Baby-Led Weaning
Gill Rapley & Tracey Murkett
2008
This influential guide introduces the concept of baby-led weaning — allowing babies to feed themselves solid foods from the start, rather than being spoon-fed purées. Rapley and Murkett explain how babies can safely explore food at their own pace, developing autonomy, coordination, and a healthy relationship with food through responsive, family-based mealtimes.
Why It’s Included:
This approach aligns beautifully with the responsive feeding principles that underpin breastfeeding and respectful parenting. It supports trusting babies to regulate their intake, follow developmental cues, and participate in shared family experiences. It’s a natural progression for families already tuned into baby-led sleep, play, and feeding.
Who It’s For:
Ideal for families starting solids with a breastfed or formula-fed baby around six months. Also valuable for professionals working with parents navigating food introduction in a respectful, child-led way.
“When I first heard Gil Rapley speak of her philosopy of Baby-Led Weaning (solids) in Melbourne in the early 2000s, I instantly recogised my third baby! Her description of babies feeding themselves from the start, without purees or spoons, was exactly how he had eaten a decade earlier. And so, when this book was released a few years later, it became an instant favourite. It then guided our family to practice BLW with my three grandchildren. It is still my go-to guide for families introducing solids.”
Further Reading:
– The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding – La Leche League International
– Inventing Baby Food – Amy Bentley
