Your baby's first taste of food can be an exciting and nerve wracking time. What should there first food be? Should I spoon feed or try baby led weaning? What equipment do I need?
I did baby led weaning with both of my children and am a big fan of the approach. But if it's not for you, you might prefer to spoon feed and offer plenty of finger foods alongside.
Baby Led Weaning is a term coined by Gill Rapley and is a relaxed approach where the baby is responsible for picking up the food and feeding themselves. We decide what food to offer and baby decides how much to eat, essentially giving them control over what food they put into their body.
Some research has shown that Baby Led Weaning helps a baby to regulate their food intake, potentially leading to more natural weight gain. We trust that baby will stop eating when satisfied so they develop a healthy attitude to food and are less likely to overeat. Another benefit is that provided the whole family is eating a low salt, healthy meal, baby can eat the same, just prepared in a way that they can handle. For example vegetables can be cut into fingers to enable the baby hold them easily. It's also a great sensory experience for babies to explore different textures and tastes. It can help with their coordination and fine motor skills.
In one word - mess! We are allowing the baby to explore and feel foods which they love but it inevitably comes with some mess. We'll come onto equipment below but provided you're set up correctly, the mess doesn't need to be a big issue.
Baby should be at least 6 months of age and able to sit up unaided. Baby should have lost the tongue thrust reflex and be able to pick up an object and guide it to his mouth. For preterm babies, advice should always be sought from health professionals.
As long as the food is low salt and relatively low sugar, baby can eat what you eat (honey shouldn't be given in the fist year, nor should choking hazards such as whole nuts or grapes)! Lots of people like to start with soft vegetables and fruit, for example fingers of butternut squash, cooked carrots, avocado or foods with a built in handle, like broccoli (or mini trees as we liked to call them!). There's no need to cut up food into small pieces, in fact this can make it harder to handle. I remember Seb was around 9 months when he mastered the pincer grip for his peas! It was a proud moment indeed... Meat and fish should be left in bigger pieces rather than diced.
The following is a list of items you might find useful when beginning your baby led weaning journey:
Whatever weaning approach you go for, relax and enjoy. It should be a fun experience for you and baby, not something to stress about. Your Health Visitor can provide you with guidance and reassurance should you need it.
There's nothing quite as pleasurable about making a home cooked meal and seeing your child absolutely loving it.
**Disclaimer** I am not a health professional and the information contained above are my own views. Please do your own research and seek professional advice when weaning your baby.
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