Baby Led Weaning With Finger Foods

Does Your Baby Prefer Self Feeding?

Aug 16, 2008 Christine Fadhley

Finger food or spoon food - baby Led Weaning is a new approach to baby feeding. Find out more and try out Finger Food Fish Cakes

Each baby is unique in the way s/he responds to solid food. Just like adults, babies differ in the way they taste foods and react to the texture of foods. Some babies are "hungry" and want to be weaned early and others can wait a bit longer.

The important thing is to find out what your baby prefers. Here is some current thinking from the Department of Health and from the Foods Standard Agency.

Weaning

Current advice from The Department of Health is to start weaning the baby at around six months, when the baby has a strong neck and can sit up with support. At this time they may start to take an interest in what you or their siblings are eating and start to reach towards food. This is a good sign that they are ready.

Traditional Weaning

The traditional way to introduce foods is to start with baby rice or other bland foods that can be made up by mixing with baby milk. Blended vegetables or fruits are next introduced when the baby needs more food to help them get through the night.

Baby Led Weaning

This is a new way of feeding that throws out the old ideas about purees and spoon feeding. Instead, once the baby has sufficient co-ordination and can swallow, the baby is allowed to feed him or herself. Food is presented in pieces that can be held by the baby. It is recommended that parents consult their health professional to ascertain when this is safe to do.

Finger Food

This style of feeding requires finger foods that can be easily grasped – about the size of a French fry. Once the baby has sufficient strength to lift the head, s/hecan also usually manage to masticate food between the tongue and gums and then move it to the back of the throat ready for swallowing. Mothers are warned that they should not leave their babies alone whilst they are eating in this way in case they choke.

Advantages of Baby Led Weaning

Gill Rapley, a health visitor for 25 years and now deputy programme director of UNICEF UK's Baby Friendly Initiative, believes that babies weaned in this way are less likely to become fussy eaters. This method also encourages mothers to be more confident in feeding their babies with home made food.

Here is a nutritious finger food recipe to try out that is suitable for children who are over 9 months. It incorporates different flavours and textures so that your child can get used to and enjoy a more varied eating experience.

Fish Cake Finger Food Recipe

• Boil and mash potato and carrot to firm consistence
• Mix in flaked fish and season with paprika, coriander, salt, pepper & lemon zest
• Mash all the ingredients and then form into patties
• Dip in egg and then roll in crushed corn-flakes
• Fry or bake in an oven for 20 minutes

Serving Fish Cakes

Simply chop the fish cakes into graspable pieces and leave the rest to baby!

For more information on weaning babies safely there is an excellent publication by the Foods Standards Agency that you can consult.

References

Gill Raply DVD " A Developmental Approach to Introducing Solid Foods" is available from Mark It Television

The copyright of the article Baby Led Weaning With Finger Foods in Infants & Toddlers is owned by Christine Fadhley. Permission to republish Baby Led Weaning With Finger Foods in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

James Feeding Himself