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Can you tell me more about baby led weaning???

Hi All,



We've started weaning very slowly with puree but I hear more and more about baby led and from what I gather I do like the idea of giving my son some whole foods to hold and feel but personally I feel I'd probably like to do some purees too...so a combined approach maybe.



But can anyone explain baby led weaning to me in more detail or with some background reasoning please??



How do you start and why is thought to work well? Cheers! image

Replies

  • It's all part of letting LO 'explore' & 'experiment' with their surroundings. Allowing them to feel the texture with their hands, to lick & taste (most children will do this with other things naturally such as toys/keys/fingers) is thought to help build their confidence in eating. They can feel whether the food is hard or soft, crunchy or smooth & so can anticipate what they will need to do to eat it (biting/chewing/swallowing). It can be very rewarding but also very messy so be prepared with bibs & floor coverings.
  • The idea is that babies don't need to be fed. Normal, healthy babies develop the skills they need to feed themselves at the right age.



    I'm really looking forward to it. Yes it will be messy but hopefully lots of fun!



    There's lots of advantages too;

    1. Babies learn to eat safely - they have control over what goes in their mouth.

    2. They learn about textures and flavours of food.

    3. It's natural - exploring and learning.

    4. They gain confidence as they are using their own judgement and ability to handle food.

    5. Develop appetite control.

    6. Join in family meals.



    I could go on and on!! :lol:



    As soon as I started looking into weaning I just felt so much more comfortable with the idea of my little one going at his own pace and eating real food with flavour. You can also do the loaded spoon too so he gets to use a spoon on his own.



    I recommend "Baby Led Weaning" by Gill Rapley



    image
  • I find Gill Rapley's book very biased. Try 'Weaning made easy' by Rana Conway - it goes into both methods, and also how you can combine them. They should have it in your local library, it's quite a new book. xxx
  • Thanks ladies!



    That explains it a bit more. In some ways it feels a bit like a 'fad' in that all the trendy Mums like it and its new so would be easy to dismiss as this alone; but also I think there is some genuine good sense to it too. I like the idea of feeling textures as well as using taste and smell too.

    Its also why I want to make my purees less smooth/liquid when he's ready.



    Connor started before 6 months so I think we'll stick with purees and rice until then and we can move onto finger foods that he can pick up too.



    My instinct watching him eat his purees is that this will work for him. He wolfs down his purees already (wanting more) and reaches to hold the spoon with me. I tend to let him help me and then for the last spoonfull I let him feed himself with the spoon which he loves.



    ...although part of it could be teething and enjoying a good chew on the spoon!!! image
  • Hi Tulip,



    I am going to do similar to you so when Ollie is 6 months I will offer him things that he can pick up and eat. i already give him a spoon in addition to my spoon when eating so that he can feel it in his hand and dive in when he is ready.



    I read somewhere that good finger foods are things like bread, cheese, cucumber, carrot.



    Ollie is already hilarious with putting his hand in the puree and smearing it around his face! I know that in order for ch to enjoy food they need to explore it so bring on the mess!!!



    SB x
  • Hi Tulip

    In relation to your other post about coping on your own, Baby Led Weaning is a great way to wean if you don't have access to lots of babysitters. It makes eating out with your little one an absolute delight. We often go out for an early dinner at the weekend - around 5/6pm, and many restaurant chains will do a very cheap or even free kids meal at this time. As we rarely get out as a couple, we have found this a great substitute, making us feel 'normal'. Our little girl, now 2.5 will eat pretty much anything and just gets on with tucking in, without us needing to help her. We went out for a curry last night and you should have seen her tucking into popadoms and chutneys!

    I would recommend the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook by Gill Rapley which goes into the theory a bit, but also gives you lots of ideas and recipes. The book is biased but the recipe book is a little less in your face. Another book which works for BLW is the River Cafe Baby and Toddler cookbook which also includes purees.

    We started with toast, bananas, xmas dinner, veg wedges, hummous, rice cakes etc and we haven't really looked back!

    Good luck if you decide to go for it - it is lots of fun!

    Sorry for gatecrashing again!

    gmx
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