Moms are talking about…
There is a DVD available on this subject. I paid $90! for it and then realized the entire DVD can be viewed on YouTube for free. There is also a book on it by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett called Baby Led Weaning. Google “baby led weaning” and lots of information will come up on it. I can’t really say anything official about Baby Led Weaning because the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) and the ADA (American Dietetic Association) have not yet taken a stance.
However, in my opinion, parents should lovingly offer the correct age-appropriate food with no pressure or goading to eat it. And it should be up to the baby to decide which foods and how much to eat. I would not be surprised if we starting switching over to Baby Led Weaning from the way we currently feed babies. With Baby Led Weaning (BLW), the baby never gets fed from a spoon by the parent. The baby either feeds him/herself with his hands or feeds himself with the spoon himself. By the baby feeding herself, she decides herself when she is full. This may help prevent obesity because the baby depends on her satiety signals for when to stop instead of depending on the parent to decide for her. I personally think BLW is a great idea. Also, advocates of BLW say it’s much easier for the parent since they don’t do the puree thing. For more information on BLW check out this terrific article on wholesomebabyfood.com.