Wean in 15

When should you start introducing your baby to solid foods? And how can you make sure those first bites set the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating? In Wean in 15, Joe Wicks—popularly known as “The Body Coach”—shares his journey of weaning his daughter Indie, blending practical nutrition science with an honest, imperfect, and deeply human approach to feeding babies. Drawing upon expert guidance from child nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed, Wicks argues that weaning isn’t just about food—it’s about nurturing curiosity, independence, and a joy for eating.

At its heart, this book offers a roadmap for parents to evolve from fearful beginners into confident mentors of healthy habits. Wicks contends that weaning should start around six months of age when babies are developmentally ready to eat solids—able to sit upright, hold their heads steady, and grasp food. But beyond timing, he emphasizes embracing an attitude of adventure: experimenting with flavors, textures, and family meals. The process should be fun, messy, and full of patience. Babies, he explains, learn from your example and environment as much as the food itself.

A New Kind of Weaning: Responsive, Flexible, and Real

Wicks introduces a holistic approach that merges scientific insight with practical family life. Unlike rigid feeding plans, Wean in 15 encourages responsive feeding—reading your baby’s cues of hunger and fullness and adjusting mealtimes accordingly. It rejects the stress-inducing idea of forced feeding or portion rules, reminding parents that appetite varies day to day depending on energy, growth, and mood. (Nutrition experts such as Ellyn Satter echo similar principles in her Division of Responsibility model, advocating relaxed mealtime dynamics that teach self-regulation.)

Why Veg-Led Weaning Matters

The book takes a strong stand on starting with green, savory vegetables—broccoli, kale, courgette—rather than defaulting to sweet purees. Research summarized by Stirling-Reed shows that babies are naturally predisposed to sweeter tastes (milk is sweet), yet early exposure to bitter vegetables can expand their palate and reduce future resistance to greens. Wicks turns this science into everyday storytelling: he describes Indie’s hilarious grimaces at “baby trees” (broccoli) during her first week and the gradual acceptance that followed. By prioritizing veggie-led weaning, parents help babies build familiarity with foods they often dislike later in childhood.

From Fear to Confidence

The emotional arc of the book centers on overcoming common parental fears—gagging, choking, allergies, portion sizes, and fussiness. Wicks reassures readers that gagging, for instance, is a normal reflex that protects babies; choking is rare when foods are prepared safely. His detailed guidelines for food preparation (cut grapes, avoid hard veggies, take a first aid course) transform anxiety into empowerment. The same goes for allergies—he recounts Indie’s mild reaction to cashew butter, walking parents through calm crisis management and long-term allergy strategies.

Family, Fun, and Flavor

Beyond the nutritional science, Wean in 15 champions an emotional philosophy: eat together, laugh often, and make food exciting. Mealtimes, Wicks insists, are not battlegrounds but social experiences. Babies should see you eating vegetables, using herbs, and enjoying real food. He invites parents to listen to calming music at meals, get outside for picnics, and welcome mess as part of learning. Cooking isn’t just about recipes—it’s about modeling curiosity. This ethos turns feeding from a task into a family ritual of discovery.

Why It Matters

Ultimately, Wicks’s project is larger than baby food—it’s cultural. He wants to break the cycle of fast, processed kids’ foods (a system he criticizes after his own childhood diet of sugary cereals and nuggets). By treating babies as capable eaters and exposing them early to variety, parents can help shape healthier, happier future adults. Wean in 15 reminds readers that there is no perfect formula, just progress. Whether you’re spoon-feeding, doing baby-led weaning, or both, the goal is simple: teach your baby to love food, respect hunger, and enjoy family meals for life.

The timing of introducing solids is crucial in Joe Wicks’s world of balanced nutrition. He teaches parents how to spot readiness signs rather than relying solely on age. The magic window is usually around six months—when your baby can sit upright, hold their head steady, pick up food intentionally, and swallow rather than thrusting their tongue forward. If these milestones aren’t all present, waiting is better than rushing. (Charlotte Stirling-Reed connects this approach to WHO and NHS guidelines on developmental readiness.)

Recognizing True Readiness vs. Normal Baby Behavior

Babies often show “false positives” for weaning—chewing fists, waking more at night, or seeming hungrier—but these are normal behaviors, not necessarily readiness. Indie, Wicks’s daughter, showed interest by staring at her parents eating and reaching for food. That curiosity, along with physical control, told them she was ready. The book encourages parents to interpret signals holistically rather than reacting to isolated behaviors.

Baby-Led vs. Spoon-Fed: Choose What Works

Wicks rejects the dogma around baby-led weaning (BLW) and spoon-feeding, insisting neither is superior. Instead, he supports a combined method: offer both spoon-fed purees and soft finger foods. Indie learned to self-feed with broccoli florets while being spoon-fed mashed lentils and fish. This dual exposure built her skill faster and familiarized her with utensils. (A similar hybrid approach appears in Gill Rapley’s BLW movement, but Wicks makes it more flexible and family-oriented.)

Whether you choose baby-led or spoon-led, Wicks emphasizes progress—not perfection. Start with purees, move toward mashed, then minced or chopped textures by 9–10 months. Confidence grows as your baby learns to chew and swallow safely. By following this adaptive style, you can customize mealtimes to match your baby’s personality and appetite.

Moving from milk to solids isn’t an overnight switch—it’s a seamless dance between nourishment and exploration. Wicks reminds parents that milk remains a staple of nutrition even after solids begin. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until six months and continued nursing up to two years. Formula-fed babies get similar benefits from fortified options. During early weaning, both milk and food coexist harmoniously.

Milk First, Food Follows

At the start, Wicks suggests maintaining the same volume of milk—around 600ml for formula-fed babies—and slowly shifting balance as your baby eats more solids. His wife Rosie’s breastfeeding story shows the emotional reality behind this balance. She struggled with early latching pain, sought help, and gradually moved to mixed feeding with expressed milk before switching to formula at eight months and cow’s milk at one year. The takeaway: adaptability matters more than ideology.

Key Nutrients for Growth

In collaboration with Stirling-Reed, Wicks identifies vital nutrients—iron, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, calcium, iodine, and fiber—as priorities in weaning. Iron-rich foods like lentils, beans, meat, and eggs support cognitive development. Omega-3s from fish (salmon, mackerel) fuel brain health. For vegetarian or vegan babies, he recommends fortified alternatives like rapeseed oil or ground walnuts. Calcium and iodine are essential for bone and thyroid health, often coming from dairy or fortified plant milks.

Supplements and Sunlight

Vitamin D supplementation is nonnegotiable in the UK, where sunlight is limited. Wicks advises 8.5–10 micrograms daily for breastfed babies, increasing after one year. Additionally, vitamins A and C help immunity and iron absorption. These small additions safeguard against deficiencies while maintaining natural food diversity.

In essence, transitioning from milk to meals is not about subtraction but synergy—combining the comfort of milk with new textures, spices, and colors. The goal, Wicks reminds us, is a confident little foodie who gets energy from real food without losing the emotional bond formed through feeding.

Routines, Wicks explains, bring predictability to a baby’s day and help them learn when to expect food, rest, and play. Indie’s routine evolved naturally—one meal at first, then two, then three daily meals around seven months. By eleven months, her milk feed after dinner faded as she preferred solids. Every baby differs, so Wicks cautions parents to watch appetite cues rather than clock time.

Mealtime Timing and Atmosphere

A well-timed meal prevents overtired meltdowns. Calm environments matter as much as food quality: turn off the television, play gentle music, support your baby’s feet in a high chair, and let them interact with food textures. Indie’s mealtimes were filled with laughter and messy exploration. Wicks calls it “having fun with food”—empowering babies as participants, not passive eaters.

Responsive Feeding

Central to his philosophy is responsive feeding—reading signals of hunger and fullness. A hungry baby leans forward and opens their mouth, while a full one turns away or pushes food aside. Respecting those cues teaches self-regulation and prevents overeating. Psychologists studying food behavior (like Susan Johnson at Colorado State University) confirm that allowing choice promotes better long-term food relationships.

For Wicks, routine doesn’t mean rigidity—it means rhythm. Creating consistent meal windows supported by happiness and exploration cultivates a lifelong sense of food security.

Few stages of parenting are as nerve-wracking as watching a baby gag. Wicks tackles this fear head-on, distinguishing gagging—a normal reflex—from choking—a rare emergency. Babies gag to push food forward in their mouths as they learn to chew. By staying calm, parents model confidence. He advises attending baby first aid courses and having allergy and emergency plans ready but not living in fear.

Safe Eating Practices

• Always supervise your baby at mealtimes.
• Keep them upright and seated securely.
• Cut round foods—grapes, cherry tomatoes—into thin pieces.
• Avoid hard raw items like apples or carrots until older years.

Introducing Allergens Without Fear

Wicks and Stirling-Reed demystify allergic reactions. The modern recommendation: introduce allergens (milk, eggs, nuts, fish) around six months rather than delaying. Indie’s cashew allergy story becomes a guide for calm management—observe symptoms like swelling or vomiting, seek help if breathing difficulty occurs, and continue offering other nuts to maintain tolerance. This evidence-based advice dismantles outdated myths of avoidance and teaches balanced exposure.

Parents who approach allergy testing and first aid confidently empower their children to eat broadly rather than fearfully. The result—a more adventurous and resilient eater.

Family meals are the emotional cornerstone of Wean in 15. Wicks believes babies should eat with their parents—not separately—to learn social cues, enjoyment, and variety. When Indie joined family dinners, she transitioned naturally from mashed foods to chopped lasagne or risotto. Watching her parents eat made her more interested in textures, smells, and conversation.

Eating Together Builds Curiosity

Feeding side-by-side boosts imitation learning. Seeing you eat broccoli normalizes greens. Wicks ties this to developmental psychology: mirror neurons drive babies to mimic adult behaviors, whether clapping or chewing. By showing joy during meals, you teach emotional association—food equals comfort, not conflict. Over time, this shared experience cultivates lifelong openness to new cuisines.

Practical Family Meals

Wicks’s recipes like turkey nuggets, pea risottos, and mild curries are designed for shared plates. The message: don’t cook “baby food.” Make real meals adaptable for toddlers with gentle spices and textures. Family mealtimes also prevent isolation—babies see eating as communal, not transactional. This social reinforcement echoes Michael Pollan’s observation in In Defense of Food that eating together strengthens both body and culture.

Ultimately, Wicks’s family-focused approach makes nourishment a bonding ritual—turning every mealtime into a mini celebration of growth.

Weaning isn’t tidy, and that’s the point. Wicks urges parents to let go of perfection: food will end up on floors, faces, and walls. This playful chaos teaches independence and curiosity. He recommends letting babies touch, smell, and play with their food before tasting—it’s sensory learning. Indie often examined her meals before eating, transforming mess into mastery.

Making Flavor an Adventure

From curry powder to smoked paprika, Wicks adds herbs and spices early. Babies don’t need bland food; they need complexity, minus sugar and salt. Seeing Indie’s delight at cheesy broccoli mash or lentil curry proves that spice sparks enthusiasm, not rejection. (Nutritionists like Annabel Karmel similarly promote gentle flavor introduction to build “foodie babies.”)

Cooking Like a Boss

Batch cooking and freezing portions—“prepping like a boss”—keeps sanity intact. Wicks highlights simple tools: blenders, ice cube trays, and portion containers. He also stresses safety in reheating and storage. Cooking ahead allows parents to spend more time enjoying meals, not stressing over them.

Above all, Wicks reminds parents to laugh. Mealtime chaos is temporary, but the joy it builds lasts forever.

What does it take to raise a child who loves food rather than fears it? Wicks’s answer is variety, patience, and positivity. His fifteen lessons for new parents consolidate this wisdom: don’t fear mistakes, try new flavors, and stay calm through rejection. Babies learn taste through repeated exposure—ten or more tries may be needed before they accept a food. Indie hated avocado at first; after experimenting by mixing it with wraps or pasta, she began loving it. The key lesson: persistence beats pressure.

Nurturing Independence and Appetite

Wicks encourages treating children as active participants—let them hold spoons, dip food, and feed themselves even if messy. Independence fuels confidence. He also stresses against constant snacking; structured meals allow hunger to build naturally. Over-snacking may create picky eaters unwilling to try full meals.

Cultivating a Calm Relationship with Food

Parents who stay calm during refusals teach children emotional resilience. Wicks recalls leaving the table when Indie refused food, giving her time to reset. Later she ate happily. This reflective approach models composure, showing that food should never be a battle.

In the long run, Wicks’s “Wean in 15” philosophy isn’t about fifteen minutes—it’s about fifteen years. Those early meals, rich in flavor and patience, lay the foundation for children who approach food with confidence, curiosity, and joy.