Research shows that spoon-feeding babies can be bad for their growth – while letting babies feed themselves by hand could be better for their development
Most parents will remember the hours spent spooning pureed food into their child’s mouth.
But according to a study, letting babies hand-feed themselves may be better for their growth.
New findings suggest that baby-led weaning – a popular way to introduce babies to solid foods – provides enough calories for growth and development.
The method emphasizes that babies can hand-feed themselves whole, non-pureed foods when introducing solids, versus the more traditional approach of feeding infants pureed solids with a spoon.
Proponents say it encourages healthy eating habits because babies feed themselves and can explore a variety of foods from family meals.
Instead of spoon feeding, a new study has found that letting babies hand feed themselves is better for their growth (Stock Image)
Researchers at the University of Colorado studied baby-led weaning in 70 healthy, five-month-old babies.
During the study, caregivers recorded the baby’s intake of all foods for three days.
The team classified a child as a result of baby-led weaning if less than 10 percent of calories came from pureed baby food.
Analysis showed that there was no significant difference in energy intake between the two weaning groups.
Baby-led weaning was also associated with greater increases in weight-for-age and weight-for-length scores than conventionally weaned babies, meaning they were on a higher growth trajectory.
According to the team, soft fruits, steamed vegetables, cheese and small pieces of meat are good foods to try during self-feeding, as these are easy for babies to grasp and chew.
Food should be offered as sticks the size of the baby’s fist to prevent choking, they said, adding that it is important to provide a varied and balanced diet when introducing solid foods to infants.
Study author Kinzie Matzeller, a registered dietitian, said: ‘One of the biggest concerns with baby-led weaning was that it was not known whether it provided enough nutrients to support babies’ growth.
Instead of pureed foods, soft fruits, steamed vegetables, cheese and small pieces of meat are all good foods to try when trying to lose weight with your baby (Stock Image)
‘It’s reassuring to know that baby-led weaning provides enough calories for growth.
‘Baby-led weaning can be a great way to offer your little one more options and different types of foods that he or she might not otherwise get.
“It often takes up to 15 exposures to food before a baby accepts it, so persistence is key.” They also found that mothers with higher education and higher incomes were more likely to use baby-led weaning.
According to the researchers, this could be because families with more money can more easily find the time and resources to prepare the food needed to feed their baby independently.
Their future research will investigate potential nutritional differences between weaning methods.
The findings were presented at the American Society for Nutrition conference in Chicago.