Those little baby food jars seem like a staple of introducing
solid foods to babies, but there’s other options.
Enter baby-led weaning, where
babies start on soft, whole solids and teach themselves how to eat.
Already popular around the world and growing in popularity
in the U.S., baby-led weaning lets babies explore food with all of their senses,
including touch and taste, and decide how to eat food at their own pace.
Instead of shoveling in purees and maybe pushing babies beyond
their hunger cues, babies pick up, poke, and mouth whole but mushy food. This method
helps develop fine motor skills and self-regulation and parents no longer need
to buy expensive pre-made foods or spend time in the kitchen making their own.
With a few modifications, babies can eat what the rest of the family is
enjoying, which encourages good eating habits early on.
Entering into baby-led weaning smartly and safely is key.
Here’s how to begin.
2. Time it right.
First and foremost, make sure your baby is ready for solids.
You should wait until they are at least six months old, can sit up unassisted, have
good head control and show an interest in food. When your baby tries to grab
food from your plate, it’s usually a good sign.
3. Offer appropriate foods.
Foods offered at first should be soft, cooked and cut into a
size the baby can pick up with their hands. Their pincer grasp likely won’t be
ready at six months, so the food will need to be big enough to palm. Example
include a half of banana, steamed apple slices, egg strips, ground or shredded meat, pasta and
uncooked avocado slices. Stay away from whole grapes and blueberries, whole nuts
and seeds, hot dogs, dried fruit and raw crunchy veggies.
4. Let baby take the lead.
Now baby gets to pick up food by themselves. It’s going to
be messy and their aim might not be very good at first as hand-eye coordination
develops. But don’t worry about baby getting enough nutrition from their first
foods -- the weaning part is a bit of a misnomer as babies should still be primarily
drinking breastmilk or formula until their first birthday.
5. Don’t panic.
If there’s a lot of gagging, don’t be concerned. It’s common
as babies learn how to chew and swallow, but it’s not choking. Gagging is noisy,
choking is quiet. Gagging is a normal reflex and part of the process. Make sure
you are nearby and give your baby a chance to work it out. Knowing infant CPR
is always a good idea. Don’t panic and your baby will stay calm too.
6. Go slowly.
Offer one new food every four days and watch for signs of
allergies so you’ll know which food is causing a reaction. As foods pass this
test, you can add them to a growing list of safe foods.
7. Trust your baby.
Babies will stop eating when they are full. Don’t force them
to clean their plates and embrace their self-regulation.
8. Gradually change the food’s texture and size.
As baby progresses with self-feeding, you can introduce new foods, firmer textures and smaller food for pinching with the thumb and forefinger. This is
where you can follow your child’s lead and see what food makes sense next. You can
also offer utensils like baby-safe spoons and forks and show them how to use
them. Hopefully, before you know if, your baby will be eating the same food as
the rest of the family.
