Introduction, Sources & Citations

Introduction

The introduction of solid foods represents one of the most significant transitions in an infant’s first year of life. This chapter presents an evidence-based approach to complementary feeding using Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) principles combined with ancestral food traditions. This method honors both modern nutritional science and traditional feeding practices that have supported human development for millennia.

Baby-Led Weaning allows infants to self-feed from the beginning of their solid food journey, promoting motor development, food autonomy, and healthy eating patterns. When combined with nutrient-dense ancestral foods, this approach provides optimal nutrition during the critical period of rapid growth and development between 6-12 months.

The chapter is organized into two key developmental periods: 6-9 months (Introduction and Foundation) and 10-12 months (Expansion and Integration), reflecting the natural progression of feeding skills and nutritional needs during this transformative period.

References

Black, M. M., & Aboud, F. E. (2011). Responsive feeding is embedded in a theoretical framework of responsive parenting. Journal of Nutrition, 141(3), 490-494.

Brown, A., Jones, S. W., & Rowan, H. (2017). Baby-led weaning: The evidence to date. Current Nutrition Reports, 6(2), 148-156.

Dewey, K. G., & Brown, K. H. (2003). Update on technical issues concerning complementary feeding of young children in developing countries and implications for intervention programs. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 24(1), 5-28.

Du Toit, G., Roberts, G., Sayre, P. H., Bahnson, H. T., Radulovic, S., Santos, A. F., … & LEAP Study Team. (2015). Randomized trial of peanut consumption in infants at risk for peanut allergy. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(9), 803-813.

Fewtrell, M., Bronsky, J., Campoy, C., Domellöf, M., Embleton, N., Fidler Mis, N., … & ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition. (2017). Complementary feeding: a position paper by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 64(1), 119-132.

Humphrey, L. T., De Groote, I., Morales, J., Barton, N., Collcutt, S., Ramsey, C. B., & Bouzouggar, A. (2014). Earliest evidence for caries and exploitation of starchy plant foods in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from Morocco. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(3), 954-959.

Krebs, N. F., Sherlock, L. G., Westcott, J., Culbertson, D., Hambidge, K. M., Feazel, L. M., … & Frank, D. N. (2013). Effects of different complementary feeding regimens on iron status and enteric microbiota in breastfed infants. Journal of Pediatrics, 163(2), 416-423.

Townsend, E., & Pitchford, N. J. (2012). Baby knows best? The impact of weaning style on food preferences and body mass index in early childhood in a case–controlled sample. BMJ Open, 2(1), e000298.

World Health Organization. (2001). The optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding: report of an expert consultation. World Health Organization.