How to Contain Baby-Led Weaning Mess: Top Tips for Easier Clean Up
Baby-led weaning (BLW) is a wonderful approach to introducing solid foods to your baby, allowing them to explore foods at their own pace. It involves offering soft, appropriately-sized finger foods from the family table for self-feeding. However, baby-led weaning (BLW) often comes with a side of mess!
Embracing the mess and letting your baby play with food engages their senses and helps increase food acceptance down the road. Here are eight practical tips to help you manage and contain the mess during mealtimes while embracing the benefits of BLW.
1. Choose the Right Mess-Containing Baby Gear
Invest in a good quality high chair that is easy to clean. Look for one with smooth surfaces and not too many crevices where food can get stuck, detachable trays that can be washed separately or even cleaned in a dishwasher are also helpful. Consider a splat mat or food catcher* to save your floors and minimize food waste. Find my top baby high chair recommendations here.
2. Utilize Suction Plates and Bowls
Suction plates* and bowls are a game changer when it comes to containing mess. They stick firmly to the high chair tray or table, preventing your baby from easily knocking them over or throwing them from the tray. Opt for products that are dishwasher safe for quick cleanup after meals.
3. Offer a Variety of Textures
Offer your baby a wide variety of textures during meal times. Don’t be afraid to provide purees, either by spoon-feeding or offered on a preloaded spoon for self-feeding. Purees are an important texture for babies to learn and practice too, and pureed foods like yogurt and applesauce are nutritious and generally low-risk in terms of choking. As babies become more adept at self-feeding with a spoon, the mess will decrease.
4. Timing is Everything
Consider offering food at times when your baby is well-rested and alert. Meal times should be a positive experience! Because let’s face it—the more positive the mealtime experience, the less likely a baby is to throw food. As babies grow, feeding schedules will need to be adjusted based on hunger cues and developmental stage. By 11-12 months, most babies are taking 1-2 naps and eating 3 solid meals per day.
5. Embrace Long Sleeve Bibs
Long sleeve bibs* are your best friend when it comes to containing BLW mess. Look for ones that are waterproof and easy to wipe clean or toss in the washing machine. This saves the clothes from getting stained and reduces your laundry load. Bibs with large, sturdy front pockets are excellent for catching falling food (and the occasional vomit!). For more bib brands and ideas, check out top bibs for baby led weaning.
6. Encourage Exploration and Food Play
Allow your baby to explore food independently, even if it means a mess. Encouraging self-feeding helps to develop their fine motor skills and inspires curiosity about food, which is key when it comes to raising adventurous eaters. Be patient as they learn to grasp, chew, and swallow different foods.
As hard as it can be to hold off, wait until the meal is over before cleaning up. Frequently wiping your baby’s face or scraping food off their face throughout meals can create negative associations with eating that are much harder to unwind than a food mess. Make clean-up a positive sensory experience! Sing a clean-up song, use colorful, soft washcloths to wipe face and hands, or involve your baby by handing them a cloth and encouraging them to clean alongside you.
***Top Tip: It can also be helpful to make a habit of cleaning your baby away from the high chair to avoid negative associations.
7. Keep Cleanup Easy
Choose dishes and utensils that are easy to clean. Stainless steel or silicone utensils* are durable and dishwasher safe, simplifying post-meal tidy-up. Here’s a list of my top utensil picks for babies*.
8. Get a dog
Kidding. Sort of…allowing the family dog to hang around during BLW meals has its pros and cons. Dogs can help minimize food waste by eating food that your baby drops (or throws!). Babies often enjoy socializing and interacting with pets during mealtime. Most dogs quickly realize the best spot in the house is right underneath a highchair and babies delight in feeding their pups. However, be aware that certain foods such as grapes, chocolate, onions, and garlic can be toxic when you send your doggo in to clean up. For your child’s safety, ensure that your baby is never eating at eye-level with a dog present (e.g., on a picnic blanket) and do not allow the dog to lick your baby’s face or fingers.
Managing the baby led weaning mess can be stressful at first, but keep in mind that this phase passes quickly. The right tools, timing, and mindset can help the mess feel less daunting and allow you to focus on enjoying meal times while feeding your baby.
BLW encourages your baby to explore new foods at their own pace, fostering sensory engagement and food acceptance. While it may be messy, these tips can help make clean up easier, making starting solids a more positive experience for the whole family.
If you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, download my FREE BLW Starter Guide. It includes my top expert tips for successfully introducing solids, a short list of budget-friendly baby-led feeding tools, a printable 1-sheet for your baby’s caregivers, first food ideas and how to safely serve them, PLUS a 5-Day packable BLW meal plan with photos for food sizing to make your life easier.
And if you are looking for more information on preventing food allergies, my new baby-led feeding book provides a complete and easy-to-follow guide to starting solids with 8 weeks of meal plans, and a collection of 80 family-friendly recipes to help prevent food allergies during infant feeding.
**If you want to make the process of starting solids and preventing food allergies simple, safe, and stress-free, order your copy here.
Thank you to my dietetic intern, Nicole Musco for her contributions to this blog post!