"Baby-Led Weaning" explodes the myth that babies need to be spoon-fed and shows why self-feeding is the healthiest way for a child to develop. The authors show how this commonsense, easy, and enjoyable approach to feeding children helps to develop a baby's natural abilities, including hand-eye coordination and chewing, and allows a baby to join in with family meals right from the start of the weaning process. It also encourages independence by allowing a baby to experiment with foods at his or her own pace and makes mealtimes more enjoyable and battles less likely. "Baby-Led Weaning" is a practical and authoritative guide to an innovative and exciting new method for introducing solid food, one that enables a child to grow up a happy and confident eater.

Reviews

"I've been telling mothers for years that when babies start grabbing food from the table, they are ready for solids. I had the pleasure of observing this with my own children. What I love about this book is the joy and zest the authors put into parenting, their commonsense approach, and their faith that babies will do the right things for themselves when the time is right. Baby-led weaning is easy, and it makes parenting fun!"--Nikki Lee RN, MS, IBCLC "Gill Rapley's work is amazing and makes so much sense. I recommend this groundbreaking book to every new mother I know. Read it. It will forever change the way you think about feeding your baby."--Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, clinical associate professor of pediatrics, Texas Tech University School of Medicine, and coauthor of "Breastfeeding Made Simple" STARRED REVIEW--"Nurse Rapley and freelance writer Murkett encourage parents to forgo the usual baby puree and move straight to whole foods while continuing to breastfeed primarily after a baby is six months old. Their arguments are scientifically sound, especially when it comes to muscle development in the mouth, and they address the anticipated counterarguments, e.g., the need for iron-fortified cereal at six months. Some parents will be concerned about their lax approach to the order of allowable foods and especially their lack of concern about nuts, but allergic warnings are given where necessary. If mine were little again, I would definitely try this. As long as mom is nursing, who says baby can't eat lamb chops?"--"Library Journal" "The benefits are great"--"Independent" "Sharing food with Mirah has turned out to be one of the great joys of parenting. Watching her respond to the pleasures of ripe tomatoes, curried rice noodles, and all kinds of meats and vegetables has made mealtime a much more enjoyable experience for all three of us. We can tell she is learning through all of her senses about how various substances respond to being crumbled or dropped