Which weaning method should I use?
Are you thinking about which method to use when you’ve decided to start weaning your baby? There are many opinions to this but it is all about trying out what works best for you and your baby
Weaning your baby should be done gradually, starting with a teaspoon or two, once a day. These first solids are not a main source of nourishment and your baby should continue with normal milk feeds.
There are two weaning techniques you can use, and they are traditional weaning and Baby-Led weaning.
The main difference between both is the order babies learn to eat. With traditional weaning, babies are offered smooth pureed food) and chew later while with Baby-led , babies skip the pureed food phase and are offered finger foods or chopped foods. In spoon-feeding method/traditional weaning, his approach is much more controlled by the adult, or you, as the parent, giving you the ability to be able to offer a wide range of foods to your little one. It involves pureeing foods until smooth and then spoon-feeding your baby.
So which approach is best?
The baby-led weaning has become more popular over the last few years with mums choosing this over traditional approach. There’s no right or wrong way –Some parents mix both approaches. It all depends which one(s) work best. It is important to keep the balance between both approaches so you can give your baby food from a spoon as well as offering finger foods at each meal. The most important thing is that your baby eats a wide variety food and gets all the nutrients they need.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each method so it depends on hat works for you and your bay.
Traditional weaning
Pros
- You will be able to know how much your child has eaten
- You will be able to ensure they are getting a varied diet.
- It is less messy
- You can use jars and pouches to store meals especially when out and about.
Cons
- Preparing lots of different purees can be time consuming
- Spoon-feeding at mealtimes means that you don’t really eat together
- They get used to the smooth textures so sometimes it’s hard to get them to accept textures
Baby-Led weaning
Pros
- No baby purees to make
- You can eat together as they feed themselves
- Your baby gets to explore a range of flavours and textures sooner
- No rejection of ‘lumpy’ food
Cons
- Could be very messy
- Cannot measure what they have actually eaten
- Lots of food will be wasted.
- Can sometimes be difficult to find something suitable when eating out, especially things with low salt
- Opinions offered from people who have never tried it!
- Can be a bit scary hearing them gag and you do have to be extra vigilant about choking
Whatever route you choose, remember it is still all about learning and experimenting as long as they are still getting their main nutrition from milk.
