Table of Contents
- 1 Is baby-led weaning bad?
- 2 What are the pros and cons of baby-led weaning?
- 3 Why do people love baby-led weaning?
- 4 Should I do baby-led weaning or purees?
- 5 What happens if you wean a baby before 6 months?
- 6 Can you mix purees and baby led weaning?
- 7 How do you start baby led weaning?
- 8 What are the disadvanatages of Baby led weaning?
Is baby-led weaning bad?
Recent studies have shown that babies fed solely by the baby-led method are at more risk of iron, zinc and vitamin B12 deficiency. They are also more likely to choose predominantly carbohydrate-based foods. Turns out there is no super- easy way of getting good nutrition into your child after all!
What are the pros and cons of baby-led weaning?
Here are the pros and cons of Baby Led Weaning (henceforth known as BLW) in my experience:
- Con: Babies don’t have teeth.
- Con: It’s a waste of food and money.
- Con: It doesn’t save time.
- Con: Choking.
- Pro: It utilizes babies’ tendency to explore things with their mouths.
- Pro: It promotes active engagement from parents.
What are the dangers of weaning?
For infants, never breastfeeding or early weaning is associated with increased risks of otitis media, diarrhea, lower respiratory tract infection, sudden infant death syndrome, leukemia, and type 1 diabetes.
Do doctors recommend baby-led weaning?
Bypassing baby purees and weaning spoons, BLW is a method that lets babies feed themselves by eating solid food with their hands. According to Lucia, however, doctors do not recommend the method, because the benefits of BLW have not been studied on a large scale.
Why do people love baby-led weaning?
Proponents say BLW has numerous benefits, including: Healthy eating: BLW may produce healthier eaters than spoon-feeding because babies get to choose how much to eat. Learning to regulate their food intake may help prevent obesity.
Should I do baby-led weaning or purees?
What are the differences between baby-led weaning and purees?
| Baby-led weaning | Purees |
|---|---|
| Better acceptance of a variety of textures | May get “stuck” on certain textures |
| May reduce the likelihood of picky eating | May increase the likelihood of picky eating |
| Easy to include baby in family meal | Harder to include baby in family meal |
Can you do purees and baby-led weaning?
You can feed purees and still let your baby lead the way! There is always the option to pre-load a spoon and hand it to your baby. You can also hold the spoon in front of them and ensure that they always lean forward to take it.
Can weaning too early cause problems?
What are the dangers of starting weaning too early? Solids should never be offered before 4 months or 17 weeks of age. Babies who start solids as early as this have higher rates of iron deficiency anaemia (thought to be caused by gastric bleeding), a higher risk of infections and weight problems.
What happens if you wean a baby before 6 months?
Current advice suggests weaning should occur at six months, but the UCL team say it could happen as early as four. They suggest later weaning may increase food allergies and iron deficiency levels, but other experts backed the existing guidance.
Can you mix purees and baby led weaning?
A combined approach that includes both finger foods for self-feeding and the spoon-feeding of purees is fine when babies are fed responsively, and there is no evidence that a combined approach is detrimental. A misconception about BLW is that purees should be avoided.
Can you switch from purees to baby led weaning?
Can we switch to BLW? Yes! I firmly believe that it’s never too late to switch to BLW. While a baby who has been started on purees and spoon feeding can’t truly be defined as having been fully BLW’d, it’s never too late to offer pieces of food.
What food does Blw start with?
The Best First Foods for Baby Led Weaning
- Avocados.
- Banana.
- Sweet potatoes.
- Soft cooked apples.
- Soft cooked carrots, green beans, zucchini, and beets.
- Very ripe peaches and pears, plums, and melon.
- Pumpkin.
- Green beans with the skins removed.
How do you start baby led weaning?
Baby led weaning foods: until 9 months of age, babies cannot use their fingers to grab food, so the best way to start baby led weaning is by offering them foods the baby can grab with their hand and then chew the part that comes out.
What are the disadvanatages of Baby led weaning?
Some parents worry that baby-led weaning is more likely to cause their baby to choke than spoon-feeding. But there is no evidence for this.
How to start baby led weaning?
Before offering food,make sure baby is not too hungry or tired.
When to start baby led weaning?
Introducing your baby to solid foods, sometimes called complementary feeding or weaning, should start when your baby is around 6 months old. At the beginning, how much your baby eats is less important than getting them used to the idea of eating. They’ll still be getting most of their energy and nutrients from breast milk or first infant formula.