Weaning & introducing solids

Honestly, not as much as people think. Both approaches work. Most families I see end up doing a combination of the two, and that's absolutely fine. The research doesn't show one method as clearly superior for growth, nutrition, or eating behaviour later on. What matters more than the method is variety, regular family meals, and not turning food into a battleground.

Baby-led weaning tends to be less preparation work and can help with motor skill development and self-regulation of appetite. Spoon-fed purees give you more control over what's going in, which some parents find reassuring, particularly if they're anxious about gagging. Gagging, by the way, is a normal protective reflex and is different from choking. Babies who are sitting well and managing age-appropriate textures are at low risk of choking, but I understand the worry.

The BLW approach does need you to be comfortable with mess and with your baby eating less in the early weeks while they figure out the coordination. If that makes you anxious, mixing in some spoon-feeding is a sensible middle ground. There's no prize for purist BLW.

The LEAP and EAT studies changed the advice on allergen introduction significantly. Current guidance supports introducing the main allergens from around 6 months and keeping them in the diet regularly. Delaying introduction doesn't reduce allergy risk. The evidence suggests it may actually increase it. This is one area where the science has shifted meaningfully in the last decade.

The allergens to focus on: peanut, egg, dairy, wheat, soya, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, and sesame. The approach to introduction — which foods, in what form, how often, and how to manage any reactions — is something a consultation covers in detail, tailored to your baby's risk profile.

The weaning window between 6 and 12 months is a genuinely important period for flavour learning. Babies are more accepting of new tastes during this time than they will be as toddlers, so making the most of it matters. I encourage parents to offer a wide range of flavours including bitter and savoury foods early on, not just the sweet vegetables and fruit that feel safe.

According to First Steps Nutrition Trust, iron-rich foods should be a priority from the start of weaning. Babies' iron stores from birth start to deplete around 6 months, and breast milk alone doesn't provide enough iron after this point. There are well-established dietary strategies to ensure adequate iron intake, tailored to what your baby is eating and how they're being fed.

The pace of building up meals varies between babies and depends on several factors. Getting the balance between milk and solids right is something a consultation covers. A dietetic assessment can help if you're unsure whether your baby's diet is covering what it needs to, particularly around iron and zinc.

Some babies take to food easily. Others don't. Refusal, gagging, mess, tiny amounts eaten, and food thrown on the floor are all normal in the early weeks. That said, there are some patterns worth paying attention to. Persistent gagging or retching beyond the first few weeks of weaning, complete refusal of all solids past 7 to 8 months, refusal of any lumpy or textured foods, significant distress at mealtimes, or poor weight gain alongside weaning difficulties.

These can point to underlying issues like oral motor difficulties, sensory processing differences, undiagnosed reflux, or food allergies. The earlier these are identified, the simpler the intervention tends to be. Parents often know something isn't quite right before anyone else does. If weaning feels harder than it should, trust that instinct and get an assessment rather than waiting it out.