Sample article – Baby Led Weaning

The term baby-led weaning may have you in a state of panic and confusion but this guide will hopefully dispel some myths and help you decide if your baby is ready.

Baby-led weaning is the process that misses out the purees and the baby rice stage and moves your baby straight onto held foods such as bananas, carrot sticks and such like. It is recommended that your baby should be able to support its own head and be able to sit upright before you start this as for fear of choking. In any case your baby should never be left alone while feeding itself.

Things have changed dramatically since the 1960’s when it was advised to wean your baby at around three to four months; whereas now it is recommended at six months. Baby-led weaning could be more popular now due to the fact that at six months, babies are able to hold things in their grasps, therefore making it easier to follow this process.

According to professionals it’s possible that following the process of baby-led weaning will lead to a less fussy eater and will make a baby more likely to accept more variety of foods. Although in the same breath the professionals advice is that babies should be given a variety of purees as the majority of foods cannot be given in a hand held form; therefore the baby will be missing out on a large variety of foods and tastes.

It is said that baby-led weaning is a natural progression from breastfeeding as they work their mouths and jaws harder breastfeeding rather than when they bottle-feed. This does not mean that if your baby is bottle fed it cannot enjoy the benefits from baby-led weaning though, so this should not be a cause of concern in the slightest.

At the end of the day, the most important person to listen to and take your cue from is your baby. Your bundle of joy will let you know one way or another when she is ready to move onto this stage of weaning. Some babies with more than likely take to it better than others. As with anything related to baby care, it takes practice and determination and patience on your part.

~ by sfolega on February 10, 2008.