WEBVTT MORNING ANCHOR MARK KELLYDECIDED TO PUT IT TO THE TEST. >> WHERE YOU GOING? >> GOOD JOB, SWEETIE.REPORTER: DINNER AT OUR HOUSECAN SURE GET INTERESTING.WHEN OUR BABY, DELTA, WAS READYFOR TABLE FOOD WE DITCHED THEPUREED JARRED STUFF AND WENTSTRAIGHT FOR THE SOLIDS.SALLY: DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKETHIS?REPORTER: ON THE MENU TONIGHT,PRETTY MUCH WHATEVER WE EAT,CARROTS, GREENBEANS, AND SALMON.FISH IS WHAT SHE LIKES THE MOST.IT'S CALLED BABY LED WEANING, ORBLW.AND IT'S THE NEW WAY TOINTRODUCE YOUR BABY TO EATINGSOLID FOOD AS EARLY AS SIXMONTHS.SALLY: OK, SALMON TIME.REPORTER: IT TAKES A FEWSECONDS.BUT WITH A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT-- SALLY: IT'S SO GOOD.REPORTER: AND WATCHING HER MOMAND DAD EAT, DELTA DIVES RIGHTIN.REAL, SOLID FOODS.NOTHING PROCESSED, NO PRICEYJARRED FOOD, AND NOTHING FORCEDWITH A SPOON.TANIA KOERBER: IT STARTED INEUROPE, AND NOW IT'S GAININGPOPULARITY HERE IN THE U.S.REPORTER: TANIA KOERBER IS ABOARD CERTIFIED SPECIALIST INPEDIATRIC NUTRITION.NOW SHE'S A BIG BELIEVER THATBABY LED WEANING IS MORE NATURALFOR THE BABY.>> THEY EAT WHEN THEY ARE HUNGRYAND STOP WHEN THEY'RE FULL.AND BY PUTTING IN THE SPOON ANDOVERFEEDING AND ONE MORE, ONEMORE WE ARE ESSENTIALLYCORRUPTING THE NATURAL SYSTEMTHAT BABIES HAVE.REPORTER: BABY-LED WEANING CANSTART AS EARLY AS SIX MONTHSWITH YOGURT, LARGE CUT UP CHUNKSOF SOFT FRUITS, AND STEAMEDVEGETABLES.AND THEY'RE STEAMED SO IT'SEASIER FOR HER TO EAT.AND BY SEVEN MONTHS YOU CANQUICKLY MOVED TO MEET, EVENFISH.KOERBER SAYS BLW IS NOT JUSTGOOD NUTRITION, IT ALSOINTRODUCES THE INFANT EARLY ONTO THE VARIETY OF TEXTURES ANDFLAVORS IN FOOD BEFORE PROBLEMSDEVELOPMENT.TANIA KOERBER: IN THE U.S. AQUARTER OF KIDS UNDER THE AGE OFSIX, THEY HAVE SOME SORT OFFEEDING DIFFICULT, SO THIS ISHUGE.UNDER THIS METHOD, PARENTS AREENCOURAGED TO EAT WITH THEIRCHILD TO MODEL GOOD EATINGBEHAVIOR.SALLY: HONEY, HI.MMM.LOOK I'M EATING TOO.,REPORTER: NOW I KNOW WHATYOU'RE THINKING AT HOME,CHOKING.AND TRUTHFULLY, EVERY NOW ANDAGAIN DELTA WILL GAG., SALLY: SOMETIMES THAT HAPPENSWHEN SHE HAS SOME FOOD IN THERE.REPORTER: BUT INTERESTINGLY, THEAMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICSSTUDIED THIS CONCERN, AND FOUNDTHAT INFANTS IN THE BABY LEDWEANING GROUP CHOKED NO MOREOFTEN THAN SPOON FED INFANTS.>> BABIES WILL CHOKE.THEY ARE IMMATURE FEEDERS.THEY ARE LEARNING FEEDINGSKILLS.SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TOPROVIDE ADULT SUPERVISION AT ALLTIMES.AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICHMETHOD OF FEEDING YOU ARE USING.AN ADULT SHOULD BE SUPERVISEDDURING ALL FEEDINGS.REPORTER: THAT ADULT SUPERVISIONIS KEY.AND NEVER PUSH YOUR LITTLE JUSTONE.AS THE NAME SAYS, LET THE BABYTAKE THE LEAD.IF YOU WANT TO TRY BABY-LEDWEANING, HERE ARE SOME OTHERTIPS FROM OUR NUTRITIONIST. YOUR BABY IS LIKELY READY TOSTART BLW ONCE THEY CAN SITUPRIGHT.THE FOOD SHOULD BE VERY LARGE ORVERY SMALL LIKE A CHEERIO TOAVOID CHOKING.IT SHOULD NEVER BE COIN SIZE.YOU SHOULD ONLY GIVE HEALTHYFOODS.AND ALSO INTRODUCE ONE FOOD AT ATIME IN CASE YOUR BABY ISALLERGIC.AND KEEP IN MIND THAT IN THATFIRST YEAR, SOLID FOODS ARESTILL JUST A SUPPLEMENT FOR
Parents, forget playing “airplane” to spoon feed your baby. There’s another way to feed, and this health trend is all about teaching your little one to feed them-self, so I put it to the test.Dinner at our house can sure get interesting. When our baby, Delta, was ready for table food, we ditched the pureed jarred stuff, and went straight for the solids. On the menu most nights -- pretty much whatever we eat. On this one night it’s carrots, green beans and salmon.This is called baby led weaning, and it’s the trendy way to introduce your baby to eating solid food as early as six months. It takes a few seconds, but with a little encouragement, and watching her mom and dad eat, Delta dives right in. She’s eating real, solid foods – nothing processed, no pricey jarred food, and nothing forced with a spoon.“It started in Europe, and now it’s gaining popularity here in the U.S,” said Tania Koerber, a board certified specialist in pediatric nutrition in Palm Beach County.Tania Koerber is a big believer that baby led weaning is more natural for the baby.“Young kids, say babies, toddlers, are intuitive eaters, so they eat when they're hungry, and they stop when they're full. And by putting in the spoon, and feeding and saying, ‘one more, one more’ we are essentially corrupting the natural system that babies have," said Koerber.Baby led weaning can start as early as six months with yogurt, large cut up chunks of soft fruits, and steamed vegetables. And by seven months you can quickly move to meat and fish. Koerber says BLW is not just good nutrition, it also introduces the infant early on to the variety of textures and flavors in food before problems development.“In the U.S. a quarter of kids under the age of six have some sort of feeding difficult, so this is huge!" said Koerber. “Under this method parents are encouraged to eat with their child to model good eating behavior."Now, I know what you’re thinking at home – choking! Infants barely have any teeth, so it is a big fear. And, truthfully, every now and again Delta will gag. But, interestingly, the American Academy of Pediatrics studied this concern, and found that infants in the baby led weaning group choked “no more often” than spoon fed infants.“The choking incident was exactly the same for both groups,” said Koerber. “Babies will choke. They are immature feeders. They are learning feeding skills. It's very important to provide adult supervision at all times. And it doesn't matter which method of feeding you are doing, a child should be supervised during all feedings."And that adult supervision is key. Nutritionists say it’s important for parents to take an infant CPR course, so they are ready for the worst. And, never push your little one. Just as the name says – let the baby take the lead.If you want to try baby led weaning, Koerber gives these recommendations:*Your baby is likely ready to start BLW once they can sit upright.*The food should be very large or very small like a cheerio to avoid choking. It should never be coin size.*You should only give healthy foods*Introduce one food at a time in case your baby is allergic.*And keep in mind that in that first year solid foods are still just a supplement for breast milk or infant formula.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. —
Parents, forget playing “airplane” to spoon feed your baby. There’s another way to feed, and this health trend is all about teaching your little one to feed them-self, so I put it to the test.
Dinner at our house can sure get interesting. When our baby, Delta, was ready for table food, we ditched the pureed jarred stuff, and went straight for the solids. On the menu most nights -- pretty much whatever we eat. On this one night it’s carrots, green beans and salmon.
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This is called baby led weaning, and it’s the trendy way to introduce your baby to eating solid food as early as six months.
It takes a few seconds, but with a little encouragement, and watching her mom and dad eat, Delta dives right in. She’s eating real, solid foods – nothing processed, no pricey jarred food, and nothing forced with a spoon.
“It started in Europe, and now it’s gaining popularity here in the U.S,” said Tania Koerber, a board certified specialist in pediatric nutrition in Palm Beach County.
Tania Koerber is a big believer that baby led weaning is more natural for the baby.
“Young kids, say babies, toddlers, are intuitive eaters, so they eat when they're hungry, and they stop when they're full. And by putting in the spoon, and feeding and saying, ‘one more, one more’ we are essentially corrupting the natural system that babies have," said Koerber.
Baby led weaning can start as early as six months with yogurt, large cut up chunks of soft fruits, and steamed vegetables. And by seven months you can quickly move to meat and fish.
Koerber says BLW is not just good nutrition, it also introduces the infant early on to the variety of textures and flavors in food before problems development.
“In the U.S. a quarter of kids under the age of six have some sort of feeding difficult, so this is huge!" said Koerber. “Under this method parents are encouraged to eat with their child to model good eating behavior."
Now, I know what you’re thinking at home – choking! Infants barely have any teeth, so it is a big fear. And, truthfully, every now and again Delta will gag. But, interestingly, the American Academy of Pediatrics studied this concern, and found that infants in the baby led weaning group choked “no more often” than spoon fed infants.
“The choking incident was exactly the same for both groups,” said Koerber. “Babies will choke. They are immature feeders. They are learning feeding skills. It's very important to provide adult supervision at all times. And it doesn't matter which method of feeding you are doing, a child should be supervised during all feedings."
And that adult supervision is key. Nutritionists say it’s important for parents to take an infant CPR course, so they are ready for the worst. And, never push your little one. Just as the name says – let the baby take the lead.
If you want to try baby led weaning, Koerber gives these recommendations:
*Your baby is likely ready to start BLW once they can sit upright.
*The food should be very large or very small like a cheerio to avoid choking. It should never be coin size.
*You should only give healthy foods
*Introduce one food at a time in case your baby is allergic.
*And keep in mind that in that first year solid foods are still just a supplement for breast milk or infant formula.
