Baby-led weaning: The theory and evidence behind the approach

Rapley, Gill

doi:10.12968/johv.2015.3.3.144

Cited by 31 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…). BLW also fits with what we know about the readiness of the gut for an expansion of the diet, and the age at which chewing typically develops (Rapley ).…”

Section: Evidence For Baby‐led Weaningsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…The combined ability to hold the trunk erect, reach out and grasp objects of interest and take them accurately to the mouth has long been recognised as a sign of normal development at 6 months (Sheridan 1973), while the competence of newborn infants at locating their mother's breast, attaching and feeding, is so well established as to form the basis of current midwifery care (Widstr€ om et al 2011). BLW also fits with what we know about the readiness of the gut for an expansion of the diet, and the age at which chewing typically develops (Rapley 2015).…”

Section: Evidence For Baby-led Weaningmentioning

confidence: 76%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Baby‐led weaning: Where are we now?

Rapley

2018

Nutrition Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

When baby‐led weaning (BLW) first emerged as a concept, in the early 2000s, it was seen as a new and different approach to complementary feeding, a challenge to the accepted way of doing things – which indeed it was. Since then, there has been a gradual reassessment of the perceived wisdom that guides how complementary feeding is approached, with the result that many of the features of BLW are now reflected in mainstream thinking. The publication of the report of the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, Feeding in the First Year of Life, which summarises and evaluates the existing evidence base for infant feeding as a benchmark for UK guidelines, provides a useful opportunity to look at how well the baby‐led approach fits with current evidence and which aspects of the introduction of solid foods remain to be investigated.

show abstract

“…). BLW also fits with what we know about the readiness of the gut for an expansion of the diet, and the age at which chewing typically develops (Rapley ).…”

Section: Evidence For Baby‐led Weaningsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Evidence For Baby-led Weaningmentioning

confidence: 76%

Baby‐led weaning: Where are we now?

Rapley

2018

Nutrition Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This parent-led approach to complementary feeding differs substantially from Baby-Led Weaning (BLW), which advocates bypassing purées and instead recommends that the infant self-feeds all their foods in a solid form from the start of weaning [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Advocates of BLW suggest this approach leads to healthier food preferences due to the infant being exposed to greater food variety and role modeling through ‘joining in’ at the family meal [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of a Modified Version of Baby-Led Weaning on Dietary Variety and Food Preferences in Infants

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to determine whether food variety and perceived food preferences differ in infants following baby-led instead of traditional spoon-feeding approaches to introducing solids. A total of 206 women (41.3% primiparous) were recruited in late pregnancy from a single maternity hospital (response rate 23.4%) and randomized to Control (n = 101) or BLISS (n = 105) groups. All participants received government-funded Well Child care. BLISS participants also received support to exclusively breastfeed to 6 months and three educational sessions on BLISS (Baby-Led Weaning, modified to reduce the risk of iron deficiency, growth faltering, and choking) at 5.5, 7, and 9 months. Food variety was calculated from three-day weighed diet records at 7, 12, and 24 months. Questionnaires assessed infant preference for different tastes and textures at 12 months, and for ‘vegetables’, ‘fruit’, ‘meat and fish’, or ‘desserts’ at 24 months. At 24 months, 50.5% of participants provided diet record data, and 78.2% provided food preference data. BLISS participants had greater variety in ‘core’ (difference in counts over three days, 95% CI: 1.3, 0.4 to 2.2), ‘non-core’ (0.6, 0.2 to 0.9), and ‘meat and other protein’ (1.3, 0.8 to 1.9) foods at 7 months, and in ‘fruit and vegetable’ foods at 24 months (2, 0.4 to 3.6). The only differences in perceived food preferences observed were very small (i.e., <5% difference in score, at 12 months only). Infants following the modified Baby-Led Weaning were exposed to more varied and textured foods from an early age, but only an increased variety in ‘fruit and vegetable’ intake was apparent by two years of age.

show abstract

“…The traditional spoon-feeding (SF) method allows the parent to lead the feeding session, providing them with more control over what and how much food their infant eats using pureed foods. An alternative CF method used by parents is baby-led weaning (BLW), which encourages self-feeding such that the infant controls the feeding session and determines how fast they eat their meal and the foods they wish to consume (Rapley, 2015;Reeves, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study reported that food fussiness (defined by picky and limited food choices) is significantly reduced in infants following a BLW approach compared with SF infants (Brown & Lee, 2013). This may be due to the introduction of a wider variety of family foods and foods with more texture earlier (Rapley, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Complementary Feeding Methods on Early Eating Behaviors and Food Neophobia in Toddlers

Watson

Costantini

Clegg

2018

Child Care in Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Feeding methods used during infancy may impact upon eating behaviors in toddlers and influence the likelihood of developing weight issues. The aim of this study was to compare eating behaviors and food neophobia (defined as the reluctance to eat, or the avoidance of, new foods) in toddlers between three different complementary feeding (CF) groups; spoon-feeding (SF), baby-led weaning (BLW), and mixed method (MM). The study also aimed to investigate changes in early feeding practices and sociodemographic factors in relation to eating behaviors. Methods: One hundred and sixty-two parents with a child aged 12-48 months completed a questionnaire through online parenting forums and via Children's Centers. Parents reported their CF method at the point of introduction to complementary foods, the child's age when this occurred and the feeding method at one year along with breastfeeding duration. Toddler eating behaviors were measured using the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire and the Child Food Neophobia Scale. The questionnaire also examined sociodemographic measures. Results: No significant differences were found in any measured eating behaviors or neophobia between CF groups. There were significant differences in breastfeeding duration, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, timing of CF, gestational age and weight at birth between CF groups. CF method changed at one year such that more people moved to a MM approach of feeding. Conclusions: CF method does not appear to influence toddler neophobia, and relationships between breastfeeding and BLW and later introduction of CF are further confirmed. Furthermore, it appears that individuals that do not undertake BLW at the onset of CF are rarely undertaking it at one year. This research implies that early CF methods do not influence eating habits during toddlerhood. Further work is required to educate parents on the benefits of progressing infants to complementary food by one year.

show abstract

Baby-led weaning: The theory and evidence behind the approach

Cited by 31 publications

References 34 publications

Baby‐led weaning: Where are we now?

Baby‐led weaning: Where are we now?

Impact of a Modified Version of Baby-Led Weaning on Dietary Variety and Food Preferences in Infants

The Role of Complementary Feeding Methods on Early Eating Behaviors and Food Neophobia in Toddlers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About