125 Baby Led Weaning Foods (Starter Foods + Recipe Ideas)
These 125 Baby-Led Weaning Foods are going to be your ultimate guide if you are doing BLW with your baby! Filled with over 80 starter foods and 45 easy recipes that are perfect for babies 6 months and up!
Baby-Led Weaning Foods
In this guide, I’ll share over 125 starter foods and recipes to help you get started with baby-led weaning!I will also share over 80 starter foods, and over 45 easy starter baby-led weaning recipes, and much much more! This guide is great for babies 6 months and up!
The goal of baby-led weaning is to expose your baby to delicious and nutritious foods in their natural state (without pureeing them first) to give your baby the freedom to explore the taste and textures of the food on their own timeline.
But sometimes it can be hard to figure out what exactly to serve baby, especially those first few weeks of starting baby-led weaning 🤷♀️.
This post has got you covered! From starter foods to full meals, these BLW ideas should get you started without skipping a beat.
Plus, all of these recipes are so good, you will want to eat with your baby as well! ❤️
Just starting out doing Baby-Led Weaning? Then I would suggest that you start by reading my very in-depth Complete Guide to Baby-Led Weaning. You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes!
Baby-Led Weaning Video
Tips for Starting Baby-Led Weaning
- Be okay with Play: baby-led weaning is all about playing and learning to eat solid foods through exploration. So prepare yourself with the fact that this is sometimes a messy process. Have some baby wipes ready and just go with it.
- A Gag is a Gag, Don’t Worry: there is a huge difference between when baby gags on a piece of food and when they are choking. Baby will gag on food when they are learning to eat finger foods, which is good, because that is how baby learns how to move food around their mouth and swallow foods.
- Sit with Baby: a great way to bond with baby is to sit down with them while they are learning to eat and eat the same foods yourself. Show them how it’s done and encourage them through the process.
Starter BLW Foods
Below you will find over 80 nutritious starter finger foods for your baby! I divided them into four categories: vegetables, fruits, grains, and protein. In The Ultimate Guide of Finger Foods, I go into way more detail about different cooking and chopping methods. Please note that some of these foods in their raw or whole form can be a choking hazard for your baby, so be sure you are serving it in an age-appropriate way.
Vegetables
- Broccoli
- Peppers (Red, Yellow, Orange or Green)
- Corn
- Zucchini
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Tomatoes
- Radishes
- Kale
- Sweet Potatoes
- Parsnips
- Beets
- Carrots
- Peas
- Cucumber
- Spinach
- Green Beans
- Squash (butternut, acorn, etc)
- Pumpkin
- Potatoes
- Turnips
- Mushrooms
- Eggplant
Iron Tip: it’s a great idea to offer your baby iron-rich foods as some of their first foods since their iron reserves start to run out around 6 months of age.
Fruits
- Apples
- Honeydew
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Pineapple
- Kiwi
- Oranges
- Banana
- Blackberries
- Grapes
- Mango
- Pear
- Cherries
- Apricots
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Avocado
- Papaya
Protein
- Scrambled Eggs
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Sliced Cheese
- Black beans
- Chickpeas
- Hard-boiled Eggs
- Tofu
- Salmon
- White Fish
- Beef
- Ricotta
- Edamame
- Feta
- Shrimp
- Lentils
- Meatballs
- Ground Meat
- Sausage
- Eggs some other Ways
- Nut Butters
- Hummus
- Chia Seeds
Whole Grains
Baby-Led Weaning Recipes
These 45 recipes are perfect foods for baby-led weaning. They are easy to make, nutritious, delicious, and most importantly, they are all easy for your baby to pick up and eat themselves. All are great for babies 9 months and up, just make sure to cut them into age-appropriate sizes.
Breakfast
- 3-Ingredient Banana Pancakes for Baby
- 6 Baby-Led Weaning Breakfasts
- Freezer-Friendly Spinach Waffles for Baby + Toddler
- Grinch Mini Muffins for Baby + Toddler
- Broccoli Egg Cups for Baby + Toddler
- Avocado Egg Toast for Baby + Toddler
- Almond Butter + Banana Toast with Hemp Sprinkles for Toddler
- Wholesome Blueberry Sheet Pan Pancakes For Baby + Toddler (allergy-friendly)
- Cheesy Egg Roll-Ups (for baby, toddler + kids)
- Whole Grain Pumpkin Waffle Dippers
- Easy Blender Spinach Pancakes for Baby + Toddler (Allergy Friendly!)
- 3 Fall Blender Muffins for Baby + Toddler
- Spiced Blender Pancakes for Baby + Toddler
- Toddler Breakfast Oat Cups – 4 Tasty Ways
- Sweet Potato Waffles for Baby + Toddler
- Rainbow Peppers + Feta Quiche
- Avocado + Blueberry Yummy Toddler Mini Muffins
- Spiced Blender Pancakes for Baby + Toddler
Lunch
- Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Bites for Toddler
- Mini Bagel Pizzas with Pepper “Sprinkles”
- Tortellini-on-a-Stick with Marinara Dipping Sauce for Toddlers
- Curry Pasta Salad for Baby + Toddler (great for Baby-Led Weaning)
- Summer Pesto Finger Salad for Baby + Toddler
- Green Finger Salad for Baby + Toddler
Snacks
- Veggie-Loaded Hummus Baby Food or Toddler Dip (recipe grows with your baby:)
- Warm Peach Chunks with Nutmeg
- Healthy Strawberry Yogurt Dip
- Whole Grain Cheese Crackers (Baby + Toddler)
- Beets + Orange + Mint Toddler Finger Food
Dinner
- Crispy Salmon Bites for Baby + Toddler (Baby-Led Weaning)
- Easy Veggie “Fried” Rice for Baby + Toddler
- Taco Tuesday for Baby + Toddler
- Mexican Sweet Potato Boats for Baby + Toddler
- Baked Seasoned Chicken Tenders for Baby + Toddler
- Baked Seasoned Tofu Nuggets
- Kale Pesto Chicken Quesadilla for Baby + Toddler
- Baby’s First Bolognese
- Easy-Peasy 5 Veggie Pasta for Baby + Toddler
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Chunky Summer Veggie Pasta for Baby + Toddler
- Crispy Seasoned Fish with Pineapple & Avocado Chunks for Toddler + Kids
- Family-Favorite Pumpkin Pasta
- Kid-Friendly Pumpkin Risotto
- Butternut Squash ‘Mac and Cheese’ for Toddler
- Healthy Chicken Nuggets with Green Bean “Fries” (toddler, kid + adult approved)
Get the recipe: 125 Baby-Led Weaning Foods: Spinach Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour (see notes below)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce or apple puree
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup packed spinach
Instructions
- Preheat: plug waffle iron and turn to medium heat.
- Dry Ingredients: in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: in a blender, add in the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and spinach. Blend for 1 minute on medium speed or until the spinach is completely blended.
- Mix: add the spinach mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Cook: pour waffle mixture onto waffle iron in 1/4 cup increments and bake according to the waffle maker's instructions.
- Serve: let cool slightly and serve, or store in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
13 Comments on “125 Baby Led Weaning Foods (Starter Foods + Recipe Ideas)”
Hi! Can this recipe be used for pancakes also? Thanks!
So sorry, which recipe are you referring to?
Love this!
Good Morning Michele,
I wanted to stop by and say thank you very much for this thoughtful and very thorough recipe ideas. Currently, my toddler is 15 months and ever since he was 7 months he’s been having solids. Everything organic. I would please like your help with the following: How do I get him to eat led weaning style? Every time I try to give him “regular foods” it never works out well and in the end I always end up giving him purées. He gags and makes choking like sounds which is terrifying. I believe that it is time and I want him to start eating led weaning style. Thank you in advance and looking forward to your reply.
Tia
Hi Tia,
I can only speak as a mom whose 18 month old has mostly fed herself from about 5 months on, and still gags occasionally. It is terrifying at first but if you can think of it as a protective regurgitation to bring the food back to the front teeth for more chewing til they can swallow it, perhaps you can rest a bit easier with the gags.
Just be sure to start with little soft sticks of food (like potatos) or easy to pick up and soft foods like scrambled eggs, and in small quantities to allow for a gradual adjustment to the skills of eating solids on his own.
Wow. As a first-time mom I have searching high and low for an easy list of foods to serve my little one. This is perfect!
So glad you are here and finally found what you are looking for!
Thank you so much for sharing this! It helps a first time mom like me! Truly appreciate you.
I am so glad you find it helpful!
Wow! You are amazing and this compilation is so awesome! My baby is almost a year and for some reason I just found out about BLW. A late start but I am determined to get her to eat by herself so this resource is extremely helpful!!
Thank youuuuu!!
So glad this was helpful!
Thanks for compiling these!
You’re welcome! I hope it’s a great resource for you.