Baby Led Weaning vs. Purees: Which is Right for Your Family?

Overview

Your baby's first year of life is full of exciting developments.

One of the biggest baby milestones is moving from only milk (whether that's from breast milk, formula feeding, or a combination of both), to solid foods, whether through traditional weaning or baby led weaning. This is important as babies need more nutrients like iron and zinc as they grow.

Most babies are ready for solids at around 6 months old or when your baby begins to show readiness for solids (but not before 4 months).

However, one of the biggest decisions parents/carers face in starting solids is choosing between baby led weaning or purees.

Which Weaning Method Is Best?

A quick Google search of “baby led weaning v purees’’ will show you countless discussions on the subject. So which is right? And is it really an either/or scenario?

The truth is that both methods have their own benefits and considerations.

We understand that starting solids can lead to a stressful time for parents/carers as for the first 6 months of life, according to Australian infant feeding guidelines, infant nutrition is solely reliant on milk for infant development.

After this period, your baby's digestive system and baby's immune system continues to develop and complementary foods and nutrients are needed to support the healthy growth spurts of your little one.

As you start thinking about approaches to baby nutrition from food more, we explore the pros and cons of both methods, and provide tips to help you decide which approach is best for your family.

What are the signs of readiness for solids?

You should always watch for your baby's hunger cues and practice responsive feeding. This could mean baby led breastfeeding or baby led bottle feeding until your baby shows signs of readiness for solids.

These are some signs baby may be ready for solids:

• baby reflexes such as the tongue thrust reflex has disappeared
• baby has good head and neck control
• baby is able to sit upright with little support
• baby shows interest in food
• baby reaches out for your food
• baby opens their mouth when you attempt to feed them from a spoon

This generally occurs around the age of 6 months (but not earlier than 4 months). However, all babies develop at different rates and this is only an approximate timeline.

Although you may find introducing solids a challenging transition, be patient and consistent as your baby adjusts to new food tastes and textures.

It may take several tries before your baby shows an interest in certain foods and textures.

It may also be useful to understand the different approaches to first foods such as baby led weaning and purees.

What is Baby Led Weaning vs. Purees?

Baby Led Weaning

This is an approach to starting solids by allowing babies to self-feed.

This generally involves preparing a variety of soft foods cut up into finger foods for your baby to eat and bypasses purees and spoon-feeding stages.

With this method, babies are encouraged to explore and choose what and how much they want to eat from the beginning.

This means it is important to offer foods with a variety of soft textures and nutrients to support healthy development.

Some tips when introducing food using a baby led weaning approach:

• Find a time when your baby is calm and relaxed
• Make sure they sit comfortably
• Offer soft food cut into finger size strips for your baby to pick up and hold. As your baby's pincer grasp and hand-eye coordination develops, you can start decreasing the food pieces to small sizes
• Be prepared for a mess
• Stay close to your baby while they eat as an opportunity to build baby's social skills and to avoid any accidents
• Practice baby led approach and do not pressure them to try the food. If they do not touch certain foods, try again in a day or so if they are not interested in it the first time

Some suitable first foods:

• Fruits - soft fruits such as bananas can be cut into large pieces to be offered
• Cooked vegetables - sweet potato, pumpkin or broccoli can be offered in large pieces
• Avocado can be cut into finger size strips
• Nut butter pastes with no added salt or sugar can be offered
• Meat, fish and tofu - pureed meat and tofu can be cut into sticks and offered as finger foods

Foods to avoid during baby led weaning:

You may have an adventurous baby who is keen to try all types of food, but be careful to avoid foods that are choke hazards such as:

• Raw vegetables that are difficult to chew
• Cubed or round foods like grapes
• Crunchy, hard foods that are heavily textured like whole nuts or popcorn

Baby led weaning can be easier for some families because babies can eat some of the same foods as the rest of the family – just cut in a way that’s safe for them.

Purees

This is a traditional weaning method that involves spoon-feeding your baby smooth, blended foods (such as sweet potatoes, green beans or carrot) before transitioning to more textured foods and eventually to soft finger foods (soft fruits such as bananas, avocado, broccoli, ).

It is also important to offer iron-rich foods in these formats.

Some tips when introducing food using a traditional weaning approach:

• Find a time when your baby is calm and relaxed
• Make sure they sit comfortably
• Be patient as they may only take a spoonful at first, but this will increase with time
• Stay close to your baby while they eat as an opportunity to build baby's social skills and to avoid any accidents
• Offer foods on a small, infant-sized spoon
• Be baby led and do not pressure them to try the food. If they do not touch certain foods, try again in a day or so if they are not interested in it the first time.

Some suitable first safe foods:

• Pureed fruits, such as bananas, pears or apples
• Pureed vegetables, such as carrots, pumpkin or avocado
• Single-grain cereals, fortified with iron, mixed with breast milk or baby formula
• Pureed meat, fish (such as salmon, rich in omega-3 fatty acids) and poultry, or pureed tofu and lentils

Because of the soft texture of these foods, you can offer them to your baby as they learn what it feels like to swallow solid food.

This can be an exciting or nervous time for your baby, so don't be discouraged if they need to have multiple attempts before trying a new food.

What to keep in mind when deciding between starting with baby led weaning or purees

• Both methods help your baby move from milk to solid food.
  You don’t have to choose just one. Many parents/carers use a mix of both methods
• Milk (breast milk, formula or both) is still important for the first year for nutrition and hydration.
  You might offer solids after milk feeds at first. Later, your baby might eat solids before milk.
• Your baby’s appetite may change during teething or illness – keep offering milk feeds as well as food and follow their cues.
• Whichever method you use, the goal is to help your baby enjoy food and get the nutrients they need to grow.

What are the Pros and Cons of Baby Led Weaning vs. Purees?

Both baby led weaning and purees have their “pros” and “cons” which you would need to consider for your circumstances.

When introducing new foods, it is important to monitor for any signs of a food allergy to ensure your baby's safety.

We have summarised the below as follows:

Baby Led Weaning Benefits and Challenges

PROS

• Encourages baby to feed themselves
• Helps baby learn to enjoy different textures and tastes
• May lead to better eating habits later
• Helps build hand and mouth coordination
• Can eat with the family

CONS

• Can be messy
• Some parents/carers worry about gagging and choking risk
• Not all foods are suitable for baby led weaning
• More food waste in the feeding process
• Difficult to know how much your baby is eating

Puree and spoon-feeding approach

PROS

• Easier to track how much baby eats
• Easy to include iron-rich foods
• Can be better for babies who aren’t ready to chew
• Offers a gradual transition to textured foods, which can be easier for some babies

CONS

• Can lead to reliance on spoon-feeding
• Slower development of self-feeding skills
• Babies may miss out on exploring different textures
• Babies may increase likelihood of picky eating
• Babies are not encouraged to use motor skills
• More food preparation and harder to include baby in family meals

Deciding between baby led weaning or purees

If you’re still undecided what’s right for your family, here are a few questions to help you determine which approach might be best in your situation:

1. What is your baby's readiness for solid foods?
   Look for signs of readiness, such as head control, sitting up without support, showing interest in food, and the ability to hold and bring food to their mouth.
2. What is your comfort level with mess?
   Baby led weaning can be messier
3. What are your feelings about your baby's nutritional needs?
   Consider whether you feel more comfortable ensuring a balanced diet through purees or allowing your baby to explore a variety of foods through self-feeding.
   If you have any concerns with baby weight gain or any other baby development concerns, please consult with your baby's child and family health nurse and/or GP before starting solids for your baby.
   For vegetarian babies and vegan babies, please feel free to also consult with your baby's child and family health nurse and/or GP if you have any questions on supplemental foods you can offer your baby.
4. How do you feel about the potential for choking?
   Both methods require close supervision whilst feeding and an awareness of choking hazards, but baby led weaning often raises more concerns for parents/carers in this area.
   Regardless of which way you introduce your baby’s first foods, you should be equipped to carry out first aid for choking in the event you need to use it.

What are Some Tips for Transitioning to Solid Foods?

How to start baby led weaning (BLW):

Wait until your baby is around six months old and showing signs of readiness, such as sitting up without support and showing interest in food.

It is crucial to consider the timing and readiness when introducing your baby to solid foods, as babies need to develop the necessary skills for moving and swallowing these new textures.

Baby led weaning foods / starter foods

Start with soft, easy-to-grasp foods like steamed vegetables (such as carrots or broccoli), ripe fruits (such as bananas and strawberries), and large soft pieces of cooked meat (such as chicken, lamb or pork).

You should offer large pieces of soft food for your baby to pick up and hold.

As your baby's pincer grasp develops, you can start decreasing the food pieces to smaller sizes.

Always supervise your baby while eating, ensure foods are appropriately sized to prevent choking, and be aware of foods to avoid, such as whole nuts and honey.

How to approach baby led weaning with your baby

If you choose to start solid foods with a baby led weaning approach, remember that every baby is different and their levels of messy eating may vary too.

Always offer food in baby-friendly environments and parents/carers can often use role modelling and illustrate by mouthing soft foods to encourage your baby to follow.

Some babies enjoy self-feeding, while others take longer to develop self-feeding skills.

Continue to offer a variety of soft foods that your baby can choose, pick up and eat.

These can include soft pieces of cooked meat and poultry, seafood, egg, pastas, roasted and steamed vegetables and fruits. Some gagging is normal as your baby learns to chew and swallow different foods.

Be patient and persistent as your baby adapts to the different food textures and becomes more confident in their baby led learning approach to feeding.

Common watch outs for transitions to solids

Whatever method you use to introduce solid foods, the same approach applies to introducing allergenic foods (such as nuts and dairy) and avoiding honey, cow's milk, whole nuts and peanuts (to prevent choking), runny or raw eggs and partially cooked seafood meat (to prevent risk of salmonella).

It is important to be aware that your baby may have food sensitivities as you introduce different foods to them, especially when introducing allergens, be aware of the common allergy reactions, from minor to life-threatening, and share this information such as peanut allergy or egg allergy to all care providers.

For those transitioning from purees to finger foods:

Introduce textures gradually, moving from smooth purees (such as apple, banana or carrot) to mashed foods to lumpy foods (such as sweet potato, cooked beans or spinach), then to small, soft pieces of solid food (such as meat, fruit and vegetables).

You can offer finger foods alongside purees to help your baby practice self-feeding skills whilst still being aware of their food intake.

How to transition to baby led weaning with your baby

Be patient and persistent, as it can take time for babies to adjust to new textures and tastes.

Offer a variety of foods and allow your baby to explore at their own pace.

Making your own baby food can be time-consuming so as your baby starts to increase their finger food intake, there is an added benefit of saving time and that your baby starts getting more accustomed to family meals.

Common watch outs for transitions to solids

It is important to be aware that your baby may have sensitivities to foods as you introduce different foods to them and be aware of common allergy reactions, from minor to life-threatening, and share this information with all care providers.

Remember, the Transition Methods Aren't Either/Or

In fact, many parents/carers use a mixed approach, a combination of baby led weaning and purees, to transition their baby to solid foods.

Combining both methods allows for flexibility, catering to your baby’s readiness and preferences.

You can start with purees to ensure your baby is getting enough nutrients and gradually introduce soft finger foods for self-feeding as your baby develops the necessary motor skills or you can encourage self-feeding from the very beginning.

Some general guidelines for your the first year

Regardless of which method, it is important to offer healthy foods during this process for good eating habits to develop and meet your baby's dietary needs.

• At around 7-9 months, many babies can manage three small meals each day.
• At around 9-11 months, many babies can manage three small meals, which are adapted versions of the family meal, and a snack.
• At 1 year old, most babies can enjoy family meals and consume three small meals as well as two to three snacks daily.

However, remember that each baby is different - your baby may eat more or less depending on their own needs.

It is also important to continue providing milk, whether that's breast milk, baby formula or a combination of both, alongside solid foods to meet your baby’s hydration and nutritional needs in their first year.

Take a Responsive Parenting Approach

There’s no one right way to start solids. Both baby led weaning and purees have their own benefits and considerations.

How you introduce your baby's first foods will depend on your family and your baby's preferences.

Remember you know your baby best and your approach can adjust if you and your baby's preferences and needs change over time.

By understanding both methods when it comes to introducing solids, you can make an informed decision that supports your baby’s development and growth as they make their transition to solid foods.

For more guidance on feeding choices including introducing solid foods, visit our resources on introducing solids.