Publisher's Synopsis
Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) is an alternative method for introducing complementary foods to infants in which the infant feeds themselves hand-held foods instead of being spoon-fed by an adult. The BLW infant also shares family food and mealtimes and is offered milk (ideally breast milk) on demand until they self-wean.
Baby-led weaning is safe for little ones, as long as you present food safely and stick with a few common sense feeding guidelines. Remember to: Avoid serving any foods that are choking hazards.
You may start baby-led weaning at around 6 months of age, which is also the age you would traditionally introduce complementary foods via spoon-feeding. At this age, your baby will most likely be able to sit unsupported, bring food to their mouth, and chew and swallow-all things that are important for self-feeding.
A combined approach that includes both finger foods for self-feeding and the spoon-feeding of purees is fine when babies are fed responsively, and there is no evidence that a combined approach is detrimental. A misconception about BLW is that purees should be avoided.
Between the ages of 6 and 8 months, 35 percent of all babies in the study choked at least once, based on parents' reports -- with no significant difference between the two groups.
