As you may know, I am running private starting solids sessions (weaning) in Scarrington, Nottinghamshire. The starting solids (weaning) workshop explores different ways you can wean your baby including baby-led weaning.
What is baby-led weaning?
Baby-led weaning, also known as BLW, is a method of introducing solid foods to your baby. BLW allows your baby to be in control of their eating experience from the very beginning. Instead of relying solely on purees and spoon-feeding, BLW encourages your baby to self-feed and explore a wide variety of age-appropriate foods, tastes and textures.
The concept behind baby-led weaning is quite simple yet revolutionary. It promotes the idea that babies are capable of feeding themselves and have an innate ability to know how much and what they need to eat. With BLW, there’s no need to spend countless hours pureeing fruits and vegetables or worrying about the perfect consistency of mashed food. Instead, parents can offer their little ones soft, easily graspable finger foods that they can explore, touch, and taste on their own.
By adopting baby-led weaning, parents can increase a positive relationship with food for their children right from the start. It allows babies to develop their motor skills by practicing the pinching and grasping movements needed to pick up food. It also encourages them to explore different textures, tastes, and smells, which can help expand their palate and reduce picky eating habits later in life.
One of the many benefits of baby-led weaning is that it promotes self-regulation and helps babies develop a sense of satisfaction. Since they are in control of how much they eat, they can learn to recognize their own hunger and fullness cues, leading to a healthier relationship with food as they grow older.
It is important to note that baby-led weaning does not mean entirely abandoning purees or spoon-feeding. It can be a complementary approach, with babies being offered a combination of finger foods and purees as they navigate their journey to solid foods. The key is to offer a wide range of nutritious foods, while also embracing the mess and allowing babies to explore and enjoy their meals at their own pace.
In summary, BLW is a method that empowers babies to take an active role in their eating experience. It promotes independence, motor skill development, and a positive relationship with food. Whether you choose to embrace it fully or incorporate elements of it alongside traditional feeding methods, baby-led weaning can be a wonderful way to introduce solids to your little one.
Sources and further reading:
- Brown, A., Jones, S.W. and Rowan, H., 2017. Baby-led weaning: the evidence to date. Current nutrition reports, 6, pp.148-156.
- Cameron, S.L., Heath, A.L.M. and Taylor, R.W., 2012. How feasible is baby-led weaning as an approach to infant feeding? A review of the evidence. Nutrients, 4(11), pp.1575-1609.
- D’Auria, E., Bergamini, M., Staiano, A., Banderali, G., Pendezza, E., Penagini, F., Zuccotti, G.V. and Peroni, D.G., 2018. Baby-led weaning: what a systematic review of the literature adds on. Italian journal of pediatrics, 44(1), pp.1-11.
- First Steps Nutrition Trust: https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/eating-well-infants-new-mums