- How to start the BLW method
- What to give the baby to eat
- Foods Your Baby Shouldn't Eat
- How much food should I give
- How to know that the baby ate enough
- How to make sure your baby won't choke
The BLW method is a type of food introduction in which the baby starts to eat the food cut into pieces, well cooked, with his hands.
This method can be used to complement the baby's feeding from 6 months of age, which is when the baby already sits without support, can hold the food with his hands and take whatever he wants to the mouth, besides showing interest in what parents are eating. Until the baby reaches these developmental milestones the method should not be adopted.
How to start the BLW method
To begin the feeding introduction with this method, the baby must be 6 months old, which is when the Brazilian Society of Pediatricians indicates that breastfeeding no longer needs to be exclusive. In addition, he should already be able to sit alone and hold food with his hands and take his mouth, opening his hands.
From this stage, the baby should sit at the table and eat their meals together with the parents. It is necessary for the baby to be fed only with healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and bread, cookies and sweets are excluded from this phase.
A good way to start using the method is instead of placing the food on a plate, leaving it on the tray that comes in the baby seats. Thus, the food looks more showy and draws the child's attention.
What to give the baby to eat
Good examples of foods that baby can start eating alone are:
- Carrot, broccoli, tomato, zucchini, chayote, cabbage, potato, cucumber, yam, pumpkin, corn cob, beetroot, Okra, string beans, cauliflower, omelet with parsley, Banana (remove the peel until almost halved), sliced grape, sliced apple, melon, screw noodles, boiled egg cut into 4, rice balls with beans, chicken breast cut into strips, grilled hamburger, meat pieces can only be used for sucking, boiled fruits, shelled and cut on a stick.
Hard foods must be cooked to facilitate chewing, and even if the baby has no teeth, the gums are also capable of grinding enough so that he can swallow.
Cutting vegetables into sticks is the best way to help your baby hold each piece to put in his mouth. If in doubt if the baby can really knead each food with the gum, parents can put the food in their mouth and try to knead using only the tongue and the roof of the mouth.
Foods Your Baby Shouldn't Eat
Based on this method, any food that cannot be handled should not be given to the baby, such as soup, puree and baby food. To prepare food for the baby, cook only with water and a minimum amount of salt. As the baby gets used to feeding, around 9 months, you can introduce spices, herbs and condiments to vary the flavor.
If the baby didn’t like a certain food initially, you shouldn’t be insisting on eating it, because it can make him lose interest in the food. The best strategy is to only try after some time, giving a small amount.
Olive oil and poo oil are welcome, but cooking oil is not, so the baby should not eat anything fried, just grilled and cut into strips.
Sausage, sausage, sausages, hard, soft or sticky sweets, as well as whipped soups and baby food are not recommended.
How much food should I give
The ideal amount is only 3 or 4 different foods for lunch and dinner. This does not mean that the baby will eat everything, for the experience of picking it up and putting it in the mouth to smell and taste also count. It is normal to have dirt on the table because the baby is still learning and should not be punished for not eating everything or spreading the food on his chair or on the table.
How to know that the baby ate enough
The baby will stop eating when he stops feeling hungry or loses curiosity about the food in front of him. The best way to find out if your baby is being well fed is to check that he is growing and getting fat enough at each visit to the pediatrician.
Every baby will still need to continue breastfeeding until at least 1 year old, and most of the calories and vitamins they need will also come from breast milk. Offering the breast after the baby eats with his own hands is also a good way to make sure he eats enough.
How to make sure your baby won't choke
So that the baby does not choke, he must remain at the table the entire time of the meal, having total control of what he takes and puts in his mouth. According to the child's normal development, first he is able to suck, after biting and chewing, but only when he can sit alone, open and close his hand and bring something to his mouth to eat, should he be stimulated to eat in pieces.
If it has already developed this way, there is little risk of choking, even because the baby will not be able to pick up very small foods such as grains of rice, beans or peanuts, because this movement requires much more coordination, and these are smaller foods that tend to make the child choke. The large pieces that have not been properly crushed by the baby's gums can be removed from the throat through the baby's natural reflex, but for it to work, the baby needs to be sitting or standing.
Therefore, for the safety of the baby, he should never be left alone to feed, leaning, lying, or distracted while playing, walking or watching television. Every baby's attention should be focused on the foods he can hold with his hands to eat alone. In any case, it is good for parents to know what to do if the baby chokes. Here we show the step by step of the Heimlich maneuver for babies.
