Approaches to Feeding: Spoon Feeding, BLW or Combination Feeding

Starting solids is a big milestone! Not just for your baby, but for you as a parent too. It’s exciting to watch them explore new flavors and textures, but it can also feel a little overwhelming.

So, before we dive in, I want to reassure you: there is no single “right” way to feed your baby. Every baby is different, every parent is different, and every feeding journey will look unique. There are various approaches to feeding, but the most important thing is that both you and your baby feel comfortable, confident, and supported along the way.

At the heart of all feeding approaches is responsive feeding. This means tuning into your baby’s hunger and fullness cues, allowing them to eat at their own pace, and making mealtimes an enjoyable, stress-free experience. The goal is not just to get food into your baby, the goal is to build a healthy, positive relationship with food from the start.

Let’s be real, feeding a baby isn’t always easy. Some days, your baby might gobble up everything in sight, while other days, they might barely take a bite. And that’s okay! Rather than worrying about whether you’re doing it “right,” think of this as a journey you and your baby are on together. There’s no pressure, no strict rules, just an opportunity to learn, explore, and grow together.

Approaches to Feeding: Three Ways to Start Solids

When it comes to introducing solids, there are three main approaches to feeding that parents tend to follow:

• Spoon Feeding with Purées – Offering smooth or mashed foods with a spoon.
• Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) – Serving soft, whole foods that babies can pick up and feed themselves.
• A Combination of Both – Mixing purées with finger foods from the start.

Which Approach to Feeding Is Best?

There’s no right or wrong answer! It all depends on what works best for you and your baby.

Some parents prefer to start with spoon feeding because it gives them more control over what their baby is eating. Others feel confident going straight to BLW because they like the idea of their baby self-feeding from the beginning. Many families find a mix of both methods works best, offering purées alongside finger foods to give their baby the best of both worlds.

When I started solids with my first son, we began with purées and handed him the spoon so he could practice self-feeding. By 8 months, we introduced finger foods, and he was eager to give them a try. The great thing about approaches to feeding is that there’s no set formula! You get to figure out what works for you and your little one.

How Do You Know Your Baby is Ready for Solids?

Regardless of which approach to feeding you choose, the most important thing is that your baby is ready. The signs of readiness include:

• Sitting up independently or with minimal support.
• Showing good head and neck control.
• Showing an interest in food – watching you eat, reaching for your food, or opening their mouth when food is offered.
• Losing the tongue-thrust reflex (which pushes food out of the mouth).

Most babies show these signs around six months, but every baby develops at their own pace. If you’re unsure, talk to your pediatrician or healthcare provider.

Your Baby is Learning a New Skill

Just like rolling, crawling, and walking, eating is a skill that develops over time. It’s not just about getting food into their tummy, it’s about learning to bite, chew, swallow, and explore different tastes and textures.

• The first few weeks of solids are all about exploration, not nutrition. Your baby is learning how to move food around their mouth, chew, and swallow.
• As they grow more confident, they’ll start to eat more and rely less on milk feeds for nutrition.
• From around 9 months, most babies are eating three meals and consuming around 600mls of milk a day.
• By 12 months, most babies are eating three meals a day with one snack and are getting all of their nutrients from solid food.

No matter which approach to feeding you choose, trust that your baby is capable. They are wired to listen to their own hunger and fullness cues and will build a healthy relationship with food at their own pace.

Spoon Feeding with Purées

Spoon feeding is one of the most familiar and approachable ways to start solids, especially for first-time parents. It’s gentle, reassuring, and offers a lovely opportunity to connect with your baby as you guide them through new tastes and textures. You’re in control of what’s offered, and your baby can slowly ease into the world of food at their own pace.

Why parents love spoon feeding:

• You can easily offer a wide variety of flavours and nutrients in one meal by blending a few different foods together.
• It’s simple to include iron-rich foods like meat, lentils, or fortified cereals in purées, helping to meet your baby’s nutritional needs.
• Babies can still develop their oral motor skills; biting, chewing, and swallowing especially when encouraged to self-feed with a pre-loaded spoon.
• You can progress through textures gradually from smooth purées to mashed foods, soft lumps, and finger foods.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Some parents might stick with smooth purées for a little too long, which can delay texture progression and make transitioning to family foods a bit harder later on.
• It’s easy to accidentally overfeed if you’re not tuning into your baby’s fullness cues especially if you’re doing most of the spooning.
• Try to keep progressing textures as your baby shows signs they’re ready, this helps support their development and confidence with food.

Like all feeding approaches, spoon feeding can be a wonderful tool when used with a responsive lens. Let your baby guide the pace, offer opportunities for independence, and enjoy the mess and milestones along the way.

Some great first purees include:

• Butter bean, pear and cinnamon puree with Raspberry chia jam. – try this recipe on my blog in the recipe section.
• Chickpea, onion, pumpkin, cauliflower, cumin, turmeric with chicken stock puree
• Beef, green peas, carrot, rosemary, beef stock puree
• Roast lamb and roast root vegetables puree

Baby-Led Weaning (BLW): A Hands-On Approach

Baby-Led Weaning means skipping purées and offering soft, whole foods right from the start. Babies get to explore food with their hands, practice self-feeding, and eat at their own pace, no spoon required.

Some great first BLW foods include:

• Steamed broccoli or zucchini in olive oil
• Soft meatballs or patties. Try the Moroccan Beef and Prune Koftas for an iron rich BLW option
• Ripe avocado or banana slices with hemp seeds
• Cooked sweet potato wedges in olive oil

Why Parents Love BLW

• Encourages hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
• Gives babies early chewing practice, especially with foods like meat on the bone.
• Helps babies become more adventurous eaters.
• Encourages family mealtimes. Your baby eats what you eat minus the added salt to meals.
• No need to blend or purée food, Just serve it as is as long as it’s appropriately prepared.

Common Concerns About BLW

Many parents worry about gagging when offering whole foods, but gagging is a natural reflex that helps prevent choking. Babies gag as they learn to move food around their mouth safely.

If you’re concerned, you can:

• Sit with your baby and model how to chew by exaggerating your own chewing motions.
• Offer soft, well-cooked foods that can be mashed easily between your fingers.
• Make sure your baby is seated upright in a high chair with good support.
• Avoid offering hard, small, or round foods that are choking hazards, such as whole nuts, raw carrots, or grapes (unless ground, grated, or cut appropriately).

Combination Feeding

Combination feeding brings together the best of both worlds offering purées alongside finger foods from the start. It’s a flexible and balanced way to feed your baby, giving them opportunities to self-feed and explore textures, while also making sure they’re getting key nutrients through spoon-fed options.

This approach can feel reassuring for parents who want to support independence but still like the idea of offering purées for those messier or more nutrient-dense meals. It’s also ideal for babies who aren’t quite ready to feed themselves fully but are curious and keen to explore.

Some helpful tips for combination feeding:

• Offer finger foods at the beginning of the meal when your baby is most alert and interested in eating.
• Let your baby try self-feeding with a spoon, even if some food still comes from you.
• Focus on variety and include both iron-rich purées and soft, graspable finger foods throughout the week.

Whether you start with purées, finger foods, or both, what matters is gradually supporting your baby to become a confident, independent eater. By around 8 months, aim to transition fully to self-feeding with finger foods.

Responsive feeding is at the heart of this approach; it’s not about choosing one method over another, but about following your baby’s cues, making mealtimes enjoyable, and building a trusting, two-way relationship.

Myth Bust! “My baby will get confused and may choke if I offer both purées and finger foods.” There is no evidence that offering both purées and finger foods is confusing or increases choking risk. In fact, many cultures have done this for generations. With proper food preparation and supervision, combination feeding is both safe and supportive for your baby’s development.

What About Iron and Other Key Nutrients?

One of the biggest concerns with BLW is whether babies get enough iron, zinc, and other essential nutrients. Unlike purées, where parents can control exactly how much iron-fortified food is consumed, babies doing BLW may not always eat enough iron-rich foods.

To ensure your baby gets enough:

• Offer iron-rich foods daily, such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, or iron-fortified cereals.
• Pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C (like strawberries, tomatoes, or capsicum) to boost absorption.
• If needed, combine BLW with spoon-feeding to make sure your baby gets enough nutrients.

At the end of the day, approaches to feeding are about more than just food. It’s about connection, learning, and trust. No matter how you start solids, you’re helping your baby build a lifelong relationship with food, one meal at a time.

So take a deep breath, embrace the mess, and trust yourself. You’ve got this!

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