What the heck is baby led weaning

A bit out of touch perhaps. Baby led weaning has been around for a few years now.

I was presented with this when my DGD was born. Be prepared to bite your lips, cross your fingers and pray! Basically the baby is presented with food they can pick up and eat themselves. No pureeing (sorry). So there may be pieces of cucumber, apple, green pepper or other things. The baby is given a number of different things and chooses what to pick up and eat. Surprisingly they do seem to manage and don't choke. But I still stood watching with my heart in my mouth! My DGD is now 6 and thrived on it. Good luck. I think we just have to accept things change.

Had a few of those. And, previously, Annabel Karmel led!

It basically means skipping the purée stage and just going straight onto finger foods or cut up portions of whatever everyone else is eating in response to the baby showing an interest. It became an thing’ in between my eldest two and my youngest around 10-12 years ago - it just seemed like a faff to clean up the mess afterwards and the gagging terrified me.

This is nothing new been around for decades.

Purees are actually a bigger risk to their airways than solids anyway.

Its not some new fashion, generations of families never bothered with purees.

I have not heard of this myself.
My daughter this year started weaning her daughter at 6 months just trying different foods. She's almost one year now and is on more solid food which was slowly introduced over the weeks. She is just about finished breast feeding.
Just like I did 40 odd years ago with my son but then I started earlier at 4months.

It became an thing’ in between my eldest two and my youngest around 10-12 years ago

No it didnt has been around forever! I wasnt fed purees!

Purees are more of a trend/fashion than baby led weaning. Which is just basically giving babies tasters of normal food.

Why wean in 2 steps when it can be done in 1? At some point you gotta introduce solids, why make it harder by making them used to purees first!

OMG I thought that said baby led wearing. The sprog would be presented with a selection of clothes and which ever one they burped on would be chosen.

My daughter said, “Until one, food’s for fun” so very little actually got eaten. Their sausage dog got fat from all the dropped food and as the babies were all breast fed until at least one year old they didn’t appear to need much real food.

You might have not been fed purées nonanan but I bet it wasn’t called Baby Led Weaning - which is what I meant by it becoming a thing. It’s much the same as Baby Wearing which is also ‘a thing’ but is actually just carrying your baby in a sling (as has been done for generations).

I am glad my dgc are too old for this fad. I was bad enough when they had carrot sticks or half a grape or a bit of apple. At least with pureed food they ate a good balance and never grew up picky.

That is correct, it wasnt called baby led weaning. It was just called feeding the baby.

Still not a new trend at all!

I’m sure it’s better for baby, but be prepared for a huge amount of mess.

The way of feeding isn’t new - the making it into something with a name badge and support groups and BLW experts is very definitely new!

All of my grandchildren have been weaned this way, and it worked great for all of them.
The youngest is very wary of new foods, and I think would have been a nightmare to wean by the spoon-feeding method.

The beauty of baby led weaning is that the baby is in control of what they put in their mouth. If the first taste isn't to their liking, a spoon fed baby will often refuse outright to accept another spoonful, whereas the baby in control of his or her food will often try another bit after 'playing' with it and getting used to its feel and the smell.

No pressure should be put on baby.

I highly recommend reading up on the method before you have to start this with your DGC, to find out how best to approach it, and how to minimise the risk of choking. Much of it is common sense, but there are sure to be things that wouldn't occur to you,

Where my own DGC were concerned, the only downside was the mess, but that stage didn't last long.. In every other way it was great.

Yes I’d say I’m definitely out of touch!!! My DD is 34 so not had anything to do with babies for so long - I’m delighted with all of your responses though. Feel a little bit more confident now to approach with this method ?

My granddaughter, now aged 7 was given all sorts of food to pick up with her fingers, including mashed potato, spaghetti and all kinds of squishy stuff.

You can imagine the lovely mess!

Yes, I remember babyled weaning. It was hard work but bearing in mind food is so important for the rest of their lives and a positive attitude to it, it was worth it.
Not sure what the fuss is about,
basically means try to go with what the baby seems to need.
painting

Mums have been doing it since at least when DGS 1was a baby - 9 years ago. He has survived!

BLW always seemed like a bit of an unnecessary mess to me. We just did a combination of purées, mushed up food and finger foods depending on what we were having and/or what was on offer and what they were interested in. Being flexible as opposed to taking a specific approach with a name seemed to work well for us. Each to their own though

very little got eaten before the age of one? How ever did baby grow then?



I can't say I have ever been impressed with fads and methods.

Babies are individuals and just because it says it in a book, doesn't mean it is right for your child - although of course it may well be.
Read the baby, not the book.

My first son wasn't interested in solid foods for a long, long time but the second one was desperate for more than just breast milk at an exceptionally early age.

I have also see too many babies gagging and in some cases dangerously choking when they have bitten off a bit more than they can chew (life lesson there maybe!)

It’s new to me with grandchild no 6, I can’t say I’m enjoying the mess, and baby needs to be put in the bath after every mealtime, but If it’s ultimately going to give her a better relationship with food, I’ll put up with it.

I don’t think there’s any evidence to show that babies whose parents did BLW have a better relationship (whatever that means) with food, is there?
Remember the BLW is a whole industry now, with experts, websites, blogs, social media, books etc etc and they’ll promise all kinds of things that aren’t actually true!