Food for Thought

"My first two babies ate like champs: anything and everything I put in front of them was gobbled up. My third baby, however, was very fussy. She never liked baby food from the first bite until I gave up trying to feed it to her. It was very frustrating to have meal after meal refused by her, and I racked my brains trying to think of tasty things I could feed her. I finally figured out that she did not want to be fed by me; she wanted to feed herself! As a result, my third baby ended up eating finger foods much earlier than my other two did! "
Carolin, 35, mother of three

Just in case you're still harboring some naive idea that you're the one who's in control when it comes to feeding your baby, I thought I'd take a moment to set the record straight: while you are the one who gets to decide what ends up in your baby's bowl, she's the one who gets to decide what ends up in her stomach.

Is My Newborn Normal?

The moment your newborn is delivered, you're bound to heave a heavy sigh of relief. But if you're like most first-time parents, that relief doesn't last long.

Unexpected birthmarks, a pulsating soft spot, jaundice, skin rashes, eyes that cross, head lumps and bumps: It can all be downright scary and can easily send new parents into panic mode.

"If you don't know what to expect, or especially if you are expecting that sort of 'Hollywood' version of the doll-perfect newborn, seeing and examining your baby for the first time can be quite shocking to some parents -- and even cause some serious anxiety attacks," says Tia Hubbard, MD, nursery pediatrician at the University of California at San Diego Medical Center.

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Fortunately, the majority of babies take to solids with great gusto, opening their mouths like hungry baby birds eagerly awaiting the delivery of the next juicy red worm. After all, enjoying a good meal is one of the pleasures of being human--even if that meal happens to be a bowl of strained squash topped off with a delicious dessert of mashed banana!

In this chapter, we zero in on the ins and outs of infant feeding: how to introduce solids; which foods to introduce first; and how to make your own baby food. But before we get started, let's tackle the $10,000 question: how to decide when your baby is ready for Life After Liquids.

BABY TALK

Don't assume that you need to stop breastfeeding your baby just because she's starting to enjoy a variety of solid foods. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.

On Solid Ground

Most babies are ready for solid foods by the time they reach four to six months of age (see Table 11.1). Of course, if your baby was premature or is developmentally delayed, you'll need to take that into account when deciding when to offer your baby that first gourmet meal of rice cereal.

BABY TALK

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life and products such as infant formula and baby foods should only be marketed for the use of babies older than age six months.

TABLE 11.1

EATING-RELATED MILESTONES

Here are some eating-related milestones that your baby will master during her first year of life.

Age		Milestone

Four to six months		Shows a keen interest in food.
		Learns how to chew.
		Figures out how to use her tongue to move food around inside her mouth.
		Begins to feed herself using her fingers.

Six to nine months		Holds a bottle or drinks from a cup held by an adult.
		Develops more sophisticated chewing techniques.
		Becomes better able to manipulate food due to increased movement of the tongue.
		Lets you know in no uncertain terms which foods she likes and dislikes.

Nine to twelve months		Begins experimenting with a spoon.
		Improves chewing and finger-feeding skills.
		Starts copying other peoples eating techniques.