Lately I’ve been inundated with questions- like never before in practice or since I’ve become a mom- about starting solids. When should I start? How should I start? When did you start? What did you give them first? Did you make your own food? And on the list goes… As email after email after text after call came in over the same subject, I decided I’d humor you and do a blog series on it. As with everything else, I feel like I learned a lot when it comes to food and babies on my first baby- Harper. For the most part, I’m really proud of how we did the food thing with him. However, we will change a little of what we do with Ellington. My fav book, so far, that I’ve found on the subject is called Baby-Led Weaning by Rapley and Murkett. It’s been a really interesting read, not like a lot of books on the subject that can bore you to tears. But, don’t fear, if you don’t have money or time to go purchase and read the book from cover to cover… I’m here for you! This series will cover what I’ve found to be the most important parts of the book, and I’ll include some additional info/research that isn’t in the book, but that we’ve found really important when it comes to starting your baby on their food (more than breastmilk, that is) journey. I hope you enjoy this series, as I’m choosing to spend time on it rather than nap with my precious children 
!
You may be new to the term “baby-led weaning”, and on seeing it may be wondering, “What is she talking about? What is this ‘baby-led weaning’? ” Well, contrary to what some may think, it really isn’t a new concept at all. Like with many other parenting and child-rearing concepts, it’s something old and basic- innate really- that we’ve complicated and come away from. However, I think many parents listening to their instinct- especially in our busy society where we need as much ease as we can get out of our day- are quickly gravitating back to this natural concept. In a nutshell baby-led weaning is this: Babies will feed themselves when they are ready. The authors explain, “Weaning is the gradual change that a baby makes from having breast milk or formula as her only food to having no breast milk or formula at all.” The first solid food that baby has is the beginning of this weaning process.
Now, why should baby lead this process? Well, several reasons really… First, it plays an extremely important role in baby’s development. Babies develop at their own pace, when they are ready, and we don’t want to rush this. It’s just like other milestones- take crawling- because each one stimulates the brain, shouldn’t ever be skipped, and will lead to the next important stage. Baby-Led Weaning, shortened ‘BLW’- will help with these vitally important skills: Facial muscle development, chewing, swallowing, speech development, manual dexterity, and hand-eye coordination. Just to name a few! I feel like so much focused has been placed on the when and what of solids… But, there’s an important reminder of the why! In addition, BLW helps baby develop his/her self-confidence and independence. It also helps make eating more enjoyable- whether that be snacks or family mealtime. It allows baby to control what they eat, how much they eat and how quickly it’s done. And, there’s a lot of money saved when families choose to do it this way too!
Also, like so many other aspects of parenting, starting solids and choosing BLW can be very convicting for the parents. ”Convicting? Why and how so?”, you may ask. Well, with BLW, most parents choose to let their babies eat what they eat. If that image gives you a lump in your throat, maybe some change is in order. Again, to quote the authors, “As long as your own diet is healthy and nutritious there’s no need for separate recipes.” On this note, let me say, you may choose not to change your habits now and still do some aspects of BLW by allowing your baby to feed him/herself but still making seperate food items for him/her to choose from. Let me encourage you to make the change now. Move the family diet to something that you’d be happy for your baby to eat. The change will need to happen at some point; otherwise, you’ll be looking at a toddler who is begging for pretty unhealthy choices! Make this a positive move closer to health and wellness for the entire family. The latest research is showing that our babies health has been affected by what our grandparents ate! Isn’t that amazing? So this food thing has so much more to do with a large picture we are just painting a tiny part of… It’s so sad to me where we are at as a society when it comes to food, but it gives me so much hope to look at where we could be!
Stay tuned, we’ll soon look at the rest of the story… What should babies be fed, when should it start, and what do the specific how’s look like?
