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<\/p>\nThe first foods introduced beyond milk have traditionally been offered as pur\u00e9es or mashed meals, administered with a spoon, without the baby\u2019s active involvement. In the last 10\u201315 years, a new trend has emerged that has gained considerable popularity among parents: baby-led weaning (BLW) or self-weaning.<\/p>\n
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This method involves offering the baby small pieces of the same foods consumed by the rest of the family right from the start and encouraging them to grab, bring to the mouth, and taste the food on their own, following their curiosity and appetite (11).<\/p>\n
The supposed benefits of this approach include stimulating the child\u2019s autonomy and self-regulation skills, familiarizing them from the beginning with a wider variety of flavors and textures, and more actively involving them in family life by fully sharing the table experience. However, some pediatricians and parents who are less enthusiastic about this practice fear a greater risk of choking and an inadequate or low-nutrient diet, potentially leading to delayed growth.<\/p>\n
It is not easy to objectively evaluate baby-led weaning, as it is rarely applied in a purely exclusive way. Often, the same child is offered both adult-style finger foods and traditional pur\u00e9es. Moreover, the nutritional choices reflect the more or less healthy dietary habits of the family. In recent years, the first studies on the subject have been conducted on a relatively large scale (12).<\/p>\n\t\t