Our Take On Homemade Baby Food & BLW

By Kelly Love | 09/30/2025

With eight young kiddos between us, Allison and I get a lot of questions about homemade baby food and BLW (baby-led weaning).

Nutrient-dense baby food and optimal feeding strategies are such a passion for us, and we’re super thrilled to share our perspective and experiences, along with advice from our conversations with one of the foremost BLW experts, Registered Dietitian, professor of nutrition at UC San Francisco and San Diego, and mom of seven, Katie Ferraro.

Spoiler alert: We are both huge BLW advocates and rely very little on premade and even homemade baby food purees with all our babies.

We’ll explain why, in detail, coming up, and will also provide some ideas for creating nutrient-dense, homemade baby food purees for occasional use.

What Is BLW (Baby-Led-Weaning)?

Baby-led weaning is a feeding technique that introduces solid foods so babies can feed themselves instead of being spoon-fed traditional rice cereal or baby food purees.

At first, this may seem crazy.

After all, babies don’t have teeth, so how can they possibly break down and digest small pieces of food and do so without choking?

It all comes down to choosing the right foods and preparing them optimally for babies who are developmentally ready to eat, which creates a fascinating myriad of benefits.

12 Reasons We Love BLW, And Use It Almost Exclusively

Before we get into the particulars of BLW, here are some of the most compelling and practical reasons we’ve chosen to use it with all our babies.

1. BLW encourages chewing, which supports long-term oral health, speech, and airway development

A lack of chewing in children has been associated with a narrowing of the jaw and palate. This can create oral health issues, as well as problems with speech and airway development.

We’ve personally observed in our circles that children who eat a lot of pouches tend to have more speech and oral health issues, which has also been demonstrated in studies and the work of Dr. Weston A. Price.[1][2][3]

That’s not to say your child can never have traditional purees, but they may hinder jaw and oral development if used as the primary source of food for an extended period of time.

BLW strengthens oral and facial muscles, promoting strong jaws, a balanced facial structure, and proper tooth alignment. This has massive implications for lifelong health as it leads to optimal oxygen intake and restorative sleep.

2. BLW is easier on parents

Let’s be honest, making homemade baby food purees takes a lot of time and effort, especially if you have multiple little ones.

For instance, Ferraro’s interest in BLW came when she had quadruplets and needed a practical way to feed them all safely and effectively.

With BLW, babies can eat part (or all) of what the family is eating, with very little extra prep, making it perfect for busy parents.

3. It generally creates less pickiness

One thing we’ve noticed in our circles is that children who were introduced to BLW have less pickiness than those who were primarily fed purees.

Ferraro has also noticed this in her work and attributes it to the varied textures of the foods and baby-led approach, which helps train the palate early on and encourages independent eating.

4. BLW allows you to introduce more foods, faster

Unlike traditional food introduction strategies, which suggest introducing one new food every three to five days, BLW enables you to introduce up to 100 foods before your child's first birthday.

In her courses, Ferroro teaches a 5-step feeding framework, where you introduce five new foods a week.

For example,

Monday fruit day: Introduce a banana
Tuesday veggie day: Introduce avocado
Wednesday starch day: Introduce strips of sweet potato
Thursday protein day: Introduce properly prepared soft meats, eggs, or legumes
Friday challenge food day: Introduce an allergenic food (boiled peanuts, soy beans, cheese, etc.) or one with a trickier texture or more complex flavor profile

On a personal note, we always recommend introducing vegetables before fruits so babies don’t become accustomed to and/or desire only sweet flavors.

5. The babies enjoy it!

As we’ll discuss more below, BLW is a multisensory experience that babies love.

Not only do they get to taste new flavors and textures, but they also get to smell, touch, squish, and play with their food, which makes it an enjoyable activity.

Yes, it can get messy, but that’s where Branch Basics comes in, and it’s so worth it when you understand the immense benefits of sensory experiences for development!

6. It requires zero special equipment

BLW requires no special equipment beyond a highchair, a plate, and/or a cutting board, and a knife, saving parents time and money.

7. BLW gets toddlers more involved in food preparation

Many experts, parents, and caregivers have found that children who are involved in food preparation are more likely to try new foods and have fewer food aversions.

Our toddlers and older kids have loved helping prepare the baby’s BLW foods, which often encourages them to eat more nutrient-dense foods as well.

Since the food is already so soft, toddlers can chop it up using a dull knife, with a parent’s direction and supervision to ensure the optimal size and texture.

8. BLW encourages independent eating

BLW is baby-directed, which means the baby is in charge of what they eat, if they eat, and how much they eat, and the parent is in charge of providing the food and supervising.

This fosters a deep level of autonomy and independence, which is essential for maintaining a healthy, long-term relationship with food.

9. BLW engages all the senses

As mentioned previously, baby-led weaning isn’t just about getting a child to eat; it’s about allowing them the freedom to experience their food using all their senses.

This is a beautiful way to promote healthy development and a positive relationship with food that will benefit them for life.

10. BLW is cost-effective

Premade baby food, especially high-quality organic baby food, can be expensive, and even homemade baby food purees can be pretty costly.

BLW utilizes what the family is already eating, making it a naturally economical choice.

11. It’s more eco-friendly

No single-use pouches, reusable (but ultimately disposable) pouches, containers, or jars are required.

12. BLW negates issues with chemicals found in baby food packaging

If you’ve ever researched reusable baby pouches or non-toxic baby food containers, you were probably surprised to see all the “free from” claims for things like BPA, BPS, BPB, lead, plastics, and phthalates.

BLW lets you avoid these complex packaging toxins, and you can store leftovers in a glass jar or container.

When To Introduce BLW

Ferraro recommends introducing BLW no earlier than six months of age, and when the baby shows signs of readiness, which will prevent choking.

These include:

Sitting up relatively unassisted, usually around 6 months
Not pushing everything out of their mouth with their tongue
Being able to hold their head up
The ability to pick up food on their own
They’re showing interest in food

In our experience, babies are ready for food at different times.

For example, one of my babies wasn’t ready to eat until she was nine months old.

That doesn’t mean we didn’t start the BLW feeding exercise of presenting food in the high chair and letting her try it, but it took her a while to become interested.

Ferror says the self-feeding desire and mastery usually really clicks around 8-9 months, but every baby is different.

She says as long as they’re growing, they’re still getting enough breastmilk or formula, and their iron levels are on par, there’s no need to worry.

Suggestions For First BLW Foods

One place where we don’t completely align with the baby-led weaning movement is that it often focuses on simply starting solids rather than starting with truly healthy foods.

Instead, we focus on what could be called “health-led baby-led weaning”, which prioritizes nutrient-dense foods and allows babies to eat what the family eats, rather than preparing separate meals.

In our homes, this means providing organic, pastured meats, eggs, and egg yolks, as well as well-soaked and cooked grains and beans, vegetables, and some low-glycemic fruits (but we start with vegetables first).

We also skip dairy and gluten in the very beginning to keep things gentler on their digestion.

How to Introduce Foods In BLW

It couldn’t be simpler.

Choose the food you want to start with and prepare it so it’s soft enough to squish between your fingers easily. Again, we recommend starting with vegetables versus fruits
Cut it into the size of an adult pinkie. This strip size allows the baby to grasp it with their fist before they’ve developed their pincer grip
Position your baby properly in their high chair with their feet supported by a flat surface, such as a food rest, a chair, or a box propped up on a chair. This is essential as it positions their body and core correctly, to help prevent choking
Place the food on their tray
Sit with them for 15-20 minutes and let them learn to feed themselves and explore the food

Ferroro recommends the following feeding schedules:

6-7 months, 1-2 times a day
8-9 months, 2-3 times a day
10 months plus, three times a day

She emphasizes that there is no need to give snacks, as their milk (breast milk or formula) should be given between meals to ensure optimal nutrition.

What About Choking?

It is totally natural to be concerned about choking when starting solids.

However, data show that BLW babies are at no greater risk of choking than those who are spoonfed, provided they are developmentally ready to eat and that their parents are preparing their food and attending to them properly.[4]

Here are some essential tips to avoid choking:

Make sure your baby is seated in a high chair with their feet resting on a flat foot rest to stabilize their core
Never feed them in a car seat!!
Prepare the foods by ensuring they are squishy-soft and by cutting them to the size of an adult pinky finger
Feed them appropriate foods
Let babies direct the feeding
Learn the difference between gagging and choking. Listen to our podcast interview with Ferraro to learn more
Be present and never leave a baby unattended in a high chair.
Always observe your baby while they are eating

Get more details, including how to know if your baby’s eating enough, in: Breaking Down Baby-Led Weaning with Leading Expert Katie Ferraro.

A Few Ideas For Healthy Baby Food Purees

As mentioned previously, we don’t advocate feeding babies strictly purees as it can impede their oral development and just doesn’t provide as many benefits as BLW, in our opinion.

However, purees are still an important texture to practice with, and they can be convenient on occasion.

Here are some tips for healthy homemade baby food purees (used sparingly):

Keep it simple: It’s okay to offer a puree of just one vegetable!
Don’t make everything sweet: Making homemade purees allows you to control flavor variety and avoid making everything sweet
Include green foods like spinach, kale, and broccoli
Keep it fresh versus frozen. Freezing kills beneficial nutrients, plus there’s no need to make big batches if you’re also practicing BLW
Avoid giving lots of pouches, which can create feeding and palate issues if used in excess.
Use organic fruits, vegetables, & meats. This is especially important for babies whose bodies and organs are still developing
Add organic, pastured bone broth to purees for an extra boost of iron and protein. It also helps the puree blend more smoothly
Store in glass containers to avoid the leaching of plastic chemicals like BPA, BPS, BPB, and phthalates
Let babies feed themselves! Preload the spoon and let the baby direct the feeding

How To Use Branch Basics For Babies

Baby-led weaning is convenient and highly beneficial for both babies and parents. But it can get messy, which is where Branch Basics comes in!

Here are a few ways to use Branch Basics all-in-one refillable human-safe cleaning system for baby messes.

Use All-Purpose dilution to clean high chairs
Use All-Purpose, Bathroom, or Foaming Wash to clean blenders or baby food makers
Use Laundry dilution to wash baby clothes
Try Foaming Wash as a human-safe, ultra-gentle all-over baby wash
Wash toys with Foaming Wash, All-Purpose, or Bathroom
Wash dishes with Foaming Wash, All-Purpose, or Bathroom
Remove food stains on bibs and clothing with All-Purpose, Laundry, or Oxygen Boost
Clean their hands with Foaming Wash or Foaming Wash Travel size

We recommend the Branch Basics Premium Starter Kit (glass or plastic) for families with babies, as the Laundry dilution is ultra-gentle for washing baby clothes. It also comes with Oxygen Boost, which is essential for easy stain removal (soak, forget about it overnight, then wash it!).

The Starter Kits come with Branch Basics Concentrate, Oxygen Boost, and empty refillable bottles.

The bottles are filled with a designated amount of Concentrate + water to create a complete, safe, and natural cleaning and laundry arsenal (All-Purpose, Bathroom, Foaming Wash, Laundry, & Streak-Free).

All our products are MADE SAFE certified, cruelty-free, EWG-verified or rated A, and designed using human-safe, 100% biodegradable ingredients for the most sensitive skin and individuals.

See How To Get Started With Your Branch Basics Kit to learn more.

Looking for more advice on natural pregnancy and childcare?

Check out the following articles and best of luck on your BLW journey!

References:

Kelly Love

Kelly is proof that switching to a pure, natural lifestyle is powerful even for those who consider themselves healthy. She’s experienced how much our everyday choices impact our quality of life and is passionate about helping others see and feel the connection. She lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her husband and two daughters.

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