5 Baby Led Weaning Mistakes to Avoid

Avoiding these will help your BLW journey go smoother.

August 10, 2022

Baby led weaning bib by Bibbrella

Weaning is a long process of trial and error for everyone involved–including your baby! It’s only natural to make mistakes during this period of countless changes and novel experiences. Wondering how to avoid common baby led weaning mistakes along the way? Read on to learn more about five slip-ups that parents may make when on their BLW journey!  

Keeping Children Clean While Eating

It’s hard to resist wiping salsa from a baby’s cheek or cleaning off dressing-soaked fingers. However, cleaning can distract children from fully taking advantage of mealtimes. Meals are serious learning opportunities during which babies explore how to eat, develop food preferences, and practice motor skills. 

Not Using a Full-coverage Bib

This brings us to our second point: Use a full-length bib so that you’re less tempted to wipe your babe or their clothes clean after every bite. Both you and your child should be focused on feeding, and stressing about messes can take away from the experience. Prepare for mealtime storms with a full-coverage bib like Bibbrella so the both of you can focus on eating together! 

Placing Food Directly on a Table

You might think that putting food directly on the table or highchair tray is in line with independence-focused BLW tactics. But this one is something you should skip. For young children especially, not having a smaller surface area to work with can be incredibly frustrating. Without refined motor skills, trying to grab food is already hard enough. Like older humans, babies will rely on the edges of a plate to scoop up food and sauces. Using a plate or a smaller rimmed tray will make eating feel more manageable. Plus, they’ll get used to the idea of a plate sooner rather than later! 

Forcing Utensils Too Early

There’s no need to make children use utensils before they’re ready. While it’s understandable that parents want their children to meet specific eating milestones, don’t worry–it’s highly unlikely that holding off on utensils for a couple of weeks is going to result in an adolescent who somehow has no idea how to handle a fork. Instead, help your little one make the choice for themselves. Make utensils available and let them learn through trial and error. Children may prefer to use forks as drink stirrers and spoons and sauce catapults, but all this will allow kids to ease into using utensils naturally as well as get creative along the way! If you’re concerned about post-meal messes, use a full-coverage bib to keep stains at bay. 

Offering Only Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and veggies are an important part of a diet, but growing children need much more than these wholesome food groups can offer them. Incorporate a variety of foods, such as meats, grains, and dairy (after 12 months of age). In addition to rounding out a diet, a variety of food allows children to experience new flavors, textures, eating methods, and more!