UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO GAVIDIA

“Baby-Led Weaning (BLW)”

Presented by:

Tania Sofía Rodríguez Aparicio RA104117

Miss: Sicela Alberto

Subject: Reading and communication in advanced english – Grupo 01

Deadline: August 17, 2022

 Introduction

In the following we will talk a little about what is baby led weaning, a method that has

recently had a boom in modern mothers. First will be given the concept, tell you

some advantages of using BLW for the Complementary Feeding (CF) of your baby,

then will be illustrated the different methods that can be used to start Complementary

Feeding (CF) of a baby and finally will be given to know the professional opinion of

the WHO about this method.

 Baby - Led Weaning

The term baby-led weaning (BLW) was coined around 2003 by health visitor

Gill Rapley. This relaxed and unstructured approach is based on your baby being

offered solid foods and feeding him or herself, with no help from you or another adult.

The food would usually be soft pieces held in the hand, rather than being offered on

a spoon. (Phillips, 2022)

That its an example of a good concept about what Baby Led Weaning (BLW)

is, but if you wanted to know a simple word meaning, we can say that BLW it’s a

modern method that can be applied when a baby starts the Complementary Feeding

(CF) at the age of 6 month. It basically shows that babies can be feed by solid food,

and it’s not necessary to melt all the food that the baby it’s going to eat.

Now I will tell you 10 Awesome Benefits of Baby-led Weaning:

• It’s easy

• It’s cheaper than traditional weaning

• Combat Picky Eating

• Baby enjoys eating

• Baby is a part of our meal

• Baby learns to clear stuck food

• Baby is learning to self-regulate

• Less risk of allergies

• Baby will learn to appreciate different foods

• Baby is learning!
 In order to make this information more clear, next you can see some examples

about how you can feed a baby using the different methods that actually exists and

most of the mother usually use.

BLW

Spoon Feeding

Combined Feeding

But if you want to be really informed and have a professional opinion about

what it’s the best method to start the Complementary Feeding with your baby, the
best you can do is to follow the Worlds Health Organization (WHO) said about this

topic.

For the WHO, around the age of 6 months, an infant’s need for energy and

nutrients starts to exceed what is provided by breast milk, and complementary foods

are necessary to meet those needs. An infant of this age is also developmentally

ready for other foods. This transition is referred to as complementary feeding.

If complementary foods are not introduced around the age of 6 months, or if

they are given inappropriately, an infant’s growth may falter.

Ensuring that infants nutritional needs are met requires that complementary

foods be:

timely – meaning that they are introduced when the need for energy and nutrients

exceeds what can be provided through exclusive breastfeeding;

adequate – meaning that they provide sufficient energy, protein and micronutrients

to meet a growing child’s nutritional needs;

safe – meaning that they are hygienically stored and prepared, and fed with clean

hands using clean utensils and not bottles and teats;

properly fed – meaning that they are given consistent with a child’s signals of

appetite and satiety, and that meal frequency and feeding are suitable for age.

Caregivers should take active care in the feeding of infants by being

responsive to the child’s clues for hunger and also encouraging the child to eat.

(Worlds Health Organization, 2022)

 Conclusion

So, at the end of this investigation, you can conclude that there are different methods

to start the Complementary Feeding with a baby, also, that the modern method can

be a good practice for babies to get more independent and also helps baby to have

a better development. Even though that the Worlds Health Organization said nothing

about what method it’s the best to start CF, it recommends to follow some guide that

BLW complies perfectly.

Bibliography
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