What is Baby Led Weaning (BLW)

The introduction of semi-solid and solid foods into an infant's diet begins around 6^The month, depending on his needs and the pediatrician's recommendations.

A new trend that came from America is Baby Led Weaning (BLW) which literally means "let the baby eat alone from the beginning of weaning". The word "weaning" according to English terminology means "give complementary food", while in America it translates as "stop breastfeeding - wean". In Greece we could translate it as "self-feeding of the baby". The creator of the name and the theory around it is Gill Barley, who is a medical visitor and midwife, as well as the author of related books with instructions and recipes.

Baby Led Weaning prohibits any kind of melted food and encourages the consumption of raw or cooked food cut into small pieces, the so-called "finger food". Essentially, it encourages infants to continue to determine the amount of food they consume, just as it does with breastfeeding. Mothers are responsible for choosing, cooking, and cutting the foods they offer to the infant without interfering with the order, manner, or amount of foods the infant chooses to eat. This way of introducing food has its roots in previous decades, when due to the non-existence of today's state-of-the-art blenders, mothers were forced to mash the food with a fork.

The difference with the classic method of food introduction, which uses porridges, purees or semi-ground foods, lies in the ability of the baby to first learn to chew and then to swallow the foods. In Baby Led Weaning the baby first learns to suck, lick, taste, chew and finally swallow the food, while in the classic method the baby first learns to swallow using only the spoon and then over time and growing to chew food. With the Baby Led Weaning method, the baby playfully explores the foods placed in front of him on the tray from his high chair. He can process their shape, size and texture, smell their aroma and taste their taste. It doesn't mean that he will always consume them, he can just smell them, lick them or even throw them away or spit them out if they don't satisfy him.

The biggest concern of new moms who follow this method is whether the infant meets his needs in terms of calories and nutrients with this feeding method. Because we cannot control how much he will eat and we do not want to interfere with his nutritional choices, he should continue to be fed milk through breastfeeding, which is also his main food until his first birthday.

Another concern is whether the baby is at risk of suffocation with this approach since it is not being fed by an adult and is simply being supervised. In this reflection lies the answer, because the advocates of this tactic emphasize that only when the infant eats alone can he regulate the speed and the way he will eat, while spoon feeding is more dangerous in terms of choking. To avoid such eventualities, the ideal would be for the infant to start introducing solids only in this way and not to have tried a spoon to avoid confusion. Also, it would be good for the first period to offer soft food and not hard or dry food. Of course, an adult should always be present at mealtime and intervene if necessary. In particular, in the case of infants with mobility or other health problems, the consent of the pediatrician should be obtained.

Finally, by following this method you should be prepared for long meals, a mess in the high chair and stains on the baby's clothes. In several websites and books you will find recipes and tips on how to get started and what to offer following the specific method of food introduction.

Kontopidou Irini

Clinical Dietitian, M.Sc.

www.adunatizw.gr