The pros and cons of baby-led weaning
▶ As young children transition from consuming liquids to solids, how much guidance should parents be giving them? Emily Price asks the experts
The weaning process – the transition from feeding a baby just milk to also introducing solids – is one that many parents approach with excitement and trepidation in equal measure, as thoughts turn to first tastes, offering a balanced diet, and establishing a positive attitude towards food and eating.
Traditionally, this would see the parent taking control and spoon-feeding the baby smooth, single-ingredient purees, before moving on to chunkier mixed blends. Increasingly, though, many are favouring an undeniably messier, but ultimately far more interactive approach known as baby-led weaning (BLW).
Rather than having purees passively spooned into their mouths, BLW babies are encouraged to feed themselves. Parents can select from a range of nutritious foods – usually vegetables to start with – which are presented in strip or stick form, having been cooked until they are easy to munch, but firm enough for little hands to grasp without squashing. As the child and parent’s confidence grows, different flavours, textures and shapes are gradually introduced, until the baby is enjoying a salt-free version of the family meal.
“With baby-led weaning there are no specially made purees, no spoon- feeding and no persuasion or pressure to eat,” explains Gill Rapley, who trained as a midwife and is widely regarded as pioneering this approach to weaning. Rapley says that a combination of her personal experience weaning her own children and witnessing families struggling with fraught meal times, prompted her to consider that there must be an easier and potentially better way to tackle the situation.
Rapley reasons that just as we put our trust in babies to roll, crawl and walk when they are ready – and to initiate these milestones by themselves – the same can be said for eating. As long as they provide a variety of healthy, nutrient-rich foods, parents need not interfere beyond that, and can allow their baby’s natural instinct to survive and thrive to take over. Not only does this ease the stress that parents often place upon themselves surrounding weaning (worrying that the baby is not eating enough, trying to coerce them into eating more and spending a considerable amount of time preparing purees), but it also creates a sense of inclusivity and positivity around mealtime.
Most importantly of all, though, Rapley explains that there are considerable benefits for the infants. “Baby-led weaning is more enjoyable for babies than being spoon-fed and enables them to move on to solid food gradually, in their own time. It also allows them to exercise their natural appetite control, so they eat only what they need, and it encourages the development of chewing, fine movements, hand-eye co-ordination and social skills. There is also research to suggest that it helps them make healthier food choices as older children.”
Jordana Smith, a licensed dietitian and nutritionist in Dubai, seconds Rapley’s thoughts, adding that BLW helps babies learn what to do with their mouths. “We are born knowing how to suck, but need to be taught what to do with our mouths, by which I mean chewing and swallowing. Purees don’t teach this, whereas baby-led weaning does,” she says.
For those interested in finding out more, Smith runs regular weaning and feeding workshops in association with pre- and postnatal specialists Malaak Mama & Baby Care. The sessions cover how to recognise the signs of readiness for weaning, selecting and cooking the right food, introducing BLW, teaching healthy eating habits, as well as how to deal with fussy young eaters. As well as advocating the approach from a professional perspective, Smith has a young daughter of her own whose eating habits have flourished with this approach, she says.
Tracey Murkett is another BLW expert who, along with Rapley, has co-authored two successful books on the subject: Baby-led Weaning: Helping your baby to love good food and The Baby-led Weaning Quick & Easy Recipe Book. Murkett says the most common concern she encounters with parents considering BLW is choking. While this is an entirely valid worry, Murkett highlights that, according to research, choking on food is no more likely with BLW than with conventional weaning. What is essential is that parents or caregivers are vigilant and know to deal with a choking situation. “Risk factors for choking – at any age – include lying back, being distracted [for example, by games or the TV, or by being hurried], and having someone else put food into your mouth. Babies need to be sitting upright to feed themselves, and they should always be allowed to concentrate and take their time,” she explains.
There is, Murkett warns, just one additional factor to note about BLW, and that is the resulting mess, as food is squashed, spread, dropped and sometimes flung from high chair to floor. She is quick to add that this shouldn’t put you off and will in fact pay dividends in the long-term. “This is a learning process that is hugely important – both in terms of gaining confidence with food, and in relation to the development of hand-eye coordination and dexterity. In turn, BLW babies become adept quite quickly; as toddlers, they are often less messy and more skilled with cutlery than their spoon-fed counterparts.”
Choking on food is no more likely with BLW than with conventional weaning