Every parent embarking on BLW asks themselves this question. However, it's difficult to answer this question by suggesting a specific age, as it all depends on your little one discovering food with wonder.
Follow the baby's development and rhythm
There are indeed three main stages to follow when introducing solid foods to your child. Depending on your little one's development , they will start by discovering foods in stick form, then in large cubes, and finally in smaller pieces. The ages indicated for these stages are, of course, guidelines only. Everything happens according to your baby's pace and their ability to eat independently and develop fine motor skills .
Is your baby able to manage food in their mouth well and has a big appetite? Then you can soon offer them 3 meals a day ! Trust your little one, they will let you know they want to discover more meals throughout the day.
My children's journey in BLW
As you know, I'm a mom to two little wonders: Holly (January 31, 2020) and Lenny (January 16, 2023). They both progressed differently with BLW and started eating three meals a day at different times. I'm going to tell you about their BLW .
Holly and the BLW
Holly was immediately drawn to food and quickly learned how to get it to her mouth. We started by introducing her midday meal , after a short feeding so she wouldn't start eating hungry, and at a time when she was most alert.
Around 8 months old , seeing that she enjoyed it, we added an afternoon snack . It wasn't until she was 10-11 months old that she started eating breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner . Before that, milk was enough for the rest of her meals.
Lenny and the BLW
For Lenny, it was a different story! We were dealing with a real little glutton! At 6 months old , we started introducing lunch, . It was a real revelation: he absolutely loved discovering food! He had a little more trouble getting the food to his mouth, he was so excited ! We sometimes even had to take a break from breastfeeding so he could resume eating more calmly .
He enjoyed discovering new foods so much that by the time he was 7 months old , he was already eating breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner . And all of this with a milk supplement at each meal.
Each child develops at their own pace and with a different appetite . We had to adapt to their development. The most important thing is to take their needs into account and, as always in motherhood: listen to yourself !
