Baby-Led Feeding: A Natural Way to Raise Happy, Independent Eaters Paperback – Illustrated, June 6, 2023

I LOVE THIS BOOK! And now I will gift it to every new parent.Pros:1. The introduction is short & sweet. It gets right to the point for the reasons behind baby-led feeding/baby-led weening, what the difference is & why parents like BLF. It's two pages. I barely got through 1 chapter of a book about BLW & I wanted to put myself in the oven. I don't have time for that.2. The recipes include time to prep/cook, whether the food freezes well, how long it keeps in the fridge & nutrition info3. The book also includes general nutrition info, like calorie goals, essential vitamins & a daily meal outline.4. The book shows sizes of how big to cut foods - VERY helpful. I was so worried my kid was going to choke if I cut things too big/small. But this book has pictures of many different foods, what sizes to cut things, & how to change the size as the kid gets older5. Some recipes evolve for older kids. A simple recipe for a 6mo will include new ingredients for the 12mo version, a great way to keep introducing your kid to new foods. Many of the recipes are adaptable.6. This book does not shame you for serving pureed food, unlike other BLW books. Some kids do better with softer foods or purees. Or parents grab pouches when they are on the go because it's just easy. And IT'S FINE! This book does not shame any parents for the choices they make regarding their kids food. It even includes recipes for different pureed foods. Sometimes a fruit smoothie with secret spinach is the only way my kid is going to eat a vegetable. And he loves it!

It’s so challenging with all the advice out there how exactly how to do baby led feeding but this book is a helpful guide with decent recipes that even the adults liked eating! I used this for both kids and even gifted it to a friend.

I ordered a couple different books on baby led weaning and by far Baby-Led Feeding: A Natural Way to Raise Happy, Independent Eaters is the best one of the lot. Its beautiful photos, easy to follow recipes and age-appropriate meal guidance have made baby-led feeding a joyful experience in our house. At 10-months-old my daughter loves fruits and vegetables and is becoming very proficient in feeding herself. Her favorite meal is shredded chicken breast with fresh cubed tomatoes, but she also loves leafy green puree cut with a little bit of applesauce. And the family meal planning section helps my husband and I eat food that we really enjoy with our daughter. We especially like the one pan gnocchi with mushrooms. Do delicious! It makes me really happy to see my daughter develop a wide palette for healthy food.

The content of this book is outstanding and really helped to guide me though introducing solids and also reassure me, especially when she started to choke on a pear before I read that section -- she very clearly outlines choking values gagging early on and makes clear that gagging is normal. I loved the early sections that talked about how to cut up the food and what foods it suggested. I've recommended this book to many moms, and lived by it from 6 months to 12 months.However, the later recipes were pretty much awful. I know that food taste is highly subjective, but I grew up Southern with many good home cooks, and all these recipes are both weird and bland. I've learned to avoid nutritionist cookbooks who forget food needs flavor and salt, not just protein+carb+healthy fat. This falls squarely in that category. Some were just laughable, like lamb chop lollipops and grapefruit scallops. Others were odd, with canned tuna +broccoli+capers. My advice: totally buy this book. But once they are eating on their own, skip the last two sections and cook whatever you cook regularly. Oh also, don't also buy the Baby Led Weaning book and this one - they are almost entirely the same recipes and content, but with stricter rules - save your money.

Incredibly helpful resource. Great visuals for food sizes by age, easy recipes, and helpful schedules to understand ideal timing for nursing/bottles and table food.

I ordered this cookbook because I was getting into a rut feeding my 1-year-old son. I have an older boy who is very picky, and I'm convinced it's because I started making him the same 5 things all the time. Let me tell you, this book is just what we needed! In the last week I've already made a bunch of the recipes and exposed my baby to foods I never would have thought of otherwise (smoked trout! scallops!). Every dish is healthy, delicious, and came together in no time. There's a whole section of "family meals" that feed 4, and I'm determined to make them all. We are eating together as a family and my little one is self-feeding, which is a treat to see. I'm also a pretty anxious mom by nature, so I love that this book has helpful information that makes baby led feeding safe. The author shows you (with photos) exactly how to cook and cut fruit, veggies, and well, everything, so that you child can eat it without risk of choking. This is a must for every parent of a baby (and an awesome shower gift, in my opinion).

I purchased this because my kids were introducing baby led weaning to my youngest grandson, and he is here on a regular basis. I learned a lot - the book provides extensive understanding of the baby led weaning process and there are lots of photographs to illustrate how to cut/prepare the food to avoid choking. The teaching part of the book is followed by many recipes - which have been consistently delicious - and the short ribs recipe - OMG!!! Worth getting the book just for that recipe!!!