Baby-Led Feeding: A Natural Way to Raise Happy, Independent Eaters

The popular and trusted guide to starting your baby on solid foods, newly revised with the most up-to-date information for today’s new parents.

What if you could skip the tiny jars and pouches of bland baby food in favor of a more natural, flavor-filled, and family-friendly transition to solid foods? Baby-led feeding (also known as baby-led weaning) is just that. Feeding your baby a variety of healthy, wholesome solid foods, rather than relying solely on purees, is thought to promote motor skills and establish lifelong healthy eating habits.

Author, food director at Real Simple magazine, and former food editor at Parents and Health Jenna Helwig gives parents easy-to-follow introductions for this popular feeding method. With more than 100 ideas and recipes, this bright, photo-driven book includes chapters on the benefits of this approach, when and how to get started, essential safety and nutrition guidelines, frequently asked questions, basic fruit and vegetable prep, more complex finger foods, and family meals. The newly revised edition contains updated information regarding common allergens and substitutions, helpful new content like sample menus, and new recipes featuring a wider range of flavors. All recipes have been reviewed by a registered dietitian and include nutrition information to ensure a healthy mealtime.

“If the ultimate goal is to create a positive food environment for your baby, and ultimately for your whole family, I can’t think of a more clear roadmap for parents than Jenna Helwig’s book. Clear, approachable, and, most important, fun, it’s the kind of manual that is destined to be the most sauce-stained and dog-eared in your kitchen.” - Jenny Rosenstratch, author of Dinner, a Love Story

“It starts with food—real food—and Baby-Led Feeding lays the foundation for a healthy relationship with food that lasts a lifetime. Jenna Helwig has written a comprehensive guide to baby-led feeding that is smart, approachable, and fun. From first bites to family dinner, this book equips parents to confidently feed their children as well as nurture a wholesome approach to eating.”  - Aimée Wimbush-Bourque, SimpleBites.net