Baby Led Weaning
A Real Food Approach to Feeding Your Baby
|by Megan McCoy Dellecese
With a new baby, every new phase can be
exciting but also pretty stressful. Learning new
cues, figuring out a feeding schedule...it’s a
bit daunting. Then, once you finally get your
feeding routine under control, what happens?
Time for “solids.”
The idea of starting baby off at the age of four
months with purees is one way to go, and quite
possibly the way you yourself were raised. But,
today several health organizations are actually
advising that parents wait until baby’s system
is more mature, closer to 6 months.
And when it’s time to introduce new options
into baby’s diet, why not try baby-led weaning?
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What’s baby-led weaning, you ask? The name
is a little misleading; it doesn’t mean that it’s
a way to get baby to quit nursing or taking
formula. Rather, it’s the term first coined by
Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett in their book
Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to
Introducing Solid Foods, referring to a supplement to breast (or bottle) that offers baby soft
pieces of food to consume by “self feeding.”
This method allows babies to develop age appropriate oral motor control and gives them a
positive, interactive early food experience.
Rather than offering spoonfuls of pureed
fruits, veggies, and cereals, you can pick from
a wide range of foods to offer your little one,
oftentimes in conjunction with what the rest
of the family is eating. Baby will freely learn
how much food to eat and how quickly, and
is given the chance to decide when she wants
to transition to less milk/formula and more
solids (usually later in her first year).
So, why would you want to give baby-led
weaning a go? Many find the experience much
less stressful (for parents and child) and even
easier since parents are able to sit and enjoy a
meal rather than taking breaks to spoon feed
the baby. This method also offers a wide range
of flavors and textures to allow baby to discover an appreciation for many types of foods
early on.
What about choking? Since it is a new method
for many parents, the first concerns are often
with regards to choking. It’s totally a legitimate
fear, but as long as you offer properly-sized,
soft pieces of food (and avoid the foods on the
“don’t try” list), you may be surprised at how
well your child takes to the process. Of course,
it’s always advised to watch baby while they eat
and be sure to make a sweep of her mouth if