Why We Love Baby Led Weaning

We knew we wanted to love baby led weaning, but we had no idea if we would. See why it’s one of the best parenting decisions we’ve made!

I knew baby led weaning was what I wanted to do from day one. Nathan needed a bit of convincing, but it didn’t take much for him to get on board. So we knew that when we introduced solids, there would be zero baby food jars in this household.

If you’re unfamiliar with baby led weaning, it’s pretty simple. Babies get to feed themselves from the start of weaning. Super easy! Foods are cut into appropriately sized pieces and your baby gets to enjoy the tastes and textures of all kinds of foods from day one.

It’s turned into such a fun experience for all of us (Sookie included because of the mess!) and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Here are a few of the many reasons we love baby led weaning.

Why We Love Baby Led Weaning

She loves everything. Seriously – EVERYTHING. There is not a single thing she has turned down in the few months she’s been eating solids. Some she’s a little hesitant about, but she’ll try them multiple times before moving on to something she enjoys more.

She shows us when she’s full. I never fear that we’re overfeeding her. She gives us signs when she’s done, like turning her head or simply no longer eating. This was something I was super worried about before we introduced solids. I wanted to know she was well fed, but not stuffed. And she lets me know when she’s had enough so it’s easy peasy.

Meal times are so much easier. She’s already picked up the fact that my plate has awesome food on it so why not just give her the same stuff? No special cooking and no trying to figure out weird combinations of fruits and veggies that she’ll like. She eats what we do (for the most part) and seems to love knowing that what we’re eating is what she’s eating, too.

We still bond over meal time. I was scared to introduce solids because I was worried breastfeeding would just stop. Or it would get really hard. Or something would break the bond we had from those nursing sessions. None of that happened, but we also still get to bond over meal time. She plays in the kitchen while we cook and then enjoy the meal together while we talk about the foods. Sookie cleans up the floor so it’s fun for the whole family.

She hasn’t choked. This was my #1 fear for BLW. I was certain it would happen. I was certain I’d be performing the Heimlich maneuver the same day we tried it. Nope. Never happened. Not once. She has gagged, but she’s cleared the food herself and all was well.

She’s learning so much every time we feed her. She’s a super inquisitive baby so whenever something new is set in front of her, she inspects it. She finds the best way to hold it, feels the different textures, and then takes a small bite to see if she likes it. I love seeing that wonder, focus and drive to understand the food in front of her. Her grasp on the food is also improving which is awesome.

Overall, we use a bit of a mixed approach though. She loves yogurt, mashed potatoes, smoothies and soups so we help her out with those. But most of the time? She’s feeding herself pineapple, green beans, chicken, carrots, and so much more.

However, when we’re on the go, it’s not always as easy to have something for her. So we usually carry Gerber® Grabbers with us. These pouches make feeding on the go SO much easier with the Gerber® Smart Flow™ that’s being added to all of the Gerber® pouches.

The smaller opening in Gerber® Smart Flow™ means less mess and more control for little ones learning to sip through a pouch. Lily LOVES eating these which means we’re never worried that she’s not getting enough nutrition when we’re traveling or in a hurry. She gets more in her mouth and less on her face which makes for a happy mama and baby.

Want some of your own? Print off these coupons and head over to Ahold or Kroger to get some for your tiny human!

Did you/do you do baby led weaning with your little one? Why do you love baby led weaning? Have you tried the Gerber® Smart Flow™ pouches Gerber® Smart Flow™ pouches?


We knew we wanted to love baby led weaning, but we had no idea if we would. See why it's one of the best parenting decisions we've made! We knew we wanted to love baby led weaning, but we had no idea if we would. See why it's one of the best parenting decisions we've made!