Your little one goes through a lot of changes from the moment they come out of your womb. From changes in their body, such as their size, to changes in their brain, as evidenced by their development, their growth does not stop. However, amidst all this, there is one thing that helps guide this process of growth and development.
Among the many things that they do, eating happens to be one of the main things that a baby does in their daily life. This is because the newborn period is one of the times when a child undergoes moments of intense growth. So, to help keep up with their body’s needs, they need the nutrients to be able to help them grow.
So, as a mama, ensuring that their baby gets breastfed—or, in some cases, formula-fed—is a must. However, this is only the beginning of their feeding-related concerns. At some point, it’s also your duty to help your baby start to diversify their diet. By this, we mean that you have to ensure that they also start their complementary feeding. This is also vital to their growth.
Now, there are several ways to go about their complementary feeding. From baby food to the different soft foods, there’s a whole host of different options available. While these are all good, there are still better ways to go about this. More specifically, there is a way to let your baby help dictate how they go about the food they eat. This is called baby-led weaning. In this article, we’ll help you learn more about this and how to go about it. So, if you’re a mama who’s going to get started on their little one’s complementary feeding, read on and learn more about how you can better implement this through baby-led weaning!
Eating and Your Baby’s Development
Before we go on and talk about what baby-led weaning is, it’s first important to talk about how eating plays a part in your baby’s development. However, we won’t be talking about how the nutrition helps play a vital role in their body’s needs as they grow. This is a given and is also for an entirely different conversation. We will, however, discuss how changing up the type of food they eat will also help their development.
You see, babies start off by drinking breastmilk. While being the most nutritious food for them at the time, it’s also the only type of food that they can tolerate. By this, we mean that they are only able to tolerate food that is liquid. In this case, it’s milk. This is because your baby’s only developed far enough to only be able to suck and swallow the milk they get as they breastfeed.
However, as your baby continues to develop, they’re also able to do other things. For example, as the weeks go by, they’re able to eventually raise their heads on their own, roll over, and crawl. Around the same time, they’re also able to have the ability to have better fine motor control and coordination. As such, they’re able to do things like grasp objects and transfer them from one hand to the other.
Your baby’s eating-related motor skills also end up developing. Soon enough, your little one is able to learn how to bring certain objects to their mouth and chew, among other things. This can then be more of a tell-tale sign that they’re able to start diversifying their diet. By doing so, you’re able to expose them to different tastes and textures, and help build their brains with that information too.
Baby-Led Weaning
With all that in mind, what does baby-led weaning have to do with all of this? Well, usually, when it’s time for a baby to start their complementary feeding (the time when other food textures such as solids are introduced into their diets), a mama usually gives them food that’s been made mushy. Baby food is a perfect example of this.
There’s nothing wrong with giving your little one something such as baby food, apple sauce, or similarly-textured foods. You’re still helping diversify their diet and allowing them to learn how to eat things other than their mother’s breastmilk. However, in a way, you’re still in charge of what they eat.
When you let a baby lead this entire complementary feeding transition, you’re letting them dictate what they can eat. As your baby is in a time of their development where they are able to do more things like reach and grasp different objects and also learn how to use their mouth to eat, letting them take the lead when they’re diversifying their diet lets them figure out what foods they’re finally able to eat on their own.
What Does This Entail?
You might think that this means that you’re just going to let your little one eat whatever’s in front of them. However, this isn’t exactly the case. It’s true that you’re letting your baby take control of what they’re able to eat. But, you’re also doing it in such a way that you meet them halfway. Think of it as making mealtime more inclusive.
By the time you start the weaning, you’re also letting them become more a part of your mealtime. So, that means you’re also able to have them eat foods that you can enjoy as well. This can range from things like boiled vegetables and fresh fruits slides into smaller, more manageable pieces. That way, they’re also able to join you at the table during meals.
Along with this, you’re also able to supervise them as they start eating different foods. This means watching them and making sure that they’re able to tolerate the food and not choke on them. Much like when you let them eat other foods, it’s still advisable to make sure they’re safe. So, it’s doubly important to keep an eye on them so that they can start their weaning safely.
