Nurseries are swapping hand blenders for long-sleeved bibs and ground sheets as parents request that babies feed themselves instead of being weaned on pureed foods.
Baby-led weaning (BLW) is the method of gradually moving a child from a milk diet to eating solid food without having a puree stage. It allows a baby to control their solid food intake from the start of the weaning process by feeding themselves rather than being spoon-fed.
BLW aims to be a more natural way of weaning a child because they can follow their instincts, mimic others, learn about food through exploration and set the pace of a meal, instead of having it dictated by the person feeding them. By missing out the pureed food stage, BLW babies can learn to recognise individual foods, discover separate tastes, rather than have them blended together, and explore a variety of textures.
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