Making meals manageable
What my child eats does not define my succes as a mother. Feeding kids is hard.
During feedings, talk to your baby and help him or her through the process. To make mealtime enjoyable:
Stay seated. As soon as your baby can sit easily without support, use a highchair with a broad, stable base. Buckle the safety straps.
Encourage exploration. Your baby is likely to play with his food. Make sure that finger foods are soft, easy to swallow and broken down into small pieces.
Do not wipe it in your mouth after each swallow. It's difficult for you, but it's a learning opportunity. There will be days when the thought of a baby throwing food at the walls will be unthinkable. It's ok, a day when he is spoon-fed or strict limits are imposed on him will teach him other new things. Do it in such a way that you feel comfortable too.
Introduce utensils. Offer your baby a spoon to hold while you feed him with another spoon. As your baby’s dexterity improves, encourage your baby to use a spoon.
Offer a cup.Feeding your baby breast milk or formula from a cup at mealtimes can help pave the way for weaning from a bottle. Around age 9 months, your baby might be able to drink from a cup on his own.
Dish individual servings. If you feed your baby directly from a jar or container, saliva on the spoon can quickly spoil leftovers. Instead, place servings in a dish. Opened jars of baby food can be safely refrigerated for two to three days.
Tell the baby a story about the food. "Now you eat mashed carrots. It is soft and a little sticky. It has a strong, sweet taste. It's orange and looks appetizing." Describe the food as much as you can. These explanations will bear fruit later. The child will have a vocabulary related to food, he will know what he likes and what he doesn't, he will know his favorite textures. The child will know to ask you, why he refuses and you will understand him better. Instead of telling you "I don't like the food" or "it's tough", the child will understand exactly what he doesn't like and you will receive detailed explanations: "It's too crunchy. I would like to eat something softer and easier to chew."
Avoid power struggles. If your baby turns away from a new food, don’t push. Simply try again another time. Repeated exposure can create variety in your baby’s diet.
Safe food. Always serve one food your child is comfortable with - enough for them to fill up on.
Model eating behaviours. Try eating with your baby and sitting with them at the meal table. When you eat with your baby in particular finger foods, your baby may eat up to 25% more food.
Know when to call it quits. When your baby has had enough to eat, he or she might cry or turn away. Don’t force extra bites. As long as your baby’s growth is on target, he or she is likely getting enough to eat. Also, don’t try to get your baby to eat as much as possible at bedtime to get him or her to sleep through the night. There’s no evidence that this works.
Enjoy. Enjoy your baby’s sloppy tray, gooey hands and sticky face. You’re building the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating.
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