Baby Led Weaning 101

October 22, 2011 0 By EngineerMommy

Baby Led Weaning (BLW) is a philosophy outlined in this book  and this one regarding feeding infants that abolishes purees and baby spoons. Instead, your baby learns to feed herself from the very first meal. Most studies suggest that infants are capable of reaching for food & feeding themselves around the age of 6 months, and this is also the time that many mothers are starting to introduce solid foods to their babies.  and this one regarding feeding infants that abolishes purees and baby spoons. Instead, your baby learns to feed herself from the very first meal. Most studies suggest that infants are capable of reaching for food & feeding themselves around the age of 6 months, and this is also the time that many mothers are starting to introduce solid foods to their babies.

By handing the baby an appropriate size of food, baby can then decide whether or not to eat it. If they mouth it and like the taste, they may start to gnaw at it and eventually learn to chew & swallow. If they do not like the taste of the food, they may put the food down (or more likely, toss it across the room). Ladies, get your brooms out!

When babies are given a puree, they first swallow the food and the act of chewing is learned later. When babies are given food via BLW, they first learn to chew and swallowing is a skill that is mastered later. Thus, it makes sense that according to the advocates of BLW, babies following BLW are less likely to choke than those eating traditional baby purees. It is for this reason and this reason alone that I am strongly considering BLW as a method of feeding Sophia.

A good starter food is steamed carrots or freshly sliced cucumbers. And if you’re planning on doing BLW, don’t bother with bowls, plates, or spoons. These will just get flung to the floor. Place a wipe-able plastic tablecloth underneath the high chair to make for easy clean-up following the storm… I mean, meal.

Whether you decide to do BLW or not, enjoy this time with your baby. The introduction of solids to baby is a stage that goes by all too quickly. Take the time to enjoy it. And make sure you capture those first few meals on camera!


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