The association of baby‐led weaning and picky eating in children aged 2–5 years

Abstract Objectives Baby‐Led Weaning (BLW) has been anecdotally linked to healthier eating habits and lower picky eating tendencies, yet empirical evidence remains limited. This study investigates the association between BLW and picky eating in children aged 2–5 years, comparing it with traditional spoon‐feeding methods. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted in Metro Manila, Philippines (June to August 2024), using convenience and snowball sampling. Parents ( n = 284) reported their child's complementary feeding method, classified it as: (1) Strict BLW (BLW > 90%), (2) Predominantly BLW (BLW 51%–90%), (3) Predominantly traditional spoon‐feeding (BLW 10%–50%), or (4) Strict Traditional Spoon‐Feeding (BLW < 10%). Picky eating was assessed using the Food Fussiness (FF) subscale of the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ), with FF 3 indicating picky eating. Logistic regression examined associations between feeding method and picky eating, with sensitivity analyses using FF 2.8 and FF 3.2, and linear regression modeling FF as continuous outcome. Associations with other CEBQ subscales were also explored. Results Strictly BLW was associated with a 95.4% lower likelihood of picky eating compared to strict traditionally spoon‐feeding ( p < 0.01). Findings remained robust across alternative cut‐offs when FF was modeled as a continuous outcome. Satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, and emotional undereating were positively associated with fussiness, while higher enjoyment of food and food responsiveness were inversely related. Conclusion BLW is consistently associated with substantially lower odds of picky eating in early childhood. These findings support BLW as a potentially effective approach to fostering positive feeding behavior and food acceptance in early childhood.