“婴儿自动断奶” （BLW）是一种鼓励宝宝自主进食的断奶方式。听起来可能会又脏又乱，但BLW也有一些好处。

• 除了专门为宝宝蒸制和混合食物外，您还可以把食物分成若干份，一部分给宝宝，一部分添加调料供成人食用。您也可以在宝宝自主进食的时候一起吃！
• 我们鼓励“婴儿自动断奶”的宝宝能自主进食。这样的话，宝宝就可以自己决定进食的食物和食用量，而传统的勺子喂食是哄骗或强迫宝宝吃完食物。父母认为“婴儿自动断奶”方式能让宝宝了解自己的身体状况，在吃饱的时候就会停止进食。这是调节食欲的基础。
• 传统的断奶方式给宝宝喂食软食，无需咀嚼。就“婴儿自动断奶”方式而言，宝宝会接触各种不同的食材、形状和口味。宝宝在吞咽前学习如何咀嚼食物。这也会增强他们的下颚肌肉。

将蔬菜切成波状，不仅外表吸引宝宝，还能让“婴儿自动断奶”的宝宝更容易握住食物。

在尝试“婴儿自动断奶”方式之前，请务必确保您的宝宝已做好准备。在开始之前注意相关迹象，因为安全是重中之重：

在宝宝准备好后，就可以开始啦！“婴儿自动断奶”方式并不像人们想象的那样凌乱。为方便清理，可以在高脚椅下铺一大块野餐垫，并使用轻便且容易冲洗的高脚椅（妈妈们非常喜欢这种方式）。

一岁以下的婴儿不应喂食蜂蜜或坚果，因为蜂蜜可能会造成肉毒杆菌中毒，坚果易造成窒息。其他可能含有过敏原的食物有鸡蛋和贝类（螃蟹、虾、蛤蚌、龙虾等）。

“婴儿自动断奶”方式鼓励婴儿选择更健康的食物。

一般来说，“婴儿自动断奶”应备置足够柔软的食物，以便拇指和食指可以挤压。其首选的食品包括牛油果、香蕉、蒸胡萝卜和西兰花。

最好确保将食物切成食指长的条状，便于宝宝轻松抓握。如果您给宝宝食用葡萄或草莓等球状食物，请将其纵向切成四分之一，以防窒息。

给宝宝准备三到四种不同类型的食物让宝宝可以探索。将食物放在高脚椅的托盘或餐垫上，不要直接将食物放在宝宝嘴里，干扰宝宝自主进食。

如果您的宝宝不吃或吃的不多，请不要担心。对于一岁前的宝宝而言，牛奶仍是宝宝摄入营养物质的主要来源。因此，更多的是为了让宝宝尝试不同的食物，并食用固体食物。

“婴儿自动断奶”方式让宝宝学习抓握食物并放入口中，以增强精细动作协调。

父母决定使用“婴儿自动断奶”方式，会很担心宝宝出现窒息的情况，以及宝宝是否能在没有牙齿的情况下咀嚼食物。为解决这一问题，请确保您注意窒息危险。如果您的宝宝未发育成熟的话，请不要尝试该方法。

如果宝宝呕吐的话，您可能会被吓到，但这是完全正常的。当食物流动到喉咙后部时，宝宝会出现呕反射并试图将食物吐出。当宝宝呕吐时，重要的是保持冷静，不要惊慌，因为这是正常情况。

父母应注意窒息风险。如果宝宝出现窒息的话，宝宝将无法呼吸，会哭泣、咳嗽或发出噪音。因此，护理人员必须了解窒息情况下的基本婴儿急救方法。

与宝宝一起享受“婴儿自动断奶” 之旅吧！

用爱浇灌，

拥有2个“婴儿自动断奶”宝宝的妈妈

与我们分享您对“婴儿自动断奶”方式的看法，或者您在评论之前是否曾与您的孩子一起尝试过！

Baby Led Weaning (BLW) is a weaning method that encourages babies to self-feed. It may sound messy and scary, but here are some benefits of BLW:

• Instead of steaming and blending food especially for your baby, you can portion out ingredients for your baby and add seasoning for the adults. You can also eat while baby self-feeds!
• BLW babies are encouraged to self-feed. By doing so, they get to determine what and how much to consume, rather than being coaxed or forced into finishing their food with traditional spoon feeding. With BLW, parents trust that babies know their own bodies and will stop eating once they are full. It is the basis of regulating their appetite.
• Babies on traditional weaning are fed soft foods which do not require chewing. For BLW, babies are exposed to a variety of different textures, shapes and tastes. The babies learn how to chew their food before swallowing. This strengthens their jaw muscles as well.

Crinkle cut vegetables for an appealing appearance and make it easier for baby-led weaning babies to hold.

Before attempting BLW, you should ensure that your baby is ready for it. Look out for these signs before starting as safety is of priority:

Once your baby is ready, you can start! BLW does not have to be as messy as people think. For easy cleanups, lay a large picnic mat on the floor below the high chair and use a high chair which is light and easy to hose down (this is popular among mothers).

Babies below the age of one should never be fed honey or nuts due to the risk of botulism and a risk of choking respectively. Other foods with possible allergens include egg and shellfish (crabs, shrimp, clams, lobsters etc).

Baby Led Weaning encourages babies to choose healthier foods.

As a rule of thumb, foods prepared for BLW should be soft enough to squish between your thumb and index finger. Some popular first foods for BLW babies include avocados, banana, steamed carrots and broccoli.

It is best to ensure that food is cut in strips about the length of your index finger for babies to grip easily. If you are offering spherical foods such as grapes or strawberries, cut them lengthwise into quarters to prevent choking.

Prepare about three or four types of food for your baby to explore. Lay the food on the high chair tray or on a placemat and do not intervene in the process by holding the food to your baby’s mouth.

Don’t fret if your baby rejects the food or worry if he or she is not eating much. Milk should still be the main source of nutrients until they turn one year old. As such, it is more for them to explore the foods and be introduced to solid food.

Baby Led Weaning strengthens fine motor coordination by learning how to grasp food and put it into their mouths.

A huge concern for parents when deciding to embark on BLW is that their babies will choke and whether their babies are able to chew food without teeth. To counter this, ensure that you take note of the choking hazards and do not attempt BLW if your baby is not physiologically ready for it.

It may be frightening if your baby gags, but this is entirely normal. When food travels to the back of the throat, a gag reflex occurs and the baby will try to force the food out. It is important to stay calm and not panic when a baby is gagging as it is a normal process.

The important thing is to look out for choking. If a baby is choking, he or she will be unable to breathe, cry, cough or make any noise. Thus, it is essential that the main caregiver is aware of basic infant first aid techniques for choking.

Enjoy the baby led weaning journey with your baby!

With love,

A mummy of 2 baby-led weaning babies

Let us know what you think about BLW, or if you’ve attempted it with your child before in the comments!