Can BLW (Baby-Led Weaning) prevent selective eating? If you are a parent of a young child, chances are you have heard of BLW, a method for introducing solid foods that is based on the baby eating by picking freely from the plate or holding the food with their hand. BLW is also said to be able to reduce the risk of neophobia and selective food intake when the child is older. However, there are few studies that support this and the studies that have been done show marginal differences between BLW and spoon-feeding. Genetics or other psychological/physiological causes probably play a larger role in the child's eating. Although BLW does not cure or completely prevent selective eating, we believe that it is a good method to let the child practice and explore with their senses, at their own pace. Below we highlight the benefits of BLW and our best tips for a successful food introduction.
• BLW as a method often has positive consequences by removing pressure from parents. With BLW, there is rarely a need to arrange special food for the baby, but the child can eat the same food as the rest of the family.
• The child eats more often with the parents and thus gets to see how adults do it and that they appreciate the food.
• By allowing the child to explore food at their own pace, they learn to better recognize their body's signals, when they are full or hungry, and how much and how quickly they eat.
• When the child is allowed to eat on their own from an early age, the child has the opportunity to practice and develop their fine motor skills and chewing ability, unlike a child who is spoon-fed or only served purees. These are precisely the qualities that children who are selective eaters often need to practice more, which makes BLW or ABLW (Adapted Baby-Led Weaning) good methods for children who are selective eaters or have various sensory or motor challenges.
Are clamps BLW?
The pureed food is often easy to get stuck with for too long, which does not give the child the exposure and training it needs. Preschools have sounded the alarm that many one-year-olds cannot eat, sit at a table or pick their own food when they start preschool, according to food speech therapist Carina Hollanti . She also warns that the wide availability and convenience of baby food in a stressful everyday life can contribute to children becoming fussy about food - many children have trouble transitioning from liquid to solid food. A simple solution if you still need to give a baby food can therefore be to prepare a spoon and let the child eat it themselves with the spoon instead of sucking the food.
Our 6 best tips for BLW and a successful food introduction
• First and foremost, your baby needs to be developmentally ready. Before you start introducing solid foods or working with BLW, your baby needs to be able to sit with minimal support and show interest in food. Interest in food does not have to mean chewing and swallowing large amounts, but rather a willingness to explore with their hands and mouth. Let your baby eat as much as they can on their own, through BLW or prepared spoons of food. If your baby is still hungry and not getting enough solids, supplement with breastfeeding/formula.
• Accept that it will be sticky for a while. Also try to let the child be held without constantly wiping their hands and face, which can lead to discomfort for the child and thus a reduced desire to explore at the dinner table. The stickiness will quickly decrease the more the child has the opportunity to practice gripping and eating techniques.
• Avoid foods that are hard or too small as this increases the risk of choking. The larger the pieces the better, even a very young child without teeth can hold a larger piece that is slowly ground down to the appropriate size in the child's palate.
• Do not transfer your fear to the child. If you are very worried that your child will choke, the child will perceive the food as scary or dangerous. Learning to swallow food is a skill that children must practice in order to learn. The fact that the child coughs, chokes, makes noises and makes funny faces does not mean that the child has choked or does not like the food. Gagging is a natural protective reflex and part of the process of learning to eat and swallow. If the child has choked and is at risk of choking, it is completely silent and needs urgent help.
• Don't stress if BLW as a method doesn't work for you and your child. Studies show that it has a marginal impact on how varied your child will eat in the future. The most important thing is relaxed meals, that there is no compulsion to eat and that you vary the food, the way you eat it and that the child gets the opportunity to be exposed to different types of food.
• If you still feel uncertain about your child's transition to solid foods, we recommend taking a course with a pediatric dietitian or nutritionist. Isabelle Ståhl at Mellistipset , for example, has a good course with lots of material and suitable recipes for food introduction, which you can find here .
Isabelle Ståhl, Mellistipset
Sources:
https://www.knodd.se/artikel/blw-baby-led-weaning---din-steg-for-steg-guide/
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/orebro/klammisar-oroar-experter-inte-att-man-ger-men-hur
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230728-baby-led-weaning-what-are-the-risks-andbenefits
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2634362 https://kidseatincolor.com/baby-led-weaning/