Tips on Feeding Your Baby Solid Foods
Author: Stef Daniel
No matter how much you have looked forward to feeding your baby solid foods, there is a good chance that you never expected it to be such a difficult task. This is the stage when parents begin the lifelong job of worrying about whether their child is eating too much or too little or eating well at all. Calm down! Babies may look all mute and helpless, but they are definitely crusaders when it comes to showing us how to feed them.
There are a few rules of thumb that will make feeding your baby a tad easier:
- Always serve food from a dish rather than the jar. This way, if your baby is only eating small amounts at a time, you won't be contaminating the jar with bacteria.
- Use a small, rubber tipped feeding spoon, and offer it less than half full to your baby.
- Initially, most babies find food more palpable when it is warm, and the microwave is a quick place to heat it. However, you have to stir it thoroughly to avoid any hot spots, and test it on your skin before giving it to your baby.
- When it is time to feed, make sure you have nothing else to do so you can maintain eye contact and lovingly encourage your baby as they eat. Use warm words, and allow them to hold something in their own hands. Not only does this encourage them to "feed" themselves and tune manipulative skills, but it will also keep them from unintentionally grabbing the spoon that you are using or knocking the food off the spoon altogether.
- Don't try to be perfect by using a different spoon for every dish.
- As you raise the spoon to your baby, allow the food to touch their lips first. This will prompt them to open up their mouth and actually participate in the feeding. When they open up, you can place the spoon in their mouth and rub the excess off using the roof of their mouth. In a short time, they will be closing their mouth on the spoon as they learn to eat correctly.
Feeding time should be enjoyable and relaxing. Some babies will gulp down two jars of food one day and then eat nothing the next. They might wince and shiver at the taste of carrots one day and then thoroughly enjoy them the next. The key is remaining consistent and trying foods over and over again to acclimate their taste. One helpful hint to think about while feeding your baby is to allow them to play in and with their food. Yes, it is a bit messy, but letting them touch and feel the textures and temperatures will keep them more able to sit in the high-chair longer, which will enable you to have better results with feeding.
There are lots of opinions, books, and recommendations when it comes to how to feed your baby. Heed this advice! You know best already! Feeding a baby is really about 'offering' them food and allowing them to be an active participant in the process. If you try to force it or live up to expectations about feeding, the experience will become undesirable for you and your baby! Whether you choose organic, non-organic, or homemade baby food does not decipher your rank as a parent, and you should make a decision based on what is easiest and best for you. Keep in mind that while some children do wonderfully in the high-chair, others do not, and allowing them to eat in a car seat or sitting on a blanket will help you out in the long run, especially when you are out and about during lunch time with your baby. How you choose to feed your baby will end up being a culmination of your personal style and what works for you and your baby. Very quickly, you will not have to feed your baby at all, as they will become an adept little toddler with a mind and ability all their own. Enjoy it for now!
