Author: Erica Amaya

Quick Summary of What I’ve Learned About BLW

So in my reading, research, and anecdotes from other Mamas/Papas/Caregivers I learned a lot about what BLW is.

Basically, baby eats what you eat.

More complex is, baby needs limited salt and it is suggested that you also limit sugar and spicy foods but neither is mandatory.

Aside from that you avoid honey (even if it’s been baked or cooked, because botulism poisoning is really bad and not worth the possible risk) for the first year and avoid whole nuts, popcorn, unpasteurized milk products, and raw/undercooked meats (including eggs unless in UK where they have Red Lion stamp) until age 5. Reasoning behind 5 years old seems to be related to further development of esophagus reflexes as well as immune system improvements. But I’m not a doctor and so if the general consensus is to not do a thing I’m going to try and follow it.

This is the info-graph I reference when in doubt or when I need a refresher:

From The Beginner’s Guide to Baby Led Weaning Facebook Group

The other important thing is how you cut and serve foods. You want pinky finger length and halved width size pieces in the beginning when baby does not have pincer grasp and then later you upgrade to small baby bite sized pieces (think small cubes) when baby can use pincer grasp, somewhere after 8 months old.

Again I have nice references I use for this from Jenna Helwig’s book “Baby-Led Feeding” –

After that things get more varied opinion wise. What I’ve taken away though is as follows: experiment with seasonings (minus salt, sugar, and spicy spices), experiment with textures (for example, baked is different from steamed) and that does also include smoother and chunkier purée type foods, and just let baby try things over and over again because sometimes they don’t want the carrot unless it’s smooshed, cold, and covered in rosemary.

Also, relax buddy. No one has the right to tell you how to do this or judge you for your choices, it’s hard enough doing that to ourselves as parents.

You are doing great and you’ve got this!

– Erica

Our Adventure Begins…

My name is Erica and I am a first time mama. My little girl, Malina, was born in July of 2019 and so far the adventure into parenthood with my husband has been enlightening, awesome, and at times trying. Malina is a good baby, We are both incredibly lucky to have her and still would be even if she was more of a hell raiser.

Malina and Mama cuddling post nap


So on to how I found out about BLW. While I was pregnant I joined a lot of support groups so I would be as ready as possible for my baby (are any of us truest ready though?). It was in one of these groups that Baby Led Feeding/Weaning (BLF or BLW) was first brought to my attention. I felt trepidation at the idea of skipping purées and going straight to solids. It seemed risky, but I was curious and so I dove into every book and cookbook I could find on the subject (there were a lot and I am thankful to my public library’s online archive of them). I’ll make a post at some point listing the ones I found most helpful soon (depending on Malina of course).

After going through the books and talking it out with Malina’s papa we decided that BLW was for us after all. I went through the books again and started to figure out a game plan for our approach. I then joined a bunch of BLW groups to find more information as well as support.

I feel like there are a lot of options but there is also a lot of people that say things have to be done a very specific way or else you are wrong. Now, I’m not a doctor or health professional but I am a mom and that means as little and as much as anyone wants it too so I am following my own instincts and as the name suggests, baby. Which means to me that all rules are more like guidelines and that I will do what I can to keep baby safe and happy during this process, even if what I’ve deemed safe is technically not. For example, I knew I was not going to strap my girl into her high chair in the beginning because I did not want to deal with straps in the event that she chokes. I would be sitting right next to her at all times and if I was going to leave her side I’d have to remove the food anyways and could strap her in then.


On the topic of choking, it is a scary thing always lurking around a baby with or without access to food. I took a Infant CPR class and my husband has a CPR certification, it helps to know what you should and shouldn’t do and provided me with extra peace of mind. The next important thing is to know the difference between gagging and choking. It’s easy to get confused in the moment and to worry and freak out when you hear gagging happening, I know it worries me, but gagging is baby working through the problem and Baby does not need assistance but support (I stay calm and tell her she’s doing a good job). Knowing the difference will be empowering and help you feel more comfortable during food introductions, and it made me proud of my little girl to see her figure out how to help herself and accomplish it.

After spending over a month in the different groups, and that same time with the books again, I got a good idea of how I would approach BLW with Malina and we all prepared for this new adventure into food.

Papa and Malina on their own adventure to the grocery store.