what is baby led weaning

Baby-led weaning is an approach to introducing solid foods to babies that emphasizes self-feeding and exploration of taste, texture, color, and smell. It allows babies to control their solid food consumption by "self-feeding" from the start of their experience with food, without the traditional method of spooning pureed food into the babys mouth. The term "weaning" in this context does not imply giving up breast milk or formula, but simply indicates the introduction of foods other than breast milk or formula. Baby-led weaning focuses on family mealtime and encourages babies to participate in mealtimes by presenting them with a variety of foods in easy-to-grasp pieces, which they can freely choose and explore. This method is suitable for babies who are at least 6 months old and capable of self-feeding.