Is Baby-Led Weaning ACTUALLY Better Than Spoon Feeding?

Baby Led Weaning (BLW) and spoon feeding are both very popular methods for introducing solids to babies. But parents are constantly asking which method is best. So in this video I'll help shed some light on the answer for you.

Both camps have strong advocates who firmly believe their preferred method is best - whether that's BLW or spoon feeding. This video isn't about judgement on either side, rather it's a comparison and deeper look into the claims and facts around the benefits and downsides of each method for introducing solids to babies and understand how to choose the best method for you and your family.

00:00 - 00:59 : BLW and the Spoon Feeding Approach
01:00 - 02:15 : BLW Reduces the Risk of Obesity
02:16 - 02:54 : BLW Reduces the Risk of Picky Eating
02:55 - 03:57 : The Spoon Feeding Approach Delays Oral Motor Development
03:58 - 04:51 : BLW is Easier
04:52 - 06:36 : BLW Increases the Risk of Choking on Food

#emmahubbard #babydevelopment #blw

Research Articles Referenced in Video:
Taylor RW, Williams SM, Fangupo LJ, Wheeler BJ, Taylor BJ, Daniels L, Fleming EA, McArthur J, Morison B, Erickson LW, Davies RS, Bacchus S, Cameron SL, Heath AM. Effect of a Baby-Led Approach to Complementary Feeding on Infant Growth and Overweight: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2017 Sep 1;171(9):838-846. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1284. PMID: 28692728; PMCID: PMC5710413.

Louise J. Fangupo, Anne-Louise M. Heath, Sheila M. Williams, Liz W. Erickson Williams, Brittany J. Morison, Elizabeth A. Fleming, Barry J. Taylor, Benjamin J. Wheeler, Rachael W. Taylor; A Baby-Led Approach to Eating Solids and Risk of Choking. Pediatrics October 2016; 138 (4): e20160772. 10.1542/peds.2016-0772

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[NecroMorrius]

We did a mix of both from the start and he chooses what he wants. Sometimes he gestures to be fed and sometimes he picks up handfuls and shoves it in. I think it’s good for him to practice his fine motor skills and have fun with food but sometimes it’s easier and much less messy to spoon feed him. Being truly “baby led”means he sometimes wants to be spoon fed!

[mamalovesbeige]

My son is 6 months and currently on purees. BLW makes me nervous, but will try little by little. My first born didnt BLW at all and he turns out great. Mamas, BLW or purees, AS LONG AS BABIES ARE EATING, you are doing great!❤

[cathykrueger]

I had no idea there were names for the way we feed babies. I’m very old. I’m so glad I raised my children before the feeding police came along. Thank you for the real facts and for listing the studies for us. I watch your videos because they are informative, based on research, and so very helpful to young mothers. I wish you had been around 50 years ago. Think of the contribution you are making.

[brittanyphillips]

Thank you for this information! We did spoon feeding for our daughter when she was a wee one but received a lot of unsolicited advice from some passionate BLW folks in our life. I’m so glad BLW works so well for so many but the portrayal of BLW being “the right way” really hurt my confidence as a new mother. Having spoon feeding validated as a viable option makes my heart feel lighter.

[chelle]

Thank you, I had 3 children who were spoon fed (my youngest is 15yrs old) and they were no way overweight or picky eaters… As long as you are feeding them healthy food then there shouldn’t be a problem… I then became pregnant again and now have a 6mth old baby and have been pushed by health nurses with BLW… I’m sticking with the traditional way as I feel safer and of course will introduce finger food slowly and will do a mixed approach for now

[s.m.]

I started pureed but my girl began losing interest in solids. She's very independent, so I switched to BLW and her eating improved- as well as her fine motor skills- grasping, pinching. I also noticed she wouldn't like the pureed version of food but did as BLW- peas, carrots etc. I do think she is a less picky eater but her tastes change. She recently stopped liking eggs when she prev gobbled them up. I'm now starting to offer more liquid foods to teach her spoon control and that not all foods need to be munched on. Each baby has their own way of doing things and what's best for them. Being flexible is key. I had all these firm ideas on how I would raise her but she's her own person with her own ideas lol I'm learning. 😁

[kathrinkaefer]

We've been doing a mixed approach, depending on what's convenient, and so far I can't say that one is better than the other. At first we did more purees because baby was a little behind on weight gain but we are doing more and more BLW now as baby gets better at actually eating the food.

[mg]

This makes me feel better. I was getting a lot of mom guilt for doing the traditional purée method. My friend constantly sends me stuff of her little one (6months) eating toast while my boy (8months) is working on thick purées.

[rebeccanakashima]

Love how informative this video is, almost like a "nonpartisan guide" to feeding littles. 😂 We are starting with spoon feeding and will see how it goes. If we need to shift gears towards BLW, then we will. Your free guides are the best part of these videos! Love, love, love! 🙌🏼🫶🏻

[sidneysun]

thx for this video. i always feel pressured to do these new-age child-raising methods like BLW because it's supposedly better than what my mother used or her mother before her etc. im just using spoon-feeding method because it makes me feel like a parent and i'm contributing as a dad. my kid is healthy and that's all it matters in the end.

[Kerstin-cquv]

We started with a spoon and we just offered her food as much as she wanted. If she just ate a few spoons that's fine. Most times she wanted to take the spoon herself and we let her do it.
Now with 8 months she doesn't really want mushed food so we are going to change to blw. We take our time and let her choose. 😊

[rachelle]

I found BLW to be more convenient, and I didn’t have a lot of anxiety regarding choking (it helps that I’m not an anxious person in general, and I did my research). My baby did gag at first, but it was fine. I did stare at her a lot at first, to show her how to chew, but I was hands free and could feed myself. It also seems like it would be easier if you had another child.

She’s still pretty fussy sometimes during periods of meal time at 9 months old, but she’s really good at eating, and never gags anymore. I usually have her high chair by me while she finishes and I do dishes since she takes a while to eat. The mess is one of the harder things, but it’s fine, I just got a wet/dry vacuum which helps a lot. She is at the age where she’d be eating finger foods either way, of course.

Something to note is that some people still feed purées from 4 or 5 months old, but BLW is only recommended for 6 months of age and up, though increasingly people are recommending solids begin at 6 months, regardless of feeding method. So in the past, I think most people fed their babies before 6 months of age (at least in the west), and so would not have had a choice but to spoon feed initially.

[brisakeizer]

I did BLW with my first & loved it. With my second I’m mostly spoon feeding & really enjoy the interaction with her. Big downside to BLW is the HUGE mess & food waste it causes in the beginning.

[ejaptiankid]

We do a combo of table foods and/or spoon-feeding depending on what we have on hand at each meal time. Thanks for the thorough video!

[TeaAddict]

Thanks so much for this video Emma! My LO is 4 & a half months old and I'm just starting to think about what kind of approach I might like to use when introducing solids and it's reassuring to hear that both (followed carefully and with consideration) are just as effective. Perfect timing!

[bgvarra]

Thank you for this video! I saw it at the right time as my bub is turning 6 months this week! I’ve heard of BLW but I didn’t know what it was until I saw this video. I’m honestly open to both. As of right now though, we’re going to start with spoon feeding and if we need to switch to BLW, we’ll do whatever makes her feel comfortable.

[theFABS-Prov]

This was wonderfully relevant for us at the stage we are in right now! Thank you so much for sharing!

[cinnamonndonuts]

Your advice is always super helpful and informative, thank you! This come at the perfect time ☺️

[erinw]

We do combo feeding. Our pediatricians have recommended starting baby food at 4mo IF our babies were interested. They were very much interested so we do purees until 6mo and then start introducing some BLW style foods. We continue with combo feeding for as long as baby is interested in the spoon feeding. My daughter refused to continue spoon feeding at 8mo but my son is still ok with very occasional spoon feeding at 10mo. My son is the bigger eater and is more adventurous than my daughter ever was when it comes to food. He just has a higher calorie need since he's in the upper percentiles for height while my daughter was always closer to just under the average. We pretty much save purees for when we are traveling or when he is backed up we have a specific puree blend that we know will get him to poop within 12hrs. When we were hit with a hurricane and were without power we did go back to purees for our son because they were shelf stable, safe to serve as is, and much lower in sodium than the other foods we had to be eating for about a week. There's a time and a place for all types of foods. As I tell all of my new mom friends, responsive feeding is more important than the specific method of introducing food and some babies will do better with one method over another method. We teach the baby signs for "more" and "all done" at 6mo which helps a lot and before reaching that point we still follow baby's cues.

[Bamlover]

So glad you did this, I've been watching since I had my twins nearly 8 months ago. Being premie we've been seeing a speech therapist for them. So we'd been going back and worth on how to feed them. But I think we've been naturally leaning towards a combo, so this helps alot.