Category: Parent Talk
1. At what age did you introduce solids? How did you balance breastfeeding or formula feeding?
2. As a blind parent was there a part of the feeding process you found difficult? What tips would you give to a first time blind parent?
Thanks for your thoughts/advice
hi proud mmama
now, i'm going to open up pandorah's box. as you are no doubt aware, The issue of when and what to feed your darling child is an issue of great controversy.
americans push solids too early. if a child is exclusively breastfed, that means, no pacifiers, no water, no juice, they can go to about a year without eating solids. that's what our fore mothers did back int the early 20th century.
it wasn't until the advent of canned convenience baby foods that the whole feed 'em early and often regime got started. Now who do you think benefits from that? Junior or mr. gerber?
it has been my experience that the later you start, the easier it is. six or seven or eight months is soon enough. your child will let you know. when they start grabbing food off your plate is usually a pretty good indicator.
if you wait to seven or eight months of age, you can pretty much discard the mush for chopped food they can pick up and feed themselves.
My grand daughter started at four months. Her pediatrician recommended it and I did not express my disapproval. good grandma's don't do that.
Make your own baby food. la leche league has a wonderful book on how to do that. it is 1. a lot cheaper and 2. a lot mor healthful for the child. just puree the stuff, stick in ice cube trays, and freeze. while they are chillin' run a freezer baggy in to your brailler, label the contents and the date and stick the frozen cubes in the bag. when it is time to feed the child, just grab the bag, stick a cube in the microwave for a couple secconds and voila dinner is served.
remember that baby food should be a supplement to breast milk or formula. theb reast or the bottle primarily should be where the child's nourishment comes from.
No matter when you start feeding here are a few things I found helpful.
1. introduce foods one at a time. Let the child get used to one for a few days. this makes sure no food allergies happen.
2. start with vegies. they taste not so good as fruits and the child will learn to like them before getting the sweet fruits.
3. try things like cheereos and yoghurt for snacks. put off the sugar is great for as long as possible.
if you start feeding before say six months, this is an individual choice which you must decide on, i'd say undress the kid and keep him in a diaper. cover yourself with a full body apron. mnow, you all can get grossed out but i always stuck my finger in the food and let the kid suck it off. works a lot better then the stuip useless baby spoon. you also get somewhat smaller of a mess.
hope this answers your questions. i'd love to hear of other folks' experiences too.