r/BabyLedWeaning Jul 20 '25

Not age-related Is Social Media-Led Weaning more popular than Baby-Led Weaning?

354 Upvotes

Introduction

I learned about BLW from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, who presented it as a book to read rather than a hashtag. While my wife was pregnant, we bought and read Gill Rapley's “Baby-Led Weaning.” We have now weaned two children following BLW, The book was the only resource we used, and both of us felt well-enough equipped that we never needed anything else. 

It seems to me that many of the complaints or struggles people post about on this sub are products of an approach to weaning that comes from social media, rather than Baby-Led Weaning. In my opinion, BLW makes for pretty terrible social media. "I'm having fajitas, so my baby is chewing on a couple pieces of bell pepper" isn't super interesting, and you can't make a full day's content out of it. I think a lot of people would find more success steering away from the social media trends and fully embracing BLW.

I’ve noted six trends that I feel are common on social media, and contrasted them with quotes from “Baby-Led Weaning.”

Trend #1 - Made-to-Order Meals

Influencers preparing elaborate meals specifically for their children is probably the biggest gulf between social media and BLW. One of the fundamental assumptions of BLW is that you are eating the same meal as your child. Sharing meals is a great way to encourage babies to try new food. It can help lower stress by distracting parents away from micromanaging their baby’s meal. And for my money, the best reason to share meals was that it’s easier than cooking two different meals.

"Baby-led weaning babies are included in family mealtimes from the start, eating the same food and joining in the social time." ("Baby-Led Weaning," page 23)

“Normal, healthy family foods can be adapted easily so that your baby can manage them, so there’s no need to buy or prepare special foods” (p. 63)

Trend #2 - Mountains at Mealtime

A full plate of food looks appealing to most adults, but that doesn't make it right for your baby. There’s no need to give them more than they can eat or give them more ammunition when they’re in a throwing mood. And even when our kids could eat significant amounts, sometimes the full plate was still overwhelming and they needed the pieces a few at a time.

“Many babies can be overwhelmed by too much choice and too much quantity in the early stages. Some push all food away, others focus on one piece of food and throw everything off the high tray; some simply turn away.” (p. 71)

Trend #3 - Clean Plate Kids

Many posts here ask if their kids are eating enough, because they see babies on social media eating more. Our kids took 6-8 weeks to start consuming any measurable amount of food. We expected that going in and never felt stressed by it, but if your feed is full of 6-month-olds who supposedly eat an entire hamburger, your opinion might be influenced.

“Eating very little and playing a lot.” (p. 70)

“Don’t expect your baby to eat much food at first. She doesn’t suddenly need extra food because she reached six months.“ (p. 90)

Trend #4 - Mushy Methods

It seems to have become a standard recommendation that food should be cooked to the point of disintegration for BLW. Of course It’s important that foods be prepared in a safe way, but that doesn’t mean it’s all mush. Texture is important and enjoyable, and they can only learn to chew if given foods that need chewing. (Also, teeth are not needed for chewing, which should be obvious to anyone who’s gotten a bite from their kid’s gums.)

“If you are offering vegetables, bear in mind they shouldn’t be too soft (or they’ll turn to mush when your baby tries to handle them)” (p. 67)

Trend #5 - Practice with Purees

It seems that a large number of people combo feed purees, or use purees to "ease into solids." Starting with purees is very common, and has been the traditional approach to weaning for decades. However, spending time teaching your baby to eat purees isn't very helpful in moving them toward the ultimate goal of eating table food. Every child will need to learn to chew and swallow food at some point. Starting early takes advantage of the gag reflex being farther forward in the mouths. It also gets it out of the way sooner and doesn’t develop the habit of swallowing food without chewing.

“When babies start with BLW at six months they have a chance to experiment with food and develop self-feeding skills while all their nutrition is still coming from breast milk or formula. This means they can practice feeding themselves before they really need much food” (p. 93)

“You may find [...] that she gets frustrated because she can’t feed herself as fast as she wants to. Babies who have been spoon-fed can get used to swallowing large quantities of food quickly when they are hungry because pureed food doesn’t need to be chewed.” (p. 93)

Trend #6 - BLW Way or the Highway

Somewhat distressingly, people post here who feel like they have no choice but to do BLW. I loved doing BLW and wouldn't use another method if I had the choice, but it is still just one possible approach. Most Americans of my generation were puree fed, and it’s clearly possible to raise healthy, well-adjusted children on purees. Baby-led weaning jumps to self-feeding table food at 6 months. Traditional weaning starts offering solids around 9 months and has purees phased out around 12 months. Claiming that the 3 to 6 month period of BLW will determine a child’s life is obvious nonsense.

Conclusion

Everyone knows social media isn’t reality. And yet, it seems to have an outsized impact on people’s ideas of what BLW should look like. Basically, I think influencers are incentivized to make BLW look harder and more complicated than it really is, in order to generate enough content to keep their timelines full.

By-the-book BLW will not and cannot be perfect for everyone, but the book does predict and troubleshoot a surprising number of common problems that people have, In my view, the book is still underutilized and overshadowed by social media, to the point that people may not even be aware of how simple BLW can be.


r/BabyLedWeaning Feb 28 '25

12 months old Feeling proud of our foods before one!

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73 Upvotes

Baby just turned one last week. All time faves are squash (any kind), bread, veggie fritters, and nut butter. Least favorite was grits and citrus!


r/BabyLedWeaning 10h ago

12 months old Anyone else’s 1-year-old just… not interested in eating? I’m exhausted.

8 Upvotes

I'm feeling so spent these days, my LO is now one year adjusted (34 weeker) ever since he hated drinking milk/ eating solids. I thought it was just a phase and he'll eventually outgrew it but here we are, one year later and still every feeding is a battle of distractions, just so he'll eat something.
I'm so stressed about his weight, he is 8.7kgs. Our doctor told us he needs to be 10kgs at one year adjusted.

This is how his feedings looks like:
7am 5oz
8:30am breakfast (usually oatmeal + toast)
11:30am 5oz
1pm lunch (rice porridge + veggies / choice of protein
4:30pm 5oz
5:50pm dinner

7:40pm last bottle (5oz, sometimes 6oz)

I still try to dreamfeed him at 2am because I worry about his weight and thats ONE feeding that doesnt feel like a battle.

Im still sleep deprived - one year later.

I tried not feeding at 2am but he wakes up at odd hours bc of hunger (4/5am)
If i feed him at 2am, he wakes up at 6:30am bc his belly is full.

I tried cutting that night feed hoping he will get his calories during daytime but he would rather starve 😭
He doesnt cry for milk/food, he would happily just play.

He is meeting all his milestones, it's just his weight that worries me 🥺

The volume of his solids isnt a lot, he would not open his mouth to eat, i would need to distract him with so many toys just so he could eat.
We tried blw but he would just throw everything.
Right now we are a mix of both.

What am i doing wrong? Is there any hope?


r/BabyLedWeaning 2m ago

11 months old Independent baby help

Upvotes

My 11 month old daughter is VERY independent and observant. We are now in a phase where she will not eat without having a spoon, even though she cannot properly use the spoon, and also will not let us spoon feed her. We do of course have plenty of meals that she can eat with her hands, but she still must have a spoon. 100% of the time the spoons end up on the floor and she now will not eat. HELP!!!


r/BabyLedWeaning 44m ago

13 months old Positive stories of 13 month old not eating significant solids?

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Upvotes

r/BabyLedWeaning 1h ago

Not age-related Foot rests

Upvotes

Hi! We have a booster chair that straps on a dining chair because of space limitations, and I just realized the other day as I was setting it up that it doesn’t have a foot rest which we’ll need when we start BLW in a few weeks. Are there any ways to add a foot rest to this kind of chair? If not, what is the most budget friendly, space efficient high chair with a foot rest option (preferably that’s not dang ugly haha)?


r/BabyLedWeaning 2h ago

7 months old Started solids, developing red patches, skin test negative

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1 Upvotes

r/BabyLedWeaning 11h ago

8 months old Wednesdays Breakfast

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5 Upvotes

- Butter sautéed mushrooms
- Fruit salad and yogurt (kiwi, apple, peach)
- Scrambled eggs with red pepper and cottage cheese

First time with mushrooms and he loves them! (Although what’s to hate when it’s cooked in butter?)


r/BabyLedWeaning 2h ago

> 15 months old Pls help!!! 18 month old transition away from bottle

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1 Upvotes

r/BabyLedWeaning 4h ago

< 6 months old First time mom

1 Upvotes

Hey fellow parents - first time mom to my just over 4-month-old girl here! At her 4 month appt, her pediatrician gave us the green light to start solids. We’ve tried rice cereal, avocado puree, and banana puree so far. It’s been 8 days since we started. My baby is NOT a fan. It’s gotten to the point where she will take the first bite, spit it all out, then start to fuss with the next bites. She will then to begin to cry actual tears if we try to continue. I know she is still on the younger side to start solids, but we figured we’d start it to give her practice. But now I’m wondering if we should stop for the time being… because I don’t want to create an aversion to solids. I have a message out to her pediatrician about this but wanted to see if any parents have experienced this with their babes. Did you guys even attempt purées? Did you wait until your baby actually showed an interest in foods? Thank you in advance 🫶🏼


r/BabyLedWeaning 18h ago

Not age-related Baby has dozens of food allergies.

9 Upvotes

She’s 10 months old and allergic to dairy, soy, egg, sesame, coconut, and ALL nuts. There are some other foods that give her hives, too, like beans and meats, but they’ve been inconsistent.

Bloodwork hasn’t been super helpful either. She tested positive for avocado, but can eat it just fine. She tested negative for pine nut, and one bite of pine nut butter caused hives and swelling.

Of course she has eczema, too.

If you have any experience with this, please share. How many allergies did they have? When did your baby outgrow them, if ever? What helped? How do you handle playdates and school? Have you ever had an emergency?

For us, this has been so sad and stressful …


r/BabyLedWeaning 1d ago

8 months old Allergen time! Shellfish

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43 Upvotes

Jumping into the shellfish pool, tonight we have:

- Crab with homemade mayo and parsley
- Mashed broccoli with butter
- Mashed peaches and cottage cheese

All of this will be spoonfed because my child continues to just open his mouth like a baby bird waiting to be served 🙃


r/BabyLedWeaning 7h ago

13 months old Child isnt eating much dependent on milk

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I am a first time mom and my baby just turned 13 months. I am trying to get my baby to eat more and different varieties but I dont think I am very successful. He is willing to try new things sometimes but after a 2 bites he's done and starts spitting out food

He is good with purees and fruits but other things he nibbles. I dont know what to do. I try to limit his milk during the day so he eats more. but he wakes up multiple times a night.

I would appreciate some advice and guidance


r/BabyLedWeaning 7h ago

8 months old Help! My 8 month old gagged and ate orange peel- I’m worried

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1 Upvotes

Hello! So, today I gave my baby oranges for the first time. I sliced them like in the pictures and he managed to eat a piece of the orange peel (like the corner of the slice) he gagged pretty bad but ended up swallowing it. I don’t really know what to think because orange peel is so hard, he seems to be breathing fine. Has this happened to someone before? Should I be concerned? How do I serve oranges for my 8 month old now? That was soooo scary and I’m still worried maybe overthinking😢


r/BabyLedWeaning 17h ago

> 15 months old Anyone else realize they have absolutely no idea if their toddler is getting enough nutrients?

4 Upvotes

Maybe this is just first-time mom anxiety lol, but I realized I had no clue if my toddler was actually getting enough nutrients. I know what she eats every day, but that's different. I started tracking it recently because I was curious, and honestly it's made me stress about it less, not more. Curious if anyone else has gone down this rabbit hole lol


r/BabyLedWeaning 10h ago

Not age-related Feeding baby away from home

0 Upvotes

My MIL asked my husband if our baby can have pancakes. I said no.

For context our LO is 6 months old and we’re having a hard time getting into the habit of introducing foods. I’m the main parent giving food and my husband has only done foods a couple of times. So when he told me his mom asked about our baby eating breakfast I said no. They go there for breakfast every weekend while I’m at work so I won’t even be there.

On one hand I feel like I’m holding my baby back by saying no. But on the other hand I don’t feel like that is the right setting to have him eating actual food. He gets distracted super easily which is understandable at that age so just the fact that there will be at least 6 other people there interacting with him and trying to “show” him how to eat just doesn’t sit well with me. I told my husband that I want our LO to get a little better when it comes to eating before it turns into a family event. His mom has seen photos/videos of him eating so I’m pretty sure she just wants to see it in person.

I don’t really know what the point of this is…maybe a little bit of a rant? I’ll take any tips for getting into a routine haha…I try to give him foods after a bottle but then he ends up being too tired and not interested. I feel like I’m failing.


r/BabyLedWeaning 18h ago

8 months old How much are 8 month olds eating?

4 Upvotes

I feel my son used to eat well for a 6 month old and now at 8 months he takes 8-9 baby bites and he is done. Sometimes he rejects that also. Night wake ups have also increased so now I don’t know if he is eating well or not. I am an exhausted mother 😢

Anyone else in the same boat?


r/BabyLedWeaning 23h ago

6 months old Eggplant face rash

3 Upvotes

The first time I fed my baby eggplant mash she had some pretty immediate face rash around her mouth or anywhere the eggplant touches her face. I read that it is normal because eggplant has histamines on it? Is anyone’s baby also having the same issue? I’m afraid to feed her more since then. It did went away pretty quickly like within an hour with no medication or anything. I just wiped it away.


r/BabyLedWeaning 22h ago

7 months old So many teeth

2 Upvotes

My baby just turned 7 months old and already has 8 teeth (8 in 5 weeks 🫠). My firstborn was slow and steady getting teeth and with BLW, I comfortably watched her do a lot more gumming. With my second born having so many teeth but only just being introduced to solids… should I be doing anything differently in size and/ or texture etc? Answer is probably no, but figured to ask!


r/BabyLedWeaning 1d ago

8 months old The latest breakfast in rotation!

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23 Upvotes

Pictured:
- Eggs with tomato and cottage cheese, cooked in butter
- Peach and banana on yogurt w/flax and chia seeds

Included some handheld pieces today because he really hasn’t shown any interest in feeding himself (pretty much all spoonfed unless it’s a teething cracker). Hoping he starts to try!


r/BabyLedWeaning 1d ago

10 months old Healthy small appetite babies?

14 Upvotes

I feel like all the food photos I see on this subreddit are full plates, and finished by their babies. Are there any small appetite eaters out there who are still growing fine and along their curve? I’m not talking about occasional pickiness that comes and goes - I’m talking about babies that just never ate much solids from the day they were introduced, maybe because they have a small appetite. My 10 month old has some days that are better than others but really doesn’t eat very much. For eg, this morning, he had maybe 1/5 of a leftover pouch from yesterday, a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese, and maybe 3 round slices of a banana. And I know we still have two more months before food really becomes more critical, but I’m also wondering if perhaps this is just how he is, and if there’re any other similar babies out there who don’t eat much but are otherwise healthy, growing and thriving.


r/BabyLedWeaning 23h ago

9 months old Baby won't eat solids

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! Baby is 9.5 months old and absolutely refuses to eat anything apart from drink milk. He used to like egg and oatmeal but recently refusing that as well. Closes his lips tightly and moves his head away. I have tried making him hungry before meal time and he just gets cranky. I allow him to play with food and he just plays and throws things around. Barely puts anything in his mouth.

The pediatrician isn't much worried and says his milestones and growth chart is fine

Did anyone face something similar?

My baby has FPIES and is allergic to some fruit. I feel like his vomiting episodes has scared him to eat anything


r/BabyLedWeaning 1d ago

Not age-related Do you let baby use hands for mashed foods?

4 Upvotes

My baby is 7 months and we've generally been doing baby led weaning since 6 months. For things that are naturally mashy/wet (potatoes, dhal, yoghurt etc) are you meant to just let baby go in with their hands? Currently we scoop from the bowl and give her the spoon but if I was to put the bowl on her tray she would put her hands in and smear it everywhere. I'm not sure if that's what we're meant to do or if it's best to give her preloaded spoons as we have been doing. For pretty much everything else I put strips on her plate or straight onto the tray (like chicken, veggies etc).


r/BabyLedWeaning 1d ago

8 months old 8 month old gags without sound and then gets the food down?

3 Upvotes

Hey so this happened twice so far. Once with an avocado and once with a peach. He bites pieces that are way too big and then just sits there with it. He doesn’t remove them from his mouth himself and I can see it but won’t touch it of course. He then tries to swollow it and it leads to him slamming his hands and gagging but not being loud or making a sound. Both times we immediately took him out of the highchair immediately and before back blows so within a second he’s fine. I’m just wondering why that happens and how it happens. My guess is that the bite is too big and he can’t swollow it without discomfort. He’s fine after and keeps eating.
We did a baby cpr course but all of this still freaks me the fuck out.


r/BabyLedWeaning 1d ago

9 months old Meal ideas without dairy, eggs, or avocado?

5 Upvotes

My 9-month-old twins have done great with BLW. They’ve liked everything we've given them, and we’ve already tried over 100 foods. However, I feel like we’re falling into a rut now that we’re giving them 2-3 meals a day instead of just trying foods.

They have food allergies to eggs and dairy, and avocado spikes their eczema so their allergist recommended avoiding it. I see such inspiring plates on here but so many seem to heavily feature the foods I have to avoid.

We‘ve been giving them a lot of fruits and veggies, hummus/PB/fish salad on toast, some meatballs or shredded meat, oatmeal with add-ins, and dressed up pumpkin puree (their favorite and so easy).

I’d love to be giving them bigger portions and more meal-like plates like I see here. Has anyone else run into this?