Should My Baby Be Allowed to lead Weaning Himself?
Baby-led weaning!
If you are a sophisticated parent who is always finding the bests for your baby, this term might not be new to you. But, I’m pretty sure it is challenging to decide whether to choose baby-led or traditional spoon feeding method when it is time to start weaning.
It is recommended that babies should be exclusively breast-fed for the first 6 months and weaning should be started around 6 months of age. Weaning is the process of switching a baby’s diet from breast milk or formula milk to other fluids and foods in order to catch up the demand of a growing child.
Till the past decades, babies are traditionally introduced to their first solid foods by spoon-feeding. During the recent 10-15 years, an alternative approach known as baby-led weaning (BLW) has grown in popularity. In traditional weaning, pureed foods prepared with several ingredients are offered to babies. While in BLW, a variety of baby-fist size pieces of food are offered and feed themselves from a family meal. Since the baby plays a role as an active partner in the feeding process, BLW seems to be associated with positive aspects. This might facilitates oro-motor development, early and more stable learning about the food satiating capacities and also improves family relationship during shared meals. The babies are never forced to eat food and therefore, there is less meal-time pressure and anxiety. They are enjoying the meal!
Although WHO recommendations do not mention BLW, it is becoming more popular, particularly in Western and European countries, and recently in Asia. Despite the positive aspects, this approach also causes concerns in primary care paediatricians and in parents themselves regarding the risk of choking, inadequate nutrients and energy intake & iron deficiency.
A systematic review of the literature was done and an article was published in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics in 2018 in order to assess whether BLW is safe and advisable for parents and infants. According to them, there are no significant differences regarding risks and benefits of BLW over traditional method. They concluded that there is still insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about the BLW approach, in terms of adequacy of energy and nutrient intakes.
The followings are common concerns and advices which might help in deciding which method to choose for weaning:
(1) Does BLW increase risk of choking?
Not only BLW, but also traditional method has risk of choking. To reduce the risk, you should avoid foods which are more related to choking like raw apples and grapes and careful observation of the baby during feeding time. Never leave the baby alone!
(2) Does BLW support adequate energy intake and normal growth?
It might be possible to consider inadequate intake since the baby decides himself which and how much food to grab. So, you should offer high energy food at each meal. Be sure you have adequate knowledge of choosing the nutritious diet.
(3) Does BLW cause iron deficiency?
Baby-led infants may be at risk of inadequate iron intake since the most commonly introduced foods which are easily graspable such as fruits and vapour cooked veggies are generally known to be low iron source. You might consider kid’s supplement containing iron if the offered food is low in iron.
(4) Does BLW influence diet quality and food preferences?
In BLW, the infant is joining the family meal, and the problem is that family food may not always be suitable for infants. Flavored foods, preserved and salty foods, snacks and sweets are not appropriate for young infants. You should have a proper nutritional education to make your diet healthy.
In conclusion, whichever method you choose, the most important is that your baby should have a balanced diet appropriate for his age and needs. There is no ” one-size-fits-all ” approach in nurturing the babies.
Author- Dr Mon
Reference: D’Aura, E., Bergmini, M., Staiano, A. et al. Baby-led weaning: what a systematic review of the literature adds on. Ital J Pediatr 44, 49 (2018)
