Like many other motherhood decisions, choosing how to start your child on solids is a decision that best suits you and your family.

The decision that I made when starting Ryan on solids was to do it using Baby Led Weaning (BLW).

If you’d like to learn more about Baby Led Weaning, then please visit this post Baby Led Weaning (BLW) – A beginners guide on how to start your baby on solid food.

If you’re about to start Baby Led Weaning, and would like to know what first foods are ideal for this next stage of your child’s development, then hopefully this post will provide you with some great ideas to get started.

As a disclaimer, I’m not insisting that choosing this way of starting your child on solids is the way to go. This post just provides some first food ideas if you’ve decided that you’d like to do Baby Led Weaning.

Every child and family is different, so when deciding to start your child on solids choose the method of feeding that suits you and your child.

HOW TO START BABY LED WEANING (BLW)

The pace you introduce food to your child is entirely up to you.

When starting Ryan on solids, I fed him different textures and tastes from the beginning.

Whatever food you decide to introduce to your child, make sure that you cut it so it’s large enough for your child to hold. If shape permits, cut the food into sticks so a small amount of the food sticks out at the end of their hand.

A good rough guide for the length of the food to be cut, is to cut it into the length of your index finger.

There will be mess, but the aim of Baby Led Weaning is to let your child experiment with different tastes, textures and sizes, by letting them play with it, touch it, and take their time trying it.

Make sure that you have a variety of foods on your child’s plate when it’s mealtime, and be prepared for a lot of interesting facial expressions.

Baby Led Weaning fruit ideas

Some great Baby Led Weaning fruit ideas include:

• Apples
• Apricots (torn in half with pip removed)
• Avocado slices
• Bananas
• Berries (pips removed)
• Grapes (cut in half or quarters)
• Kiwi fruit
• Mango
• Melon
• Nectarines
• Oranges
• Papayas
• Peaches
• Pears
• Pineapple slices
• Plums

Baby Led Weaning vegetable ideas

• Asparagus
• Beans, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots (raw, steamed or roasted)
• Beetroot slices
• Boiled eggs
• Courgettes (peeled and cooked)
• Cucumber
• Green beans (steamed or boiled)
• Parsnip (peeled and cooked)
• Peas
• Pepper sticks
• Pumpkin
• Sliced sweet potato
• Squash
• Sweet corn

 Baby Led Weaning meal ideas 

• Black beans or chicken pieces with rice
• Breadstick with butter, nut butter, or cheese
• Cheese sticks with raw vegetables
• Couscous with vegetables
• Croissants either plain or with a filling
• Hummus and raw vegetable sticks
• Lamb chops, peas and corn
• Meatballs with vegetables
• Mini stir-fry (beef, carrots, corn, broccoli, noodles)
• Oatmeal
• Pancakes
• Pasta pieces with pasta sauce
• Rice cakes
• Salmon with vegetables
• Sausages with mashed potatoes
• Spaghetti
• Sushi
• Toast or pitta fingers with a topping
• Waffles
• Weetabix with banana
• Yoghurt

What Baby Led Weaning first food ideas do you have?