Some people feel that how you introduce solid foods to your baby e.g. whether you let them self-feed or spoon feed might affect how quickly they gain weight. Research is still in its early stages and not a lot of research has been conducted on this subject. Our research found that babies who were baby-led weaned were less likely to be overweight as toddlers. We found that in our sample 8% of babies who were baby-led weaned were overweight compared to 19% of those who were spoon fed. However, although the findings are interesting and certainly worth exploring more the main limitation was that mothers self-reported their baby’s weight and other research hasn’t found a difference in babies age twelve months old.
We think the most important part of introducing solids to your baby is to be responsive e.g. let them be in control of how much they eat. If baby-led weaned babies are less likely to be overweight then this might be because they are more in control of stopping eating when they are full and possibly because they take longer to eat a meal, giving them time to feel full. But these are all things that can be applied to spoon feeding. If you are using a spoon, make sure you don’t encourage your baby to keep eating when they are full, or worry about them eating the whole portion you have made. Let them play with some food as well and take your time over the meal.
Professor Amy Brown also took part in a discussion paper with Dr Gill Rapley (author of the baby-led weaning book) and other experts in the field to talk about how baby led weaning may have benefits for families but more research is needed. You can read the paper here
Find out more:
- Read our article exploring whether baby led weaning affects child weight.
- Watch our animation on top 10 tips for introducing solid food
- For a comprehensive guide to the evidence behind introducing solid foods to your baby, you can read our book ‘Why starting solids matters’.