Baby Led weaning abroad | Mumsnet (2024)

FAQs

Do pediatricians recommend baby-led weaning? ›

Pediatric experts now recommend starting solid foods at 6 months. Most 6-month-old infants can grasp food, bring it to their mouth, chew and swallow. These skills mean babies can more independently feed themselves while weaning from human milk or formula nutrition.

Nope... just choose responsive feeding!

BLW is a method of starting solids that involves offering baby finger foods from the family table for self-feeding. It's not about “weaning” per se, but rather an approach that centers around letting the baby lead. The good news is that you don't have to choose!

Spoon feeding creates a lot less mess than baby-led weaning, it also results in less food waste. As you are assisting with feeding, food isn't getting thrown, smooshed or experimented with in the same way as self-feeding.

If your baby's eating solids, it's fine to take ready-made baby food or homemade food in resealable containers. Keep them in a small cool bag if the journey is a long one. The usual rules about carrying liquids in your hand luggage don't apply to food or milk for your baby.

BLW has some obvious downsides. The infant may not get enough energy, iron, zinc, vitamins, and other nutrients, or too much protein, saturated fat, salt, or sugar. The risk of choking, which must be distinguished from the physiological gagging reflex, has not been ruled out by scientific studies.

Children who are allowed to choose their own food are also believed to grow to not become fussy eaters, as they would easily consume fruit and vegetables. According to Lucia, however, doctors do not recommend the method, because the benefits of BLW have not been studied on a large scale.

The Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) method is defined as an alternative approach to feeding that encourages baby and mother to feed and allows the baby to enjoy feeding time, unlike traditional complementary feeding (Kurtuncu et al., 2018; World Health Organization, 2009).

Another concern is that self-feeding babies may not eat enough, or get enough of the nutrients they need. One observational study found that BLW infants were more likely to be underweight.

Potential benefits of baby led weaning:

Greater acceptance of foods* Baby has more control over how much they eat, listening to their hunger and fullness cues. More practice with oral motor and chewing skills. Independence with eating.

Baby-led weaning (BLW) involves skipping the spoon-fed purées and letting babies feed themselves finger foods when starting solids.

What do Japanese mothers feed their babies? ›

For instance, many baby food sources in the West list avocado, mango, nut butter, and fortified cereals as introductory foods for babies. Baby-led weaning (BLW) is well-known, and many resources exist. However, as you'll soon learn, Japanese babies are fed Japanese foods like rice, tofu, and dashi from an early stage.

The stage at which he becomes ready for chunkier textures depends on many factors, from his physical development to his sensitivity to texture. But as a guide, it's wise to try to gradually alter the consistency of his foods from seven months onwards, and aim to have stopped pureeing completely by 12 months.

There are different ways of doing it – whether pureeing everything for traditional weaning (TW) or letting a baby learn to bite and chew from the get-go through baby led weaning (BLW). You might have heard of doing both at the same time, but in fact, that confuses your baby at the initial stage and is not recommended.

You can dehydrate some veggies and make a poha or upma mix with very little oil. Once the dry base is prepared, you can pack it along and simply add hot water when it's time for your baby to eat.

Take regular breaks

Try to take a break every 2 to 3 hours for a day trip and every 4 to 6 hours at night to change diapers or soiled clothes, or to feed your baby. Never attempt to breastfeed in a moving car. Before hitting the road, be prepared and know where gas stations and rest stops are on the way.