Abstract

Baby-led weaning (BLW) has recently become a popular method of introducing complementary food among mothers. This qualitative study aimed to explore mothers’ experience in introducing complementary food by using the BLW method in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi, Indonesia. Thirteen participants introduced complementary food with the BLW method for at least six months. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and then analyzed. The following themes emerged: allowing the child to decide, worrying about the child’s condition, maintaining a supportive environment during meals, searching for information before and during BLW implementation, feeling distressed in the beginning, and feeling content despite the difficulty of implementing BLW. The results suggested that the mothers’ experience in applying the BLW method was quite varied. The findings also explained how they applied BLW and how it affected their children. The study limitations was the low diversity of the participants’ background. The authors recommend further study on the growth and development of children undergoing BLW in Indonesia.

Key words: BLW, Infant feeding process, Mothers’ experience