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You should wait 3-5 days between introducing new foods. You should cut up food really small to reduce choking risk. Babies have to learn to chew before they swallow and baby-led weaning means no spoons and no purees. Myths about baby-led weaning are ENDLESS, and there’s nobody better than Gill Rapley to help debunk these BLW myths!

Gill Rapley is the co-author of the original baby-led weaning book and the founding philosopher of the baby-led weaning movement. In this episode Dr. Rapley is walking us through 5 “legacy myths” (those that have been around since the first edition of her BLW book) and newer “current myths” that have cropped up in recent years.

If you’ve ever wondered, “I wonder what Gill Rapley would think about this?...” then this is the episode for you. We’re diving deep into the most persistent BLW myths and debunking them one by one...and these are Gill’s words: “right from the horse’s mouth!”

SHOW NOTES

SUMMARY of episode

In this episode we’re covering some of the most common misconceptions about baby-led weaning with the founding philosopher of baby-led weaning Gill Rapley, PhD. The myths we cover are:

• LEGACY BLW MYTHS

  • You should start with one meal a day and work up to three

  • Baby must be able to swallow food and pass the tongue thrust reflex “test” to qualify as ready to eat

  • You should introduce one new food at a time and wait 3-5 days between foods

  • First foods should be cut in small pieces

  • Fruits and vegetables are the ideal starter foods

• CURRENT BLW MYTHS

  • Babies need to be able to sit for X amount of time unsupported to qualify as ready-to-eat

  • Babies learn to chew before they learn to swallow

  • BLW means no purees and no spoon-feeding

  • BLW increases the risk of choking

  • You can combine traditional spoon-feeding with BLW

LINKS from episode

• Gill Rapley is the co-author of the original baby-led weaning book called “Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide”. Be sure to get the fully revised 2019 edition and you can read it here on Amazon (this is an affiliate link).

• Amy Brown’s research was mentioned in this episode. You can find my interview with BLW researcher Amy Brown at episode 70 “The Evidence Behind Baby-Led Weaning with Amy Brown, PhD”

• Listen to past interviews with Katie & Gill Rapley in Episode 100 “The History of BLW with its Founding Philosopher Gill Rapley, PhD (Part 1)” and Episode 102 “The Future of BLW with its Founding Philosopher Gill Rapley, PhD (Part 2)”

• Gill Rapley was also on the podcast in episode 140 “National Baby-Led Weaning Day: It's a Thing with Gill Rapley, PhD”

TRANSCRIPT of episode