Baby Led Weaning

Weaning Your Baby

Baby-led weaning is a method that is becoming more and more common for starting solid foods. It involves skipping purees and going straight to finger foods. You might want to think about it, and here's how to start.

How does baby-led weaning work?

In baby-led weaning, kids 6 months or older skip purées and mashed-up foods and go straight to finger foods as soon as solids are introduced. 

According to the idea behind this method, baby-led weaning, you should let your child choose the healthy foods she wants to eat from the start. This can only be done with babies who are at least 6 months old and can feed themselves. 

Baby-led nursing lets babies learn how to swallow after they have learned how to chew (or more correctly, gum). It also stops parents from forcing food on their babies, since the babies decide how much to eat.

However, those aren't the only advantages. Some studies and supporters of baby-led weaning say the following are some possible benefits:

 It helps kids get used to a wider range of tastes and textures. In the long run, that might make them more likely to like a wider range of healthy foods. Several studies have found that kids who eat a lot of different foods, like peanut butter and fish, may be less likely to have food allergies as adults. So, remember that nuts (in the form of nut butters) and fish are two of the most common allergens in kids. Talk to your child's pediatrician about the best way to introduce these foods to your baby.

 Could make kids less likely to be overweight. Spoon-feeding puts the parent in charge, which may make babies eat faster and more than they need, which could make them ignore their fullness cues. Baby-led weaning, on the other hand, lets the baby decide for herself how much to eat based on her hunger levels. That could mean that they are less likely to become overweight than kids who are spoon-fed.

1 Encourages the growth of fine motor skills. Hand-eye coordination and manual ability can be improved by sticking to finger foods while eating.

 It's a mess. Finger foods are messy for babies of all ages, but they are especially messy for babies who are just learning how to hold on to food and eat it.

1 Iron is something you should watch out for. Babies who are fed breast milk get enough iron until they are 4 months old, but after that, levels can drop. That's why your doctor will probably add a liquid iron supplement (1 mg/kg per day) until your baby starts eating solid foods that are high in iron. Some babies, though, find it hard to chew on iron-rich foods like beef. Grain-based grains, green vegetables, and puréed meat can help fill the gap. As an extra safety measure, your doctor may also suggest that you give your child an iron supplement for the first year. 

 When to start letting your baby feed you

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now says that around 6 months is the best time to start solid foods. A lot of kids can sit up on their own and grab and hold things by that age. They no longer have the tongue-thrust response, which makes them push things out of their mouths that aren't food, and their intestines have grown the digestive enzymes they need to break down solid food.

Baby-led weaning is becoming more common and has some benefits, but it is different from the traditional way of introducing solids by spoon-feeding your baby purées (the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents start spoon-feeding). Talk to your child's pediatrician about baby-led weaning if you're not sure if it's right for your kid.

Some babies,

 like those with special needs who can't pick up and chew food on their own, might not be able to try baby-led weaning. Everyone else will be fine. Finally, pay attention to your child. Some babies like being in charge, while others don't.