. You’ll also discover what I gave my baby from his first foods at 6 months old, all the way to 120 days later when he was 10 months old and eating proper meals. This advice on the best baby led weaning foods by age comes from a mum who used a baby led weaning approach (with a little mix of spoon feeding too) with all four of my children. Baby-led weaning (otherwise known as BLW) is a wonderful approach to introducing your little one to solid foods, allowing them to explore new tastes and textures at their own pace.Getting ready to start Baby Led Weaning?
I answer the most common Baby Led Weaning questions here:The BLW Approach
Baby-led weaning is all about letting your baby take the lead in their journey of transitioning from a diet of breast milk or formula to eating food with the rest of the family. This approach encourages self-feeding, fine motor skill development, and a positive relationship with food from the very beginning.What are the benefits of baby led weaning?
Baby Led Weaning allows your child to eat the quantity of food that is right for them. Unlike spoon feeding, where there is always the possibility of overfeeding as the adult controls the food intake. There are other numerous benefits to baby led weaning, such as improved hand-eye coordination and palmar grasp. Plus you don’t have to spend time making lots of purees! Baby led weaning is also great idea when you have older children. Everyone can eat variations of the same meals, and your hands will be free to cook and clean whilst your baby confidently helps themself to their own meal.Signs of Readiness
Before diving into solid foods, it’s crucial to ensure your baby is developmentally ready. Look for signs such as the ability to sit up with support, good head control, and the disappearance of the tongue-thrust reflex, which usually occurs around six months of age. Always consult your paediatrician or health visitor before starting solid foods.My baby led weaning story
When my eldest child was approaching 6 months old, I started to think about weaning. I read Gill Rapley’s popular Baby Led Weaning book. It seemed a logical way to introduce solid foods, so we gave it a go. Our introduction to baby led weaning went really well, and we didn’t look back. With my second baby, there was no question that we would be doing baby led weaning again. Rory started with carrots and cucumber. You can watch the video of him trying his very first baby led weaning foods here. He quickly became a baby led weaning pro. It was much easier following the baby led weaning method when I had a toddler to help at meal times too! I filmed a timelapse video of his baby led weaning journey, from his very first finger foods, to 120 days later when he was eating proper meals. That video now has almost half a million views. It is used in NCT weaning courses throughout the UK, so you may recognise it! If you are thinking of trying baby led weaning, my video is a great example of baby led weaning food ideas.Watch my video on the best baby led weaning foods by age, featuring my son!
By the time it came to my third and fourth babies, baby led weaning was just part of our routine.
We didn’t always stick to BLW religiously. My children also ate their fair share of purees, and yogurts. The occasional jar of supermarket baby food and those ready-to-eat baby food pouches were very handy, especially when travelling!
Trying baby led weaning doesn’t mean forgoing convenience. There are no rules, do what works best for you.
The best baby led weaning foods by age:
6-7 Months: Getting Started
At around 6-7 months of age, your baby is typically ready for their first solid food adventures. The best first foods for BLW are easy-to-grasp soft foods like:- Sweet Potatoes: Steam or bake them until they’re soft enough for little gums.
- Avocado: Rich in healthy fats, avocados are a perfect choice.
- Banana: This fruit is easy to hold and naturally sweet.
- Steamed Carrots: Cook them until they’re fork-tender.
More Baby Led Weaning food ideas for 6 month olds:
- Red, yellow, or green pepper slices
- Cucumber
- Steamed broccoli
- Courgette
- Apple (softened strips are best)
- Oranges
- Mango
- Pear
- Watermelon
- Banana with some peel still on (easier to grasp)
- softly cooked potato
- Squash
- Pumpkin
7-8 Months: Exploring Textures
As your baby becomes more comfortable with eating, introduce finger foods with different textures. After around a month of baby led weaning, it’s time to add to the diet of pure fruit and vegetables. Now things can get a little bit more exciting by introducing some grains to your baby’s mealtimes.The best baby led weaning foods for 7 month olds:
- Porridge fingers
- Oatmeal balls
- Toast Soldiers: Perfect for dipping into purees.
- Blueberries: Great for practicing that pincer grasp.
- Mushrooms
- Green beans
- Tomatoes (can cause skin irritation – hence why I didn’t put them in the list of foods for the first month)
- Keep offering your baby all the same iron-rich fruits and vegetables from the previous month.
8-9 Months: Developing Motor Skills
Your little one’s fine motor skills and pincer grasp will improve during this period. Offer foods like green split peas that encourage their development and pincer grip. Your baby might also have a few teeth by now, which means it’s a great time to introduce tender meat finger foods. You’ll likely find yourself introducing more dairy at this stage, too. Dairy can be a common food allergen, so it’s best to introduce one thing at a time.The best baby led weaning foods for 8 month olds:
- Pasta: Opt for larger, easier to hold shapes.
- Porridge (introduce a spoon so your baby can feed themselves)
- Strips of Cooked Chicken: Ensure they’re tender and easy to chew.
- Strips of cooked fish
- Peas: These can be a hit due to their size and texture.
- Pancake slices
- Yogurt
- Cheese slices
- Strips of bread / toast sticks with peanut butter
- Humous with veggie sticks
9-11 months old: A wider variety of meals and flavours
At this point, you’ve likely moved onto mixed meals that look more like family meals, rather than a different collection of finger foods. Your baby will be getting skilled at feeding themselves with a spoon. So you can offer them low salt variations of the meals you usually cook the rest of the family.
This is an exciting stage of baby led weaning where your baby will be enjoying new flavours and developing their tastes. Will your baby love spaghetti bolognaise or curry the best?
The best baby led weaning foods for 9 month olds:
- Scrambled egg
- Hard boiled egg
- Omelette
- Meatballs
- Vegetable fritters
- Fruit or vegetable muffins
- Cereals like Cheerios
- Any type of pasta and sauce
- Lentils
- Couscous
The best baby led weaning foods for 10 month olds:
- Curry with rice
- Spaghetti bolognaise
- Sausage
- Noodles
- Casserole
- Cottage pie
- Pizza strips
- Cauliflower cheese
- Risotto
- Mild chilli
10 – 12 Months: Family Meals
At this point in your child’s baby led weaning journey, they should be well on their way to eating a wide variety of foods. You probably won’t need more baby led weaning food inspiration as your baby will largely be eating the same meals as the rest of the family!General Baby Led Weaning Tips
- Always offer BLW foods in appropriate, baby-friendly sizes.
- Be prepared for the gag reflex, which is a normal part of learning to eat. It can sound scary at first. But gagging is not the same as choking, which is largely silent due to air not being able to get through.
- Avoid added sugars, salt, and cow’s milk before the first year of life.
- Continue breastfeeding or providing infant formula alongside solids.
- In the early stages, introduce foods one at a time to identify any potential food intolerances.
- Be responsive to your baby’s cues and let them guide the mealtime.
When to introduce Nut Allergens and Allergenic Foods
The World Health Organisation suggests that introducing allergenic foods like peanuts and tree nuts early in your baby’s diet, around 6-7 months, may help reduce the risk of allergies. Peanut butter is one of the best ways to start. However, consult your healthcare professional before doing so, especially if there’s a family history of food allergies.Gagging VS choking with baby led weaning
Gagging is something that will happen quite a bit when your baby begins baby led weaning. It can sound quite alarming, but it is a natural part of the learning process as your baby hones their gag reflex. The gag reflex actually works to prevent choking by pushing food back to the front of the mouth. Gagging sounds like a wretch or a cough. Choking is when a piece of food blocks the airway. There may not be much sound, as air cannot get through. Always make sure you are watching your baby whilst they eat. The Red Cross says that a baby who is choking will be unable to cry, cough, make any noise or breathe. It’s very important to know the signs of choking. I highly recommend doing a first aid course with a focus on choking before you embark on baby led weaning. The method for assisting a choking baby or toddler is different to that of the famous Heimlich manoeuvre for an adult. Thankfully, none of my children ever choked whilst doing baby led weaning. But I found it reassuring to know what I was meant to do if it ever did happen. There is more of a risk of choking with baby led weaning than with purees. However, baby led weaning done correctly should minimise that risk.
Now you’re ready to begin baby led weaning
Remember, there’s no particular order to introducing foods. The most important thing is to make mealtime a positive and enjoyable experience for your baby and the whole family. Baby-led weaning is a great way to foster healthy eating habits from the very beginning and set your child on the path to a lifetime of nutritious, enjoyable meals. With these pointers on the best baby led weaning foods by age, you have everything you need to get your baby started on their food discovery journey!
Baby Led Weaning FAQ
When should I start baby led weaning?Most people start baby led weaning when their baby is 6-7 months old. Your baby needs to be able to sit up independently and be showing an interest in food.
However ‘food is fun before one’, and you can wait a month or two if you feel your baby isn’t ready yet. With my third and fourth babies, I followed their cues and waited until they were 7.5 months.
How can you tell how much your baby is eating with baby led weaning?
In the early days, think of baby led weaning more as though your baby is learning to play with a new toy rather than about hunger and sustenance.
You won’t be dropping any milk feeds just yet, so it doesn’t really matter how much they are actually eating.
Do I have to do baby led weaning?
All babies are different, and all families have different needs. You don’t have to do baby led weaning if it doesn’t work for you.
Having had four children go through the weaning process, I can safely say that they all get to the same stage whether you spoon feed, offer finger foods, or a mix of both. In a few years time, you really won’t be worrying whether you followed baby led weaning or not.
What are the negatives to Baby Led Weaning?
Baby Led Weaning is definitely messier than traditional weaning where you spoon feed your baby. But it’s really not too bad.
Cleaning up after your baby eats quickly becomes part of the routine. The messy stage doesn’t last long as your baby develops their feeding skills. The floor mess became much easier to cope with once we got our dog! ; )Which highchair is better?
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