Here is a master list of healthy AND easy baby led weaning meals that the ENTIRE family can enjoy together! These are all great finger foods and can be enjoyed as soon as your baby is ready for solid food.
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Delicious Baby-Led Weaning Recipes
If you are struggling to find meal ideas for your baby that are easy and quick to make, look no further. You have come to the right place!
All of these recipes contain a short list of ingredients that are easily accessible and require minimal effort, so you can save that time and energy to spend with your baby!
And you do NOT have to cook separate meals for your baby and the rest of the family. I say baby meals, but these recipes are suitable for 1 year old and beyond!
When you click on all the recipes shared below, you will find visuals as well as suggestions on how to modify and serve to your baby.
Helpful Baby Led Weaning Resources
Here are some in-depth resources to help guide you in exposing your baby to a wide variety of flavors and textures while ensuring that they get the nutrition they need to grow and thrive.
- Purees Vs. Baby Led Weaning
- How to start baby led weaning
- Best First Foods for Baby Led Weaning
- Top iron rich foods for babies
- Top foods for 8 month old baby
- Finger Food Ideas for baby
- Healthy Baby Snacks
Tips for Building Baby Meals
- Here is everything you need to know to build a well-balanced plate.
- Always follow your baby's lead.
- Your baby may still be doing a lot of playing and throwing at this point, and that’s ok. They are still learning to self feed and it’s a skill that takes A LOT of practice. So be consistent and patient. Stick to your mealtime schedule and eat alongside your baby so they can watch and learn from you.
- If your baby doesn’t eat much during mealtime, you can offer a little bit of breastmilk/formula afterwards.
- Less is more when starting solids. It's tempting to fill their plates with all kinds of nutritious foods, but that can really overwhelm and intimidate your baby. Start with 2-3 pieces of finger foods or a small portion of mixed foods, and offer more if your baby seems interested.
- As your baby gets older, you will probably start to notice their typical eating pattern and you can plate accordingly.
- It's important to expose them to a wide variety of flavors and textures during the first year BUT this doesn't mean you have to offer something different every single day. Embrace the leftovers and try to change 1-2 things. For instance, if you served lentils with peanut butter and banana one day, try lentils with leftover vegetables the next day.
- While it’s our natural tendency to focus solely on the food, I want to encourage you to consider the joy and adventure that comes from exploring all the different foods, which is such an awesome thing to teach your child!
Baby-Led Weaning Breakfast Ideas
Many of the popular breakfast foods are oftentimes loaded with sugar and lack the nutrients that babies need. You will be pleased to find that all of these recipes are super EASY to whip up and are made only with wholesome ingredients that are easy to find.
They are great finger foods and so flavorful that your whole family will enjoy starting the day on the right foot!
And here are some real-life examples of breakfast plates broken down by age.
BLW Lunch Ideas
Here are some healthy recipes that can be enjoyed at home or packed for daycare.
Baby Led Weaning Dinner Ideas
Between milk feedings and solid food, it can feel like the whole day revolves around food. Before you can even catch a breath, it's eating time. Again.
My hope is that these simple recipes will ease your load. And the best part is you only have to make ONE meal for the whole family with slight modifications for your baby. Let me show you how!
BLW Vegetables
Here are super in-depth posts on how to prepare and serve these nutritious, finger-friendly vegetables to your baby.
And here are some easy veggie-loaded BLW recipes all in one place!
Bab-Led Weaning Fruits
There are so many delicious fruits that you can serve to your baby, and here's how! And if you heard that you should introduce vegetables before fruits, that is simply not true. Here is what research says about fruits vs. vegetables when it comes to feedinng your baby.
Frequently Asked Questions
When your baby is ready to start solids, start with one meal per day. Food at this age is mostly for exploration and learning. Give them plenty of space to explore in a way that feels comfortable to them.
This stage is also for building structure and routine around mealtimes along with breastmilk/formula.
By 8 months, your baby should be eating at least 2 meals a day, working towards 3 meals by 9-10 months. There is no need for snacks until after 1.
It truly depends on your baby! Babies are born with an innate ability to self-regulate and only they know how much they need to eat. And this includes small babies as well.
And as frustrating and concerned you may be, the best thing you can do is to resist the urge to take over and force your baby to eat a certain amount. By doing so, you are derailing their incredible ability to eat when hungry and stop when full. Not to mention, your mealtimes will most likely turn into a battleground.
Instead, continue offering well-balanced meals and follow your baby's lead, always! Trust your baby. They truly do know how much they need to continue growing.
Prioritize milk feedings and consistently offer well-balanced meals that will help meet their nutritional needs.
If your baby is growing, following their unique growth curve, and happy, they are eating the amount of food that’s RIGHT for them, even if it’s less or more than the recommendations or what you think they need to be eating.
Baby Led Weaning Meal Plan
If you are feeling confused and overwhelmed by what foods to serve, how to prepare foods so they are safe, how to introduce allergens and a wide variety of foods, how to adapt family meals so you don't spend hours slaving away in the kitchen making two separate meals every.single.day, and on and on...
My 3 month program will save you time, energy, money, and sanity!
I’ve done all the hard work for you so all you need to do is follow the daily and weekly game plan and watch the cooking demos for EVERY.SINGLE.MEAL you will make for 3 months. By doing so you’ll be able to serve all the meals you see here plus 130+ effortlessly!
I’ve also heard from so many parents that an unexpected benefit to following this program for their baby was that it encouraged their older fussy eater(s) to start trying new foods and expanding their food choices.
I’ve done all the hard work for you so all you need to do is follow the daily and weekly game plan and watch the cooking demos for EVERY.SINGLE.MEAL you will make for 3 months. By doing so you’ll be able to serve all the meals you see here plus 130+ effortlessly!
I’ve also heard from so many parents that an unexpected benefit to following this program for their baby was that it encouraged their older fussy eater(s) to start trying new foods and expanding their food choices.
Do you want to minimize picky eating and set a solid foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating habits?
Check out this 3 month mastering self-feeding program! It’s the closest thing to me being in your kitchen
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