Disadvantages of Baby-Led Weaning

I am obviously a big advocate for baby-led weaning. However, as one of the main focuses on my blog is to be fully transparent, I will say there were a few disadvantages. 

First, it is messy.

It was MESSY. It is still messy, almost a year into BLW. In the beginning, I didn’t realize I should put a cloth/mat underneath Harnaya’s highchair to prevent my rug from getting permanent damage. You live and you learn! At almost two years old, she’s gotten MUCH better about the mess and will “clean up” after herself once she’s done eating. But it still happens, however, the mess is worth it in my opinion. Oh also, having a four-legged child is also a major benefit in helping with clean-ups! We usually let Zoey have a ball as long as the food is safe for dogs to eat. 

Second- it takes a few months of practicing before you see any results.

The first two-almost three months, Harnaya didn’t actually take in many foods. I wish I could go back and tell myself not to stress it and remind myself that under the age of one, formula or breastmilk is an infant’s primary source of food/calories. I noticed that the more stressed I was about mealtime and hoping she’d eat was impacting her as well. She would sense my anxiety and mealtime would be a rough one that night. 

Third- anxiety as a parent.

I was very anxious in the beginning about her gagging and choking. Luckily, Haman was an EMT for many years so I knew I was in good hands. To make myself more comfortable with the possibility of choking and gagging, I watched lots of videos on what to do if such an emergency did arise. I think being prepared as possible really helped me feel more confident with BLW. It should also be noted, that there is a big misconception that infants choke or gag more when they feed themselves. However, this is not true. The likelihood of one choking or gagging is the same whether the infant feeds via BLW or traditional spoon-feeding. 

However, even with these disadvantages, baby-led weaning has allowed us to be better parents. We both balanced being parents, being a couple, and also being ourselves. I am so glad we pursued it and will continue recommending it to all parents, despite the few disadvantages.