20 Baby Led Weaning Lunch Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What are the finger foods for baby lunch? ›

First Finger Foods for Your Baby

fruit (soft, or cooked without adding sugar), such as apple, pear, peach, melon, banana. grabbable bits of avocado. cooked starchy foods, such as potato, sweet potato, cassava, pasta, noodles, chapatti, rice. pulses, such as beans and lentils.

Bigger pieces of food encourage self-feeding

By allowing baby to be in control, they can completely regulate how much they want to eat, reducing the risk of under or overeating. It also makes mealtimes generally pleasant for them since they can control the experience.

✘ Avoid foods that could cause choking: crisp fruits, hard candy, raw veggies, large pieces of meat, hot dogs, nuts, seeds, chips, whole grapes, popcorn, or dried fruit.

Great first foods

Spears of soft ripe fruits, such as banana, pear, avocado, kiwi and mango. Strips of roasted, baked or steamed vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, carrots and squash. Ground meat or soft, shredded strips of meat that you can move your fingers through.

Despite the heated debate about BLW vs purees, the good news is that you don't actually have to choose between the two. In general, I find that a combination of purées/spoon-feeding and finger foods (from 6 months) works really well for most babies and parents and allows them to have the benefits of both options.

(Reuters Health - Having infants feed themselves all their food from the start of solid feeding, so-called baby-led weaning, does not prevent them from becoming overweight, according to new research from New Zealand.

Pediatric experts now recommend starting solid foods at 6 months. Most 6-month-old infants can grasp food, bring it to their mouth, chew and swallow. These skills mean babies can more independently feed themselves while weaning from human milk or formula nutrition.

Do you skip purees with BLW? ›

Baby-led weaning (BLW) involves skipping the spoon-fed purées and letting babies feed themselves finger foods when starting solids.

Beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and lamb all offer exceptional nutrition for babies including protein, fat, iron, zinc, and other essential nutrients.

Once cooked, place the egg in a bowl of cold water to cool down (2 to 3 minutes). When cool, peel the outer shell and slice the egg into quarters (4 fingers). Offer your baby 2 egg fingers.

Fullness signs

Clenches their mouth shut and doesn't allow you to feed them. Spits out food that they like. Pushes away the bowl or whatever food is there. Slows down the pace, gets distracted and looks elsewhere.

Start with menu items like pieces of soft cheese; small pieces of pasta or bread; finely chopped soft vegetables; and fruits like bananas, avocado, and ripe peaches or nectarines. These foods should require minimal chewing, as your baby may not yet have teeth.