Among young parents Gill Rapley is best known for her research and accompanying book about the introduction of solid foods in infants. Gill Rapley argues for an age-old method when it comes to learning to eat: healthy food in a very solid shape, the baby eats itself. So no ready-made jars, prakjes and spoons. This method is frequently called “Rapley”. But Gill Rapley calls the method: Baby Led Weaning (BLW).
Gill Rapley is an independent author and researcher. And we wanted to know more about Gill. It feels like she joins us at the dining table everyday.
Did you ever expect that ‘Rapley’ might become a verb?
No! This was a complete shock. If I am truthful, I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I am very grateful and flattered to be ‘immortalised’ in this way but, on the other hand, I don’t feel that what I have done deserves this level of recognition. I did not invent baby-led weaning (BLW) – the method has been in existence throughout the world, for millions of years! All I have done is give it a name and, by talking and writing about it, made it available to first-time parents and those who have struggled to feed their baby solid foods, so they know there is an alternative. Some parents have criticised me for apparently claiming credit for something that they found by themselves – and of being interested only in being famous and making money. This is not true – and I certainly don’t want to be thought of as one of those parenting ‘gurus’! I therefore never use the terms ‘Rapleying’ or ‘the Rapley method’ myself.
What developments have been made in the Baby-led Weaning method since the book was published?
I don’t think anything has changed in the method itself but its popularity has grown enormously. That is probably more to do with the Internet than with the book. However, one of the things that I hope the book has done is to provide a clear explanation of what Baby Led Weaning is – and what it isn’t. The main reason Tracey and I wrote it was because we were aware that some people who said they were doing BLW were in fact doing something rather different – and even, in some cases, potentially dangerous! We wanted to make sure that parents had the opportunity to learn about the theory and practice of Baby Led Weaning from a reliable source.
The original book is now available in Finnish and Polish, as well as in an American ‘translation’, and there are blogs and forums discussing Baby Led Weaning in many other countries. Incidentally, I am surprised that no publisher in the Netherlands has been interested enough to translate it – especially since it was mothers and professionals in the Netherlands who first started to talk about Baby Led Weaning.
Lots of ready-to-eat baby food producers claim to take your research very seriously. Do you think they really do?
I hope they take it seriously, but I’m not sure what they are doing about it. Certainly, they haven’t contacted me! Maybe they are planning to sell little pots of cooked vegetable sticks? Or maybe they will try to argue that BLW doesn’t ‘work’. If so, I think they are a bit late – there are already too many parents out there who know that it does work!
Lots of people use Baby-led Weaning but on the other hand lots of people are also afraid to start because they think their baby might choke. What do you advise these parents?
Choking is a very common worry – but a very rare occurrence. As long as the baby is sitting upright, and is the only person to put food into his mouth, there is no reason why choking should be any more of a risk with BLW than with spoon feeding. Also, all babies eventually need to learn how to manage food in pieces, and there is no evidence that experience with purees helps them to do this. I usually advise parents who are worried about choking to learn about the difference between choking (which is rare) and gagging (which is common). Our book is useful for this. You should talk to a parent who has done Baby Led Weaning, and ask them about choking and gagging. And try to see a slightly older baby, who has been doing Baby Led Weaning for a few weeks, feeding himself; they will be impressed with how capable he is.
In the Netherlands young parents get a book at the ‘consultatiebureau’ (the clinic where your baby gets vaccines and is checked regularly). The book advises parents not to make puree of the food and give children the same food as they are eating themselves. But most parents make puree or give their children food from a jar everyday. How do you think that institutions should communicate about food?
It is generally recognised that books and leaflets on their own are of limited value as a way of informing parents. It is much more effective for information to be given verbally, with written information used as a back-up. I also think parents need to see Baby Led Weaning in action, in order to understand how effective and easy it is. I therefore think that the best ways of giving information are one-to-one discussions, groups (with ‘guest’ Baby Led Weaning mothers who are happy to talk about their experience) and resources such as DVDs. Finally, health professionals themselves need to make sure they all say the same thing – and to believe in what they are saying.
What can we expect in the next couple of years from Gill Rapley?
That would be telling! I can say that I am working, with Tracey, on another book about infant feeding. I am also currently a full-time research student and will be carrying out a study looking at how babies themselves would like to be introduced to solid foods.
Thank you so much for your cooperation. It was nice to get better acquainted.
You can by the book in bookstores or check the website Baby Led Weaning
You should try this and let us know what your experiences are.