As your infant is transitioning from the bottle and into solids, this has been a popular question amongst new parents:

Is Baby-led weaning right for my child?

As a parent, you want to make sure that your child is getting sufficient nutrients for a healthy growing baby. Recently, in the last 10-15 years, we have seen a new baby feeding method called baby-led weaning. As its popularity grows, many parents now wonder which method of feeding is the best for your small bundle of joy.

What is Baby-led weaning?

Baby-led weaning is the method of providing your child with finger foods right from the start. It offers the child to experience different tastes, textures, and colors. They choose which foods they enjoy on different levels and encourage more independent eating.

Benefits of Baby-led weaning:

BLW has many benefits, which has made them increasingly popular amongst parents today. Some of which are:

• Allows your baby to understand their hunger

Rather than eating for the sake of eating, the babies start understanding that they are hungry and want to eat food rather than mindlessly eating whenever they see food. It helps them learn that they are not hungry and will not need any more food.

• Your kids can become less fussy around food

BLW takes the pressure off from eating. It’s less intimidating for a child when they are in charge of what they want to eat and how much they want to eat.

• Makes child feeding easier

Since your little one is in charge of eating on their own, you can trust that they will eat whenever they are hungry and stop when they are full. Hence the mothers have less anxiety about the child’s eating habits.

Disadvantages of Baby-led weaning:

BLW is not all rosy; there are a few disadvantages and concerns that arise.

• Safety Concern

Babies do not have any teeth to chew food with. So this is a major point of concern when it comes to BLW. Infants use their gums and certain foods are difficult to chew with gums. The concern of a baby not choking is one of the biggest disadvantages of BLW.

• Can make a negative infant experience

With the child on BLW, they can take a big bite. And even though they do not choke, the child may gag at the big bite that they have bitten. This may instill fear into the child when it comes to eating. They may have this experience and dislike eating altogether.

• Health Worries

Until your child gets used to BLW, it is a legit fear if they are getting enough nutrients for their health. This concern is very common, especially with first-time parents. However, as time progresses, we notice the child-eating better and growing healthy.

• Bad Mood Baby

Babies have trouble expressing their feelings and at times, they cannot express what they want to say. One way of showing their power, they may refuse food or throw things around. With these interesting moods, it is difficult to ensure that your little one is well-fed.

BLW is a new-age feeding method for your child. Inculcating the independence and power in your child can be a great benefit for your little one. Each day, more parents are going towards BLW.

How do you feel about Baby-led weaning? Is it something that you would want to try with your little one?

Sources:

https://ijponline.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13052-018-0487-8

https://www.parents.com/baby/feeding/solid-foods/dos-and-donts-of-baby-led-weaning/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/baby-led-weaning#benefits

https://blog.cincinnatichildrens.org/healthy-living/child-development-and-behavior/baby-led-weaning-pros-cons-and-considering-a-moderate-approach