Self-directed weaning menu (BLW)

The baby-led weaning method (BLW) is quite familiar to mothers with children of weaning age. So what is a reasonable self-directed weaning menu for your baby as well as can help children get a nutritious meal and make them eat more excitedly.

Baby-led weaning is a method applied to children from 6 months of age and older right from the time they enter the first weaning stage to be introduced to solid foods, skipping mashed foods and liquid foods. The fact that parents let their children apply BLW weaning helps children always be proactive in eating, they will decide what to eat, how to eat, how much to eat, from which children will learn independence. when I was a child. In addition, children also enjoy foods with different colors and shapes as well as children will be able to hold and hold food from their hands, helping them develop taste and senses
Weaning under the command of the child Allow your child to learn to chew first, then swallow. It also prevents parents from forcing their children to eat, as children can control what foods they like and how much they put in their mouths. But those are not the only benefits that this approach offers. Potential benefits of baby-led weaning also include:
Encourage children to become familiar with a wider variety of textures and flavors. That can make children more likely to develop varied and healthy eating preferences in the long run. Some studies have shown that infants who eat a variety of foods (including peanut and fish products) may actually have fewer food allergies later in life. Just be aware that nuts and seafood are some of the most common allergens in young children, so you should always consult your pediatrician about how best to recommend these foods. This is for the baby. May reduce the risk of obesity in children. Child-led weaning allows children to self-regulate food intake based on their hunger levels. Which helps lead to a lower risk of being overweight than those who are spoon-fed. Promotes fine motor skill development. Sticking primarily to food with your fingers encourages the development of hand dexterity and hand-eye coordination skills.

But any method has their limitations. And the key point you need to keep in mind when feeding your baby the baby-led weaning method is:
Avoid serving any foods that pose a choking hazard. For infants under 12 months, these include: grape seeds, cherries or cherry tomatoes, raw vegetables, apple slices, dried fruit, sausages... and crunchy snacks like potatoes chips, cookies or granola bars. Always supervise your baby while he or she eats. Never let a child eat without supervision. Keep your baby upright in a high chair while eating. Don't let your baby eat while crawling, playing or lying down Watch for allergic reactions: Most experts recommend that the more options you offer, the more likely your baby is to be exposed to different foods. However, it's still important to know the signs of a food allergy, which can include hives, skin swelling, tongue swelling, sneezing, wheezing, throat tightness, vomiting, trouble swallowing, pain stomach and diarrhea and take the child to the doctor immediately if the above signs are detected.

2.1. Bread, beef, cucumber, apple Ingredients:
2 - 3 slices of soft whole-grain bread 5-6 pieces of soft boiled or steamed corned beef Cucumber, apple Olive oil Implementation:
Take beef slices add one Put some water in a stainless steel bowl and steam it in a rice cooker. Cucumbers are washed, peeled, and cut into pieces about 1 finger long. Bread cut into long pieces, child's hand grout Take 30ml of hot steamed beef broth, mix 5ml of olive oil, keep warm for children to drink. You can give your child a few slices of apple. 2.2. Molded rice, steamed shrimp, broccoli, banana Ingredients:
White rice Sushi mold Fresh shrimp: 5 pieces Broccoli : 30 grams Olive oil Implementation:
Cook the rice a little, then compress it into a sushi mold small pieces like cake. Large shrimps are washed with only their backs, then boiled or steamed whole with a little water, then peeled and removed the heads. Broccoli boiled or steamed, leaving each small flower for the baby to easily pick up. Give your child 1/2 or 1 extra banana for dessert. 2.3. Potatoes, pork, chickpeas, avocado Ingredients:
Potatoes: cut into 15 sticks Cove beans: cut into 6 sticks Lean pork: 30 grams Olive oil Avocado and breast milk or formula Make:
Wash and boil the potatoes until soft. Boiled or steamed lean pork with a little water Cove beans washed and steamed overnight. Give your child a few slices of butter or 50ml of pureed butter mixed with milk.

2.4. Noodles, caballs, pumpkins, pears Ingredients:
Noodles 100 g Boneless fish: 2 pieces Pumpkin : 30 grams Olive oil Preparation:
Noodles are soft boiled. Finely minced fish add a little dill to make rolls, shape into small flat or long balls, fry with a little cooking oil. Pumpkin washed, cut into small pieces, steamed or boiled. Garnish with pears, cut into 2.5 pieces. Gac sticky rice, chicken, asparagus Ingredients:
Gac sticky rice: 100 grams Chicken: 1 part Asparagus : 6 branches Chicken juice 1 tablespoon Olive oil Make:
Gac sticky rice cook for the whole family to eat, take out one little hold back for the baby. Boiled chicken takes the large shredded breast, when children are more skillful, they can give the whole chicken thighs for children to handle boiled asparagus by themselves. 30ml of hot boiled chicken water mixed with 5ml of olive oil, warm for the baby to drink 2.6. Sweet potato, crab or crab, steamed tofu Ingredients:
Sweet potato: 6 long pieces Crab or crab: 1 piece Tofu: 3-4 pieces Olive oil Preparation:
Boiled sweet potato cut into long pieces. Crab or crab washed, steamed, choose the part with more meat, big pieces. 3-4 pieces of boiled or steamed tofu 2.7. Rice cakes or cereal cakes, oysters, baby corn, grapes Ingredients:
Rice cakes or cereals: 3 pcs Oysters: 4 medium sized ones Baby corn: 4 pcs Olive oil Make:
3 rice cakes or cereals cup (type of baby cake). 4 large oysters take the meat, steam it. 4 boiled baby corn cobs. 30ml of hot oyster juice mixed with 5ml of olive oil, keep warm for the baby to drink. During the day, give the baby more grapes. Note: choose large seedless grapes or remove all seeds, cut in half or three. Absolutely do not leave the seeds and leave the whole round fruit for the baby.

2.8. Rice balls, fried fish, chayote tops, papaya Ingredients:
Flexible rice Sushi mold Fish fillets: 3 pieces chayote tops: 10 tops Olive oil Implementation:
Sticky rice balls or compresses Fish fillets Cut into squares or rectangles, fry in a little oil. Boiled chayote tops leave the long fibers intact. Papaya cut into pieces to fit a child's hand. In addition, there are many other self-directed weaning menus for 6-month-old babies that parents can refer to. However, mothers should rely on their baby's eating preferences to prepare foods that are appropriate and ensure the child's development.
The period of baby eating solid foods is an extremely important period to help children develop comprehensively. Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiencies, causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption, etc. If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with supportive products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
Parents can learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
For more nutritional knowledge and child care for each age, parents please regularly visit the website vimec.com and make appointments with the leading doctors, pediatric specialists - nutritionists of Vinmec International General Hospital when needing advice on children's health.