Feeding a Baby is anything but Child’s Play

Feeding a new eater is not just your job.  Your child has a major role in this as well. Feeding will go best if you follow their lead.  Watch your child, you will soon become quite good and realizing when they are hungry and when they have had enough.  Don’t worry about them needing to eat a certain amount of a certain food at a certain time of day.  New eaters are still getting most of their nutrition from breast milk or formula.  They are just learning to eat.  Closer to 1 year their solid food provides much more of their nutritional needs.  But by then they will be much better eaters, eating a wide variety of foods in greater amount.  Use the list below to keep feeding focused on your baby’s needs, not yours.  You do your jobs and let them do theirs.

Parent’s Concerns                              
Choose appropriately textured foods
Choose 1-2 foods, if rejected- meal is over  
Baby strapped in high chair
(Hold baby in lap for beginner eaters)
Keep baby upright to avoid choking
Have baby face forward looking at you
Talk calmly to baby, don’t entertain
No toys, TV, games
Allow baby to explore food
Use spoon or let baby self feed, or both
Follow baby’s lead for hunger and satiety
Follow baby’s lead for tempo of eating

Baby’s Choice                                     
How much to eat, by signaling fullness
Whether they eat or not, whether they open their mouth or not
Paying attention to each spoonful
Touching food in dish or spoon
Set tempo for feeding
Self feed if they want, with which ever hand or both           

How Often to Feed
Feed on demand the first year.  Start with one feeding per day, when baby takes in 2 tablespoons of solids, add another feeding.   Eventually you will have 3-6 feedings.  Formula or breast milk can be fed with or separate from solids.

Where to Feed
At the table and in a baby safe chair
In an adult’s lap
Sitting on a blanket or floor
Never feed in a reclining position.
©Beverly Pressey 2004
www.practicalfamilynutrition.com