Car weaning: here are the pros and cons for the baby
Compared to the past, today things have changed a lot in terms of self-weaning. The naturalness with which the child begins to request other flavors and other textures himself, avoids potential traumas that can occur with forced weaning.
The beauty of a weaning marked by the child himself, above all concerns the serenity with which he experiences the passage, precisely because he himself chooses the right moment to get away from breastfeeding, living serenely the moment of baby food.
Before continuing and deepening the topic of self-weaning, let's leave the word to the expert on the topic of nutrition for children.
Weaning and self-weaning: what's the difference?
In the past, when the child reached 5 or 6 months of age, the pediatrician provided the parents with a detailed table regarding the foods that could be given to the child from that moment on in the form of baby food, broth or puree.
Carrots, potatoes, courgettes, cream of rice, a teaspoon of oil and one of Parmesan cheese and gradually more and more ingredients were added over the months to gradually accustom the body to the new diet and to avoid the risk of allergies.
Today this belief has been largely overcome: it is not the moment of weaning that causes future allergies in the child so there is no problem in letting him taste, according to his requests, all the foods that adults eat, with the only care that they are reduced to small portions.
This is precisely the transition from classic weaning as we used to do, to self-weaning that responds to the baby's signals, and is known as complementary feeding on demand.
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What are the benefits of self-weaning?
With auto-weaning, the wishes and needs of the child are put at the center, all the signals that the child sends are taken into account without forcing him into anything. Most parents observe, around 8 or 9 months of life, a curiosity always growing towards the food that adults consume, so why deprive the little one of the discovery of new textures?
In this way, the moment of the meal becomes more engaging for everyone and highly educational for the child because it prepares him for the appreciation of aromas, flavors and textures that perhaps he will continue to love when he grows up without always getting used to the same soft and delicate taste of baby food.
Also, consider that the timing of the transition from breast milk to the first solid foods are absolutely natural because they are felt and experienced at the right moment when your child spontaneously feels ready to taste new foods.
However, make sure that the child has lost the extrusion reflex, that is the gesture of extending the tongue when the mouth is stimulated, that he knows how to sit upright and that he is attracted by the gestures of adults at the table.
These cues can reassure you when it comes to self-weaning by letting you know that your baby is ready to get in touch with a solid food diet.
Since milk is still the main food of this phase, solids become a complementary one that helps your child to know flavors, foods, diversify smells and textures.
The advantages of self-weaning also have a positive effect on the family who eats healthier because they eat the same foods as the child, while respecting their choices and tastes and taking into account their satiety and waste.
To facilitate his first approaches to other foods, you can chop the food by facilitating his first chews, letting the child bring to his mouth what he can take with his hands, to also develop his motor and chewing skills.
Self-weaning helps your baby to learn that food satisfies by filling the tummy, so gradually it will require more and more solids, slowly and completely naturally depressing the demand for milk.
Weaning: what foods to start with
If as a mother you are wondering what are the best foods with which to start weaning, know that there is not a precise list precisely because, as we said, there is ample freedom of choice on the part of the child.
You can decide to taste legumes, pasta with tomato sauce, baked fish, or the pulp of the chicken leg. Green light also to spices: this is because if we think that in other countries such as India, children are weaned with very spicy foods without any health risk, because we should deprive our children of the possibility of tasting chilli, pepper. , cumin or paprika?
We know that there is a lot of curiosity towards anything new to discover, especially for a child who is growing up and developing all his senses. The consistency of apple puree or vegetable puree are much less interesting to him than any solid food.
When breast milk starts to run low, one of the first things babies need is iron which, as we all know, is not present in fruit and vegetable purees. Therefore, in your diet, include meat and fish and in general protein foods such as legumes or eggs.
Is self-weaning different from the adult diet?
There are substantial differences between a classic diet designed for an adult and a diet suitable for a child in full growth. An example is the amount of fat: the child needs a greater intake, while the intake of protein foods must be lower. .
All pediatricians in favor of the practice of self-weaning, obviously advise not to upset the regular family habits at the table: a few small precautions will be enough to be able to eat healthy all together and at all ages.
With regard to the pediatrician, it is good to keep him updated and informed on the various developments in self-weaning: the dialogue between parents and the pediatrician who follows their children is essential to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
Weaning: beware of these foods
We have said so far that there is free choice on the part of children and parents in making the little ones taste different foods and above all towards which they show curiosity. Some foods, however, for obvious reasons should be excluded. Let's see what they are.
- simple sugars
- honey
- alcohol
- industrial foods (snacks, fizzy drinks)
- pre-packaged fried foods (yes instead, to a good home frying in small quantities)
We want to dedicate a separate chapter to salt: there are those who think that all baby food should not be salted so as not to alter its flavor and not to accustom the child to the salty taste.Others, on the other hand, do not demonize salt, with the only recommendation to limit it in every preparation so that it can benefit the whole family.
The risks of complementary nutrition on demand
In view of its many advantages, self-weaning can carry the only risk of confusing the ideal time to let the child start experimenting with other foods, when physiologically he is not yet really ready.
To be sure not to make this potential mistake, rely on the advice of your pediatrician, evaluating yourself the ability of your child to remain seated without external help, making sure that he has lost that lingual reflex that is instead indispensable in breastfeeding and expressing an explicit desire to taste other types of food.
As his tastes will take shape and his choices will no longer be dictated by simple curiosity but by real taste, you will be able to consider the self-weaning phase over.
