LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE

Gill Rapley will be the first to tell you she didn’t “invent” baby-led weaning. But if you’ve read Rapley’s original baby-led weaning book, you’ll agree that she did a lot more than “...just gave it a name and a theoretical base”. As the founder of the baby-led weaning philosophy, GIll Rapley opened our eyes to the reality that when it comes to feeding: babies can do so much more than we give them credit for. 

To celebrate the 100th episode of the BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY podcast, I’m thrilled to bring you a two-part interview series with the lady who started it all: Gill Rapley, PhD. 

In this first episode we’ll be looking at the history of baby-led weaning: did she set out to spawn a baby-feeding movement? How did Rapley come to co-author Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide book with Tracey Murkett? And then how did she deal with doubters and skeptics when the baby-led weaning philosophy and practice really began to take off? 

I’ve sat in my fair share of infant feeding seminars and heated BLW moms groups where I’ve often wondered, “...What Gill Rapley would have to say about this?” Well, I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity in this interview to ask her all about the early days of baby-led weaning and to hear the answer straight from its biggest champion and founding philosopher!

SHOW NOTES

SUMMARY of episode

In this episode, I’m joined by Gill Rapley, the founding philosopher of baby-led weaning and author of the original baby-led weaning book, which probably every one of you reading this has already read! In this episode we’re talking about:

• How Gill came to realize that during her time as a practicing Health Visitor in the UK, when she saw babies refusing food she realized it wasn’t the FOOD they were refusing but the way that they were BEING FED

• When Gill Rapley started promoting baby-led weaning and sharing her message with parents how it was met with skepticism by many in the infant feeding and child development worlds. She also shares how the perception of baby-led weaning has changed with the advent of the internet & social media in the 19 years since she first started talking about BLW

• Why she collaborated with Tracey Murkett and how they came to write the original baby-led weaning book together despite the fact that they had never met in person prior to commencing the project.

This interview is part of a 2-part series with Gill Rapley, PhD. In this episode (100) we cover the history of baby-led weaning with its founding philosopher. In the next interview with Gill (102), we will talk about her ideas for the future of BLW and where she sees the movement going and what she would like to see more of (and less of) when it comes to promoting self-feeding from baby’s first bites.

LINKS from episode

• Rapley’s book “Baby-Led Weaning: Completely Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary” edition available on Amazon (this is an affiliate link).

• Gill Rapley’s website is rapleyweaning.com.

• Rapley spoke at length about the importance of Amy Brown’s research on baby-led weaning. My podcast interview with her “The Evidence Behind Baby-Led Weaning with Amy Brown, PhD” is available here.

• Listen to part 2 of this interview with Gill Rapley in episode 102, “The Future of BLW with its Founding Philosopher Gill Rapley, PhD (Part 2)” here.

TRANSCRIPT of episode

RESEARCH links from episode

• Baby-Led Weaning: The Evidence to Date abstract here

  Brown, A., Jones, S. W., & Rowan, H. (2017). Baby-led weaning: the evidence to date. Current nutrition reports, 6(2), 148-156.

WANT MORE BLW INFO?!

• SUBSCRIBE to the Baby-Led Weaning Made Easy Podcast - new episodes are released on Monday and Thursday and subscribing means you’ll never miss what’s new (+ you’ll get notified about special bonus episodes too!)

• FOLLOW Katie’s baby-led weaning Instagram page @babyledweanteam for daily video trainings - lots of great info on interpreting your baby’s feeding behaviors here too!

• SIGN UP for Katie’s free online workshop “BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS: How to get your baby to try 100 foods before turning 1 without you having to spoon-feed purees or buy pouches” - everyone on the free workshop gets a copy of the 100 FIRST FOODS LIST so you can focus on trying new foods that your baby CAN and WANTS to self-feed! Sign up for this week’s workshop times here.