Baby-led weaning — or letting your baby feed herself tiny handfuls of food — is a relatively new trend, but one with ancient roots. Instead of choosing which mushed-up purees to feed their tiny, toothless babies, many moms are allowing their child to select which foods to eat.

Advocates say it helps babies experience food more fully, and may even thwart overeating and obesity later in life. The chief concern has been choking, but new research shows that it’s no riskier than the traditional spoon-fed method.

A study from the University of Otago in New Zealand separated a group of more than 200 moms and their babies into a baby-led weaning and a spoon-fed group. They taught the baby-led weaning moms how to safely let their infants feed themselves. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that about a third of the babies in both groups choked, usually on raw vegetables and crackers.

Researchers stressed that any food given to a baby must pass what they call the squish test; that is, an adult should be able to squish the food on the top of their mouth. Parents should also take care to make sure their baby is getting proper nutrition, especially iron, which is bountiful in breast milk. Babies should be given breast milk exclusively for the first six months of their lives. Experts agree that six months, or when a baby can sit up on his own, is the right time to start baby-led weaning.

So what should be on the menu? Whole wheat pasta, toast, avocado, boiled chicken or beef, banana, steamed carrots and broccoli, yogurt and cottage cheese are all good choices. And always talk to your pediatrician before introducing a new regimen. Bon appetit (bone ah-pe-tee), baby!