My first child was the typical spoon fed baby from 4 months, I would spend hours a week chopping, steaming, pureeing a variety of foods. Dutifully feeding my little baby his meals for the day - with highchair, bib, spoon and mush ready to go. This happened until he was about 8 months where it became more chunky - but still being given his cutlery and not allowed to play with his food.
By 12 months my baby was beginning to loose interest in food and had to be given more bottles of formula to make up what he clearly wasn't eating. And already being a small baby, I was worried about him loosing weight. Then one day - I just gave him chopped up food on his tray and let him play with it - eating with his fingers. I never looked back.
When my second baby came along 12 months later - I had read more information into solids and decided to delay solids until 6 months. I could tell at 6 months he wasn't entirely ready, so I spent the next month looking into introducing solids. I came across baby led weaning. A method that is starting to change the ways mum feed their babies. When my second baby was 7 months, I steamed some veggies and placed them in front of him (thats right - no mush!). It took him a few goes to co-ordinate his hand to pick it up and get it in his mouth - but it was the beginning of a fun journey that I hadn't realised I was about to embark on.
From that point, he would eat what we ate. He would play with his food, put it through his hair, throw it across the room, stuffed his cheeks full of grapes. We found introducing solids this time around so easy and so fun! not to mention so messy!
However, we have had some people close to us and within our family who are convinced our children will grow up with no table manners. Despite my best efforts to share with them the wonders of baby led weaning; it just hits a brick wall.
A few months back I watched this really interesting American show about battling childhood obesity - starting at how toddlers eat. One particular family had an 18 month old who refused to eat anything but fast food - which they gave him because they would rather him eat something then nothing. The dietician was in their home trying to sort out the issues with the child. It soon became evident that the parents were getting so fixated on him needing to use his fork and knife to pick up his food, that meal time was not a fun occasion. The need for table manners became the focus (a negative one at that) instead of him eating and enjoying his food. The dietician said something that I will always remember; She said 'Fun with food comes first, manners will come later.'
So, my two toddlers continue to play with their food, eat what they want from their tray, and throw it on the floor (they are now learning to pick it up though!), often letting kids be kids can have the most positive, long term affect.
The Reflective Mum xx
By 12 months my baby was beginning to loose interest in food and had to be given more bottles of formula to make up what he clearly wasn't eating. And already being a small baby, I was worried about him loosing weight. Then one day - I just gave him chopped up food on his tray and let him play with it - eating with his fingers. I never looked back.
When my second baby came along 12 months later - I had read more information into solids and decided to delay solids until 6 months. I could tell at 6 months he wasn't entirely ready, so I spent the next month looking into introducing solids. I came across baby led weaning. A method that is starting to change the ways mum feed their babies. When my second baby was 7 months, I steamed some veggies and placed them in front of him (thats right - no mush!). It took him a few goes to co-ordinate his hand to pick it up and get it in his mouth - but it was the beginning of a fun journey that I hadn't realised I was about to embark on.
From that point, he would eat what we ate. He would play with his food, put it through his hair, throw it across the room, stuffed his cheeks full of grapes. We found introducing solids this time around so easy and so fun! not to mention so messy!
However, we have had some people close to us and within our family who are convinced our children will grow up with no table manners. Despite my best efforts to share with them the wonders of baby led weaning; it just hits a brick wall.
A few months back I watched this really interesting American show about battling childhood obesity - starting at how toddlers eat. One particular family had an 18 month old who refused to eat anything but fast food - which they gave him because they would rather him eat something then nothing. The dietician was in their home trying to sort out the issues with the child. It soon became evident that the parents were getting so fixated on him needing to use his fork and knife to pick up his food, that meal time was not a fun occasion. The need for table manners became the focus (a negative one at that) instead of him eating and enjoying his food. The dietician said something that I will always remember; She said 'Fun with food comes first, manners will come later.'
So, my two toddlers continue to play with their food, eat what they want from their tray, and throw it on the floor (they are now learning to pick it up though!), often letting kids be kids can have the most positive, long term affect.
The Reflective Mum xx
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