CONFERENCE | Baby Led Weaning (BLW): What Health Professionals Need to Know | Jessica Coll, RD [RECORDED SESSION]
Advances in research in the last few years has led to a more comprehensive understanding of the benefits of Baby Led Weaning (BLW) for infants all over the world. From achieving baby’s high nutrition requirements to adapting BLW for babies with atypical development, there is no better approach than one that unites different health professionals with different areas of expertise to provide comprehensive care to families pursuing complementary feeding.
This session will provide attendees with the most recent developments pertaining to BLW and puree feeding, the energy and nutrient requirements of babies and how it is possible to achieve these with BLW, and recent updates in adaptations for infants for whom BLW was previously thought to be contraindicated, all through a multidisciplinary lens.
CEUs: 0.2
- Differentiate between Baby Led Weaning (BLW), traditional spoon feeding, and doing a bit of both.
- Evaluate how energy and nutrient requirements can be met with BLW.
- Develop a multidisciplinary approach to infant feeding by encouraging a team collaboration with multiple health professionals.
- Define Baby Led Weaning (BLW), compare BLW with traditional spoon feeding, and discuss doing a bit of both.
- Differentiate between gagging and choking.
- Discuss strategies for safe feeding, no matter the approach.
- Summarize the latest research regarding risk and incidence of choking with respect to different complementary feeding approaches.
- Discuss the nutrient requirements of 6-month-old babies and how to optimize the intake of nutrients of interest (overall energy, iron, zinc, vitamin D).
- Summarize the latest research regarding iron requirements and intake in infants.
- Identify most common feeding problems (sensory, oro-motor, etc.) and when to refer to another member of the multidisciplinary team.
- Summarize recent updates pertaining to BLW for infants with atypical development: work done by Jill Rabin, SLP, IBCLC.
- Work through a case study of a child with poor weight gain, how to perform a proper feeding and intake assessment and how to guide the family in the right direction.
- Relay up-to-date and evidence-based information regarding infant feeding to clients in a simplified format.
- 15 mins: Introduction and overview of learning objectives of presentation
- 15 mins: Module 1
Define BLW, compare and contrast with traditional spoon-feeding, and discuss how parents can do both BLW and puree feeding.
Differentiate between gagging and choking, summarize safe feeding practices, no matter the approach.
Summarize most recent research regarding risk/incidence of choking with BLW versus traditional complementary feeding
- 30 mins: Module 2
Discuss the nutrient requirements of 6-month-old babies with emphasis on nutrients of interest (Energy, iron, zinc, Vitamin D) and how to achieve and optimize them, including latest research on iron.
Share multiple short videos demonstrating babies eating a variety of foods starting at 6 months old.
- 30 mins: Module 3
Develop a multidisciplinary approach to infant feeding by working with other health professionals
Identify most common feeding problems (sensory, oro-motor issues, etc.) and when to refer to another member of the multidisciplinary team.
Review ground-breaking updates about how BLW can be adapted to babies with atypical development: Jill Rabin’s work (SLP, IBCLC) & how my practice as an RD changed over the past 10 years.
- 15 mins: Case study of a baby with poor weight gain, how to perform a feeding and intake assessment, and when to refer to another member of the multidisciplinary team.
- 15 mins: Q&A