Baby Led Weaning: What Are Its Benefits?

Up to 6 months of life, according to WHO recommendations, the feeding of babies is based on breastfeeding or formula milk, exclusively. Subsequently, the baby’s diet is usually supplemented with crushed foods in the form of purees and porridges. But what if, instead of crushed, the child was presented – progressively – easy-to-eat foods to increase his interest in them? This is what the Baby Led Weaning (BLW) does.

The BLW has gained a lot of fame in recent years as it is a supplementation method that is comfortable for parents, respectful for the baby and that favors the development of certain skills. What is the Baby Led Weaning? What are its benefits for the baby? What precautions should be taken? Here we bring you closer to such a well-known technique.

What is BLW or Baby Led Weaning?

Literally the meaning of Baby Led Weaning is ‘ baby guided weaning’. In Spanish we could call it “ complementary feeding directed by the baby ”. It consists of supplementing the baby’s diet (milk) with whole foods (not crushed) that the baby can take with his own hands and put in his mouth according to his interests or appetite.

That is, the child is offered solid foods and left to decide what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat. Always bearing in mind that, in the absence of teeth, you should start with foods that can be crushed with the gums or with the tongue against the palate, and progress according to their oral development.

Despite the introduction of solid foods to supplement, we must bear in mind that the baby’s basal feeding will continue to be breastfeeding on demand (either with breast milk or formula milk). Therefore, the BLW should be done after the baby’s regular milk intake.

Between 6 and 8 months, four-fifths of the baby’s caloric intake should come from milk, while the balance is balanced between 9 and 11 months. Knowing this, the number of meals in which BLW is made can be expanded.

What are the benefits of complementary feeding guided by the baby?

BLW has many benefits for both the family and the baby. Many times the baby is a mere spectator of his feeding and waits sitting calmly for the arrival of the “little plane” that feeds him. We don’t even respect their satiety signals and pretend to finish the porridge, even when the child may not want to eat more.

Thanks to the BLW, we actively involve the child in their feeding. It is true that some precautions must also be taken regarding the type of food and how to cook it. You also need to have reached certain developmental milestones before starting BLW.

Before starting complementary feeding, it is good to check the following:

• That he is able to remain seated, stable and without falling to the sides.
• That the extrusion reflex has disappeared, which is what makes them expel any object or solid food that is introduced into their mouth with their tongue (to avoid choking). This reflex disappears around 6 months.
• That he has adequate eye-hand-mouth coordination that allows him to take food and put it in his mouth.

General benefits of BLW

• The possibility of developing an aversion to food is reduced, as it progressively approaches different flavors and textures.

• Learn to eat healthy foods.
• Time is saved and it is easier for the child to integrate into family meals.
• Prevents risk factors for obesity, allergies, hypertension …
• It improves the transition to solid foods, as textures are introduced that adapt to their oral development.
• Avoid overeating, as the child eats what he needs to eat.

Benefits for the baby’s development

• The baby learns to distinguish the signals of hunger and satiety, so he learns to self-regulate his appetite.
• The autonomy of the child and its evolutionary rhythms are respected.
• Promotes psychosocial development. It makes it easier for the baby to understand meals as social acts.
• Stimulates the baby’s psychomotor development: coordination, chewing, swallowing, holding the clamp …
• Mealtime is conceived as learning, with the benefits that this entails, and gives them the ability to experiment and discover.

BLW for everyone

The Baby Led Weaning is a very respectful parenting method with the baby. There will be those who think that it is a passing fad, but the truth is that it is what our great-grandmothers already did. What is more respectful than preparing the child with a faithful but easy representation of what he is going to eat throughout his life? The real trend is to buy jars in a jar.

Despite all its benefits, the BLW also requires training so as not to harm the baby and take certain precautions to avoid accidents. Above all, we must understand and normalize that each child has their own rhythm and that not all will show interest in touching food and putting it in their mouth at the same time, that is respectful parenting!