Written by Editorial Team
Has your baby turned 6 months? Are you all set to make purees and baby food and spoon feeding your little one? However, when it comes to introducing solids to your baby, there is no “right” way. The method worked well for one baby, but might not work so well for another. Well, there is another concept you will really appreciate for your infant who is ready to start solid food. How about eating with your little one? Sharing the same table with him at the same time? Yes, we are talking about baby-led weaning.
Baby-led weaning has many potential benefits. That is the reason why more and more parents opt for this method when it comes time to start solid food. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. There are a lot of tips and concerns you have to know when it comes to baby-led weaning. Continue reading to understand more about this.
In This Article
Baby-led weaning or BLW as it is popularly known is an approach taken by parents to introduce solid foods to the baby to encourage self-feeding of finger foods instead of spoon feeding of pureed or mashed foods. At this stage, the baby is encouraged to sit along with the family during mealtimes and is given appropriate finger foods.
This way, the baby gets to choose what to eat, how much to eat and how to quickly eat it. They are also given the freedom to explore new textures and tastes without any pressure to eat a particular amount or a specific food.
Mothers may wish to continue to breastfeed or bottle feed the baby to complement the solids as the baby will know when to increase solid food intake and decrease milk consumption.
You will know when your baby is ready by noticing the following signs;
The main advantage of BLW is the baby starts to explore and enjoy healthy meals. Other benefits of BLW are:
Following are some great baby-led weaning, first foods:
Here are some foods to avoid during baby-led weaning as they can lead to fatal injuries or sickness:
This is one of the main concerns of the majority of mothers. Babies, just like adults know when they are hungry, when they are feeling full, what nutrients she needs, etc. In case you feel your baby is not matching up to her recommended weight gain you can always add some purees, smoothies, and additional fats like ghee and butter to her foods. This is the beauty of Baby Led Weaning!
Wait until your baby is ready to be weaned for solid foods. This is between 6 – 8 months when the baby’s digestive system is ready for solid food intake. Also,
Don’t choose inappropriate meal times for the baby. Fix up an everyday schedule and make sure to follow it religiously to encourage the practice of proper meal times for your baby. Also,
Gagging is a normal and safe reflex by the baby that helps to prevent further choking. This happens when the baby takes in too much food than he can chew. A baby’s gag reflex is located at the tip of their tongue unlike adults, that is why they tend to gag at some point when they begin weaning onto solid foods.
It is not perfection, but achieving gradual progress is the key to successful baby-led weaning. Allow your baby to play with her food and feed herself using cutlery or her hands. You would be surprised as to how well she imitates you and grasps! Happy BLW!
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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