Got the hang of BLW at home but unsure of how it'll go on your holiday to Italy this year? Luckily for you, I've been there! As I took my son to meet family in Italy during his weaning journey and learned a whole lot over the course of those weeks. So today I'll be running down my 4 top tips on how to do Baby Led Weaning on holiday in Italy, and why a little flexibility can make all the difference.
1. Shrug off The Skepticism
While mindsets towards Baby Led Weaning (or autosvezzamento in Italian) in central Europe are slowly improving, many Italians are still wary of the idea.
You may raise a few eyebrows. And you may even be accused of doing something dangerous... It's important to have patience with people if this happens as is the case with any cultural difference.
Be prepared for people promoting early weaning too.
Some Italians still give their children fruit like apple or banana, or even vegetable broth and rice porridge, as early as 4 or 5 months.
Keep your explanations short and sweet. Simply inviting someone to look it up is often enough thanks to the overwhelming amount of positive info on Baby Led Weaning online.
Remember too that it's not your job to educate people, especially if you're on holiday in Italy to enjoy yourself! So the best route is often to shrug off unhelpful comments with a smile.
If you do feel you need to say something to defend yourself, it can be helpful to mention that you've already okayed your decision with your doctor, or point out that your country's health authority supports it. The NHS, for example, supports Baby Led Weaning.
2. Visit Local Markets
Italy has some wonderful fruit and veg markets in the warmer months. These often happen in the morning as the afternoons get so hot. So make sure you're up bright and early - not difficult with a baby!
Here you can pick up a beautiful punnet of strawberries or some high quality zucchini. We loved getting watermelon slices for our boy when doing Baby Led Weaning in Italy as he could hold them easily and they provided some much needed hydration on hot days.
Remember, food availability in Italy is guided by what's actually in season.
This means that some things you're used to finding all year round in the UK or US might just not be available, especially at markets. Use this as an opportunity to ask the merchants what's good this time of year.
3. Know The Lingo
Ordering food in an Italian restaurant is usually straightforward, even if you don't speak Italian. But when asking for Baby Led Weaning accomodations, it's helpful to know some key vocab.
These phrases might also be helpful if you find yourself in conversations about Baby Led Weaning with curious family members.
Autosvezzamento, 'Baby Led Weaning' in Italian, is pronounced 'auto-svetza-mento' - simple! And it essentially means 'weaning oneself'.
Porzione piccola = 'small portion'
You could also ask for a piatto piccolo, i.e. 'small plate'.
When dining at a pizzeria, you can always ask if they have a small pizza for children. This phrase in Italian would be: avete una pizza piccola per bimbi?
Senza sale = 'without salt'
Being strict about limiting salt on holiday isn't realistic, and that's okay.
However, there are occasions where you can ask for no salt to be added, when ordering fries for example.
Mi dispiace per il disordine = 'sorry for the mess'
This can be helpful in the (likely) case that your child has spilled sauce, crumbs or juice all over the table.
You can then tell the waiter, or family member: Pulisco io. Potrei avere uno straccio? which means 'I'll clean this up myself. Can I have a cleaning cloth?'
Bastoncini ("baston-cheenee") = 'little batons'
Cutting food into batons is useful at various stages of Baby Led Weaning. So you can ask the restaurant or whoever you're staying with to have your child's veg cut into bastoncini so you don't have to slice them yourself.
4. Don't Let The Rulebook Ruin Your Holiday
If you want to know how to do Baby Led Weaning in Italy, or any foreign country for that matter, the biggest thing to keep in mind is flexibility.
This might mean letting your kids eat things you would normally keep off the menu at home. It might mean spoon feeding some things so you can relax at lunch rather than being on damage control duty.
Or it might mean resorting to fruit pouches and similar pre-made snacks when out and about.
Italians love organic produce and you'll find it's quite easy to source organic, all natural fruit snacks or pouches for your kids on holiday.
Let Go of Anxiety-Inducingly High Standards
Online birth and parenting communities can be extremely reductive in instructing parents on what they can or can't do.
This can feed anxiety rather than alleviating it, with mothers and fathers compulsively checking every choice they make and overestimating the negative consequences of their decisions.
So try to leave the Facebook Mum Group or preachy TikTok feed behind at least for your holiday.
Especially when in an unfamiliar place, and surrounded by exciting stimuli, babies can lose their appetite. Heat can exacerbate this too.
So don't be too surprised if they turn their nose up at foods they usually enjoy and have to have icecream for lunch. It really will be fine!
Now you have a whole arsenal of tips on how to do Baby Led Weaning in Italy!
If you have any questions however, don't hesitate to email me any time :).
