Baby-led weaning (BLW) is all about letting the little ones have their own food adventures. They eat what you eat, with some baby-friendly tweaks, and you simply let them go to town. While BLW can work wonders for a baby’s dexterity, self-regulation, and independence when it comes to meal time, there is a consequence: THE MESS. You’ve probably seen it yourself. Oatmeal all over their faces, rice mostly on the table and the floor, you get the picture. How do parents deal with cleaning up after every meal, and the possibility of food going to waste? We asked three Moms to share their own firsthand experiences with BLW and the mess that comes with it.
Mommy Apol and her husband, Nate, both grew up in traditional households where the rules were to finish every single morsel of food on the plate, and “playing with food was a no-go zone.” So, it took a lot of conversations about the pros and cons, until they finally decided to give BLW a try for their son, Caleb. Mommy Apol admits that BLW does feel like the more inconvenient choice, precisely because of the mess and the food wastage, but they were able to find ways to make it all work out.
The mess and the food waste were still major concerns, and so Mommy Apol and her husband came up with a few solutions: First, investing in a waterproof mat to place under Caleb’s seat, making it easier to scoop up the mess. Second, agreeing to eat leftovers and any food thrown on the table, within reason, which means as long as the food hasn’t been stepped on or mashed between tiny hands too much. Third is to serve food in smaller portions, because he can always ask for more if he wants to.
As a first time Mom, BLW was both fun and scary for Mommy Camille. “It was fun to see her just be curious about the food, and figure out how to eat,” she says. “It’s scary since they don’t know how to chew yet. Alunsina gagged a lot of times, too, so that was very anxiety inducing.”
At first, it was also frustrating for Mommy Camille to see food go to waste, so what she did was to demonstrate to Alunsina how food should go into her mouth. She also taught Alunsina how to indicate when she’s already full. “She easily eats by herself now and is willing to try a new food once. Then she’ll decide if she likes it or not. It also helped her have a good relationship with food, since she knows she’s not gonna be forced to finish the food that she already said she didn’t like,” Mommy Camille shares.
Mommy Camille also researched a lot about BLW-friendly recipes, and simply assured her daughter, Alunsina, that having mess all over her face was fine. They could just clean up afterwards. Throughout her BLW experience, Mommy Camille also realized that it’s all about trusting the process.
Mommy Marielle transitioned her eldest son, Yain, to BLW when he was nine months old. She started him off with traditional weaning, but after researching about BLW, she decided to make the switch. At the start of their BLW journey, Mommy Marielle was conscious about giving Yain nutritious food, so she started with just fruits and veggies mixed with breastmilk.
“I was then enticed with how independently BLW babies are eating, and with the elbow room it gives with regards to food preparation,” she says. “Our pedia’s reassurance eventually gave me confidence to give him more regular food, just with less salt and sugar.”
Since they had a positive experience with Yain, she went with BLW from the get-go when her second son, Elias, turned six months old.
So, how did Mommy Marielle deal with the mess? “We didn’t!” she says with a laugh
Over-all, Mommy Marielle found BLW to be a liberating experience. She and her husband were given the freedom to cook and prepare food that they love, while the kids can explore and enjoy food with their senses.
