I recently came across the term "baby-led weaning" to describe the process of introducing solid foods. From what I can tell--correct me if I'm wrong, dear readers--those who advocate "baby-led weaning" let their babies feed themselves, in lieu of spoon-feeding them purees. Now I don't want to talk about the pros and cons of this method. Rather, I want to comment on the term itself.
See, it honestly never occurred to me that giving a baby solid foods had anything to do with weaning.
Let me back up about 50 steps. Longterm readers might recall that LG didn't do the whole "solid food" thing as an infant. There were a couple days--really bad days--of rice cereal in that 4-5 mo era. But by the time she was actually eating solid food, well after her first birthday, she'd been weaned for quite a while. She started part-time on Neocate (that's a REAL hypoallergenic, need-a-prescription-to-get-it, amino-acid based, nasty-ass formula) at 7 months and we stopped breastfeeding completely at 9.5 months.
For me, weaning has to do with the elimination of breastfeeding, and it was a medically necessary trauma. There was nothing "baby-led" about it.
*
So I've been experimenting with "solid foods" with Tiny Boy. He's had purees of mango, apple, pear, and peas. And he's eaten avocado, banana, and watermelon in a mesh feeder. (Yes, we tried rice cereal, but that resulted in screaming fits of belly pain in the middle of the night, on multiple occasions about a month apart. NEVER AGAIN.) He seems to like the idea of eating better than the reality of eating--doesn't take more than a few spoonfuls at a "meal"--except when it comes to watermelon. Oh. My. Goodness. He couldn't cram enough into his chubby little face, and then he screamed bloody murder when he couldn't suck any more juice out of that little mesh bag.
Is that weaning? I dunno. Seems to me it's not if he's still nursing as much as he was, and he really is. And from what I know, at six months, eating solids is supposed to be about play and experimentation and learning, not really about nutrition, anyway. I suspect that by the time he goes to daycare--10 months to the day--he'll be eating more and nursing much less. But I have no plans to wean him until he's good and ready.* And hopefully that will be some time past his first birthday.
Right now, I'm sort of giddy with putting a spoon in his mouth, as I didn't get to do that the first time around. And once he's taking more than three bites at a time, I'll start making his food, which will probably be mushed up versions of whatever LG and I are eating, within reason. And if I manage to get a kid with no food allergies, well, that would be truly amazing and awesome, and I might actually have to keep milk in the house.
* Except I have no plans on nursing past toddler hood or being on the cover of a national magazine. I'm guessing by somewhere in the 2 year era I'll want my breasts back, if they haven't already been returned.
When we were looking this stuff up, the term was kind of weird to us too. But weaning can be a really really long process, the gradual substitution of solid foods for milk and formula.
ReplyDeleteWe ended up doing baby-led weaning by default-- DC was totally disinterested in food (still had the tongue thrust reflex etc.) until he had developed the pincer grasp and was pretty old (8-9 mo), and at that point had no interest in purees other than applesauce and my morning oatmeal, and generally wanted to try to use the spoon himself.
It was nice knowing that there's really no research base to any of the traditional feeding methods and there's probably a million or more different ways to go about feeding a kid (that don't involve rice cereal).
My understanding is that it's a British phrase and it's called "baby led solids" in the US, however, no one in the US actually calls it that. In the UK weaning means adding foods not giving up.
ReplyDeleteWe're doing a version of baby led and it's been a lot of fun. I'm glad the boy is enjoying all non-rice cereal foods so far and that you're getting to use that spoon!
Ahh, that makes sense. What's your version?
ReplyDeleteWe give her pieces of a lot of foods in a non-mashed state (usually cut into long enough pieces that she can wrap her hand around whatever it is and still be able to get something in her mouth) but generally stick to things that seems easy for her to gum down. I think BLW purists give them almost everything - we're still nervous about certain things. But we've given her things like banana (with half the peel on), toast, avocado, pasta, apple, pear and then some things like chili mashed up a bit and other meals. We also spoon feed her sometimes with some purees and yogurt, though she's actually great with the spoon herself and can get food into her mouth about 70% of the time.
ReplyDeleteG sounds a little like Tiny Boy - she's hasn't been eating big quantities of anything. Although that's starting to change a little recently.
I should make a post about this.