Meet BLW, the new food introduction method for babies

Francisco he was 6 months old when his mother, a student from Rio Grande do Sul Mauren Borges, 26 years old, put him in the high chair and offered him strawberries for lunch. The baby, who until then only breastfed, was delighted with the fruit. Then he was given broccoli and, little by little, other foods.

“I cooked the vegetables until they were soft, to the point where he could mash them with his gums, since his teeth only came in the eighth month”, she recalls. Mauren discovered the BLW method (baby-led weaning, or weaning guided by the baby) in internet searches.

The subject has aroused controversy among health professionals and mothers’ groups on WhatsApp and Facebook – Mauren is even the administrator of one of them, with more than 30,000 participants.

created by british Gill Rapleymaster in infant feeding, the approach described in the book Baby-Led Weaning – BLW: Weaning Guided by the Baby (Thymus) preaches that from 6 months the child dictates what he will eat, the amount and the rhythm.

“The proposal is to let her experience it without a spoon or fork. And without an adult putting the food in his mouth”, explains the specialist in pediatric nutrition. Monica de Araujo Moretzsohnfrom the Scientific Department of Nutrology of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP).

However, for her, the method should not be exclusive, but reconciled with baby food and breastfeeding. “At that age, the ideal is for the child to consume preparations with a pasty consistency, without pieces. As she grows, more solid food can be offered, ”she points out.

Despite these recommendations – repeated by most physicians – BLW’s popularity has been growing. Books on the subject have already been published in more than 15 languages. Among the reasons listed by mothers and experts for this phenomenon are the emphasis that the creator gives to the development of independence and the child’s motor and sensory skills.

“I wanted my son to understand the shape of the ingredients, explore the smell, texture and taste”, says Mauren. Francisco, now 1 year and 7 months old, has fully adapted.

secrets to success

Conquering the sympathy of babies requires dedication to food presentation. Carrots, beets and potatoes should be cut into strips and fruits into half moons so that the child can hold them. Spices and sliced ​​foods are prohibited due to the risk of suffocation.

In Facebook groups, adept mothers suggest forgetting the plate and putting vegetables and fruits straight on the high chair (very clean, of course). The plate would be a distraction.

Only babies who are able to control their head and trunk, sit without support and perform a pinching movement with their hands can be started on BLW. More importantly, the protrusion reflex (when using the tongue to expel food from the mouth) needs to have subsided, which usually happens around 6 months. The adult must supervise, as choking can happen.

“One day I went to dinner at my father’s house. Since he didn’t know anything about security cutting, he gave my son a whole chicken leg. A piece stuck in Hector’s throat. I noticed that he couldn’t spit. We remained calm and my father did the maneuver to relieve the choking”, reports the teacher from Paraná. July’anne Pereira da Silva22 years.

The situation is not uncommon. the financial manager Isabella Gomes Lustoza24 years old, mother of Henrique, 1 year and 1 month, also faced some gagging from him. “Those who have never experienced this are amazed, but I intervened calmly, and my son immediately spit out whatever was blocking his throat.”

Often the gag reflex, a normal physiological movement in which the baby spits out food, is confused with choking. The child has no control over this reaction, because, after months of only breastfeeding, he is still gaining familiarity with the food.

The lack of support from the family and the difficulty in maintaining the routine hindered Isabella. When starting the BLW, she realized that Henrique didn’t take anything to his mouth. “I couldn’t leave him without eating, despite hearing that, when he was hungry, he would take the initiative. He ended up giving in the traditional way, helping and with cutlery.”

Even with pediatric follow-up, she suffered from the pricks of family and friends. “People said that you had to offer the mashed food, that BLW made a lot of mess, that everything went to the floor. As I am a first-time mother, I questioned myself.”

In the case of the Gaucho mauren, the uncertainty came from the pediatrician. “When I suggested it, he was startled. I think he figured I was going to feed him adult food”, he comments. The way out was to look for a nutritionist who was familiar with the method and could offer the necessary support.

July’anne, on the other hand, was surprised by the encouragement of the pediatrician who treated her son in the Unified Health System. “She gave me a list of foods and said that he would know how to eat on his own if I let him,” she recalls.

watchful eye

July’anne joined one of the Facebook groups of mothers who are interested in BLW when Heitor was 4 months old. Before trying it at home, two months later, she researched and cleared doubts with other women who already practiced the method.

“I have always respected my son’s autonomy. I knew he wasn’t going to eat right away, because the child first needs to feel the texture of the food, play a little. So even with family pressure to give up, I felt safe.” However, after Heitor was 8 months old, July’anne started offering him a spoon at mealtimes.

“I thought the utensil would help, but it left you free to try with or without. I had the feeling that sometimes he ate little, ”she recalls. That risk exists. There is no proof that BLW guarantees all the nutrients necessary for development in adequate amounts.

“The child needs the right environment to grow and learn to eat, and there are not enough studies to say what is the advantage of offering only solid foods”, highlights the child nutritionist Priscilla Maximinofrom Instituto Pensi, in São Paulo.

Blw in depth

• Health associations in countries such as Canada, New Zealand and the United States do not officially recommend the method due to lack of data on the impact on child growth, the deficiency in micronutrient and calorie intake, and on the safety of the method.
• In Brazil, the Society of Pediatrics is against exclusive use. In a guide published on the internet, they suggest, in the beginning, to give food with the consistency of porridge, but not sifted or blended.
• A study published by the British Medical Journal concluded that babies who feed themselves have a lower risk of becoming obese children. That’s because from an early age they learn to identify the moment of satiety.

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