Baby-led weaning and complementary feeding in Alicante

When is my baby ready for complementary feeding?

Age alone isn't enough. Before starting, we look together at your baby's signs of readiness:

• Steady head control.
• Ability to sit with support.
• Hand-to-mouth coordination.
• A reduced tongue-thrust reflex.
• Ability to manage and swallow food.

What is baby-led weaning?

Baby-led weaning, or BLW, is a way of starting complementary feeding in which your baby actively takes part: picking up suitably prepared food themselves and learning to manage different tastes and textures. It's not simply "giving finger foods" — doing it well means adapting the shape, texture, posture and supervision involved.

Starting BLW safely

The most common worry is choking. In consultation, you'll learn:

• How to seat your baby correctly for meals.
• What makes a highchair safe.
• How to check that food is soft enough.
• Which cuts and shapes are appropriate at each stage.
• Which foods carry a higher choking risk.
• The difference between gagging and choking.
• When to let your baby manage the food, and when to step in.

Gagging and choking are not the same thing: gagging is a normal, noisy part of learning to eat, while choking may involve an airway obstruction that prevents breathing or making sound. Practical choking response should be learned through a dedicated paediatric first aid course.

Foods to offer first

There's no single required order. The goal is to move progressively towards a varied, safe and nutritionally complete diet:

• Vegetables.
• Fruit.
• Pulses.
• Cereals and starchy vegetables.
• Egg.
• Meat and fish.
• Nuts in safe formats.
• Olive oil and other healthy fats.
• Iron-rich foods.

Introducing allergens

Egg, fish, dairy, peanut and tree nuts raise a lot of questions. We look together at when and how to introduce them progressively, in what format, and which signs to watch for. There's no evidence that routinely delaying allergenic foods beyond six months prevents allergies; introduction should be adapted to each baby's history.

Foods to avoid or adapt

• Whole nuts.
• Whole grapes.
• Hard or round foods.
• Sausages not cut appropriately.
• Popcorn.
• Honey before 12 months.
• Excess salt and sugar.
• Cow's milk as a main drink before 12 months.
• Fish species to limit, per official guidance.

BLW, spoon-feeding or a mixed approach

There's no single correct way to start. Some families prefer BLW, others feel more comfortable with purées, and many combine both. You can mix purées and solids without that meaning you're "doing BLW wrong" — what matters is adapting textures, letting your baby take part, and progressing gradually.

Planning the first weeks

After the consultation, you'll leave with a practical plan for organising the first meals:

• Suggested foods to start with.
• An indicative menu for the first weeks.
• Safe presentations and cuts.
• Iron-rich options.
• Gradual introduction of allergens.
• Adapting to family meals.