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Attachment Parenting
mrshall10210
member
BLW
mrshall10210
member
Hi! I don't post here much, but I thought this might be the best place for input on this topic.
We are a long way from starting solids, but I am a planner and have some questions about baby led weaning.
1, how does this work exactly? Do you just feed them what you're eating? I read people talking about that but I thought you should only introduce one food at a time.
2, how do you introduce a variety of foods when it seems to me there are so many things a baby would either have difficulty eating or would pose a choking hazard? It seems that pureeing the food would allow you more options.
3, any info about pros and cons and the logistics of this method in general would be appreciated. I don't know anyone who didn't feed their baby pured baby food. If I did purees, I would probably make my own.
If it makes a difference, we are EBFing until hopefully one year at least.
We are a long way from starting solids, but I am a planner and have some questions about baby led weaning.
1, how does this work exactly? Do you just feed them what you're eating? I read people talking about that but I thought you should only introduce one food at a time.
2, how do you introduce a variety of foods when it seems to me there are so many things a baby would either have difficulty eating or would pose a choking hazard? It seems that pureeing the food would allow you more options.
3, any info about pros and cons and the logistics of this method in general would be appreciated. I don't know anyone who didn't feed their baby pured baby food. If I did purees, I would probably make my own.
If it makes a difference, we are EBFing until hopefully one year at least.
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Re: BLW
The book is great, or the basics are here. https://www.rapleyweaning.com/assets/blwleaflet.pdf
Baby ate what we ate, without sauce/salt/sugar. He started off with just one thing at a time, but we have zero food allergies in our family so we didn't follow any introduction "rules" other than not doing honey before a year.
Read the book or link. Choking isn't the big issue you think it is, if you offer foods properly. Not having to wean from purees onto real food was awesome, as was eating my meals hot rather than feeding the baby, then feeding me. My son was also wicked independent and HATED being spoon fed.
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Definitely read the book. The cookbook is also helpful, and has a good summary of the book--it's what I used when presenting the method to our regular babysitter. The book will address a lot of this, and also has a really helpful description of the difference between choking and gagging. DD gagged some at first. She never choked. BUT--we had taken classes (well, my DH is actually a lifeguard trainer so I sat in on a class he taught) about infant CPR to be prepared just in case.
1. Yes, we fed DD exactly what we ate generally. BUT using guidance and suggestions from the book, we adapted what we ate to be things that worked for her (or at least some parts of the meal that were). We have no family history of food allergies, so we didn't worry about things. I mean, really, we generally weren't introducing a ton of stuff at once, but we never had issues. I would have been more deliberate if there was a family history. Plus, if you're breastfeeding, it should help baby process stuff as long as you're eating the same stuff (some studies say this is true, for example, for cow's milk/products).
2. The book will explain this best. Babies who get purees also gag, some even choke (you would too if force-fed). Either way, it's about reading LO's cues and being prepared. We never did purees with DD. I can't imagine what a headache it would be. Also, she's a MUCH better eater than most kids (fed purees) her age. She'll eat pretty much anything, and there's anecdotal evidence that BLW sets kids up for healthier eating habits. Plus, DH and I were and remain way less stress at meal times than friends who spoonfed their kids.
3. I'm biased, but for us, it was all pros. It takes some explaining to people around us, and at first, our family looked at us weird. Now, however, they recommend it to everyone they know. My sister has all her friends--some who aren't even married yet--all interested in BLW because of how well DD does with it.
1. Please read the book. It sounds like you have a lot of misconceptions about how feeding solids work and the book addresses all of these. In addition, since you don't have any friends who have done BLW, and I didn't either, the book will help you be more confident in your decision.
With BLW you feed them the same things you eat, with the exception of salt and honey. Purees are introduced one at a time because they're introduced before the baby's digestive system has developed. This means there's more of a chance for allergies/reaction. Because BLW waits until the digestive system is mature, there isn't the same concern.
2. Babies fed purees are actually more likely to choke than babies who learn through BLW. In BLW there are no choking hazards when done correctly because the child controls the food in their mouth. In the beginning, because of the location of the gag reflex they physically can't even swallow the food. It gets pushed forward, away from the airway. As they develop and learn to manipulate the food in their mouth, the gag reflex moves back, so they are able to eat. Babies who are spoonfed have this natural reflex bypassed, so they don't learn this same manipulation.
3. I can't think of a single con. Assuming you eat healthily, it's far healthier than store bought purees. It's so much cheaper than either making your own baby food or buying it. You never have to worry about carrying things around with you since they eat off your plate at restaurants. You can eat your own meal without worrying about feeding the baby first. It keeps them occupied at restaurants. There's also the social aspect where they learn meals aren't just about food. There are ties to speech development as well as fine motor skills It's been associated with a decreases in obesity, heart disease, and allergies.