Each baby develops at their own pace during baby-led weaning
Every baby is unique and develops at their own pace, including during the weaning process . Indeed, some babies will be ready to move on to solid foods sooner than others, while some will need more time to adjust. It's important to pay attention to your baby's cues to know when they're ready for the next step. Ultimately, weaning should n't be seen as a race, but rather as a wonderful journey you and your baby can take together on the road to culinary discovery.
The child-led period of discovering and diversifying foods
Introducing solid foods to your little one always begins with a discovery phase around 6 to 7 months of age. During this phase, the focus is primarily on stimulating your baby's senses. Offer meals with different colors, textures, shapes, and smells to stimulate all five senses. This technique also helps to spark your baby's curiosity. The goal of this stage of weaning is to allow your baby to explore foods at their own pace and discover what they need. During this phase, we suggest offering your baby vegetable or fruit sticks, as well as simple recipes like pancakes, fritters, and so on.
The child-led period of food diversification development
The second stage of introducing solid foods is the developmental period around 7 to 9 months of age. You'll already see that your baby's interest in solid food has increased and, above all, that their motor skills are improving. They're able to bring food to their mouth more and more easily. During this phase, you'll see that your little one can grasp the food you offer with three fingers. During this second phase of introducing solid foods , we recommend offering your baby slightly more elaborate recipes to diversify their diet and thus develop their palate.
The child-led refinement phase of weaning
Finally, your little one will complete their weaning process with the refinement phase around 9 to 12 months of age. During this time, you'll notice your baby can use their pincer grasp and pick up food easily. This is the perfect opportunity to offer your little one recipes with less melt-in-your-mouth textures, as their chewing movements are much more refined than at the beginning. This final stage of weaning is also the time to introduce utensils to your baby's meals by spearing food with a fork and pre-filling a spoon!
