A friend joked that all the photos he sees of my kids are of them eating. I can't help it; I get excited when my boys (ages four and one) try new foods for the first time. Harrison's first bites of everything from broccoli and papaya to chicken feet and spot prawns are documented, as are Truman's introductions to banana, steak, and spring rolls.

Eating (like sleep, oh god the sleep) can be an obsessive parenting topic when kids aren't consuming exactly what all the books and experts say they should. As with everything in the minefield of parenting, I believe every child is different -- but I do partly credit baby-led weaning (BLW) for my children's eating gusto. The term is a bit misleading because it has nothing to do with weaning your baby off breastfeeding or formula, but is about introducing solid foods at the baby's own pace. "Self-feeding" may be a better description. The concept has been popularized by Gill Rapley, a longtime British nurse, midwife and breastfeeding counsellor. Basically, babies feed themselves fist-sized chunks of solid food that they can handle on their own, rather than being spoon-fed mush. BLW is just the latest term for something many parents have been doing for a while.

Truman trying out some turkey at eight months old. Interestingly, this is a big part of updated guidelines released last month by Health Canada, the Canadian Paediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada, and the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada. Instead of starting baby (at about six months old and not younger) on pureed foods, they now recommend a variety of textures and finger foods like finely minced meat, grated cheese or soft, ripe fruit. Now, I can go back and tell my mother, "See? Health Canada says babies don't need mush!" When I first tried to explain BLW to her, she thought I was nuts and was convinced my son would choke. Also, I'm pretty sure she was forlorn that she wouldn't be able to spoon-feed her grandson. But then she found she could boast about how well the boys ate and show off how independent they were at the dinner table. My husband and I are pretty darn happy too because it means we can actually sit down to a hot meal together, rather than take turns spoon-feeding a child, while dinner gets cold. From me as a parent, here are some basics you need to know about BLW: