Baby-Led Solids

Never feed the baby?! Come, again? Are you suggesting I starve my baby?

Of course not, people! I'm talking about offering solids and allowing baby to feed himself. This is baby-led solids. It is also referred to as 'baby-led weaning', but in my humble opinion, the term 'weaning' tends to scare moms who have a breastfeeding goal of at least one year. Technically, the introduction of foods means that we are moving away from breastmilk consumption. However, breastmilk or formula should be baby's main source of nutrition for at least the first year of life. Meaning: baby should be getting enough breastmilk or formula, alone, so that if baby isn't really interested in solids for a while after six months, it's okay because they are still getting everything they need from the milk. So, I feel like 'baby-led solids' is a more breastfeeding friendly term.

The CDC, the WHO, and the AAP all recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. After the first 6 months, complementary foods can be introduced into baby's diet, with continued breastfeeding for another year and a half, at minimum. The thing is, with baby-led solids, I'm not talking about purees or mushy stuff that you have to spoon feed to baby. I'm talking about real food; fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, etc. Whole foods. Family foods.

You see, what many parents may not realize is that purees are foods that are diluted with water. Offering whole pieces of food to baby makes for higher caloric intake. Plus, researchers in New Zealand found that babies who led their own introduction to solids were less fussy and enjoyed meal times more than their spoon-fed counterparts.

When you introduce foods this way, it happens in stages. First, baby will pick it up, and mash it into his mouth, then spit it out. Or, he may just squish it in his fingers and throw it on the floor. This is when I have parents going, "He's not eating it! What do I do??" It's OK. That's part of the process. The point of introducing foods is to eventually eat them exclusively, but that takes time. Food is fun.

So, how do we know if our baby is ready for that?

There are several milestones that baby needs to reach before introducing solids is a good idea.

• Baby must be six months old.
• This is to minimize the risk of damage to his open gut cells.
• Baby must be able to sit up, unassisted.
• This is a measure of choking prevention.
• Baby must have lost the tongue protrusion reflex.
• This is an instinctual choking prevention measure that occurs when the facial muscles that are needed to swallow food down the oesophagus, rather than aspirated into the trachea, are underdeveloped.
• Baby has a well-defined pincer grasp.
• This is so that baby is physically able to put small pieces of food in his mouth.
• Baby must be interested in eating table food.
• This is so that we aren't force feeding baby, and there is a level of 'consent' that we get when we allow baby to use his instincts to decide if he wants to eat the thing.

Once baby has met ALL of these milestones, he is most likely ready to start playing with his food.

*As I stated before, breastmilk or formula is still the most important substance that your baby is consuming. So, ANY offerings of solids should ONLY be made AFTER nursing, so that baby won't fill up on solids, which are not nearly as nutrient-dense as the breastmilk is.*

Now, you've decided that little Timmy is ready for solids! Great! When should you offer them during the day? You'll want to sit him in his high chair, at the table with the rest of the family, at meal times. That way, he can see his family members putting food into their mouths, chewing it up, and swallowing it. He will watch and learn, Oh! That's what I do with this stuff! Eventually, he will copy what he sees.

In my next post, I will talk about good foods to start with, and why they are good choices. In the meantime, please consider leaving me a little tip! I'll be happy to give you a shout out in my next blog post! You can also find me on Facebook and Google, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about infant feeding methods or whatever else you're wondering about. Love, love, love.