Baby led weaning, or BLW, is an approach to weaning your baby which involves giving them foods to hold right from the outset and letting them feed themselves. It's grown in popularity over the years and there is lots of research going on to establish whether it has any healthy benefits over traditional methods of introducing solid foods using pureed foods.
Here are 5 baby led weaning recipes for how you can offer finger foods at breakfast time. This list is not exhaustive at all. There are so many options for breakfast finger foods. But if you need a starting point, these are some of my favourites.
Porridge fingers
There are lots of recipes online for porridge fingers - Pinterest & Instagram are full of ideas. The basic recipe will always contain some form of oats, mixed with milk, perhaps with some pureed or mashed fruit, then either cooked in the microwave or oven until soft but firm. Slice into fingers when cool and offer to your baby. They are great served with yogurt for dipping and can be a good breakfast idea if you are going out for the morning.
Pancakes
I love pancakes. Sweet ones or savoury ones, they are so versatile and ideal for little baby hands. They are one of my favourite baby led weaning recipes. You can find lots of recipes online, but a basic one will include flour / ground oats, egg & milk /yoghurt. Mix it all together, add in any pureed fruit or vegetables for colour, then fry spoonfuls in a non-stick pan until brown. Sometimes we top ours with cream cheese or dip into yoghurt. Yum.
Omelette
In fact any way of cooking eggs can be a good finger food, but an omelette gives you the option to add in other foods, such as cheese or some softly cooked veggies. Look for eggs that have the red lion stamp.
Toast toppers
A breakfast staple, that's quick and easy to prepare, toast is a great way to introduce your baby to bread as the textures is easier for them to munch on, without getting stuck in the roof of their mouth! To up your toast game, try topping with cream cheese, nut butter or even some squashed fruits. Babies can have white or wholemeal bread from around 6 months, but avoid anything with lots of seeds that could be a choking risk.
Eggy bread
This is a firm favourite at any time of day for me, and brings back memories of childhood. Beat together an egg with some milk, soak a piece of bread until coated on both sides, and then fry in a non-stick pan until browned. I like to serve with some squashed berries and a sprinkle of cinnamon, but you could try a savoury version with some mashed avocado. A perfect baby led weaning recipe to get started with.
If you decide to go with baby led weaning, choosing which foods to offer and which meal of the day to start with can be a tough one. I think that breakfast is a great meal of the day to offer your baby finger foods as they are usually hungry and open to trying new foods. Just make sure that they've had milk earlier in the morning to stave off that initial post-sleep hunger.
If you are worried about the mess that baby led weaning might bring with it, then have a read of my blog post on managing mess or if food waste is a concern then this blog is for you.
For some of my favourite breakfast baby led weaning recipes, have a look at the following pages:
If you are struggling with introducing your baby to solid foods or finding suitable baby led weaning recipes for your baby to eat, reach out to me by sending me an email here or following me on social media.
And if you're thinking about starting weaning soon, you can join my next online weaning workshop, where we'll discuss the pros and cons of baby led weaning, traditional weaning, signs your baby is ready to start and how to do it all safely. You can book your place here.