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Baby-led Weaning: The best-kept secret of parenting

Directly from iMothering’s website:

Weaning is often understood to mean the cessation of breastfeeding but a more useful definition is one that incorporates the very beginning of that process. My preferred definition is: the gradual transition from full milk feeding (breast or formula) to a diet that contains no breastmilk/formula. This transition starts with the first taste of solid food. Nowadays, solid foods are not recommended for the majority of babies before six months. Babies of this age have a very different skill set from babies of four months, so it is appropriate to look not only at what foods are suitable but also at how those food should be offered.

Normally developing babies of six months can reach out and pick up pieces of food accurately, and get them to their mouth. They are also beginning to be able to bite, chew and swallow effectively – in other words, they are capable of feeding themselves. There is therefore no need for them to be spoon fed or for their food to be pureed. In the same way that newborn babies are capable of feeding themselves from their mother’s breast (and attempts to do it for them commonly lead to problems), we should not be surprised to find that weaning, too, works better if the baby is allowed to control what is going on. This realisation allows a completely different approach to the introduction of solid foods and recognises that, at six months, purees and spoon feeding are, quite simply, irrelevant.

This presentation will show how allowing the baby to remain in charge of his eating as he moves on to solid foods is safe, makes developmental sense, leads to more enjoyable mealtimes for the whole family, and may contribute to a lifetime of good health. 

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Check out Gill Rapely’s other books:

Baby-led Weaning: Helping Your Baby To Love Good Food

Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods – and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater

The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook: 130 Recipes That Will Help Your Baby Learn to Eat Solid Foods-and That the Whole Family Will Enjoy