Baby-Led Weaning: A Study Of Infant Feeding Practices Using A US Sample

An infant feeding practice approach known as Baby Led Weaning (BLW) focuses on providing infants with finger and whole foods beginning at 6 months in the place of the traditional practice of spoon feeding purees and baby cereals. The purpose of this study was to characterize current infant feeding practices used by a US sample, primarily focusing on the differences between BLW and TW (traditional weaning) in regards to mother demographics, family meal participation, and motor development. Participants were mothers (n = 172) of infants between the ages of 6 to 12 months who completed an online survey. Caregivers who indicated they were following a BLW approach (35.4%) were found to be approximately two years younger than TW’s, and worked fewer hours during the week. While the age of the infant at the introduction of family foods was the same for both groups, BLW infants showed more interest in the foods eaten by their families, and consumed a higher percentage of family foods as their meals on average. TW infants were found to meet two motor milestones before BLW’s, which included crawling and standing up supported. These descriptive findings provide an understanding of the use of BLW in the US