Introduction of complementary foods to infant diet using baby-led weaning

Abstract

Baby-led weaning (BLW) is an increasingly widely known method of introducing complementary foods to an infant’s diet. BLW is based on a child’s physical readiness for self-feeding, with a positive effect of expansion of a diet that was previously based exclusively on mother’s milk or formula milk. There are both advantages and disadvantages of BLW. The advantages of BLW include, among other aspects, the fact that the child finds eating pleasurable, it can eat meals together with the family, it can eat away from home and has an opportunity to learn new flavours. The disadvantages of BLW include, for example, disorder caused by the child during self-feeding and a risk of choking. In order to prevent choking, it is recommended that products which are small and round with a hard and smooth surface, and a cross-section resembling that of the child’s airways be avoided. According to the current guidelines of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, for the first 6 months of life a child should be fed exclusively with their mother’s milk and complementary foods should be introduced starting between week 17 and 26 of the child’s life due to the development of readiness to consume solid food. Complementary feeding can be achieved through self-feeding based on BLW or by the child being fed by an adult using a spoon, among other means. The order in which different products are introduced is decided on by the parents. After the child has turned one year of age, breastfeeding should be continued as long as the mother and child wish.