Dr. Gill Rapley

Dr. Gill Rapley

Dr. Gill Rapley

About the expert

Dr. Gill Rapley is co-author of Baby-Led Weaning, Helping your baby to love good food, and pioneered baby-led weaning as a successful approach to solid feeding after studying it as part of her MSc.

Gill says…

Baby led weaning babies follow their own patterns when starting solid food. For example, your baby may:

  • Set off enthusiastically, munching on everything in sight, gradually swallowing more and more of it and never looking back. (Probably the least common pattern.)
  • Progress slowly but steadily through looking, experimenting, licking and tasting, and then eating, gradually increasing the amount she consumes.
  • Eat almost nothing for weeks or months (with or without being keen to touch and taste) and then suddenly show enthusiasm for food.
  • Set off enthusiastically and then seem to lose interest in food altogether.

None of these patterns suggests a problem. Most BLW babies don’t eat significant amounts of solid food until they reach 8 or 9 months, and some not until after their first birthday. Those who start off enthusiastically and then lose interest simply enjoy the novelty of food more than those who start more slowly.

“The Tidy Tot is a really innovative idea for containing the inevitable mess that happens when babies feed themselves. I defy any baby wearing the Tidy Tot to sweep food onto the floor or get it down inside their highchair!”