When is National Baby-Led Weaning Day? This day will take place on July 1 of each calendar year.
What is National Baby-Led Weaning Day? Baby-led weaning is an alternative to traditional spoon-feeding whereby babies learn to feed themselves age-appropriate, safe foods from their first bites.
…but it’s not safe for babies to begin BLW until they are 6 months of age. We want July 1 to be National BLW day because it is exactly 6 months into the year and will serve as a reminder to parents that it’s not safe for babies to have anything except breastmilk and/or formula for the first 6 months of life. But at that 6 month mark (plus when babies are showing the other signs of readiness to feed), babies can and should be eating so many more foods than we give them credit to!
My company will promote National Baby-Led Weaning Day on July 1 on our Instagram @babyledweanteam (246K followers) and my top-rated parenting podcast, “Baby-Led Weaning Made Easy” (www.blwpodcast.com)
We want to celebrate babies’ ability to feed themselves & believe that National Baby-Led Weaning day will be the perfect forum to help spread the word!
Why is this day being celebrated or observed? July 1 is exactly 6 months into the year. When babies are 6 months into their first year (and showing the other signs of readiness to feed) they can start solid foods. But starting too early can be dangerous and starting too late can lead to picky eating and weight dysregulation. Highlighting and bringing awareness to the signs of readiness to feed and how to safely start solid foods around the 6 month mark—or July 1 in the calendar year—helps to educate parents and caregivers about this important topic.
How should this day be celebrated or observed? We celebrate many milestones in a baby or child’s development, but why not when they’re safe to start solid foods? Babies who are 6 months of age and showing the other signs of readiness to feed can move on from breastmilk and/or formula. Let’s celebrate that on July 1, which is the 6 month into the calendar year mark and a good time to educate parents and caregivers and bring awareness about all the many types of foods babies can safely learn how to eat!
Who created this day? This day was created in June 2021 by Katie Ferraro, MPH, RDN, CDE.