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Baby-led Weaning: The theory and evidence behind the
approach
Gill Rapley
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in the Journal
of Health Visiting in March 2015, copyright © MA Healthcare, after peer review and technical editing by the
publisher. To access the final edited and published work see [http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/toc/johv/current].
Abstract
Baby-led weaning (BLW) is an approach to the introduction of solid foods that, while not
new, has gained rapidly in popularity since it was given this name. While there is, thus far,
little direct evidence to justify it, there exists a range of research that provides support for the
principles that underpin it, namely the developmental readiness of infants to feed themselves
using their hands and their innate ability to respond appropriately to both appetite and
satiety. In its practical application BLW is in line with current recommendations and there is
tentative evidence that suggests it may lead to positive health outcomes. It is therefore
something that health visitors should be prepared to discuss with parents.
Key Words
Weaning; finger foods; self-feeding; baby-led; complementary feeding; solid foods
Key Points
Baby-led weaning is an approach, not a method.
Baby-led weaning is not new. It was being implemented by many parents long before it had
a name.
Baby-led weaning respects an infant’s natural abilities and instincts in relation to self-feeding
and appetite regulation.
The practical aspects of baby-led weaning are in line with the current UK recommendations
for introducing solid foods.
There is some evidence that baby-led weaning may lead to positive health outcomes.
Introduction
Most parents will find themselves discussing their baby’s introduction to solid foods with their
health visitor at some point, whether at their own instigation or the health visitor’s.
Nowadays, it is likely that baby-led weaning (BLW) will feature in that discussion, since many
parents have heard of it and are either following it or contemplating doing so. Anecdotally,
though, it seems that not all health professionals feel equipped to talk about BLW, while a
few Trusts are advising their staff to avoid the topic completely, on the grounds that it is not
‘evidence based’. This article explains what BLW is, what the evidence is that supports it,
and why it should form part of routine discussions about weaning.
What is baby-led weaning?
First and foremost, baby-led weaning is an overarching approach to the introduction of solid
foods, not merely a method of feeding. It incorporates several practical elements but is built
on an underpinning ethos of respect for the baby and a belief that his instincts are reliable.
On a purely practical level BLW differs very little from the current guidance for parents
published by the UK Departments of Health (NHS UK, 2014). In this sense, in the 12 years
since BLW first began to be talked about, it has become mainstream. What sets it apart from
the simple practice of using self-feeding and finger foods as a method for introducing solid
foods is the underlying trust that is accorded to the baby.
Baby-led weaning is firmly rooted in the overall normal development of infants (Rapley,
2013). Thus, the introduction of solid foods from six months is appropriate not only because
exclusive breastfeeding until then has been shown to lead to optimal health outcomes
(Kramer and Kakuma, 2012), and because of the normal developmental readiness at this
age of the gut, oral motor functions and immune system to extend the diet beyond breastmilk
(Naylor and Morrow, 2001), but also because it is at about six months that infants naturally
begin to want, and become able, to investigate their environment using their hands and their
mouths. Sharing meals is an essential aspect of BLW, freeing parents up to act as role
models for food choices and mealtime behaviour. In addition, shared mealtimes help babies
to learn which foods are safe, allow them to begin using cutlery and cups through imitation
as and when they are ready, and promote the development of speech and language.
Baby-led weaning recognises the fact that healthy, term babies are capable of feeding
themselves from the moment they are born and that feeding is something they do, rather
than something that is done to them. At the point of birth, when they are at their most
vulnerable, babies know how to feed, when to feed, how fast to feed and how much
breastmilk to take, and they will demonstrate this if they are given the opportunity. There is
no logical reason why these innate abilities, to obtain nourishment and regulate intake,
should desert the infant at the point where he or she begins to need other foods. Thus, in the
same way that, given the right circumstances, newborn infants are capable of locating the
breast, attaching and feeding themselves (Widström et al, 2011), so infants of around six
months, given the opportunity to reach out and grab food, will naturally begin to pick it up
and take it to their mouths (Rapley, 2003).
When a decision to allow the infant access to solid foods is made by the infant’s carers,
whether at four months, six months or some other age, the ‘baby-ledness’ of that transition is
immediately compromised to some extent, in that the infant’s first contact with solid food
happens at a point in time chosen by someone else. When, in addition, spoon feeding is
used, the opportunity for the exercise of autonomy by the infant is significantly reduced.
However responsive the carer, spoon feeding can never be entirely baby-led because the
baby is not in charge of what goes on the spoon. He is able to decide whether or not to
accept it – a yes/no decision – but is prevented from choosing between options. This is even
more true if the food is offered as a mashed or puréed all-in-one meal, when the ratios of the
various elements – and nutrients – are pre-determined. Spoon feeding, then, is something
done to a baby: he can either accept or refuse it, and he may be able to influence its pace,
but he cannot otherwise direct it. In addition, the need to spoon feed the infant makes it
difficult for the parent to eat at their own pace alongside their child, thereby reducing the
potential for role-modelling of normal eating behaviour.
Breastfeeding infants have been shown to adapt more readily than formula-fed infants to a
mixed diet (Cooke and Fildes, 2011), possibly because the varying flavour of breastmilk
prepares the infant for those he will encounter during weaning (Mennella, 1995). In addition,
the action of breastfeeding exercises and adapts the oral cavity for chewing (Neiva et al,
2003; Viggiano et al, 2004). However, there is so far no evidence to suggest that formula-fed
infants cannot feed themselves with solid foods from six months, nor that they are reluctant
to do so. There is, however, some evidence to suggest that mothers who formula feed may
find it harder than those who breastfeed to allow their infant the degree of control that BLW
entails (Brown and Lee, 2011).
How close is baby-led weaning to current guidelines?
The principle of developmental readiness underpins both BLW and the current UK infant
feeding guidelines. Both the practical elements of BLW and the recommendations available
to parents (NHS UK) support the idea that:
Solid foods are not normally needed before six months
Babies should be included in family mealtimes
Babies should sit upright to eat, and not be left alone with food
Babies can be encouraged to handle food and feed themselves as soon as they
show an interest in doing so
Some mess is to be expected
Spoon feeding, and puréed or mashed foods, are not essential
Babies should not be encouraged to continue eating when they have indicated that
they have had enough
Certain foods are not suitable for babies and should be avoided, or kept to a
minimum – for example, raw eggs, salt and sugar.
The Start4Life leaflet, Introducing Solid Foods (DH, 2011) tells the reader that babies “often
like to start eating [soft cooked vegetables and soft fresh fruit] by having them as finger
foods” (p.5) and advises that they “can feed themselves using their own fingers, as soon as
they show an interest” (p.9). There is no requirement to implement a period of spoon feeding
before or alongside self-feeding. On the contrary, the sense is that, having established that
their infant is ready for solid foods, the parents should take their cue from him. This is
reinforced by the fact that all the illustrations are of babies feeding themselves, either with
their fingers or with a spoon, rather than, as in the past, of infants being spoon fed by an
adult. There is therefore no conflict between the current recommendations and the practical
elements of BLW.
The key difference between the NHS guidelines and BLW is one of degree. Baby-led
weaning trusts the infant to know what he needs and to be able to choose for himself what
and when to eat, as well as how fast and how much. In addition, while Rapley and Murkett
(2008) endorse the six-month recommendation in order to discourage an inappropriately
early start, the theory behind BLW does not require there to be a stated minimum age for
starting solids, since the infant’s own development will prevent it from happening until the
appropriate point of readiness is reached. Providing the opportunity to eat, but leaving the
decision to the baby, means that expansion of the diet occurs at the right time for each
infant, whether that be at exactly 26 weeks, slightly before this, or a few weeks after. In
being explicit about the importance of handing over the decision-making to the infant, within
the context of safe practice and the availability of nutritious food, BLW therefore goes one
step further than the current guidelines. It is worth noting that ‘delaying’ the introduction of
solid foods until the infant takes the initiative and starts to help himself is far from being a
new idea, with plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that it has long been the norm in
larger families; the new feature is the name.
The evidence that supports a self-feeding approach
There is little direct evidence to support either the practical elements of BLW or, indeed, the
current UK recommendations as a package. Early proponents of BLW (Rapley, 2006;
Rapley and Murkett, 2008) pointed out that the shift to six months as a minimum age for the
introduction of solid foods, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO,
2003), required a re-assessment of the approach to be taken, in view of the different skills
and abilities of a six-month-old as compared with a four-month-old. Since then, Wright et al
(2011) have looked at when infants commonly begin to reach out for food and concluded
that self-feeding from six months onwards is probably feasible for the majority, particularly if
this is encouraged by the parents. Cameron et al (2012) also concluded that such an
approach is workable, while Townsend and Pitchford (2012) and Brown and Lee (2013)
found early evidence of positive health outcomes related to BLW. This research is valuable
but it is slim. However, lack of evidence for something is not the same as the existence of
evidence against it. Clearly it would not be acceptable to suggest to parents that they follow
an approach that has been shown to be harmful, but this is not the case here, since there is
plenty of indirect evidence to enable us to feel confident to recommend self-feeding from six
months.
We have known for a long time that six-month-old babies can reach out and grasp things
and take them to their mouths (Sheridan, 1973), and that chewing skills also emerge at
about this age (Illingworth and Lister, 1964). The result is that finger foods have, for many
years, been recommended from six months onwards, alongside puréed and mashed foods.
What has happened more recently is that our understanding of the readiness of the infant’s
gut and immune system for solid foods (Naylor and Morrow, 2001), and of the capability of
breastmilk to provide all the nutrition needed until this point (Kramer and Kramer, 2012), has
caught up with this existing knowledge. We now know that solid foods are not needed at four
or even five months, and that the quantity required at or soon after six months is almost
negligible – certainly not the ‘three meals a day’ which used to be expected (Krebs, 2000).
All we need to do is to join up the dots and realise that, for babies who are beginning solid
foods at six months, the need for puréed foods and spoon feeding has been bypassed and
they can move directly from breast- or bottle feeding to self-feeding.
More research is clearly needed but it is salutary to note that there is in fact no evidence to
support the spoon feeding of infants; it is simply that spoon feeding goes hand in hand with
the use of puréed foods. Both are necessary if babies who can neither get food to their
mouths themselves, nor chew it, are to be offered non-liquid foods. The combination of
puréed foods and spoon feeding thus became custom and practice over the decades during
which we believed that infants younger than six months needed more than just breastmilk or
infant formula. Similarly, clearing of a spoon with the top lip is often presented, in the
research literature, as a key feeding skill that infants must master. In fact, unless they are to
be spoon fed, it is not a skill they need to acquire until they begin to use cutlery themselves –
commonly from about ten months. Most infants who begin solid foods at around six months
are sufficiently skilled not to need purées, or even mashed foods, nor, to be fed by someone
else. Indeed, the use of unnecessarily soft foods in the second half of the first year may
delay the move to chewable foods and make later feeding difficulties more likely (Northstone
et al, 2001). Infants will spontaneously learn to use both spoons and forks, and later knives,
when it is developmentally appropriate for them to do so, in the context of autonomous
feeding.
Common concerns about self-feeding and BLW
The four biggest and most common concerns about allowing babies to feed themselves are:
‘Will they get enough to eat?’, ‘Will they eat the right foods?’, ‘Won’t they choke?’ and ‘Are
there any babies for whom self-feeding is inappropriate?’ The answers to these questions
should reassure us as to the wisdom of using a self-feeding approach.
Will they get enough to eat?
It is interesting that, at a time when one of our biggest public health challenges is obesity,
with childhood obesity highlighted as a key concern, we should be worried about whether
babies will get enough to eat if left to decide this for themselves. Normal, healthy children do
not knowingly starve themselves and, as we have seen, breastfed babies are able to
regulate their own intake. Indeed, the evidence suggests that we should be more concerned
about the risk of overeating for infants who are not allowed to exercise natural appetite
control (Li et al, 2012, 2014). Brown and Lee (2012) have shown that breastfeeding
promotes later satiety responsiveness and that allowing infants to feed themselves with solid
foods may have a similar effect, thereby potentially reducing the risk of obesity in childhood
(Brown and Lee, 2013). Conversely, both bottle feeding and spoon feeding are known to
have the potential to override infants’ natural appetite control (Aboud et al, 2009; Li et al,
2010). It is worth noting, too, that the addition of water to puréed foods, which is necessary
to achieve the required consistency, means that the infant needs to consume greater
volumes to achieve the same intake of energy and nutrients than he does when eating the
food in a graspable form. It would seem, then, that a biological pathway, in which self-
feeding at the breast is followed by self-feeding with solid foods, may be one way to reduce
the risk of habitual overeating.
Trusting the infant to know his own appetite is probably the most difficult aspect of BLW, for
both parents and health professionals. With a six-month start and a self-feeding approach,
intake of solid foods will usually be very small for the first few months and it can be tempting
to ‘top up’ with a few spoonfuls of puréed or mashed foods, just so everyone is reassured
that the baby has eaten something. But this assumes we know better than he does what and
how much he needs, and there is no evidence that this is the case. Insistence on combining
spoon feeding and self-feeding also ignores the fact that many parents turn to BLW precisely
because, at six months, their infant will not accept a spoon (Arden and Abbott, 2014). It also
reflects the emphasis, in previous decades, on replacing breastmilk or formula as quickly as
possible, rather than allowing it to remain the infant’s main source of nourishment until at
least the first birthday. Thinking of shared mealtimes as play and learning opportunities, and
ensuring that milk feeds continue to be available on demand, should allay fears about the
infant’s intake. The baby himself will manage the changeover, reducing his milk feeds
gradually from about nine months, as his intake of solid food increases.
Will they eat the right foods?
There is no evidence that unhealthy eating habits occur spontaneously; rather, it seems
likely they are induced by coercive or indulgent parenting practices (Faith et al, 2004; Patrick
et al, 2005). Indeed, provided a range of healthy foods is offered, there is good reason to
believe that self-feeding infants will choose a balanced diet (Strauss, 2006) and that they will
develop longer-term healthy eating habits into the bargain (Townsend and Pitchford, 2012).
Another advantage of BLW is the opportunity it provides for infants to learn to recognise
‘real’ food. Puréeing alters not only the appearance and texture of food but potentially also
its flavour (Waldron et al, 2003), meaning that an infant’s apparent liking for a food may not
extend to the same food offered in a different format later. Commercially produced weaning
foods are more different still from that which the child will eventually be expected to eat, and
may lack nutritional value (Garcia et al, 2013).
Of course, much depends on the nature and balance of the foods offered. For the
autonomous choices proposed in BLW to be reliable, nutritious foods must be offered and
unhealthy foods kept to a minimum. In addition, it is important that babies and children are
not influenced to prefer certain foods by emotional weighting that suggests some foods are
more desirable than others (Batsell et al, 2002; Fisher et al, 2002; Birch et al, 2003; Wardle
et al, 2003; Jansen et al, 2008; Scaglioni et al, 2008; DiSantis et al, 2011). On the surface,
this suggests that encouragement of self-feeding may not be appropriate for some families.
However, it is worth noting that anecdotal evidence indicates that many parents are
prompted to improve their own diet when contemplating following BLW, and reminding
ourselves that all children are likely, at some point, to end up eating similar food to their
parents. The start of weaning may therefore be an ideal time to educate and support parents
to adopt healthy eating practices for the whole family.
Won’t they choke?
Infants develop the ability to move chewed food to the back of their mouth for swallowing
only after they have learned to chew (Naylor, 2001). Prior to this, chewed food normally falls
forward, out of the mouth. This means that, provided the infant is sitting upright, his airway is
not at any more risk than an adult’s would be. In addition, infants of around six months
commonly gag readily on pieces of food when they start self-feeding, because their gag
reflex is triggered relatively far forward on the tongue (Naylor, 2001). This may serve to help
them learn how to keep food at the front of their mouth until they are ready to swallow it. The
risk of inhalation of food is also less when a biting action is used to take in the food, as
compared with the sucking action often used by infants when presented with a spoon
(Wickenden, 2000). Finally, choking is less likely when the individual is able to concentrate
on eating, to control what goes into his mouth, and to co-ordinate this with his breathing
(Delaney and Arvedson, 2008). It is interesting to consider that tipping infants back, offering
them food from a spoon, and distracting them with games of ‘aeroplanes’ have all formed
part of what has long been accepted as the ‘normal’ way of feeding a young baby. And yet
these practices have the potential to lead to choking because they override or bypass the
natural constraints that exist when an individual – adult, child or infant – feeds himself.
Are there any babies for whom self-feeding is inappropriate?
Baby-led weaning relies on an individual infant’s development – his actual age is
irrelevant. Babies whose development is delayed, or who have disabilities, tend to start
feeding themselves later and progress more slowly than other babies (Wright et al, 2011),
and some may never be able to feed themselves independently. To varying degrees, the
ability of these infants to feed themselves may therefore not keep pace with their need for
additional nutrients. This does not mean that self-feeding is out of the question, simply that
total reliance on this approach may not be appropriate. Indeed, it is all too easy for babies
with special needs to miss out on normal experiences and learning opportunities, simply
because they have been given a label. For example, it has been pointed out (personal
communication from speech and language therapists) that infants with Downs syndrome are
commonly spoon fed to a much greater degree, and for longer, than necessary and
consequently miss out on the opportunity to maximise the development of their fine motor
and chewing skills through early experience with ‘real’ food.
For infants who have a delay or disability, there is no reason why spoon and even tube
feeding cannot precede or be used in parallel with self-feeding, as a support for independent
eating rather than a replacement for it. Babies born preterm but whose developmental
trajectory is normal may, on the other hand, simply be able to continue with breastmilk or
formula, with additional nutrients given as supplements, until they progress naturally to self-
feeding when they reach the relevant gestational age. The current guidance from Bliss
allows for this, suggesting as it does that weaning should commence sometime between five
and eight months (Bliss, 2011).
Why be informed about baby-led weaning?
There are several reasons why health visitors should know about baby-led weaning. The first
is that many parents are following this approach and they will be forced to turn to the Internet
and social media for information and answers to their questions if their HV is not able or
prepared to help them. This is especially undesirable in the current climate of
commissioning. It is therefore important that health visitors are able and willing to offer
information about the practicalities of BLW, in order that parents can implement it safely. For
example, the baby must be able to support his head and trunk independently, and to be
sitting upright to eat. Food should be offered in sizes and shapes that match the infant’s
abilities, while also encouraging skill development. Thus, sticks or strips of food are
appropriate at the start, with a gradual progression during the early weeks to food that can
be grasped in handfuls (such as minced meat and rice) and then to foods that demand a
pincer grip or the use of a spoon or fork – all led by the baby. It is important, too, for health
visitors to be ready to discuss with parents ways in which meals can be adapted to adhere to
the current recommendations for home-cooked weaning foods (no added salt or sugar, no
‘junk’ food, peanuts, honey, etc.), so that food and mealtimes can be shared by the whole
family.
A second reason why health visitors need to inform themselves about baby-led weaning is
that BLW is the shorthand term used by many parents nowadays to refer to babies feeding
themselves with their fingers. Many do not realise that finger feeding from six months is
‘allowed’ within the current NHS guidelines, and this can lead to confusion about how and
when it is appropriate to introduce their baby to this method of eating. Such confusion also
leads to crossed wires when parents are discussing their plans for ‘doing’ weaning: a
combination of self-feeding and spoon feeding, which are both methods, is possible – but a
combination of BLW and spoon feeding is not, since, as approaches, the two are
incompatible.
A third reason why BLW is worthy of discussion is that the purpose of introducing solid foods
from six months is not to replace breastmilk (or formula) but to complement it, at least until
the first birthday (NHS UK, 2014) and preferably for longer (WHO, 2003). Since self-feeding
with the fingers is rarely possible before around six months, BLW necessarily implies a later
start to weaning; indeed, it has been shown to be a good predictor of adherence to the six-
month ‘rule’ (Moore et al, 2014). Allowing the infant to choose when weaning starts and to
direct the pace from then on helps to ensure that milk feeds are not reduced too rapidly.
Finally, as Wright et al (2011) acknowledged four years ago, BLW “is already widely used”
and “there have as yet been no case reports of adverse outcomes” (p.32), while “feeding
children purées is not without its problems” (ibid.). It is BLW’s potential to help parents avoid
some of the misery that is so commonly associated with getting babies and children to eat
that makes it an important part of all discussions about weaning.
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