I introduced my son to solids the only way I thought possible—the traditional “puree, spoon-fed” way. But, turns out, it’s not the only way.
I introduced my son to solids the ONLY way I thought possible- the traditional “puree, spoon-fed” way. But is that the only way?
Apparently not!
I was first introduced to the concept of “baby-led weaning” by a friend of mine when my son was around 6 months of age. She had a child who was a bit older (and a very good little eater) and had introduced him to solids using the “baby-led weaning” approach.
I had never heard of this before and didn’t know what to think when my friend was describing it. A part of me wanted to put on my ‘Dietitian hat’ and say “but what about the importance of iron-rich foods when first starting solids?” and “what about choking?!” and “are you crazy??!!” (I wouldn’t have actually said that;), and part of me was SO curious and wanted to know more (in a good way).
I sort of forgot about it for a while, but have heard more and more about it since. And now I’m intrigued BIG time! Parents who introduce their baby to solids this way SWEAR by it! I’ve decided to do some research to learn more about it.
Hey, I may even try it next time around! Who knows?
What is Baby-Led Weaning?
Baby-led weaning (BLW) is method of introducing your baby to solid foods at 6 months of age when they are able to sit up straight and grasp food themselves, where there are no purees and there is no spoon feeding. Babies go straight to finger foods and feed themselves until they are old enough to use utensils! Ok, I know some of you are saying “what the…?!” but just stay with me…
BLW has grown in popularity ever since the recommended age to introduce solids has changed from 4 months to 6 months. When parents introduced their babies to solids at 3 or 4 months, they did so by first feeding pureed foods with a spoon (which most of us still do now when are babies are 6 months). Those who follow a BLW, for the most part, believe that purees and spoon feeding are not necessary at 6 months of age- babies at this stage are fully capable of feeding themselves and are able to eat most foods that the rest of the family eats. It’s recommended that you start with foods that are big enough for baby to grasp. Cooked broccoli spears are a popular one because of this. Babies don’t have the “pincer grip” at 6 months, so aren’t able to start with smaller sized pieces of food.
What are the benefits?
There isn’t much scientific evidence to show benefits or drawbacks to BLW, but anecdotal evidence shows and certain experts believe that babies who are introduced to solids this way are better at self-regulating their food intake (honouring their natural hunger and satiety cues) and are less likely to be picky eaters. This is why I’m most intrigued in BLW. It is also said that it is easier for babies to join-in on family dinners this way and is much less work for parents (no pureeing!).
What are the drawbacks?
BLW is said to be a bit messier than the traditional spoon-fed approach. Also, not all foods are shaped in a way that a baby can easily grasp. Foods that come to mind are infant cereals, berries, peas etc. Because of this, a baby’s diet may be limited at first. Also, babies who are at a high risk (family history) of food allergies or intolerances may be at increased risk if introduced to certain foods too early. Another drawback may be the weird looks and unsolicited advice from people who you know and don’t know who think you’re crazy. Gosh, was that me?! I hope not! I did hold back the best I could;)
My personal thoughts:
I’m torn!
In some ways, it sounds fantastic! I can see how it would allow a baby to self-regulate his or her food intake better than the spoon-fed approach and perhaps encourage them to be a more intuitive eater from day one (which I LOVE). I also really like the idea of not having to make purees and that my baby would be able to eat what the rest of the family is eating!
Here are my concerns…
CHOKING! I know that my baby was gagging on runny rice cereal at the start, so I can’t imagine that he would be able to handle a chunk of broccoli! Those who do use the BLW method say that their babies do not choke and that their gag reflex is mature enough to be able to prevent choking. I’m skeptical!
Nutrients of concern: Babies ages 6-36 months are at an increased risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia. If a baby is not being fed iron-fortified infant cereals and is not yet able to chew meats and poultry (I’m just guessing here…), how would they possibly take in enough iron? I suppose there are other sources of iron such as egg yolks and fish, but I’m skeptical that a baby would meet his or her iron needs in those first few months, especially if he or she is breastfed as well…
What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear!
Thanks for reading,
Sarah
Comments
Hi Sarah,
I did BLW with my son who is now 20 months. I was nervous at first for both of the above reasons but it turns out it was totally fine. First the choking, this one was tough, as long as you avoid foods that are too small, sticky or hard to break down(apples are notorious) it’s pretty much okay. Nature has cleverly placed babies gag reflex quite high and forward so they gag really easy when they have the least amount of difficulty. Great for them, pretty nerve racking for us as they gag a bit, try again, and gag a bit more before eventually working it out. In fact the closest my son came to choking was when a well meaning cousin freaked out and shoved her fingers in his mouth. You do really have to think about it in the beginning, steam vegetables so you can still pick them up but they mush with your tongue, stew meats really well and in general give pieces they can handle. They pick up pretty quick though so in a short time they eat pretty much what you eat.
Now for the second question I was worried about that as well, but as I was still breastfeeding I knew he was getting most of his nutrition from that and while he needed more iron we had some room to wait a bit before resorting to iron fortified cereals. I introduced meats by 7 months and my son loved them instantly. Chicken thighs are ideal for babies as the meat is fattier, more iron rich and often so tender you can disintegrate even without teeth. Also my son used to suck the blood out of stewed beef chunks, gross but I stopped worrying about his iron intake.
So now at 20 months my son eats pretty much everything and is even starting to master chopsticks, and overall i am really happy with the approach we took.
That said invest in a good steam mop or something because the mess is unbelievable somedays.
Great advice Kirsten! Thanks for your comment! I love the chicken thigh idea- my son loves these too!
Interesting article Sarah. I always read your articles by the way!
Looking back, I think this approach might have worked for us. Our Evelyn had a very strong gag reflex, so we fed her purees for much longer than recommended. But one day she started eating whole foods out of the blue. (It was the in between textures that made her vomit we learned). After being vomited on several times a day for months…I was shocked to see my baby eating whole pasta and raspberries. I always wondered how babies in Africa survived without a Baby Bullet. So, we tossed the purees aside and started her on toddler finger foods.
Thanks for reading Erin! I think that every baby is different and able to tolerate different textures and foods a varying times. It sounds like you did what was best for Evie and just let her guide you which is great. I think that next time I will do a bit of a combo of the BLW approach and spoon feeding:)
Hi Sara, so glad to see your covering this topic! I did a mix of baby led weaning and traditional feeding and it worked really well for my son. I would always put things on his tray that he could pick up and feed himself but also would spoon feed him afew purées at each meal. He very quickly learned to use the spoon himself and was also proficient at feeding himself (and drink out of a cup) earlier than his cohort at the day home. He’s 28 months now and eats a wide variety of healthy food.
Hi Lori! I love the idea of doing a combo of both- I think I’m going to try this next time:) Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for tackling this topic! We basically used this with our girl, and loved it as did she.
One thought re. iron: there’s some great information out there about breastmilk and iron supplementation. If you’re continuing to breastfeed, getting enough iron into your baby is less of a concern as breastmilk has so much iron which is highly bioavailable. Also, iron supplementation can actually create some health problems because it’s more available to bacteria and parasites in the baby’s body, compared to the iron in breastmilk (check out Kellymom for some of this info).
Thanks Kamilla! Great input! I did not know this about iron supplementation… and from my knowledge, breast milk is quite low in iron and that’s why babies 6 months to 36 months tend to be low in iron if they don’t have strong iron sources in there diets. I’ll take a look at kellymom though. Thanks again!
Hi Sarah,
Here is a recent study that shows that BLW promote healthy food choices an a lower BMI in infants.
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000298.full
I had a really great experience with BLW. It was really fun an amazing to watch my daughter discover food. At 14 months, she now eats anything with great appetite.
Concerning choking, they actually say that BLW could reduce the chance of choking because the baby has to learn to chew before he can learn to swallow food. With purees, babies learn to swallow first, which could cause “confusion” when solids are introduced.
If you are really worried about iron. You can always add the baby cereal to really thick oatmeal (really easy to eat when it stick to their little hands!) or add it to muffins, or pancakes. You can also use the spoon, but just hold the spoon in front of your baby ant let him put it in is mouth himself.
Very interesting!! Love this, thanks for your comment!