What is “Baby Led Weaning”? This comes up so often in my practice and I am so happy it is catching on with new parents. I first learned of the method for introducing solids from the book Baby-Led Weaning by Gil Rapley and Tracey Murkett. It involves self-feeding for your child, you skip purées and make the transition to solid food by following your baby’s cues.
This is the classic “Gag” face, note, it is not Choking! Just learning what to do when food hits the upper palate in the wrong sequence. Slight cough/gag and it jumps back to the front of the mouth. Going through the process is part of learning the dance of chewing and swallowing that is not initiated when food is pureed. This dance usually only lasts the first exposure to a new food- best to get through the process before Grandma comes to visit.
Advantages:
- They eat what you eat. No need for dedicated blenders or freezer space. Eat a whole foods diet and you can easily include your baby.
- Hand-Eye Co-ordination Stimulation. There is no better “game” for your baby’s brain than the “Get food from tray/plate into my mouth”.
- Cost. Giving baby a few spoonfuls of a beef stew you’ve already prepared for the family is much cheaper than buying the preprepared packaged version. (so-called Baby food). Baby food is people food!
- Less Additives. Your baby is already sweet, added sugar and preservatives are not necessary for a rapidly growing body and mind. Whole foods and real ingredients are!
