The 5 Best Baby Led Weaning Bibs (2024)

FAQs

The 5 Best Baby Led Weaning Bibs? ›

Baby-led weaning is perceived by healthcare professionals as a safe complementary feeding method that promotes chewing, improves growth, and the development of fine motor skills.

Baby-led weaning is perceived by healthcare professionals as a safe complementary feeding method that promotes chewing, improves growth, and the development of fine motor skills.

Some parents worry that baby-led weaning is more likely to cause their baby to choke than spoon-feeding. Emerging evidence suggests that baby-led weaning may result in more gagging as babies get used to swallowing but no increased likelihood of choking . Baby-led weaning can be messier than spoon-feeding.

Silicone bibs: Ideal for mealtime, these repel food without soaking it up, are easy to clean and, most of the time, are dishwasher-safe. Most silicone bibs also feature a pocket to catch food. Fabric bibs: These are better at soaking up drool or spit-up and softer for young infants with more sensitive skin.

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.

Despite the heated debate about BLW vs purees, the good news is that you don't actually have to choose between the two. In general, I find that a combination of purées/spoon-feeding and finger foods (from 6 months) works really well for most babies and parents and allows them to have the benefits of both options.

BLW may begin around 6 months, when the baby shows signs of readiness such as sitting up independently, loss of tongue thrust reflex, mouthing toys, and showing interest in table foods. To start BLW, ensure readiness and begin with one solid meal a day during family mealtime.

Once the time has come to start final weaning, it should be a gradual process. Abrupt weaning is traumatic for the infant, uncomfortable for the mother, and may result in blocked ducts, mastitis or breast abscesses.

The overarching principles of BLW are therefore: the infant is milk fed, ideally exclusively breastfed, until approximately six months of age, they then transition to pieces of whole food that they feed themselves, and the infant shares their meals with the family, eating the same food as the family wherever possible.

If the idea of feeding your baby 100 foods before one sounds overwhelming…it doesn't have to be. This approach simply involves introducing 1 new food per day, 5 days per week. That's 20 foods per month and in just about 5 months your baby will have tried 100 new foods before turning one.

When can babies have Cheerios? ›

Eating solid foods is an exciting milestone. But you might wonder what to start with and when to introduce certain foods like Cheerios and other cereals. According to Dr. Whitney Casares, babies start eating Cheerios at about eight months to nine months old.

If your child spits, dribbles, and creates a mess while eating, you will need a bib. So, depending on these factors,10-20 bibs in your nursery stock should be just fine. The more, the better. There is no hard and fast rule as to how many would be enough though.

However, self-feeding can be a messy process, and your child may still benefit from wearing a bib during meals. By age three to four, most children have developed enough motor skills to eat without making a big mess, and you may find that bibs are no longer necessary.

For the best health outcomes, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately 6 months followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods for at least 2 years and beyond as mutually desired.

Baby-led weaning is not a new concept, but important nonetheless.