Whilst baby-led weaning is most certainly a no-stress approach to weaning there are a number of safety considerations that need to be taken into account. It is completely safe for a baby of six months or older to feed themselves, and they have inbuilt safety features, their gag reflex is further forward making it less easy for them to choke. However, in order for them to be able to safely handle whole pieces of food it is important that they are always in control of what goes into their mouths and no matter how long they seem to be ‘gumming down’ on that seemingly never decreasing crust, they need to be the ones to call it a day and spit it out as fishing about in their mouths can be dangerous as you could potentially push the food further in. And of course you should never leave a baby alone with food.

Mealtimes do become a rather leisurely affair whilst you watch them honing their skills, and generally extend to about an hour I find. It can be rather patience-trying watching them repeatedly miss their mouths or drop the same bloody piece of potato off their tray,

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