This was a big one for me! Pureeing foods can be very time consuming and tedious. *It can help with long-term health, as these babies reduce their milk feedings very gradually, so they are breastfed/given breast milk for a longer time than those who start purees at 4-6 months. Some studies show this may help prevent obesity in adulthood *Baby controls his or her own appetite and learns to stop eating when he or she is full, leading to a lesser chance of overeating when they are older. *Baby eats with the family, instead of at a separate time when mom or dad spoon-feeds the baby *It can help a baby gain confidence, as he/she is doing it completely by themselves *Babies get to practice hand-eye coordination and how to grip different foods *Babies learn to eat safely by being allowed to explore food before it gets into their mouth and learn about different textures. “With BLW a baby can explore food at her own pace and follow her instincts to eat when she is ready” (Rapley & Murkett). * It is natural – as we know babies are made to explore it is how they learn. * It is more enjoyable for babies, as they are playing an active part in mealtimes and are in control of how much they eat and how fast to eat it. It is feeding larger pieces of food a child can gnaw on, instead of spoon-feeding purees.

How is this method of feeding different:īLW is letting your child feed him or herself.

Starting solids before six months can increase your baby’s chance of having more infections and developing more allergies later in life because their immune systems are immature.Ģ. The World Health Organization recommends that the best time to start is around six months, but we need to also watch baby for signs of readiness: baby should be able to sit up by themselves and grab things to take it to their mouths. Here are some common questions and concerns about baby-led weaning: And they both did wonderfully with it! For the first few months not much food actually made it down to the stomach, but I had to remind myself that until 12 months, solid food is only a complement to breast milk, and it is not meant to be the main source of food until well after 12 months. We’re talking about adding complementary foods.īoth my boys were fed solid food in this non-traditional (at least in America) way.

In the UK, ‘weaning’ means ‘adding complementary foods,’ whereas in the States it means ‘giving up breastfeeding,’ so keep that in mind as you continue to read on. In actuality, the term “weaning” is more of a “gradual change that a baby makes from having breast milk or formula as his/her only food to having no breast milk or formula at all” (Rapley & Murkett-book: see below). What is baby-led weaning (BLW)? When we hear the word “weaning,” most of us think weaning off of breastfeeding completely.

Baby-led Weaning by Gill Rapley