Saturday, April 14, 2012

What is BLW?

Hello everyone! I'm Mallory and I decided to do this blog about my daughter's and my own journey in BLW. Thanks for reading!

You're probably all wondering what BLW is and what this blog is all about. Well my daughter, Harper, is turning 6 months old in one week. Most people know that at six months, or sometimes sooner, people will begin to give their baby baby food. This is normally in the form of a purée of some sort, banana, sweet potato, peas, you get the point. Well BLW stands for Baby Led Weaning. It's a form of feeding your baby that does NOT include puréed foods. You give your baby table food.

Now I know most of you are now thinking, are you crazy Mallory? But you don't know all of the facts and research I've done on BLW to come to this decision. Here are some things to consider:

1. In BLW, a baby feeds itself. Yes that's right, you don't have to spoon feed your baby! In BLW, a baby picks up it's own food that is offered to him/her. He or she feeds themselves with no help from a parent! The baby is given fry shaped pieces of different foods to try. The foods can be anything from a simple banana to chicken!

2. He or she learns how to chew food BEFORE swallowing. Most babies are given puréed food by their parents on a spoon and put into their mouths which they then, of course, swallow instead of chew. A BLW baby learns how to chew up their food before swallowing. Now you're probably wondering, won't they need teeth for that? Well...

3. You would be surprised how strong baby gums are. Plus, a baby gets its front teeth first which are not used to chew. Baby gums are perfect for chewing on bananas, sweet potatoes, and so forth. ( and now you know I'm not talking about puréed ones either ;) )

4. Hand eye coordination: BLW incorporates hand eye coordination. A baby learns to bring food to its own mouth to eat, not for you to bring it for them.

5. You're probably thinking,won't she/he choke? Well if you ask this, you need to remember the difference in choking and gagging. Gagging is when a babies gag reflex pushes the food to the front of the mouth so the baby will spit it out instead of taking it into is wind pipe. Now, yes, your baby will gag. Choking is rare. You actually have a greater risk of your baby choking if you feed them puréed food. (interesting huh?) When a baby doesn't chew then swallow, he/she is way more likely to choke on something!

6. Your baby will WANT to eat! We all know the typical "airplane noise" a parent makes when trying to feed their baby. In BLW, since a baby feeds itself, it wants to eat! It's a fun experience for them and not something to stress about!

7. The baby can eat when you're eating and what you're eating. There's no picking out a time each day for your baby to eat so that you can feed them. Your baby will be eating breakfast when you are! Your baby gets to now be a part of meals instead of just watching. On top of that, wouldn't you love to be able to not have to cook extra "baby foods" and just have your baby eat what you're eating? Well in BLW, if you're eating healthy, that's exactly what you don't have to do! Say you're cooking a stir fry. After its cooked, just pick out a few veggies, let them cool a bit, and offer them to your baby! Could it get any easier?

8. Since the name "Baby Led Weaning" sounds as if a baby should wean itself from breastfeeding, think again. Harper will be breastfeeding just as often as before! You should not stop unless that is what you want to do. Breast milk should still be a baby's #1 source of nutrition



If none of that convinces you, do your own research! There are tons of BLW websites and even youtube videos. You shouldn't automatically feel like you have to feed your baby what everyone else is. Read up and make the decision for yourself!

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with puréed food because there's not! I'm just writing this blog to inform and document how my own daughter does with BLW to help others who might want to try it out! Each day, once she starts, I'll try to post a picture of her eating and how it went. I hope this will help some one out or just be entertainment for someone. :) Thanks for reading!