Baby-Led Weaning, Completely Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary Edition: The Essential Guide-How to Introduce Solid Foods and Help Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater

by Gill Rapley PhD, Tracey Murkett

Overview

Baby-led weaning is the healthy, natural way to start your baby on solid foods—no stress, no fuss, no mush!

Ten years ago, Baby-Led Weaning ended the myth that babies need to be spoon-fed purées. In fact, at about six months, most babies are ready to discover solid food for themselves. Today, baby-led weaning (BLW) is a global phenomenon—and this tenth anniversary edition of the definitive guide explains all its benefits:

• Baby participates in family meals right from the start, and learns to love a variety of foods.
• Nutritious milk feedings continue while Baby transitions to solids at his or her own pace.
• By self-feeding, Baby develops hand-eye coordination, chewing skills—and confidence!

Plus, this edition is updated with the latest research on allergy prevention and feeding Baby safely, a guide to using BLW at daycare, and much more. Here is everything you need to know about teaching your child healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615195589
Publisher:	The Experiment
Publication date:	07/23/2019
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	93,877
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Gill Rapley, PhD, has studied infant feeding and child development for many years. She worked as a public health nurse for over twenty years and has also been a midwife and a voluntary breastfeeding counselor. She developed the theory of baby-led weaning while studying babies’ developmental readiness for solids as part of her master’s degree and has since been awarded a PhD for research comparing spoon-feeding with self-feeding. Gill lives in Kent, England, with her husband and has three grown children, all of whom tried their best to show her that they didn’t need any help with solid foods.

Tracey Murkett is a writer, journalist, and breastfeeding peer supporter. After following baby-led weaning with her own daughter, she wanted to let other parents know how enjoyable and stress-free mealtimes with babies and young children can be. She lives in London with her partner and their daughter.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 What Is Baby-Led Weaning?

What Is Weaning? 7

Why BLW Is Different 8

Why BLW Makes Sense 10

When Should a Baby Start Solids? 11

Baby-Led Weaning Isn't New 13

A Brief History of Feeding Babies 16

What Your Mother Was Told 21

Building a Healthy Relationship with Food 25

The Trouble with Spoon-Feeding 27

The Benefits of BLW 34

Are There Any Disadvantages? 41

2 How Does Baby-Led Weaning Work?

Growing Skills 43

Self-Feeding; A Natural Skill 50

The Motivation to Try Solid Foods 50

Needing Extra Nutrients 51

The Importance of Milk Feedings 55

Developing the Ability to Chew 57

Is There Really a Window of Opportunity? 59

Eating Enough but Not Too Much: Understanding Appetite Control 59

Won't He Choke? 61

Do Babies Really Know What They Need to Eat? 68

Baby-Led Weaning and Babies Born Preterm 70

Baby-Led Weaning in Special Cases 72

3 Getting Started

Preparing for BLW 77

When to Eat 79

Basic Safety 81

Finger Food 82

Improving Coordination 84

Offering Rather Than Giving 87

How Much Food to Offer 89

Rejecting Food 91

Helping Your Baby to Learn 92

Eating Together 97

Expect Mess 100

Equipment 103

The Secrets of Successful BLW 109

Q&A 110

4 First Foods

Basic Principles 117

Foods to Avoid 118

Foods That Are Different for Babies 124

What About Allergies? 126

Adapting Food in the Early Months 129

Drinks 138

Breakfast 140

Easy Snacks and Food on the Move 142

Desserts 143

5 After the Early Days

Progressing at Your Baby's Pace 147

Adventurous Taste Buds 150

Learning About Textures 153

Feast and Famine 156

Eating Enough: Learning to Trust Your Baby 158

Telling You She's Had Enough 161

Food Fads 163

Your Baby's Appetite for Milk Feedings 166

Three Meals a Day? 169

Your Baby's Diaper 172

Introducing a Cup 175

Introducing Cutlery 176

Eating Out 180

BLW and Childcare 185

6 A Healthy Diet for Everyone

Healthy Eating from the Start 191

Balancing Your Family's Diet 192

What We Need to Eat and Why 193

Variety Is the Spice of Life! 200

Buying Organic 202

Tips for Getting the Best Out of Your Food 203

7 Growing Up with BLW

Maintaining a Baby-Led Approach 207

Avoiding Negative Labels 208

Encouraging Self-Service 209

Mealtime Behavior 211

Bribes, Rewards, and Punishments 214

Avoiding an Emotional Battleground 215

Ending Milk Feedings 218

Conclusion 221

Appendix 1 The Story of Baby-Led Weaning 223

Appendix 2 Basic Rules for Food Safety 227

References 231

Photo Credits 232

Acknowledgments 233

Index 235

About the Authors 242

Editorial Reviews

Winner of the National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Honors Award, 2011
 
“Baby-led weaning . . . might be the best thing to happen in the high chair since the invention of the bib.”—Parents

“[Rapley and Murkett] encourage parents to forgo the usual baby puree and move straight to whole foods while continuing to breastfeed primarily after a baby is six months old. Their arguments are scientifically sound, especially when it comes to muscle development in the mouth, and they address the anticipated counterarguments. . . . If mine were little again, I would definitely try this. As long as mom is nursing, who says baby can’t eat lamb chops?”—Library Journal
 
“It sounds like common sense: After all, would you want to be strapped into a high chair and force-fed spoon after spoon of bland vegetables? It’s surely much more exciting to be able to exercise a bit of control over your diet.”—Guardian
 
“I’ve been telling mothers for years that when babies start grabbing food from the table, they are ready for solids. I had the pleasure of observing this with my own children. What I love about this book is the joy and zest the authors put into parenting, their commonsense approach, and their faith that babies will do the right things for themselves when the time is right. Baby-led weaning is easy, and it makes parenting fun!”—Nikki Lee, RN, MS, IBCLC
 
“Watching [baby Mirah] respond to the pleasures of ripe tomatoes, curried rice noodles, and all kinds of meats and vegetables has made mealtime a much more enjoyable experience for all three of us. We can tell she is learning through all of her senses. . . . and since we are generally sharing the same meal, I am more likely to make us all something healthy.”—Aimee Pohl, Babble.com
 
“No purees, no ice cube trays, no food processor, no potato masher . . . just you and your child, eating food that you enjoy . . . [My baby] adored feeding herself while her parents ate their own meals. I can’t even begin to tell you how pleasant it is to eat in a restaurant with your Baby Led Weaning child chomping on a piece of bread and butter or a chunk of cucumber from your salad beside you.”—Aitch, founder of Babyledweaning.com
 

From the Publisher