There are so many issues which can divide parents online, from sleep training to ‘sad beige’ nursery aesthetics - it can often feel exhausting to navigate social media when it comes to your parenting decisions. Which is why baby-led weaning, known as BLW, has become such a hot topic in recent years. An increasingly popular approach to starting solid foods, baby-led weaning involves jumping straight to finger foods and bypassing purees.
One of the most influential voices in this country when it comes to BLW is nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed, who is an author and mum to little foodies Raffy and Adaline, and owner of consultancy, SR Nutrition. It’s her mission in her work to give parents confidence in feeding their children, which she does via her Instagram account and her two brilliant books filled with accessible recipes and weaning plans.
Baby-led weaning was subject of a recent controversy when New York magazine ran a cover story about the feeding trend, entitled, ‘When Babies Rule the Dinner Table’ which delved into the eclectic menus some parents feed their young children on their BLW journeys, including sardines, anchovies, olives, umeboshi plums and capers.
BLW’s critics say it’s too messy, too much like hard work when purees do the job just as well. Some are afraid of giving their babies big chunks of food to eat because of a perceived choking risk. These are common misconceptions she’s met with, says Stirling-Reed, but there’s no evidence to suggest any increased risk.
At a recent Luxury Family Hotels' 'Parenthood Retreat Series', Charlotte Stirling-Reed offered parents a brilliant weaning and child nutrition masterclass at Woolley Grange Hotel, talking us through failsafe recipes, tips for avoiding stress and pressure at mealtimes and how to encourage freedom when it comes to food choices for little ones. The hotel group offers inviting packages for parents and families to enjoy everything the hotels have to offer (and there's a lot to choose from, including an on-site nursery, cinema experiences and indoor and outdoor swimming pools) while working on learning more about navigating raising your children.
Here, Charlotte gives Grazia an in depth look at baby-led weaning, everything she’s learned about feeding children and mastering mealtimes.
What do you think the biggest misconceptions about BLW are?
That baby-led weaning is THE right way to wean your baby, and if you’re not doing it, then you’re not doing the best thing for your baby. There are many different ways to wean your baby and also many things that affect how a baby takes to weaning. If you’re not following baby-led weaning and your baby has a slow start to weaning, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.
Or, if you do baby-led weaning, your baby will never be a fussy eater. This just simply isn’t true. It’s very common for babies to be great little eaters throughout weaning and then everything changes in toddlerhood, whether they’ve followed BLW or not. There are SO many factors that affect fussy eating, and whilst some of the principles of BLW can help children to develop a healthy relationship with food, it doesn’t mean they’ll never go through any phase of fussy eating.
I also hear a lot from people that they believe babies shouldn’t have whole/textured food from the start. Babies don’t NEED to start with purees - it’s perfectly fine for them to have appropriately prepared table foods, as long as they’re developmentally ready for weaning.
The main worry I hear about is that baby-led weaning leads to a higher risk of choking. The evidence we have doesn’t support the idea that baby led weaning is riskier in terms of choking. What matters is that food is prepared in age-appropriate ways, babies are appropriately positioned in their high-chair and an adult is always supervising a baby when they’re eating.
Why do you think some parents are still so overwhelmed by BLW?
The idea of giving babies large pieces of food as opposed to smooth purees can seem quite daunting to parents who are often worried about watching them try to place a whole broccoli floret in their mouth. I totally understand this worry, and I know first-hand that weaning can be difficult, no matter how you do it.
The online discourse can also be quite overwhelming for parents. Many proponents of BLW can be quite unequivocal in terms of how they think BLW should be done. In my opinion, and experience, BLW should really be about following your baby’s lead. Whether that’s offering finger foods or purees/mashed food - giving a bit of both and letting your baby decide what they prefer is what I believe BLW should be about.
What do you wish new parents could know when they start considering their weaning options?
That there isn’t one right way to wean your baby. Weaning is a journey and it’s all about the process of your baby learning to eat. Whether you spoon-feed, offer finger foods or do a bit of both, what matters most is letting your baby have the opportunity to explore and learn about food and mealtimes. That means allowing them to get a little messy, touch the food, squash it, sniff it, lick it and also, importantly, to watch YOU eat. Babies learn a lot from observing us and so sitting down to eat together when you can, can make the world of difference, no matter how you’re feeding your baby.
What are your wishes for parents and babies when it comes to eating?
I’d love for parents not to compare their babies/toddlers to others. Children are SO different - I know from my own two children, that the same methods, parenting and environment can have VERY different outcomes. There is enough pressure on parents as it is, and feeding kids is HARD work and it’s relentless. We’re all doing the best we can.
When it comes to toddler feeding what are the three main things for parents to consider?
Feeding toddlers is hard! It’s very normal for their appetites to go up and down and for their likes and dislikes to constantly change. Most parents will likely go through multiple phases of fussy eating, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong or that your child will be fussy forever.
Toddlers strive for independence - when it comes to mealtimes this can mean allowing them to serve themselves, getting them involved in some of the meal planning or letting them choose the plate/cup they’re going to use that day. You can also try giving them A and B options at mealtimes so they feel that they have had a choice.
Try not to overcomplicate it - you don’t need to cook from scratch for every meal and not every meal needs to be a hot dish. Fridge raid meals, picky plates and leftovers are perfectly acceptable meals and can save you a lot of time and energy. And sometimes, cereal for dinner is necessary - and that’s ok!
For more information, and access to Charlotte's online weaning courses, click here.