What's the difference? Baby-led weaning and puree foods
From around 6 months all babies can be offered fingers of softly cooked foods so that they can learn to feed themselves. Whether you choose to give purees or not, it’s a good idea to offer these foods from six months as it helps your child to learn to feed themselves and to hold food differently.
Purees
Not all parents feel comfortable with offering finger foods from the start and so might choose to offer purees or mashed foods from a spoon, to begin with. In the past, when babies were weaned at an earlier age, they were unable to self-feed, so we needed to offer pureed food from a spoon in order for them to be able to safely swallow it. If you do choose to use purees, especially if you introduce them around 6 months, it’s a really good idea to move on quite quickly to offer mashed foods as well. This is because your baby needs to have mashed foods and soft finger foods in order to learn those feeding skills in moving the food around their mouth and learning to chew effectively. There is a danger if we stay on purees for too long that it can be a bit harder for babies to learn how to chew those foods and in turn as a parent you might become more anxious about them gagging or choking.
Baby-led weaning
Now that more parents are weaning around six months of age, a method called baby-led weaning has developed. This method is all about introducing your baby to the foods that you’re eating as a family as finger foods so that they can self-feed from the start without the need to use purees or mashed foods. Offer your baby some food (such as boiled vegetables or cut-up fruit) in finger-size pieces that are super soft and can easily be squished between your fingers, so it’s easy for them to pick up and eat and has a low risk of choking.
First aid is important
Whichever way you decide to start weaning your baby, it’s a really good idea to do a baby first aid course. This can help alleviate any concerns that you have may have about your child choking on food.
Remember
Every baby is different and there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to feeding. Try not to put pressure on yourself and enjoy this new, exciting journey with them. You really are doing an amazing job 💖