COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING: HOW TO FEED A BABY USING “BABY-LED WEANING”

A few days ago we talked about the "Baby-led Weaning" which is the way to give a name to the let the babies feed themselves with foods similar to or equal to what parents could eat.

This technique (to call it somehow, because we do nothing more than put food in front of them) is based on allowing children to learn to chew first and then to swallow, instead of teaching them to swallow without chewing, as is done with the porridge

Although I understand that it is a little scary to let them take food and put it in their mouths, I leave you a guide with some recommendations for those who want to give their babies a chance:

Look for information about this topic on the Internet, even in English, to see photos and videos of six-month-old babies eating so quietly and listen to their astonished parents behind the camera. A picture is worth a thousand words and seeing other babies do it gives confidence about our abilities.
Forget the concept of "baby food." They can eat a lot of things that we eat, so all we have to keep in mind is that they should be a little bigger than their fist because it is easier for them to take it, but gradually offer smaller pieces so that they exercise the upper and lower clamp.
People usually start with pieces of pear, with boiled carrot, with cut cucumber and similar things, but there is no reason for the baby to not be able to taste a mashed potatoes or some spaghetti if it is what that day there is to eat (taking in account, as we talked days ago, that food must be offered a few days apart).
Forget about bowls and children's dishes. They are crying out for the air. The ideal is to put the food on the highchair table or on the table if it is what is in front of you and that is taking, touching and manipulating whatever you want.
The baby should be in an upright position while experimenting with food to prevent the food from falling by gravity into his throat when he does not expect it. The first few days he may be sitting on your lap, in front of the table. The moment you see that he is able to choose food and eat you can go to a high chair or a high chair.
Be very clear, everything is going to get lost so feed him when you have not bathed him and get ready to give a good review of the kitchen. It may be a good idea to put one of those waterproof gowns that cover them inside, you can also put something on the high chair or chair (an old sheet, for example) and for the table, I don't know, a tablecloth?
Experience says that The longer you are preparing a food for the baby, the less likely it is to eat it (It is Murphy's Law), so the ideal is to prepare for us what we are going to give him or give him what we have prepared for us (it is the same but it all depends on who we think about making the food), so, If you don't like it, nothing happens, you will always have the milk.
He offers again food that at some point he rejected. It may be that a few days ago he did not feel like it, but now he has changed his mind. They often accept food that they had long ago rejected.

I know it's a mess, but it's better if you eat all together, or at least you with your baby. Watching you eat and even stealing your food, you realize that it is one more and that you eat just like dad and mom (which makes eating even more stimulating).

No need to put a lot of food on the table. With a couple of pieces it is enough for you to have a good time playing (even if you have some more pieces on hand in case you throw them on the floor). As we see that he is accepting food we can put before him variety and diversity so that he chooses what he desires most.

The amount is not important., as we have said, milk is the main food until 12 months and Complementary feeding aims to help babies learn to eat, knowing textures and colors. This is precisely what he is doing when we put food in front of him and let him touch it, handle it, suck it, scare it and eat it, if he wants.

The first few times he won't even eat. When you discover that these new toys have a certain flavor, you will bite, chew and even swallow them.

Hunger can be harmful to children when they are learning to eat in this way, since the urge to put something in their mouths can eliminate the discovery factor. Ideally, you should be offered these meals between drinking and drinking, when you can eat something without hurry.

Never put food in your mouth. Let it be he who decides how much to take in the hand and how far to introduce the food. It is possible that the first times even make arcades. It is normal, he is learning to eat and he may have spent the amount or put the food in too much. They themselves make the necessary gestures to put the food back in the mouth and continue eating.

Little by little, he will learn to master chewing more and the process of bringing food from the table to his mouth (and if it gives you the feeling that he is going to choke, you take it out by hand, as we do when they put it in the mouth something they shouldn't).

Do not leave it alone at any time. Seeing that your baby eats is only a temptation to go do something else, however any mistake can be enough for an accident (we also do not leave only a child who still does not know how to walk and begins to take his first steps).

It is good to know that much of what will come out. The content of the diapers will vary hopelessly when you see bits of undigested broccoli, strange black threads that come from the banana, etc. I say it basically so that nobody gets scared thinking that the child is getting bad.

Do not offer foods that carry an obvious risk, such as peanuts, raw carrot pieces, etc.

Do not offer fast food, pre-cooked food or food to which sugar or salt has been added (we must preserve the ability to meet new flavors and this is reduced if we give foods that predispose them too much to sweet and savory flavors).

Offer water in a glass, even if you don't worry if you don't want it. A baby fed with breast milk may prefer to receive all the drink from the breast.

No hurry. If you get the impression that at first you don't get along or you're too scared that he eats himself (or herself), you can wait a while until you have more confidence in his abilities. For 7-8 months, for example, they hold up much better sitting and have better motor coordination (although we saw in Olivier's videos that with less than six months it is possible to eat a carrot).

If there is a family history of food intolerance, allergy or digestive problems, discuss this method of feeding with doctors before carrying it out.

Have a camera ready because your child is going to get lost (and they are very funny when they show the incredible ability to dirty everything while they look at you with those open and innocent eyes) and because it is amazing to see a baby eating food that is not “of baby".

With these recommendations on what can be done and what cannot be done, you already have a sufficient basis if you want to opt for the “Baby-led Weaning” to favor your baby's learning while eating.

I encourage you to explain your experiences in this regard. In our case, a few days ago we started to give fruit “sliced” to Aran, who is about six and a half months old, boiled carrots, bananas, rice, bread sticks… with mixed results.

Some things sucks and bites them well, others do not even reach the mouth and others cause those arcades that I mentioned in the previous entry, with which the food returns to the mouth to start again.