Baby led weaning & letting your baby feed herself by Mother & Baby TV
- 13 years ago
By the age of about six months our babies are physically capable of feeding themselves. Baby led weaning is a term which simply put means letting your baby feed themselves from the very start of weaning.
Your baby's first meal is a real milestone and moving your baby onto solids means that you can begin to make choices about what to feed your baby.
For more information on weaning babies including getting your baby to eat from a spoon, what's safe to feed your baby, how to make your own baby food recipes and how to deal with baby feeding problems, go to askamum.co.uk's Weaning & Feeding section here http://www.askamum.co.uk/Baby/Left-hand-nav/Weaning--feeding/
Before you start whining over weaning, remember, eating has to be learnt. Yes, hard to believe now the grown up you can devour a donut without it touching the sides of your mouth we know, but feasting on anything thicker than milk doesn't come naturally when you're only a few months old. While sucking on a breast is instinctive, solids are, quite literally, harder to swallow. But don't panic.
Our quick and easy guide on when to start weaning, as well as what and how to feed your baby, will stop you making a meal out of meal times.
When is the best time to start weaning?
So when's the best time to start giving your baby something more solid than milk? According to the bods at the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation, the ideal is exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.
Apart from a ferocious appetite, day or night, there are other ready-to-wean signs worth watching for -- swiping at your snacks for starters, or watching your mouth when you eat.
Judy More, paediatric dietician and registered nutritionist says: 'Baby's tend to show interest in food or start exploring things with their mouths,' says Judy. 'Whatever the signs, your baby needs steady head control before you wean to avoid choking.'
Your baby's first meal is a real milestone and moving your baby onto solids means that you can begin to make choices about what to feed your baby.
For more information on weaning babies including getting your baby to eat from a spoon, what's safe to feed your baby, how to make your own baby food recipes and how to deal with baby feeding problems, go to askamum.co.uk's Weaning & Feeding section here http://www.askamum.co.uk/Baby/Left-hand-nav/Weaning--feeding/
Before you start whining over weaning, remember, eating has to be learnt. Yes, hard to believe now the grown up you can devour a donut without it touching the sides of your mouth we know, but feasting on anything thicker than milk doesn't come naturally when you're only a few months old. While sucking on a breast is instinctive, solids are, quite literally, harder to swallow. But don't panic.
Our quick and easy guide on when to start weaning, as well as what and how to feed your baby, will stop you making a meal out of meal times.
When is the best time to start weaning?
So when's the best time to start giving your baby something more solid than milk? According to the bods at the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation, the ideal is exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.
Apart from a ferocious appetite, day or night, there are other ready-to-wean signs worth watching for -- swiping at your snacks for starters, or watching your mouth when you eat.
Judy More, paediatric dietician and registered nutritionist says: 'Baby's tend to show interest in food or start exploring things with their mouths,' says Judy. 'Whatever the signs, your baby needs steady head control before you wean to avoid choking.'