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Here it is again…the second annual BABY-LED WEANING DAY! The mid-year mark, July 1, was chosen to recognize and celebrate a baby’s ability to feed themselves and I wanted to provide you with ways to do just that! In this episode I will share five different ideas for parents to be able to celebrate this special day along with family and their BLW baby. I want to wish you a Happy Baby-Led Weaning Day and hope you have fun recognizing all the great things babies can learn to do while baby-led weaning!

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SUMMARY OF EPISODE

In this episode, I am talking about:

• What the rationale is behind the Baby-Led Weaning Day celebration on July 1.

• Fun ways to celebrate Baby-Led Weaning Day at home with babies.

• Tips on how parents can help their baby develop their abilities to feed themselves.

What is Baby-Led Weaning Day?

July 1 is National Baby-Led Weaning Day (...and yes, it is also Canada day.)

But July 1 is also the 6 month point in the year…and babies who are 6 months of age and showing the other reliable signs of readiness to eat can safely start feeding themselves foods using baby-led weaning!

The first National Baby-Led Weaning Day was celebrated in 2021 and we are excited to bring it back for a second year. Click here to read about the original Baby-Led Weaning Day.

How Can I Celebrate Baby-Led Weaning Day?

While a real and emerging body of research supports baby-led weaning as a safe and effective alternative to conventional parent-led spoon feeding, parents are by far the biggest advocates for this approach. Read the “5 Ways to Celebrate Baby-Led Weaning Day” blogpost here for ideas.

HERE ARE 5 WAYS YOU CAN CELEBRATE BABY-LED WEANING DAY:

1. TRY A NEW FOOD WITH YOUR BABY

2. HELP YOUR BABY PRACTICE DRINKING OUT OF AN OPEN CUP

3. LET YOUR BABY GET MESSY!

4. WATCH AND LEARN FROM OTHER BABIES’ GAGGING VIDEOS

5. SHARE A VIDEO OF YOUR BABY SELF-FEEDING

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

EZPZ

The cup that I use is the tiny cup by ezpz. This is my favorite because it was designed by SLP feeding therapist, Dawn Winkelmann, to be appropriate for babies and support their development.

I have an affiliate code if you’re looking to check out the ezpz Tiny Cup! Code KATIE10 is good for 10% off your purchase on the ezpz website.

BAPRON BABY BIBS

Bapron Baby is my favorite bib…they don’t restrict range of motion, they’re waterproof, they can be thrown in the dishwasher, and they’re so cute! Bapron Baby also makes a great waterproof splash mat. I use it under highchairs at home but it is also great to bring on the go if eating at a friend or relative’s house where you definitely don’t want to drop food on the floor

My affiliate code KATIE10 is valid for 10% of bapronbaby.com if you want to check them out!

BLW FOR BEGINNERS WORKSHOP

One of the most fun things about BLW is trying new foods, and what makes it even more fun is trying a new food with the whole family! Try to choose a food that nobody in your family has tried before and share this new experience together. Babies can eat all different foods if prepared safely.

If you’re looking for some ideas, I teach a FREE one hour video training called Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners and everyone on the training gets a free copy of the original 100 First Foods list! The list has ideas for fruits, vegetables, starches, proteins, and potential allergens for you to try with your baby.

Let me know which food you try together and how the family enjoyed trying something new! You can tag me on Instagram @babyledweanteam

GAGGING VIDEOS

Gagging is a necessary and natural part of learning how to eat and is different from choking. It may not be comfortable to watch, but it is part of the learning process and once baby is 6 months of age and presented with age appropriate texture foods, your baby will be able to handle it, even if he or she does not have teeth!

I recently started Youtube channel so that I could really walk parents through baby-led weaning and their fears with more visual examples…and there is a gagging video for you!

To view more gagging videos on Instagram search #gusandhannahgag

TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE

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!)...subscribe here.

• Grab my free download called 10 EASY STARTER FOODS FOR BABY-LED WEANING - sometimes just getting the confidence to get going will help you realize your baby CAN and WANTS to do this self-feeding thing! < < CLICK HERE FOR THE 10 STARTER FOODS DOWNLOAD > >

• REGISTER for my 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 workshop gets a copy of my 100 FIRST FOODS list so you’ll know exactly what foods babies CAN eat when they’re ready for BLW! Register for this week’s workshop times here.