What is Baby Led Weaning?
What is Baby Led Weaning?
Contrary to the name this is not the process of weaning babies from milk, but rather the introduction or weaning them onto complementary foods. Traditionally, a baby is spoon-fed pureed foods by an adult, but baby led weaning allows infants to feed themselves hand-held foods. The child is encouraged to explode the food with their fingers as they become an active, participating member of family mealtime.
The idea of a child as young as six months with little to no teeth is very alarming and scary to most parents as they believe it is a huge choking risk. But in fact, it helps to lessen the risk of choking because it teaches baby to chew THEN swallow! A puree does not teach them this concept. Baby led weaning introduces a variety of textures and flavors that is suggested to result in a higher intake of “healthier” foods such as vegetables and unprocessed foods as the child grows. Most traditional jarred baby foods are lacking in nutritional value, the largest ingredient in many jarred food is actually water!
"Many of the most popular brands contain less than a fifth of a baby’s recommended daily supply of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and other crucial minerals (University of Greenwich 2012).”
Most of these jarred foods are usually a few different fruits or vegetables mixed together, therefore causing baby to not know how these foods are supposed to taste on their own.
The benefits of baby led weaning don’t stop at baby, mom and dad reap the benefits as well! Jarred food can add up quick, you are not only paying for the food, but the cost of manufacturing, the container and any other expenses it takes to process the food which adds up to more than the actual product inside! It’s not worth the inflated price for watered down food. An alternative to jarred could be to make your own purees but that is extremely time consuming.
Benefits:
-Teaches baby to chew THEN swallow lessening the chances of choking
-Fine motor skill development
-Healthier, more nutritious food options
-Allows baby to be an active member of family meals and mom and dad don’t need to take turns eating
-Teaches baby about textures
-Encourages exploration and independence
-Saves money
-Saves time, no need for time consuming homemade purees
Getting Started
Prepare to get messy! Mealtimes can be fun, getting messy is part of the process, everything is a learning experience for infants so food is no different. Your baby’s main source of nutrition should be breast milk or formula until age one, when you begin solids of any kind you do not cut back on bottle feedings or nursing sessions. Solids should be an add on, not a replacement for milk.
Start with larger pieces of food that baby can grasp easily.
While baby is learning how to chew and discover foods, it's important to start them off with larger pieces of food. The food shouldn't be too mushy otherwise baby will just swallow or too hard for baby to practice chewing. Your little one will gag, this is good news! Gagging is actually how the body naturally protects itself from choking. Gagging is scary, but it is an important part of the process, your child will learn to work out the food on their own which ultimately prevents a real choking incident in the future. It is important not to interfere with a gagging child because this can cause actual choking. As your little one masters eating and chewing you will slowly make the pieces smaller and introduce utensils.
When is baby ready to begin solids?
A child will begin to show signs of readiness these signs include:
-Sitting up unassisted
-At least 6 months of age to ensure proper gut development
-Tongue thrust reflux is gone, baby no longer pushes out tongue if offered solids
-Child shows interest in your food and tries to grab it
I always encourage parents to do all their own research to see the best option for their family. No one knows your child the way you do so it is important to do what is best for YOUR child and their specific needs. My experience with BLW has been extremely positive, my son has never had a choking incident and has been self feeding himself fresh, nutritious food since he was 7 months. Family and friends have always been very impressed by how well my son has always been able to feed himself and how much he is able to eat! I never have to worry if my son will eat what is available or pack food when we are on the go. He eats a large variety of food so no matter where we are I know he will eat what I offer him. His pincher grasp developed very quickly and early on and do give BLW some credit for that.
BLW has made me change my diet to fit my son's nutritional needs which benefits the whole family! It is important to remember that a baby should not have a lot of sodium, so this is something to keep in mind when making food choices for the whole family when a baby is participating in mealtime.
I recommend that every parent get CPR certified. I became CPR certified shortly after finding out I was pregnant with my son. No matter what style you decide is best for your family choking is possible and everyone should be prepared.
Helpful Resources:
Facebook Support Group- Baby Led Weaning for Beginners: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1578341132430270/
Book: Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods-And Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater