Baby-Led Weaning (BLW)
Baby-Led Weaning (BLW)
By Brian W. Donnelly, M.D., F.A.B.M.
Baby-led weaning (BLW) is becoming more popular in the USA. The idea of the infant feeding practice is to wait until around 6 months old, then introduce finger foods to the baby. Waiting that long is recommended by both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The waiting is based on the observations that most babies don’t need extra nutrition until then and most babies are developmentally ready by that age. Gone is the recommendation to spoon feed the baby rice cereal at 4 months old.
The term “baby-led” is something of a misnomer. The parent/caregiver still leads the feeding experience, but the infant is more of a partner. The baby’s likes and dislikes are observed and followed. The baby controls the speed of the process. A favorite food might be eaten more quickly, while a food the baby is still pondering the merits of will be consumed more slowly. The advantage of this approach is to encourage the baby to try a broader variety of textures and flavors. It promotes fine motor skill development, since such skills are incentivized. Because the baby isn’t forced to finish a certain amount of food, but will stop eating when satiated (or bored), there is less of a theoretical risk of obesity. Personally, I like the approach because it is fun to see what foods are favored by that particular baby. And the baby can be encouraged to think of eating solid foods as a pleasurable experience, both sensually and socially.
It is potentially a messy experience, especially early on. But once the baby learns how to get most of the food into the right orifice, clean up will be easier. Choking is a concern, so parents have to avoid foods that pose such a danger, or prepare (cook or cut) those foods to neutralize the problem.
Babies with special needs can also follow the baby-led weaning approach to feeding. A book called Your Baby Can Self-Feed, Too, by Jill Rabin and Gill Rapley, addresses the needs of children with developmental delays or other feeding challenges.
Read more about baby-led weaning from What to Expect here and from Jennifer Yoon on The PediaBlog here.
Dr. Brian Donnelly has a special interest in breastfeeding. He was the initial recipient of the Allegheny County Health Department’s Breastfeeding Advocacy Award. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and can perform the frenulotomy procedure for tongue-tied infants who have trouble nursing. Dr. Donnelly sees patients at the AHN Pediatrics Northland office.
source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/02/23/baby-led-weaning-blw/
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