As you embark on this new adventure with your baby, it can all feel a little overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Looking at the previous articles, you can see that the whole stage of pureeing foods isn’t necessary, so that’s one less stress for you right there!

How to get started

There isn’t a lot of kit that you need for baby-led weaning, but there are a few very useful items to have prepared in advance:

A suitable highchair. Get something that sits nicely at the height of the family table so that your baby can feel part of the eating experience. Most standard high chairs are designed to sit well at most standard tables. If you mostly eat at a kitchen island, you may want to consider a chair that attaches directly to the island, as a standard high chair will be too low. In addition, make sure that whatever you choose has removable and washable covers; weaning is a messy process, and fixed-cover chairs can get nasty!
Get a cup for water. Now that your baby has solid foods, they need to be offered water at each meal. There are several different types of cups, and you may need to experiment a little to see what suits your child. In general, cups fall into a few categories:

Spouted sippy cup. These cups are closed and have either a soft or hard ‘teat’ style. These can be easier to manage for babies who are already used to bottles.
Straw cup. These cups are also closed and have an integrated straw for the baby to drink from. These can be a little tricky to start with, as if the baby tips the cup upwards rather than leaning down into it, the liquid falls to the top of the cup (outside the range of the straw). Older babies learn to manage these with time.
Weighted open cup These are small (think slightly larger than shot glasses) cups that have a weighted bottom. This means when the baby lets go of the cup, it will usually land ‘right way up’. It can be a little messy to start with, but once your baby masters the open cup, they are set for life!
Angled open cup. These are variations on the above. They have an angled lip so that the baby doesn’t have to tip the cup as deeply to be able to drink from it, which can make the learning curve easier.

Take an infant first-aid course. While this isn’t technically ‘kit’, it is a vital part of your readiness to offer solids to your baby. Coughing and gagging is a very normal part of the learning process, and most babies will cough and gag quite regularly in the beginning. True choking is rare, but it’s hugely important that you are equipped with the knowledge of what to do if it were to happen.

What food should I start with?

Our ultimate goal is to introduce our babies to the family's diet and to the enjoyment of food. To this end, try not to get caught up on the differences between ‘kids food’ and ‘adult food’. Whatever your baby is exposed to is what they will learn to love.

First foods. I usually recommend starting simple rather than with a full recipe or 3-course meal. Ripe bananas or avocados are excellent first foods and are a simple way to check if your baby is ready without much effort.
How to prepare For foods that don’t require cooking (like bananas or avocados), simply cut them up into a French fry shape similar in length and width to your little finger. This gives them something to grab onto and is safe for them to put into their mouth. Never give babies or children food cut into ‘coin’ shapes, as this is a major choking hazard.
Get adventurous! Once your baby has had their first taste of food and figured out that it goes in their mouth rather than on the floor, then the sky’s the limit. We sued to think that you had to introduce food, one ingredient at a time, but unless you have reason to believe there may be allergies, you can give your child pretty much any food that adheres to the following conditions:

Has been cooked or is naturally soft. Initially, we are looking at steaming or cooking another way until the food is soft enough to be mushed if you rub it between your fingers.
It has been cut into a French fry shape. We want to make sure that if they were to accidentally inhale the food rather than swallow (highly unlikely), it’s not a shape that could completely block their airway.
Does not contain forbidden ingredients. Until babies are one year old, they shouldn’t have salt, sugar, chilli, honey, or raw eggs added to their food.
For naturally liquid foods, use loaded spoons. So, if you are giving them yoghurt, you would hand them a spoon with yoghurt on it for them to feed themselves.

What if my child has allergies?

If your child has known allergies or has a strong family history of allergies, then seek medical advice regarding your specific situation and risk profile before exposing your baby to any potential allergens.

What are some examples of meals my baby may enjoy?

Once you've passed the first taste stage, you would ideally bring the baby into the family meals (with any necessary adaptations). So these examples show how you could adapt typical meals to be suitable for your baby. This is not an exhaustive list, but merely illustrative to give you some inspiration on where to start.

Spaghetti bolognese. To adapt for your baby, use small ‘baby’ pasta shapes, as spaghetti can be difficult to manage. Season (salt and pepper) your bolognese after you remove a portion for the baby; don’t forget to include all the other herbs and spices you normally use. Babies love flavour!
Eggs on toast. To adapt for your baby, cook your scrambled eggs until they are 'well'done'—babies should have eggs cooked all the way through. Cut toast into'soldiers' and spread with something yummy like good-quality smooth nut butter or cream cheese.
Salmon, rice, and veggies. Very little adaptation needs to be done here; just make sure that seasoning is done after pulling out the baby’s portion. And veggies should be steamed soft and cut into appropriate shapes (remember, no coin shapes!).

What are good first foods?

For our Baby Feeding Journey, Unii Expert Wendy Lever suggests great foods for weaning.