Category: Parent Talk
So now that baby Michael is getting to that stage where he is eating more and more baby food I find that one of the more harder parts of babydom to deal with. I find it extremely messy to feed him his food and for that matter I don't even know if I'm doing it the right way. I'm gonna get the high chair soon but even then some people tell me the high chair thing will just make it harder. so any tips on what you people as blind parents did with your kids on feeding them and making sure the baby food got in their mouth and not everywhere else? I'd appreciate some tricks of the trade.
When Chloe was little, I used 1 hand to make sure I knew where her mouth was, and the other too feed her, but honestly, there isn't much you can do to keep them from getting baby food on them. Sighted people, from what I understand have the same problem. i'm sure you are feeding him right, he's just at that stage where things get messy. Always have a washcloth on hand and a clean outfit near by. smiles. It gets better in some ways as they get older, because then you can teach hem that it should go in there mouth and not on everything else. Hope this helps. smiles.
Jessica,
I would strip Savannah down to nothing but her diaper when feeding. Feeding a baby is a messy process for blind or sighted parents. I personally think the high chair is a definite necessity and helps so much. Where does he sit now when you are feeding him? In a high chair, he's strapped in with a tray in front of him. If his arms aren't long enough yet, you can rest the bowl or jar of baby food on the tray, use one hand to feel where his mouth is and then guide the spoon to it. How old is he now? How long has he been eating baby food? Honestly it is going to be messy for a while.
I would also give Savannah her own spoon so she could play with it, try to get food on it and to her own mouth. Feeding a baby who's on formula or breast fed, isn't for nutrition as much as a learning experience for the baby. He is learning how to swallow more than just the milk, learning about different textures, different things besides the breast or bottle in his mouth. When I started Savannah on baby food, I also introduced the sippy cup. I put it on the tray with either just a bit of water or a bit of formula. This was around 6 months. When i transitioned her from bottle to cup, a few days after her first birthday, it was a simple process. I can't say that is just because I introduced the cup early, but I think it helped.
I'll ask on the blind parenting list to get more tips and such for you.
I agree with the other posts. It will continue to get messy. I am VI & still dealing with that. My son is a year & still gets food on him. He eats anything. When he was eating his Gerbert baby food there was some he liked & others he didn't. His favorites fruits were bananas & apple sauce & veggies were peas & sweet potatoe. He always had a bib on & i would have a washcloth nearby. I don't use a high chair. I did buy a booster seat that strap to a chair & it for babies as young as 6months. The only bad thing about it is if he still food on the buckle i have to remove it to wash it, but besides that i love it. Mayb you could jus have a shirt on him something simple then wash after feeding. And i know they sell longer bibs, but not sure if that would help or you've tried that. Well good luck to ya..
Yep, feeding babies is messy. Solomon has been eating food on and off for a while now. The hardest thing for him is not turning the spoon upside down. The high chair really does make it easier. We strip him down to his diaper too because we know food will get everywhere. He'll learn just keep trying.Plenty of bibs wash cloths and we've used rceiving blankets for his lap so the outside of his diaper doesn't get messy. He's one picky kid we're working through that now. Apparently he likes garlic. He wouldn't eat peas till I put a pinch of minced garlic in the dish. I thought I was stubbern he's got me beat. Any thoughts on dealing with picky eaters? Hope this helped.
@ablindgibsongirl, my son is a bit picky on some foods too. He didn't used to like the carrots or squash so what i did is pretended the spoon was an airplane, that made him laugh then ate it. Then i would make a car sound & that also help. I guess mayb the moving around the spoon around got his attention. A few times i also pretended i ate some jus so he would, lol, that one didn't last long. Mayb you could give him 2 different foods, one he like & the other that he's not so interested in...
He's meeting us half way but still being stubbern about it. For awhile all he would eat was bananas peanut butter and yogurt.He weaned just fine at 18 months so that's not an issue. We've transitioned from a sippy cup to a straw cup and bigger spoon.We did the airplane game today, he likes it when daddy does it but not me. I've got a squeaky dolphin he really likes maybe he'll help distract him a bit. Guess they were right when they said kids don't come with instructions. Tiffany
Pippi, Michael's 7 months now and he for the most part eats everything I have given him accept for peas. The little munchkin thought it clever to pretend he was liking it and ate a few bites and then promptly turned his face away from me then proceeded to smack it right out of my hand. I usually just sit him in between my legs and trap his arms so he doesn't grab anything when I feed him since I don't have the high chair yet. I have found he loves all of the fruit stuff, tolerates the squash and carrots, and everytime we are eating something he always seems to stare it down like he wants some too.
To ablindgibsongirl:
I hear the airplane thing works pretty well for a lot of babies. I haven't tried it for Michael yet but maybe I will at some point. I hope to eventually get this right, Lol. On a somewhat interesting observation if your baby was breastfed I read they are more picky about foods than if the baby was bottle fed. Anyway, thanks for letting me know it will always be messy for awhile and it wasn't just me, Lol.
What I did was sit on the floor in front of Ayden's high chair keeping the food down there with me, then get a spoon full out and then placeing my finger on his lips and guiding the spoon to my finger. It still will be messy and you might as well figure on a bath after feeding or at least a spunge bath. at one point Ayden got to where he would grab my hand and guide the food in there.
Good luck, you can do it!
good advice.
When I'm feeding babies, I sit in a comfy chair, put them on my knee with their back against my belly, then spread a large towel over baby. Their head is resting on my chest and their feet and hands are underneath the towel, so they can kick and have squirmy arms all they like, but it won't reach the food. I'm right handed, so have the bowl of food on a table to my right. I spoon some up, then place the fingers of my left hand on baby's chin. Because they're resting against my chest, one hand is enough to keep the head wtill while the other guides the spoon to my fingers. Even if he turns, my hand moves with him, so the spoon normally ends up in his mouth. I find it easier to feed thick foods than runny ones this way.
Hope this helps
When I fed my god children, I would mix the fruits with the vegetables because tose vegetables are nasty. I tasted them and about puked. I can't understand how babies can eat that stuff, but I can totally identify with those who won't. but mixing the fruits with the vegetables will sweeten it up and make it taste much better. I hope I have helped.