Baby-led weaning refers to letting your child feed himself from the very start of weaning. The one who introduced this term was Gill Rapley, a PhD doctor, writer and former midwife. Rapley recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the baby’s life, but she states that the method works on bottle-fed babies, as well.
Baby-led weaning introduces solid food to babies as a way to explore, discover and experiment the world around them. The baby sets his own pace when eating, as well as the quantity of food he needs. This method of weaning is motivated by the baby’s curiosity and it should happen as naturally as possible. The introduction of solid food needs to be a separate activity from breast feeding. This allows a more relaxed and enjoyable experience for both baby and parents.
Baby-led weaning raises a well-founded question to parents: ‘Won’t the baby choke?’. When you spoon-feed your baby, you tend to believe you have more control of how he eats and swallows. Babies are not able to intentionally move food to the back of their throats until after they have developed the ability to chew. On the other hand, spoon feeding encourages the baby to suck the food straight to the back of his mouth, and it is more likely that this will make him choke.
Regardless of how you choose to feed your child, you should always take into consideration the basic safety rules: you must be sure your baby is ready to eat food – that he can grab it and place it in his mouth, and more important, that his stomach will digest it. More than that, your baby should always be in an upright position, so the food he doesn’t want to swallow will fall out of his mouth.
The best way to do this is to put him in a baby eating chair. Putting him on your lap or a default chair is not an appropriate and safe way to feed him. Another ground rule is to always keep an eye on your baby. Never leave your baby unattended when eating.
What should you feed him when practicing Baby-Led Weaning
Regarding what kind of solid foods you should feed your baby, it is better to start by giving your child steamed vegetables and fruits. They don’t need to be chopped but cut into larger pieces. Babies are curious. Offering them alternatives, not just one type of food at once, allows them to experience texture, color, size, and shape. If they don’t like one aliment, they’ll always have the option to eat something else.
Baby-led weaning is a captivating and exciting activity for the baby. Although it may be pretty messy for the parents. Usually, the food goes all over the place, not only inside the baby’s mouth. As a parent, you should be armed with patience and cleaning utensils. From my experience, these were great acquisitions: Accmor 4 Pack Long Sleeve Baby Bibs, Waterproof Sleeved Bib and Lalo The Bib – Waterproof, Non-Toxic Silicone Baby Bib with Adjustable Neck Band & Silicone Food Pouch Catcher. It helps me keep my daughter’s clothes stainless. Our dog takes care of the rest, haha!
So, enjoy watching your baby eat, discover and enjoy his food!
