Experiences of baby‐led weaning: trust, control and renegotiation

Abstract

Baby-led weaning (BLW) is an approach to introducing solid foods that relies on the presence of self-feeding skills and is increasing in popularity in the UK and New Zealand. This study aimed to investigate the reported experiences and feelings of mothers using a BLW approach in order to better understand the experiences of the mother and infant, the benefits and challenges of the approach, and the beliefs that underpin these experiences. Fifteen UK mothers were interviewed over the course of a series of five emails using a semi-structured approach. The email transcripts were anonymised and analysed using thematic analysis. There were four main themes identified from the analysis: (1) trusting the child; (2) parental control and responsibility; (3) precious milk; and (4) renegotiating BLW. The themes identified reflect a range of ideals and pressures that this group of mothers tried to negotiate in order to provide their infants with a positive and healthy introduction to solid foods. One of the key issues of potential concern is the timing at which some of the children ingested complementary foods. Although complementary foods were made available to the infants at 6 months of age, in many cases they were not ingested until much later. These findings have potentially important implications for mother's decision-making, health professional policy and practice, and future research.

Parental experiences and perceptions of infant complementary feeding: a qualitative evidence synthesis

“…Others did not have such intentions or explicitly stated intentions to commence feeding before guidelines of 4–6 months . Irrespective of intentions, parental worries, concerns and confusion about infant feeding emerged in 10 papers . Worries included infant developmental readiness for food, particularly around choking: ‘They worried about the infant not being able to chew certain foods or swallowing them too quickly and choking’ .…”

“…So I always try where I can to give him fresh food, wholesome food’ . Parents in five studies spoke explicitly about the importance of nutrition and the need for a balanced healthy intake of food; ‘ I try to make sure my son and daughter get their daily requirements of fruit, veg, protein, calcium, fats etc.’ . Variety was also considered an important aspect for achieving healthy and nutritious meals; ‘We have to give them different foods, teach them to eat more of everything, give them varied food’ .…”

“…A number of parents spoke about consciously restricting such foods; ‘ Treats are definitely limited. For example, I will only offer him one slice of cake and will tell him it's all gone if he asks for more’ . Exceptions to healthy feeding intentions were discussed in a handful of papers; ‘We are trying to make sure she has her nutritional requirements and if she gets a biscuit it wouldn't be the end of the world’ .…”

“…The majority of studies included predominantly or only mothers (n = 22); one study examined fathers experiences only (17). Eleven were conducted in Europe (48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58), nine in North America (17,(59)(60)(61)(62)(63)(64)(65), five in Australasia (66)(67)(68)(69)(70) and one in Mexico (18). Eight studies specifically recruited low-income caregivers (17,54,(59)(60)(61)64,65,67).…”

“…(64). Parents in six studies felt HCP advice was insufficient or unhelpful in some instances (50,57,58,60,63,67). For instance, HCP advice was not valued and subsequently ignored when perceived to deviate from feeding recommendations; 'Health visitors very rarely stick to the advice given.…”