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Key points
- The BLISS method is a baby-led weaning approach that minimizes choking risks and ensures good nutrient intake.
- Using a low-pressure approach and exposing your baby to different textures may help reduce pickiness.
- Families who use baby-led weaning are more likely to eat together, but it may not improve overall nutrition.
- When using BLISS, infants have similar intake of calories and nutrients as traditionally-weaned babies.
Baby-led weaning is an approach for introducing babies to solid food that involves serving whole pieces of food that the baby picks up and feeds to themselves. Baby-led weaning puts the baby in control of what, when, and how much they eat. Babies are encouraged to explore different textures and tastes with very little pressure to actually ingest the food. The term is a little confusing—“weaning” in this case refers to the gradual process of replacing calories from breastmilk and formula with calories from solid food (it does not mean that the baby completely weans from breastmilk or formula, which are the baby’s main sources of nutrition in the first year of life).
Proponents of baby-led weaning make claims including that it will make your child less picky, a more intuitive eater, and may even reduce their risk for future obesity. But are these claims backed by research?
Baby-led weaning should not be started until a child can sit independently (without support), has excellent head control, and can grab and bring food to their mouth without assistance. Parents should always consult with their doctor before starting any solid foods. Research finds that providing parents specific instructions on baby-led weaning—a method called Baby-Led Introduction to SolidS (BLISS) minimizes choking risks and ensures that babies get adequate nutrient intake.
Does baby-led weaning make children less “picky”?
The research (which is usually correlational) is mixed as to whether it does. Fortunately, however, there is a randomized controlled trial of the BLISS method. This study found that the BLISS approach did result in less pickiness and greater enjoyment of food at 12 months.
Other lines of research shows that children’s early exposure to food does influence later food preferences. An experimental study found that 12-month-old infants were more likely to eat chopped carrots if they had been exposed to chopped foods (versus only purees) in the past. Research also suggests that parents should expose infants to more complex textures to increase acceptance of these foods. One study found that children who were introduced to “lumpy” foods after the age of nine months were pickier and ate fewer food types and had more feeding problems at age seven.
No matter the approach, it is important for parents to provide a low-pressure attitude towards food and allow your infant to determine when they start and stop eating. Research finds that pressure from adults to eat more or eat certain foods during mealtime is associated with more picky eating in children.
Does baby-led weaning help children develop a healthier relationship with food?
Supporters argue that learning how to regulate eating may be linked to a healthier relationship with food and a lower risk for obesity. A randomized controlled trial of the BLISS method found that baby-led weaning infants weighed less at 12 months and were less likely to be overweight. Another randomized controlled trial involving the BLISS method found no difference in BMI at 12 and 24 months. However, this study found that baby-led weaning infants at 24 months were less satiety responsive.
Research also finds that parents who use baby-led weaning report less controlling behavior around food and less anxiety than parents who spoon feed and that using baby-led weaning predicts how controlling parents are of their toddlers’ eating.
Does baby-led weaning improve family meal time?
Advocates for baby-led weaning believe that it allows infants to participate in family meals, a practice that has been linked with healthier eating habits. These advocates also argue that baby-led weaning may improve the family’s overall nutrition since they may eat more of the healthy foods that they are feeding to their baby.
Research finds that families practicing baby-led weaning are more likely to eat lunch and dinner together and their infants are more likely to eat the same food as the rest of their family.
A randomized controlled trial of the BLISS method also found that baby-led weaning families were two to four times more likely to eat together and eat the same food. This could be beneficial in that it allows the parent to model healthy eating habits and decreases the likelihood of the baby identifying “kid-food” vs. “parent-food.” However if the family does not follow healthy eating practices, they would pass these unhealthy practices on to the infant.
Unfortunately, research does not find any evidence that baby-led weaning improves the rest of the family’s eating style or diet when evaluating total energy and key nutrient intakes.
Does baby-led weaning increase the risk of choking?
A common concern among parents is that this method may increase choking rates in infants. Research consistently finds no difference in choking between baby-led weaning and traditional weaning groups.
A randomized controlled trial found that infants randomly assigned to the BLISS method did not show any differences in choking. The baby-led weaning infants did gag more frequently at six months (remember that gagging is harmless but can be scary as a parent) but then gagged less frequently at eight months. The BLISS approach does seem to reduce choking risk when compared to unmodified baby-led weaning.
Does baby-led weaning provide enough calories and nutrients?
Research finds that the overall calorie intake is similar between baby-led and traditionally-weaned infants.
Some observational studies have found that babies who follow a baby-led weaning approach may not be getting the recommended amount of iron. However, a randomized controlled trial found that infants randomly assigned to a baby-led weaning approach that promotes eating iron-rich foods (the BLISS method) did show adequate iron intake and did not show any differences in iron intake when compared to traditionally-weaned infants.
In terms of other types of nutrients, a randomized controlled trial showed that infants who follow the BLISS approach consumed more fat and sodium but no difference in other important nutrients.
