Baby-led weaning and current UK recommendations - are they compatible?

Sachs, Magda

doi:10.1111/j.1740-8709.2010.00278.x

Cited by 18 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Mothers discussed their experiences of introducing complementary foods to their infant. Although babyled weaning is often seen as a separate and alternative approach to introducing complementary foods, this research shows that there are indeed a number of parallels between this method and traditional approaches as has previously been discussed in the literature (Sachs 2011). Department of Health (2009) on introducing complementary foods places emphasis on an introduction at around 6 months, a gradual introduction of tastes and textures based around family foods and looking for signs of readiness for complementary foods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

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An exploration of experiences of mothers following a baby‐led weaning style: developmental readiness for complementary foods

Brown¹,

Lee²

2011

Maternal & Child Nutrition

203

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Current UK Department of Health guidelines recommend that infants are introduced to complementary foods at around 6 months of age. Intake of complementary foods should be gradual, should incorporate a range of tastes and should be based around family foods. The infant should be 'developmentally ready', able to sit up, grasp objects and chew. Introduction to complementary foods in the UK is typically via purée and spoon-feeding although an alternative approach is growing in popularity. The baby-led weaning approach advocates bypassing purées and allowing infants to self-feed foods in their solid form from the start of weaning. Research surrounding this method is sparse, and it is not advocated in Department of Health literature but understanding, if not advocacy of the method, is needed for health professionals faced with questions from parents. Here, 36 mothers of an infant aged 12-18 months who followed baby-led weaning completed a semi-structured interview examining their attitudes, beliefs and behaviours towards the approach. Key themes included following infant cues of readiness, hunger and satiety, exposure to textures and tastes and experiences, both positive and negative of following the method. The findings are considered in relation to Department of Health weaning guidelines and literature pertaining to the development of eating styles and weight gain in young children. Overall, the study offers an insight into this emerging method for child health practitioners raising questions as to the use or potential adaptation of key principles of the methods.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…This typically occurs at around 6 months of age (Rapley 2006). The method thus encourages similar concepts as current Department of Health advice, but places a much greater emphasis on self‐feeding and non‐mashed or puréed foods (Sachs 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

An exploration of experiences of mothers following a baby‐led weaning style: developmental readiness for complementary foods

Brown¹,

Lee²

2011

Maternal & Child Nutrition

203

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“…Alternatively, we have previously suggested that low levels of maternal control encouraged by BLW and/or associated tendency for breastfeeding in mothers using BLW account for any improved outcomes rather than self‐feeding and absence of purées per se . Furthermore, Sachs has questioned whether BLW is quantifiably different from many parents who introduce solid foods to their infant without considering themselves ‘baby‐led’ .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early influences on child satiety‐responsiveness: the role of weaning style

2013

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“…One suggested benefit of BLW is that it facilitates infants' ‘ … gradual transition to solid foods, in their own time and at their own pace … ’ (Rapley , p. 21) and that it allows infants to control how much and what types of foods they consume in the same way that breastfeeding is ‘on demand’ (Sachs ). This may be beneficial as breastfeeding has been suggested to lower the risk of childhood obesity (Arenz et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of baby‐led weaning: trust, control and renegotiation

Arden

Abbott

2014

Maternal & Child Nutrition

123

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Baby-led weaning (BLW) is an approach to introducing solid foods that relies on the presence of self-feeding skills and is increasing in popularity in the UK and New Zealand. This study aimed to investigate the reported experiences and feelings of mothers using a BLW approach in order to better understand the experiences of the mother and infant, the benefits and challenges of the approach, and the beliefs that underpin these experiences. Fifteen UK mothers were interviewed over the course of a series of five emails using a semi-structured approach. The email transcripts were anonymised and analysed using thematic analysis. There were four main themes identified from the analysis: (1) trusting the child; (2) parental control and responsibility; (3) precious milk; and (4) renegotiating BLW. The themes identified reflect a range of ideals and pressures that this group of mothers tried to negotiate in order to provide their infants with a positive and healthy introduction to solid foods. One of the key issues of potential concern is the timing at which some of the children ingested complementary foods. Although complementary foods were made available to the infants at 6 months of age, in many cases they were not ingested until much later. These findings have potentially important implications for mother's decision-making, health professional policy and practice, and future research.

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Baby-led weaning and current UK recommendations - are they compatible?

Cited by 18 publications

References 2 publications

An exploration of experiences of mothers following a baby‐led weaning style: developmental readiness for complementary foods

An exploration of experiences of mothers following a baby‐led weaning style: developmental readiness for complementary foods

Early influences on child satiety‐responsiveness: the role of weaning style

Experiences of baby‐led weaning: trust, control and renegotiation

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