Aubrey Phelps, MS RDN PPCES IFNCP CLC
If you’ve ever followed a baby-led weaning (BLW) Facebook group or Instagram page, you’re likely to find an often aggressive stance that purees and spoon-feeding are NOT ok or part of this approach. If you recall from part 1 of this series, my approach to BLW is more about being a responsive feeder than adhering to the strict definition of this method. In other words, it’s less about what you feed or even how, and more about how you respond to your child.
Especially with newly weaning children, finger foods can be way too advanced because they’ve never had any real oral experience with eating. It would be akin to asking a child who has never even rolled over to walk or jump. For many tube-fed children, oral eating hasn’t felt safe, and they may even have an aggressive gag response in place to protect themselves. Pieces of food presented according to the traditional BLW approach are very unlikely to work and may result in more gagging and discomfort. These foods will also be less efficient for new oral eaters. Remember, most kiddos starting solids with BLW are still getting the bulk of their nutrition from formula or breastmilk, so if they manage to swallow very little of the food offered, that’s ok! But when weaning from tube feeds, your child is transitioning from getting their nutrition from the tube to becoming an oral eater. This means that efficient foods are essential so your child can get a “big bang for their buck,” so to speak.
So how does baby-led weaning look if you’re incorporating purees or mashes?
For children with adequate fine motor skills, it may mean offering pre-loaded spoons of these foods. Focus on high-calorie, thicker purees/mashes that will stick to the spoon a bit. Some examples could be cream cheese, refried beans, mashed avocado, mashed sweet potato with butter, full-fat sour cream, Greek yogurt, chia seed pudding, chocolate avocado pudding, coconut cream, chicken liver pate, egg custard, etc. You can also offer the spoon yourself instead of asking your child to self-feed. This means loading the spoon, then holding it out to your child, about 6+ inches away from their mouth. No prompting the child to take a bite, airplanes, or choo-choo trains – just offer the spoon and wait. If your child leans toward the spoon with an open mouth or reaches for it, proceed! If they don’t bat it away/turn their head/cry, retreat! This allows your child to LEAD the process, which is the crux of the BLW approach.
To summarize, BLW can be a wonderful way to introduce solids to your little one. It can be incorporated during the tube weaning process, as well. The most important aspect, however, is not that your baby physically feeds themself or only be exposed to strips/chunks of food, but that your baby or child is actively leading the process. And spoiler alert? That’s the key piece to a successful wean at any age!