Baby Led Weaning….what does that mean anyways?
The web defines BLW as
“a method of adding complementary foods to a baby’s diet. A method of food progression, BLW facilitates the development of age appropriate oral motor control while maintain eating as a positive, interactive experience. Baby-led weaning allows babies to control their solid food consumption by “self-feeding” from the very beginning of their experiences with food. The term weaning should not be taken to imply giving up breast milk, but simply the introduction of foods other than breast milk.”In today’s culture feeding pureed baby foods has become the social norm. This is a new phenomenon, as women didn’t have access to convenience baby foods less than a century ago. It wasn’t until the 1920′s that baby foods began being appear on the marker as convenient and more healthy. Baby cereals came some time after that. Now entire isles are dedicated to jarred mixtures of various fruits and vegetables mixed with questionable preservatives and sugars. Dr. David Ludwig of Children’s Hospital Boston, a specialist in pediatric nutrition, says some studies suggest rice and other highly processed grain cereals actually could be among the worst foods for infants.Why Baby-Led Weaning is a better option….
Today most moms assume that when baby turns 6 months, it’s the magic number for spoon-feeding grains of mush and colorful pureés of vegetables and fruits all smashed into oblivion. After a week or so of proudly feeding my son my very own homemade baby food (I mean it’s so much healthier right?) and him spitting out half of it and painting his tray with the rest of it. I started thinking….our ancestors could not possibly have had blenders going with baby food concoctions, right? There has to be a better option…
Enter Baby-Led Weaning. Or here in the US it should totally be named Baby-Led Solids. There is definitely NO weaning involved. Breastfeeding is recommended as the primary source for food and nutrition until at least one year. It’s lets them self-feed nourishing food and decrease the likelihood of a *picky eater*. Sometime after 6 months when you can see definite hand-eye coordination and eagerness to eat, you can start BLW.
Why Ditch the Infant Cereal?
Reason Number 1: It’s a processed food! You wouldn’t feed your baby processed chips and junk food would you?
Reason Number 2: They can’t digest it! To digest grains a enzyme called amylase is needed to break down. This is produced when the 1st molars appear. (Somewhere between 12-20 months)
Reason Number 3: Undigested grains can really throw off your baby’s intestinal lining. It upsets and changes balance of bacteria in their gut! This can lead to allergies, behavioral issues and decreased immunity.
So When Is My Baby Ready?
Clear cues that your baby may be ready for BLW are:
- Baby is interested in food, especially at set meal times
- Baby has stopped the tongue-thrust reflex, which pushes foods out of the mouth.
- Baby can sit unsupported
- Baby can grasp and pickup items
- Baby can chew (though he may not have teeth just yet)
Food Before One is Just For Fun!
For us BLW meant just giving him a little off our plate for him to try at mealtime. Mommy’s milk was the primary source of nutrition. Acceptable foods for babies include foods high in fat….yep I said it FAT. Good fats like avocados and butter. Other great choices are egg yolks, banana, soft cooked veggies and meats, and when they get a little older hand them a spoon and some probiotic rich yogurt and kefir.
Nourished Baby by Heather Dessinger is my favorite go-to book for feeding and nourishing my kids! She even explains what the nursing mom’s diet should look like!
More info on Baby-Led weaning.
I love when babies begin to explore food. Such a fun and messy time!
My kid pretends to choke if i watch him eat. It is SO nerve wracking!
We loved baby led weaning with our first two and will do it again for the new baby. It is exciting to see people starting to talk about it because even now, two years later, most people look at me like I am crazy for doing it. Then again, a number of those parents are still spoon feeding their 2 year olds (I promise I am not kidding!) while my 2 year old uses a spoon and fork and sometimes a knife. Thanks for spreading the word.
Caden – just remember that if they are choking, they won’t be making a sound. As an EMT, I promise you that you will know if your child is actually choking. Once it happens (and it will happen once or twice) the rest of the noises won’t bother you.
It is finally growing in popularity! And great too because it’s the traditional way of feeding children.