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Is Baby Led Weaning Really Better? I Think So & Here Are 6 Reasons Why
is baby led weaning really better?
I want to start by saying that nothing is perfect for everyone.
With that said, I believe that baby led weaning is better for most parents.
After almost a decade of feeding babies and toddlers here at my small family daycare and preschool, studying their habits and behaviors, then having twins of my own (now toddlers) here are the reasons I believe baby led weaning is a better choice for most…
Is baby led weaning really better? I think so and here’s why…
1. More naturally in tune with baby
Because I follow a Montessori-inspired approach in my parenting and in my work with other children, baby led weaning stands out as a premier feeding method to me. Essentially, this approach treats babies and toddlers as capable, intelligent, responsive people ready to participate in life and initiate activity (worded so wonderfully by janetlansbury.com).
The baby led weaning feeding method fits best into this type of parenting approach, by simply putting baby in a safe ‘yes’ setting at mealtime and letting them interact with the foods naturally and freely, giving them control, choice and opportunity.
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Given that babies are inherently messy, curious, just beginning to learn about cause and effect, and how to eat solids, the parents role at mealtime with baby led weaning is one of guiding, assisting, modeling and reminding — rather than one of full control where mealtime is happening to baby.
With this approach, there is more interest, more joy, and more of a positive association with mealtime and food, being built.
With the baby led weaning approach, babies are able to follow to their bodies hunger and full cues, without any outside influence.
Additionally, it is an engaging sensory experience that helps with fine motor skills.
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Is baby led weaning really better? I say yes, and here is why…
2. avoids misguided mainstream habits
Baby led weaning is nowhere near mainstream, yet. Conventional ways of feeding a 6 month old baby paint a very different picture than a baby sitting in a high chair with reservoir bib on and appropriately cut steamed whole foods in front of them, self-feeding by hand or with an infant-designed spoon. No way!
Because baby led weaning is not (yet) mainstream, many new parents often default to what they’ve seen or heard through mainstream media – bottled baby food, rubber tipped baby spoons held by mommy who makes an airplane sound while putting the spoon to baby’s mouth, swatting baby’s hand away and wiping the drips on baby’s face.
While this may be the mainstream picture of mealtime with baby, if we actually look closer we will see that baby is actually eager to grab the spoon and take some action. We may see that baby is turning their face or cinching their lips because maybe they are feeling full/not yet hungry. We may notice that wiping their face irritates them and makes them less happy to eat.
The truth is, this isn’t just a baby being a ‘baby’ at mealtime. This is a baby who is actually signaling that they’d like to participate in the feeding, who is getting frustrated by having their hand pushed away and their face wiped, and a baby who may not be hungry yet, who may be full or may want a different food instead…
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These signals from baby can be very hard for a first time parent to decipher. After all, baby is moaning and groaning all day and mom and dad are guessing what ‘this one’ might mean, all day. The only reason I recognize them as more than being ‘just how babies are’ is because I have worked with babies for so long, studied them and taken note. Not many parents are in this field and many others don’t pinpoint certain cues or read up on something that seems so basic, simple and straightforward – feeding my baby food.
But that’s the thing! Mainstream media shows us one visual of how baby feeding goes and that’s what we know so it’s what we do. But, what we know as conventional, may not be an approach that is built from a clear understanding of baby’s needs or natural instincts. It might in fact, be built from a convenience-standpoint, for a busy parent. From a business’s money-making standpoint.
So, going back to the cues from baby at mealtime – these seemingly insignificant details in baby’s behavior are actually signals from them. And if they are continually ignored, baby can begin to create a negative association with mealtime, which in turn, makes feeding more difficult for the parents and may make baby enjoy food and mealtime, less and less.
Additionally, with this mainstream idea of how to feed baby, often times parents aren’t transitioning out of purees until 12 months. So, all baby has eaten has mainly been one texture and a handful of simple flavors. And research shows that to better curb picky eating in toddlerhood, which is a major pain point for many families, children need to be exposed early and often to an array of flavors and textures.
This is another reason I love what baby led weaning does for families. Picky eating is one of topics parents ask me about most.
More often than not, parents feed their baby in the conventional way (here in the US), then they find themselves trying to solve the problem of a ‘picky eater’ come the toddler years, which is already an extremely challenging time for pretty much every parent, ever.
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Is baby led weaning really better? I say yes, and here is why…
3. curbs picky eating
Now, is the American Academy of Pediatrics going to publish this on their research website? Certainly not.
But – do I think these numbers are significant and important? Absolutely.
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Most parents lead busy, demanding, stressful lives these days. Family time fits into the cracks of this busy life and if there are ways to make those times together less stressful, I am all about them and all about sharing them.
I think baby led weaning is one of those things. I believe that baby led weaning is a proactive step in handling very common picky eating habits.
In addition to my personal and professional experience, wider research has been done that hints at the fact that baby led weaning can make toddlers less picky eaters. Still, research is minimal and there is much more studying to be done on the topic for us to have more definitive answers from big reputable sources.
Nonetheless, as someone who works directly with babies and toddlers every day of my life, forever in the baby and toddler phase, I stand firm in my beliefs of the benefits that baby led weaning can provide a family.
Still, just like everything in the world – nothing is perfect. And that goes for baby led weaning, too. Some families still experience picky eating habits with their toddler after choosing this feeding method. And it’s nothing to fall apart over. (Of course, there are other factors that play a role in picky eating, too.)
There are so many ups and downs and unknowns in parenting. We simply make decisions that we think are best and adjust to the changes and variables that come our way, as we go.
The ability to be flexible may in fact be the ultimate parenting super power.
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Is baby led weaning really better? I say yes, and here is why…
4. easily offers more of a wholesome variety
Instead of having to create or buy what we believe is a baby-friendly meal – maybe some pureed peas? Pureed beef? Pureed sweet potato? You can serve what you have prepared for yourselves. How simple? How easy, no?
This is one of the main things that captured my attention with baby led weaning – one meal for all!
How much more variety would your baby get from the get-go if they ate what you were eating? Some parents even praise baby led weaning because it has made them more conscious about the foods they are eating, helping them make more wholesome food choices. Sounds like a win win to me. (And how stinking cute and cool is it to see an 8 month old noshing on some salmon, quinoa and broccoli??)
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Of course, there are rules and precautions we must take when serving what we are having, to our babies. There are foods that are choking hazards, foods that aren’t yet safe for young babies to consume and foods that can cause or worsen a diaper rash.
Parents can read up on how to safely prepare whole foods for their baby from components of their own meals and soon, it will be easy for them to do!
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Is baby led weaning really better? I say yes, and here is why…
5. minimizes mealtime stress
Parents have a boat load of stress outside of their roles as moms and dads and most definitely within it, so if there are approaches and methods that help minimize stress – any stress – I want to shout it from the mountain tops for all to hear.
And I believe baby led weaning most definitely minimizes stress at mealtime. Why? Because…
1) Mom or dad only have to prep one meal for everyone
2) Baby is happily self-feeding, mom and dad can sit and actually enjoy the meal too, rather than feed a fidgety baby while trying to sneak their own bites in between (if that)
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3) Everyone at the table can focus on connecting, laughing and unwinding
4) No one is focused on the task of eating, they are focused on the experience of eating, together.
Woosah.
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Is baby led weaning really better? I say yes, and here is why…
6. better mealtime mindset and culture
How I see it is – baby led weaning is more than just a feeding method for babies. It fosters a certain mealtime mindset, certain eating habits, it creates a certain mealtime culture, really, that you just typically don’t have with baby otherwise.
It allows families to enjoy more, stress less and experience meals with their baby as a little sidekick, rather than a little dependent.
When I think of the ultimate ‘why’ of baby led weaning, I’m taken back to this line – ‘babies are capable, intelligent, responsive people ready to participate in life and initiate activity.’
And when we get into the habit of seeing our babies in this light and focusing on doing things with our babies, rather than focusing on what we have to do for them – we will find that we are far less stressed as a parent. Collaboration mode will be our default. Fostering independence will be our first instinct. Our behaviors will change. Baby’s behaviors will change.
Baby led weaning makes mealtime about eating with our babies, rather than feeding our babies. It’s about enjoyment for them, for us, and it shows up as a positive sparkle in our relationship with our children, and theirs with food.
It’s as if baby led weaning is a map that takes us safely off of the conventional path, showing us exactly how to get to where most of us parents would prefer to be and just really don’t realize we weren’t already on that path to begin with – a more joy-filled, less stressful mealtime journey with a high chance of less picky eating habits ahead.
