This article is all about...
Is Baby Led Weaning A Fad?
baby led weaning sounds too good to be true
Is baby led weaning a fad?
What’s the science?
Who’s doing it?
Safety, nutrition, mess?
Does baby get enough food?
Can you do it if your child is in daycare?
There you are, scrolling through photos on Instagram. The highlight reel of friends and influencers’ lives hypnotizes you as you swipe your middle finger upward against your screen – look where they’ve been, look what they’re renovating, look what she’s wearing, look at their magical love, look at her post-baby body… and look at that 11 month old baby eating a spaghetti bolognese with a fork, drinking from an open cup?! Fantasy! Not real! What?! Impossible!
Those were exactly the type of thoughts I had before I began using the baby led weaning method with my babies and here at my daycare and preschool — What is this ‘baby led weaning’? Oh, it’s an actual feeding method? Wait, there is more than one type of feeding method? Oh ok, but is baby led weaning a fad?? Is it safe? Is it healthy? Is it easier?
I had just had my twins when I discovered baby led weaning. Yes, I thought it was cool to see these babies chomping away at burgers and lamb chops BUT what caught my attention moreso, was the talk of mealtime independence for both baby and mom, sooner. Me able to relax a little and have a bite WHILE baby is eating, too? What a dream!
As the owner of a Montessori-inspired daycare and preschool, I was all about strategies that allowed for a child-led approach, because I had seen and lived the benefits of those types of approaches, for both child and parent. And baby led weaning most definitely fit the bill for ‘child-led’.
The more I read and learned, it really began to feel more natural than traditional spoon-feeding, this baby led weaning thing. It seemed more respectful. And it seemed to carry the promise of less meal prep and active feeding (I’d be feeding 2 babies at once at EVERY meal soon enough! Not to mention trying to take a few moments in between to feed myself! Yikes.)
I dug deeper – the pros, the cons, the facts, myths, precautions, reviews, recommendations, how-tos – all of it. I wanted to make sure that this feeding style would tick off all the boxes I needed ticked (ease, efficiency, balance, safety) before I decided to do it with my twins and the other babies I care for. Because, believe you me, I was not looking forward to the time and energy homemade purees would take NOR was I looking forward to slow spoon-feeding (2 babies for every meal!) bottled foods or pouches. Them eating what I was eating safely and independently? Now that sounded perfect.
Many moms want these same things (ease, efficiency, balance, safety) and many also dream of mealtime chill and independence, where they’re able to enjoy their meal while their baby happily nibbles too, but in reality for so many, it just isn’t the case with traditional spoon-feeding (been there with 20+ babies, whew!)
Ok, ok, great. Baby led weaning promises more mealtime independence and joy for all but again, is it safe? What does the research tell us? Is baby led weaning a fad?
(In case you are brand new to the idea, here is a link that will tell you what baby led weaning is and the history of it – Click here.)
Otherwise, let’s dive into the questions we have about baby led weaning safety, current research, nutrition concerns, the mess and more…
Safety concerns
This was an amazing relief to me, as I’m sure it is to most parents. Ultimately, if food is prepared to a safe size AND softness, while also avoiding choking hazards (think and hard/cunchy foods, any coin-shaped foods. Your baby’s , airway is about the size of a drinking straw in diameter. I have a list of choking hazards for you here) your baby can safely start and enjoy solids with baby led weaning, just as they would with traditional purees.
So, with that asparagus stalk I mentioned earlier, you’d want to make sure that it is steamed until about as soft as a banana (such a helpful rule of thumb to follow for softness!) And, know that gums are strong! Not having teeth does not mean that a baby cannot successfully moosh and smash safely prepared foods for swallowing.
Nutrition concerns
Nutrition is another concern that is at the top of our momma lists. We are fully responsible for our baby’s food intake and we want to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need to grow, focus, develop, sleep, poop properly and optimally.
Will they get enough food to satiate them? How much can they actually be getting in terms of vitamins and minerals needed, from self-fed whole form foods that they just seem to futz with for the first couple of months?
It’s reassuring to know that for the first 6 months of solids (6 months to 12 months old) majority of the nutrients babies require will come from the milk, either formula or breastmilk, that they consume. Whew! Pressure is off of you to have to ‘force feed’ certain amounts.
And besides, that mentality of having to force bites truly goes against what research tells us now about our baby’s innate ability of letting us know when they are hungry and when they are full.
Did you know that babies are intuitive eaters? Yes! They have it all ‘built-in’, to tell us when they need something or no longer need something.
“Most parents feel better when their baby eats more — and eats on a predictable schedule. It’s comforting and reassuring. It helps parents feel certain that their baby has had enough to eat. It also makes it easier to organize the day or give instructions to babysitters. But when we push babies to eat more than they want, or to eat when they aren’t hungry, it can teach them bad habits that put them at higher risk of obesity.” -Harvard Health
So, by letting them lead the way with fullness and hunger, while you offer a variety of foods from all the food groups, you will be on a great path to meeting their nutrition needs without getting too technical and stressed about every little bite they take.
Of course, this idea of ideas go for any normally developing baby. Always checking with your pediatrician first and taking their professional advice for feeding and growth, is important.
According to the CDC, here are some common signs of hunger:
- Reaches for or points to food.
- Opens his or her mouth when offered a spoon or food.
- Gets excited when he or she sees food.
- Uses hand motions or makes sounds to let you know he or she is still hungry.
Likewise, here are some common signs of fullness, according to the CDC:
- Pushes food away.
- Closes his or her mouth when food is offered.
- Turns his or her head away from food.
- Uses hand motions or makes sounds to let you know he or she is full.
Mess concerns
There is much more mess with baby led weaning than with adult-led spoon feeding, no doubt. And many moms will say that when they initially began doing baby led weaning, witnessing the mess and the disorganized eating habits of their baby gave them anxiety – carrot stick tossed to the floor, marinara spilled down their shirt and swiped through their hair, a milk puddle on their tray…. Yikes. What a mess.
I remember when I began feeding babies almost a decade ago, perfectly placing the spoon in their mouth after ‘airplaning it’ around their face, then wiping their lips with the spoon and their chin with a baby wipe, as needed. If they raised their hand to grab the spoon, I’d avoid their hand and put the spoon back to their mouth for another perfectly placed bite or hand them another spoon to ‘play’ with while I continued to feed them.
While the food mess is absolutely not ideal for any typical, rational, orderly adult to see and experience, it really is normal and expected behavior for a baby who has limited control of their body, who is just learning how to do things ‘the right way’, who is just beginning to gain some control of their movements, while also familiarizing with a whole new world of flavors, textures, smells and tools. They are practicing. They are learning. Practice makes progress, right?
When I used to spoon-feed, the babies would ALWAYS want to try to feed themselves. They’d ALWAYS fuss to have control at some point during mealtime. With each passing week, their desire for mealtime independence showed up more and more. But nope, you have to wait until you won’t be messy before you can self-feed.
Truth is, babies and toddlers are inherently messy. And many parents may decide against baby led weaning solely because of the mess. When they splash around in the bath – messy. When they ‘play’ with that beautifully curated sensory bin you made for them – messy. If we let them be themselves while eating, it will be the same – messy. UNTIL they get better from practice, your modeling and teaching them. They will get better.
limited research concerns
It’s true that there is limited research on baby led weaning, as it has only been scientifically documented for the past 15 years, give or take.
There is also little-to-no current evidence to support an increased risk of choking, anemia, or growth faltering associated with BLW [sic]. –Contemporary Pediatrics
Many doctors who advocate for baby led weaning note benefits such as gross motor skill development, satiety, less fussy/picky eating, eating at the same time as the rest of the family, sensory experience, autonomy, and less pressure on mom and dad to feed baby or make completely separate purees or meals for baby.
who does baby led weaning
Although there is still limited research on the feeding method, pediatricians and feeding therapists around the world are advocates for baby led weaning including – dietitian Renae D’Andrea of New Ways Nutrition, nutritionist Min Jung of MJ and Hungryman @kidfriendly.meals, and Judy an occupational therapist and Megan a registered dietitian at Feeding Littles.
In addition to the experts, there are moms all over the country and beyond, who have experience (and rave reviews!) with baby led weaning their child or multiple children including – Marla of Because I Said So Baby, Rebecca from What Mummy Makes and myself, Poppy, here at Low Stress Motherhood.
So, if you are a follow-the-science-only or a ‘do what has always been done’ type of person, baby led weaning may be very scary for you. And remember, for various reasons, this feeding method may not be for everyone.
Like so many other choices we make in life, simply reading the information and reviews that are out there, and making the decision we feel best about for ourselves and our families, given our variables, is what life is all about!
Speaking of ‘reading information’, here are some books that talk more about the topic of baby led weaning:
And if you want to read more on baby led weaning without buying a book, I have put all the important-to-know information for getting started, including readiness, introducing allergens, how to cut and cook foods, first food ideas, feeding schedule example and more, in this article – EVERYTHING You Need To Know Before Starting Solids With Baby Led Weaning.
daycare concerns
If you send your baby to daycare, you’ll want to approach your provider with your preferences for feeding, sooner than later – maybe talk to them about your feeding wishes by 3-4 months of age. This way you all can plan, be on the same page and prepare as needed. Some daycares provide food, others don’t. Some have strict feeding policies (only allow purees), while others are more flexible.
Last year, I did a podcast episode with registered dietitian and baby led weaning expert Katie Ferraro of the Baby Led Weaning Made Easy Podcast, talking about how to talk to your daycare provider about wanting to do baby led weaning. We talked about some helpful tips and key points, you can listen here.
If your provider is open to the idea of doing baby led weaning and hasn’t done it before, you can explain how it works and then set up a time to sit with them when your little has had maybe a month of eating experience at home (typically babies start solids at 6 months old in the US).
When you meet with them, you can do a little feeding session with your child to show them what you know about baby led weaning and what’s been working for your child – how to serve the foods, how to present them to baby, how to assist baby when eating, etc. This way, you are guiding their interaction with your baby during feeding times.
All providers should be certified in infant CPR, making them prepared for emergencies such as choking. And many places will allow parents to provide food, so that means you can cut and cook the foods exactly how you want the to be served to baby. You can have more control than you think when your little one is in care!
And depending on your relationship with your provider, you can ask to have them send photos for the first week or so of feeding, or even request a facetime session for the first few feeds.
Feeding your baby, especially in the beginning of their solids journey, and especially when others are helping you do it, it can be SO helpful to know every little detail, so that your anxiety and stress level doesn’t go through the roof.
conclusion
So, is baby led weaning a fad? It may be. Science may tell us more in the next 10 years that veers moms away from this method of feeding. Or, the experts may modify recommendations and standardize guidelines about how to best meet all nutritional and intake needs that are coming up ‘inconclusive’ through today’s limited baby led weaning research.
In my opinion, as a mom of twin toddlers and the owner of a daycare and preschool, who has fed more than 20 babies over the past almost decade, I’ll say – if baby led weaning is a fad now, sure it may lose some luster as the generations after us have their own ideals and ways of living, but I can’t imagine that it would completely disappear as a feeding option unless science shows us there is some major health risk to our babies.
The benefits I have witnessed first-hand (as compared to traditional spoon-feeding method) are astounding and undeniable. Some of my most favorite to note are – less picky eating behaviors (all 4 babies I have worked with who did baby led weaning are not picky eaters. ALL the other babies and toddlers I have worked with were spoon fed and were/are picky toddlers. Now, like anything else, there are many factors that play a role in picky eating but, these numbers are shocking. And anyone who is a parent to a baby or toddler now KNOWS that picky eating is STRESSFUL for mom and dad.
Another benefit I love is the ‘one meal for the whole family’ thing. You can simply modify ingredients for meals to suit a baby’s needs until they are 1-2 years old, no need for separate meals or cumbersome meal prep for busy/tired parents. And finally, the chill, happy mealtime vibe when everyone is feeding themselves, choosing what to do with their own food and taking care of themselves, while everyone laughs (or complains! lol) about the day.
Hopefully this conclusion didn’t feel too biased to you but, given my background in childcare, specifically a Montessori/child-led approach, I am no doubt A BIG advocate for baby led weaning.
