An Introduction To Baby-led Weaning
During your baby’s first years of life, she will experience many important milestones- her first laugh, first word, and first steps, among others. Along with all these firsts, she’ll also attain important life skills. Eating her first solid foods becomes one of the most anticipated skills, as this will open a whole new exciting phase both for you and your baby.
There are several choices to choose from when introducing solid foods to their precious ones.
Having a baby is a life-changer.
It gives you a whole other perspective on why you wake up every day
-Taylor Hanson
At present, a growing number of parents are introducing solid foods without depending on purées and jarred baby food. This practice is called baby-led weaning and through this article, we’ll give you reasons to consider it — and how you can get started in your BLW journey.
ALL ABOUT BLW
What is Baby-Led Weaning?
- Baby-led weaning is an alternative approach to infant feeding. It involves jumping straight to finger foods and bypassing purees.
- The term “baby-led weaning” was first coined in 2005 by Gill Rapley, a former public health nurse in the UK.
- This approach’s premise (and as the name implies) is letting your precious one feed herself the healthy foods she wants by allowing her to learn how to chew and swallow correctly. It prevents parents from interfering as the baby is in control of how much she puts into her mouth.
- BLW is for a baby who’s at least 6 months old and is capable of self-feeding. But this may not be applicable to all. This means that you should be on the lookout for signs of readiness of your baby before starting the baby-led weaning approach. To help you, here are some things that may indicate your baby’s readiness:
- Shows alertness or change in facial expressions during mealtime
- Able to sit up with support.
- Shows interest in food
- Opens mouth to suck on items (hands, food, or other inedible items)
What are the benefits of BLW?
- BLW promotes healthy social interactions
Through BLW, infants are introduced to the valuable idea of family mealtime. This offers reinforcement to the child’s social and developmental skills. They also see their parents and those around them as their role models. With this, they can easily learn how to chew and swallow their food properly.
- BLW allows infants to be exposed to diverse foods
With baby-led weaning, babies are more exposed to a broader array of tastes and textures, especially when compared to pre-packed purees that are only soft in texture.
- BLW reduces the risk of child obesity
With spoon-fed babies, the parents are always in control. Because of this, babies tend to eat faster and consume more than they need. This causes an unhealthy habit of ignoring the feeling of fullness. Baby-led weaning, on the other hand, encourages babies to self-regulate based on their hunger level.
- BLW is practical
With BLW, the meal preparation time will be lessened because parents would only need to cook or prepare similar foods for everyone. Pre-packaged baby foods are also expensive, so you can save more money by using this approach.
- BLW promotes fine motor skill development
Baby-led weaning encourages the development of hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity.
- BLW helps in encouraging independence in infants
With BLW, babies have the chance to choose and explore food themselves. This helps them gain and exercise their independence.
What are the disadvantages of BLW?
1. It’s messy
Baby-led weaning tends to be a bit messier than spoon-feeding. But whether spoon-feeding or baby-led weaning, they’re bound to have some mess at their young age.
2. Potential negative mealtime experience
Learning to eat solid foods takes a lot of practice. While gagging and coughing are both mechanisms that help prevent a child from choking, these reflexes are both uncomfortable and scary for the baby. As parents, we want babies to have a positive eating experience so that they will be more comfortable and brave in trying new things.
3. It becomes harder to pinpoint an allergic reaction
If there are allergy concerns that run in the family, your baby’s pediatrician may recommend introducing foods one at a time. This will help in identifying which food caused an allergic reaction-if there are any. If many foods are given at once, it’s more difficult to determine the root source.
Parents are the ultimate role models for children.
Every word, every movement, and action affects.
No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than a parent.
– Bob Keeshan
YOUR GUIDE TO BLW
Now that you have an understanding of what baby-led weaning is, let’s show you how you can start your journey.
Here’s Your Ultimate Guide To Baby-Led Weaning
TAKEAWAY:
At its core, baby-led weaning highlights the independence of your baby. It is a popular choice among parents who want to avoid picky eating and encourage self-sufficiency in their babies.
Before introducing BLW, parents are to wait for their baby to show signs of readiness for eating and to follow the baby’s cues and pace. Babies take part in family meals, are encouraged to pick up food with their own hands, and are trusted to eat as much or as little as they need.
Indeed, infant feeding can be a challenging task, especially when you consider the impact of nutrition on the growth and development of your precious ones at this age. Therefore, every parent must be keen in choosing the approach best suitable for their babies.
The greatest gift you can give to your children are the roots of responsibility
and the wings of independence.
– Denis Waitley