Baby led weaning 100 foods
100 First Foods™ Approach to BLW — Fortified Family
100 First Foods™ Approach to BLWKatie Ferraro
Babies can eat so many more foods than we give them credit for!
In 2016 I created the 100 FIRST FOODS approach to baby-led weaning which has now helped tens of thousands of families give THEIR babies a safe start to solid foods. Here’s how it works…
Who’s Behind the 100 FIRST FOODS Approach?
Hi there! I’m Katie Ferraro, Registered Dietitian and mom of 7 specializing in baby-led weaning. I’m a college nutrition professor and I run the largest digital community dedicated to baby-led weaning @babyledweanteam.
In 2016 I created the 100 FIRST FOODS approach to baby-led weaning and I host the top-rated parenting podcast BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY.
I wasn’t always a fan of…or even aware of baby-led weaning!
We struggled immensely when introducing solids to our oldest daughter using traditional spoon-feeding. Mealtimes were a downright battleground and she hated food and hated being fed.
But with my next set of babies (quadruplets!) - teaching those 4 babies to self-feed with baby-led weaning turned everything around and helped return the FUN to family mealtimes.
With traditional parent-led spoon feeding, most babies might have 10 or just 15 foods that they can eat by the time they turned 1.
…but with baby-led weaning, the possibilities are INFINITE.
By the time they turned 1, our quadruplets had tried over 100 foods with baby-led weaning, and my 100 FIRST FOODS APPROACH to starting solids with baby-led weaning was born!
Doing baby-led weaning with our quadruplets was such a transformative experience that I shifted the entirety of my nutrition practice to focus exclusively on baby-led weaning…and it’s all I do now, all day…every day!
Katie Ferraro’s 5-STEP FEEDING FRAMEWORK™
If the idea of feeding your baby 100 foods before one sounds overwhelming…don’t stress!
Babies don’t wake up on their first birthday and magically know how to eat 100 foods. They need lots of time and space to learn HOW to eat.
My 100 FIRST FOODS approach to baby-led weaning is built on the back of my own 5-STEP FEEDING FRAMEWORK.
I created this framework in 2016 to help parents safely introduce their babies to 1 new food per day, 5 days per week.
Katie Ferraro’s 5-STEP FEEDING FRAMEWORK takes the guesswork out of feeding foods to your baby. Using this 5-STEP FEEDING FRAMEWORK each week we offer 5 new foods to baby:
If you spend time on my Instagram account @babyledweanteam or inside any of my baby-led weaning workshops or programs, you’ll see babies all over the world utilizing this approach to safely eat 100 foods before turning 1!
100 FIRST FOODS LIST
If you want to help YOUR baby eat 100 BLW foods safely before starting solid foods, grab a copy of my 100 FIRST FOODS list.
Each week I teach a free online workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS.
This free training is all about how to get your baby to try 100 foods before turning 1 without YOU having to spoon-feed purees or buy pouches.
Everyone on this workshop gets a copy of my 100 FIRST FOODS list, and you can sign up for this week’s workshop times here.
REGISTER FOR BLW TRAINING WITH 100 FIRST FOODS LIST
100 FIRST FOODS FIELD GUIDE PROGRAM™
For families interested in additional training about how to implement my 100 FIRST FOODS (TM) program, I have an online digital program called the 100 FIRST FOODS FIELD GUIDE.
This is my proprietary approach to safely offering 100 foods to your baby using baby-led weaning. I created this approach in 2016 and I co-teach my program with a speech-language pathologist feeding therapist.
The 100 FIRST FOODS FIELD GUIDE is open for enrollment a few times each year. You can click here to add your name to the email wait list and we’ll notify you the next time the program is open.
History of the 100 First Foods
To learn more about my 100 FIRST FOODS approach and the history of this program, check out this episode of my BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY PODCAST: A History of the 100 First Foods Approach to Baby-Led Weaning
100 First Food Grads
Nothing lights me up more than seeing babies around the world safely learning how to eat 100 foods before turning 1.
If you’re on Instagram and doing the 100 FIRST FOODS approach, be sure to tag me @babyledweanteam and use the hashtag #100FIRSTFOODS.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the idea of 100 foods…your baby CAN do this!
You can listen to the stories of some of our 100 FIRST FOODS grads in another episode of my BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY podcast called “100 First Foods Graduates”. Click here to listen.
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Printable Baby Food Chart: BLW, Purees, Finger Foods
Make feeding your baby easier with this free, downloadable baby food chart.
It has straight forward ideas for what to feed baby from when they start solids on up to one year—including purees, baby-led weaning style foods, finger foods, and more.
Baby Food Chart
Starting solids with a baby can be so fun and often a little challenging—but this baby food chart will help. I’ve compiled my best ideas for which foods to serve based on age and development of the baby to make it easy for you to make decisions in the kitchen.
This infant feeding chart is meant to help remind you of options you have at each age. It is not meant to add any pressure or function as a checklist of foods you have to serve (unless you want to do that!).
TIP: Download your free printable baby food chart here.
What baby foods should you start with?
Whether you start with purees or baby led weaning, starting with flavorful and nutrient-dense foods is a simple way to think about introducing foods to a baby. I love simple foods like roasted sweet potato, avocado, banana, and apple puree as first foods for a baby.
Remember that a first food is just that—a first food. It is not going to be the sole thing that determines how your child likes all foods. It can be sweet or savory, or from a variety of food groups. I would do your best to make sure that the food is easy to eat, has some flavor, and that the environment in which you offer it is free from pressure and, maybe even joyful!
What age should baby start eating foods?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting to start solids until a baby is 6 months, and to go with wide variety of foods, introduced one at a time. But many pediatricians still say it’s okay to start rice cereal at 4 months.
If your pediatrician recommends this at the 4 month check up, ask their thoughts on the recommendation from the AAP.
TIP: Learn more about starting solids here.
How much food should I feed my baby?
The best way to know the right amount of food to give to a baby is to follow their lead.
It should be very clear when a baby is done eating—they will close their mouth, turn their head, and generally make it very hard to feed them. (They may also play with their food, which is a fine way for them to interact with the foods at this early stage.)
It’s okay if baby eats very little to start. It’s also okay if they surprise you by being very interested in food!
TIP: Download your free printable baby food chart here.
6 Month Baby Food Chart for Purees
If you’re ready to start solids with a baby, here are some foods you may want to start with. This list is perhaps more broad than you expect, but more recent research shows that it’s a good idea to introduce potential allergenic foods earlier and that lots of flavor is a great way to set baby up for eating a range of foods as they grow.
Don’t feel like you need to serve all of these foods (you 100% don’t!), but it should give you a range of ideas to consider based on season, availability, and your own preference.
- Almond butter puree
- Apple Puree
- Avocado puree
- Banana puree
- Baby oatmeal
- Bean puree
- Butternut squash puree
- Egg yolk, hard cooked mashed with water
- Green bean puree
- Melon puree
- Pea puree
- Peach puree
- Peanut Butter Puree
- Pear puree
- Pumpkin puree
- Sweet potato puree
- Whole milk plain yogurt
- Single ingredient baby food
TIP: Find more in depth details on how to know if your baby is ready to start solids here.
6 Month Baby Food Chart for Baby Led Weaning
If you decide to use the baby led weaning method of feeding, you’ll want to cut these foods into the shape of a finger or larger. The foods should also be soft and easily squishable between two fingers—like the texture of a roasted sweet potato wedge or ripe avocado.
You don’t need to feel like you have to serve all of these foods by any means, but it should give you a range of ideas.
- Apple, roasted wedge
- Avocado spears
- Banana
- Beef, ground (large piece)
- Beef hamburger patty (sliced)
- Beet, steamed or roasted
- Broccoli florets, roasted/steamed
- Cauliflower florets, roasted/steamed
- Chicken, dark meat shredded
- Cucumber
- Green bean
- Egg, hard cooked
- Egg in omelet, sliced
- Figs, halved
- Lamb
- Mango slice
- Meatball
- Melon slices
- Peach, very ripe slice
- Pear, very ripe slice
- Potato, roasted wedges
- Steak slice
- Sweet potato, roasted wedges
- Toast with mashed avocado
- Toast with mashed sweet potato
- Toast with light smear of peanut butter
- Toast with mashed hard cooked egg
- Watermelon slice
- WiId salmon
TIP: Find my Ultimate Guide to Baby Led Weaning here.
7 Month Baby Food Chart
With a 7 month old baby, you can add in a few more foods including those with more acid like citrus.
Continue serving the foods on the 6th month list, or introduce ones that you didn’t get to in that first month.
- Baby rice crackers
- Bean puree
- Beet puree
- Brussels Sprouts, pureed (or large piece for BLW)
- Guacamole
- Kiwi puree (or large piece for BLW)
- Hummus
- Mango Puree
- Mixed ingredient baby foods
- Orange segment for BLW
- Pineapple puree (or large piece for BLW)
- Prune puree
- Strawberry puree (or large strawberry for BLW)
- Spinach puree
- Smoothies (simple)
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato sauce with ground meat
TIP: Try my 10 easy No Cook Baby Foods.
9 Month Baby Food Chart
As a baby nears the 9 and 10 month mark, they will begin to be able to pick up small, pea-size pieces of foods with their fingers. This development of the “pincer grasp” means they are ready to start sampling table foods.
A good rule of thumb is to cut foods to about the size of a pea and to serve them very soft and easily squishable between your fingers.
Bread-like textures in foods like pancakes and muffins may be difficult for your child, so you may want to moisten them with water, applesauce, yogurt, breastmilk, or formula.
Remember that babies learn to eat a variety of paces, so follow the lead of your baby and avoid pressuring them to eat foods or amounts of foods that they aren’t ready for. If a baby turns their head away, closes their mouth, shakes their head, or cries, they are done with food and it’s okay to end the meal.
Continue serving foods from the previous months. And try adding:
- Banana, diced and mashed slightly as needed
- Barley, cooked until very soft
- Beans, slightly mashed
- Beef, ground
- Blueberries, diced
- Cheese, shredded
- Chex cereal
- Chia seed in smoothies, yogurt or oatmeal
- Chicken, ground
- Chicken, shredded and chopped into small pieces
- Clementines, diced (you may want to remove the slightly tough membrane)
- Cottage cheese
- Corn
- Flaxseed in smoothies, yogurt or oatmeal
- Goat cheese, soft crumbles
- Grapes, diced (never whole)
- Kefir, plain
- Meatball, diced
- Muffins, diced (moistened if needed)
- Millet
- O cereal
- Oatmeal
- Overnight oats
- Pasta
- Peas
- Potatoes, roasted or mashed
- Puffs
- Raspberries, diced
- Pancake, diced (moistened as needed with applesauce)
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Salmon, small pieces
- Tofu, diced
- Tomatoes, fresh
- Tilapia, small pieces
- Turkey, ground
TIP: Find my best Early Finger Foods, which will cover this stage and early toddlerhood.
Best First Finger Foods for Baby
I put together my go-to first finger foods for babies, which may help you narrow down which foods to start with. Each of these is a nutritious whole food that’s soft and easy for baby to eat. It’s helpful that many of these foods are ones that us grownups like too, so it should make meal planning and prep for the little ones easier on you!
Printable Baby Food Chart
Grab your free copy of my downloadable Baby Food Chart with access to my entire Resource Library of Printable charts by signing up for my newsletter.
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I’d love to hear your feedback on this chart, so please comment below! I always love to hear from you guys.
This post was first published Jan 2019.
How to stop breastfeeding | Philips Avent
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Home ›› How to end breastfeeding comfortably for mom and baby
Home ›› How to end breastfeeding comfortably for mom and baby
↑08 ↑ 0 Weaning is an important decision for both mother and baby, and the decision is entirely up to them. When the mother and baby are ready to start weaning, there are a few tips and techniques to help make the transition a positive one.
When and how to stop breastfeeding? Like all good things, breastfeeding eventually comes to an end.
3 Philips Avent products to support you when you stop breastfeeding:
When should I start weaning my baby?
There is no definite and correct period for weaning a child. The mother-child relationship is different for everyone, and weaning is a purely personal decision for mother and baby, which they make when both are ready.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to six months of age. Until a child reaches the age of one year, both solid food and breast milk must be present in his diet. If the baby is weaned before he is one year old, adapted infant formula can be fed instead of breast milk. If a baby is stopped breastfeeding at one year of age or older, infant formula milk products can be given instead.
While the recommendations are, many mothers stop breastfeeding before their babies are 12 months old, and others breastfeed for up to two years or longer. The second option is called extended breastfeeding, and it's a completely healthy choice for mothers and babies who want to continue breastfeeding.
Signs that a baby is ready to wean
Mothers often wonder how to stop breastfeeding, because babies rarely just stop suckling. Weaning a baby from the breast is usually a gradual process for both the mother and the baby.
There are several signs that will let you know that the baby is ready to start weaning:
- disinterest or fussiness during feeding;
- reducing the duration of feedings;
- child is easily distracted while feeding;
- the child plays while suckling, eg pulling or biting the breast;
- baby suckles lightly but does not extract milk.
How do I wean a baby?
When mom and baby decide it's time to stop breastfeeding, there are a few things to keep in mind to make the transition smoother.
Here are our tips for weaning your baby when the time is right:
1. Wean gradually. When you decide to wean a baby, remember the main thing: do it gradually. This is necessary so that both mother and baby can adapt to physical and emotional changes. In addition, the gradual cessation of breastfeeding helps mothers avoid problems such as engorgement and general breast discomfort.
2. Express milk. To prevent breast engorgement when breastfeeding is stopped, the mother may need to express her milk, especially if the baby is less than a year old. One way to reduce and gradually stop breast milk production is to express less and less milk so that less milk is produced. Since pumping stimulates the flow of milk, it is important to use the pump for a shorter time than the duration of feeding the baby. Gradually, milk production will decrease and eventually stop completely.
Check out the Natural Motion Electronic Breast Pump, which combines nipple stimulation and pumping like a baby does for natural and gentle pumping.
3. Reduce the number of daily feedings by one every week. We recommend eliminating one of the daily feedings each week, such as feeding at noon or at another time, depending on which one the child likes the least. The latter, as a rule, exclude feeding before bedtime and immediately after waking up.
During the weaning period, the mother's breasts will continue to produce milk until she completely stops breastfeeding.
During this period, mums will love these soft bra pads to keep their clothes dry and clean all day long.
Check out this Natural bottle with an ultra-soft, breast-like nipple to help make the transition from breast to bottle easier.
4. Extra hugs may be needed. In addition to the physical changes that stopping breastfeeding brings, moms and babies will also experience emotional changes. During this period, you should hug the baby more often and express your love to him. Caress and other acts of love can help mother and baby retain the closeness and togetherness that breastfeeding has given them.
5. Introduce complementary foods at your baby's usual feeding times. Another way to help your baby adjust to change is to give him complementary foods at his usual feeding times. Babies who are a year old or older can substitute cow's milk for breast milk or offer other foods if the baby has already switched to solid foods.
We also recommend watching the webinar "How to End Breastfeeding Comfortably and Painlessly: Tips and Tricks".
Although weaning is the natural end to breastfeeding, a mother can make a huge difference in her baby's life at this stage. Along with a new sense of pride in a child who is growing and developing, it is quite natural for a mother to feel sadness. Breastfeeding creates a special bond between mother and baby. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers often find it difficult to say goodbye to breastfeeding.
If you have any questions, be sure to ask a specialist for their opinion.
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Regular weaning
Reviewer Kovtun Tatiana Anatolievna
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September 15, 2021
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Sooner or later, the time comes when it's time to wean the baby from the breast.
And it doesn’t matter whether this happens when the child is already more than a year old or even two years old, the involution just began, or, for medical and other reasons, breastfeeding (HB) has to be curtailed at an earlier age of the baby. The most important thing is to do everything right.
How? We will tell you now.
First and foremost rule: Weaning must be gradual!
Previously, it was customary to curtail breastfeeding in a very simple way: the child was given to the grandmother for a week, and he returned to his mother already weaned. At least that's what the legends say. In fact, this method is dangerous for both mom and baby.
Mom can earn lactostasis and, as a result, mastitis, and the baby gets into a strong stressful situation and for him this is indeed a trauma for life. Not only was the chest taken away, but also the main person in life disappeared somewhere and left him.
An easy way to stop feeding after a nap is to get out of bed a little earlier than the baby.
And when he wakes up, instead of the chest, invite him to hug, fly on an "airplane" or just cuddle.
Rule two: You can not wean the baby from the breast when he is sick or just starting to recover.
Mom's milk is medicine. Breast milk contains immunoglobulins and antibodies that help the baby's immunity to overcome the disease. This time. During an illness, a drinking regimen is very important for a child - breast milk is the best option. This is two. During illness, babies often act up. Breastfeeding is the easiest and most natural way to soothe your baby. It's three.
Rule three: No deadlines!
Even if you are a perfectionist to the core and plan everything in advance, in the case of weaning, this number will not work. You can expect to meet within a month, but the child may need more time. As a result, someone will be dissatisfied. It shouldn't be like that.
Rule four: Weaning and stress are incompatible!
If the child has to go to kindergarten, the family has to move or the birth of a second (third) child, weaning is shifted indefinitely.
For a baby, mother's breast is not only food and drink, it is also a sense of security. And if there is too much incomprehensible going on in the world around him, it is necessary to leave him this piece of calm.
Previously, a nursing mother was often advised to wean her breasts by smearing her nipples with mustard, brilliant green, etc., so that the child himself would refuse it. This is dangerous both for mother's health and for the health of the baby, both for the physical (burn of the oral mucosa and even the esophagus), and for the psychological, because the mother's breast is the personification of calmness and confidence.
Fifth rule: First we remove unimportant feedings for the baby.
Often, mothers try to get rid of night feedings, which are often especially difficult. But for a child, they are very important and it will be very difficult for him to refuse them. But it is much easier to refuse daytime intermediate feedings without being tied to sleep.
Especially if mom finds something to replace them with: hugs, reading books, playing puzzles, hide and seek, etc.
Trying to replace nighttime feedings with a bottle of milk or sweetened water can lead to cavities and other problems. If you refuse night feedings, replace them for your baby with drinking ordinary plain water, preferably from a cup.
Rule six: No drugs unless recommended by a doctor!
Even if there is no milk in the breast, this does not mean that the baby will not ask for it. After a year, children need breastfeeding not so much for milk, but for bodily and emotional contact with their mother. If the baby sucks on an empty breast, the mother experiences sensations that are not very pleasant.
Rule seven: Consensual excommunication.
This is perhaps one of the most important rules. Even if you are doing everything right, but you notice that the child has begun to sleep worse, is more naughty, asks for pens more often, etc.
- this may be a sign that the weaning pace you have chosen is not suitable for him. Everything happens too fast for him. Slow down, for two or three days they won’t do the weather for you, and the baby will be given a basic level of trust in the world and you.
The hardest part about weaning is the feeling that it will never end. But this is the wrong approach to the process. Breastfeeding is a wonderful milestone in the mother-baby relationship and they need to enjoy and enjoy it, gradually learning new ways of communicating and teaching the baby to enjoy the mother outside of the context of the breast. Believe me, the moment will come when you will fondly remember all those moments of intimacy with the baby when you sat with him in a rocking chair and breastfed him. Do not push the child, and he will let you go earlier.
Remember that all children and all mothers are different. It is impossible to come up with a single recipe and scenario for weaning for everyone.
