Baby-led weaning: what it is, how it works, when and how to start
Introduction
Baby-led weaning: in a word, a world that fascinates, sometimes scares, and undoubtedly intrigues future and new mothers.
If you recognize yourself in what I just said, this content is for you. As you can see, it is very long.
To make it easier to read, I have prepared an index.
Thanks to it, if you are interested in a certain topic, you can learn more about it simply by clicking on the corresponding title.
Now all that remains for me to do is wish you a good read and invite you to discover a fundamental topic for the well-being of your little one.
On this journey, you will be accompanied by the precious advice of Doctor Federica dell'Oro, a nutrition biologist and author of the vertical video course on self-weaning that you can find at the end of the paragraph.
What is weaning?
Before talking about baby-led weaning , it is necessary to start by trying to understand what we are talking about when weaning is mentioned.
This term refers to the gradual process that takes the newborn from an exclusive diet of breast milk to one that also includes other foods, both liquid and solid.
Please note: weaning is not synonymous with breastfeeding. The goal is not to “stuff” the baby with other foods to replace breastfeeding.
Weaning is the period during which breast milk is combined with other foods.
It is a long journey, a journey of discovery and experimentation that is fundamental for the growth of the child from every point of view, not just the purely nutritional one.
The most appropriate term to define this extraordinary period is “ complementary feeding ”.
From about six months of age onwards - give or take a week, each child is different - new foods will be added to milk.
The latter, despite the beginning of weaning, must still remain the main source of nourishment for the baby, at least until the first year of age.
Like breastfeeding, complementary feeding should also be on demand.
What does it mean? That it is the child who asks for food and shows that he wants it.
You should not force feed him or force him to eat when he is not ready. The answer is no: you cannot start weaning at 4 - 5 months. Why?
Because, as I explain in this article , at that age the child has hardly developed the requirements , which I will talk about in the next paragraphs, to approach complementary feeding.
To be precise, we should talk about complementary feeding on demand , the correct synonym for self-weaning.
What is the technical difference between traditional weaning and baby-led weaning ? Read on to find out.
Traditional weaning and self-weaning: the differences
In traditional weaning , it is the mother - or another caregiver - who proposes the classic baby food.
Everything happens at pre-established times and without any personalization in the process of introducing food . We are therefore dealing with a situation of total management by the adult.
Traditional weaning begins at exactly six months - but often much earlier, around 4/5 - and without taking into account the maturation times, the real readiness and the uniqueness of the child.
Furthermore, from the beginning of traditional weaning , there is a tendency to replace a feeding with a complete meal, almost always lunch.
Pre-established timeframes and methods are used.
As already mentioned, traditional weaning involves the use of baby food.
They can be prepared at home or ready-made (homogenized food or other baby food products).
This is inevitable because at 4/5 months there are no alternatives: the child is not able to manage different consistencies.
Another aspect that characterizes classic weaning is the so-called chronoinsertions . What are they?
On the introduction of one food at a time with times dictated by schematic indications.
I also remember that classic weaning begins with liquid baby food , then moves on to semi-liquid baby food , then to small pieces until, over time, normal food.
What is meant by self-weaning ? In Italy, this term was used for the first time by the Umbrian pediatrician Lucio Piermarini.
The Italian word takes its inspiration from the Anglo-Saxon term baby-led weaning , which can be literally translated as “ baby-led weaning ”.
The Anglo-Saxon term perfectly conveys the situation and makes us understand that, for perfect self-weaning, the adult caregiver must assume a marginal role.
The real protagonist must be the little one : he is the one who guides the path of introducing foods.
The adult must trust him , supervise him and always propose a diet that is as varied and healthy as possible.
We will discuss this last topic and the advice on how to cut food safely in more detail later in the article (for even more in-depth information, you can refer to the video course by Doctor Dell'Oro).
In recent years, the benefits of baby-led weaning have been widely discussed.
Despite this, however, families are not always provided with the right tools to manage it.
This is why, even today, many parents fear it and consider it an alternative choice, almost a bit hippy.
Nothing could be more wrong!
There is nothing strange about baby-led weaning: it is what scientific guidelines suggest for complementary feeding of the child.
This path does not have rigid schedules or even paps.
Assuming that parents eat a healthy diet and know the safe cuts and consistencies to offer a particular food to their child, baby- led weaning involves the child eating the same foods as adults.
In her video course, Dr. Dell'Oro shows how easy it can be to prepare healthy and balanced dishes, suitable for both the needs of parents and those of the child.
