Baby-led weaning looked like a complete success with my son. As a baby, he ate fruits, vegetables, meat—everything. Then, around 18 months old, those foods began disappearing. Now that I’m introducing solids to my daughter, I’m approaching feeding differently. Instead of measuring success by how much she eats, I’m asking: How many different foods, flavors, textures, and ingredients is her body learning to handle? In this personal episode, I’m sharing:

• Why I chose not to repeat baby-led weaning in quite the same way

• How oral-motor challenges may influence which foods a child keeps or drops

• Why three small bites can still represent meaningful progress • How variety supports familiarity, sensory tolerance, skill, and flexibility

• Why I follow my daughter’s cues instead of expecting her to finish a predetermined amount

• When volume does matter—and when parents may be placing too much emphasis on it

• How the division of responsibility can reduce pressure at mealtimes

This is not an argument that baby-led weaning causes picky eating. It’s an invitation to rethink what successful feeding actually looks like. Because the goal isn’t just a baby who eats a large volume today. It’s a child whose body is learning to handle an increasingly diverse world of food. Instead of volume, variety.

CLARIFICATION: During this episode, I say “30 different foods per day.” The commonly referenced American Gut Project finding actually compared adults eating more than 30 different plant foods per week with adults eating 10 or fewer. This was adult research—not a pediatric feeding recommendation. I use it as inspiration to encourage variety, not as a rigid target for babies or children.

Research referenced: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5954204/