October 20, 2009 10 Things Infants Secretly Say About Solids - Or Would If They Could!
Most parents think introducing their infants to solid foods is difficult because their child may not like the taste, may not like the texture, and may not even know how to navigate the mushy messes down their throats.
Weaning is tough work because there is so much change to your child's feeding and eating routine - his (so far) lifelong habits.
Here are 10 things your infant might say about weaning if he could:
1) My food used to always be the same – same taste, same texture, same smell. Now it changes from meal-to-meal. I never know what to expect.
2) I used to snuggle with Mommy while I ate but now I don’t.
3) I used to eat while lying down. Now I have to sit up.
4) I used to decide how quickly or slowly to eat. Now someone else picks the speed at which food is put into my mouth.
5) I used to take big sips or small sips of milk. Now someone else decides how much food is in each bite.
6) I used to have a soft nipple in my mouth. Now there’s a hard spoon in there.
7) I used to eat whenever I was hungry. Now Mommy often makes me wait for meal- or snack-time.
8) Mommy used to be the only one to feed me. Now lots of different people take turns.
9) I used to decide how long meals lasted. Now whoever feeds me decides.
10) I never could see what was going on in the room before. Now I can check out all the action.
There’s a lot going on here as your child adjusts and develops new habits -- it's not just about the food.
What you can do.
- If your child is having trouble transitioning to solids, look beyond the food to identify the cause (or causes).
- Try reducing some of the change. For instance, there’s no law against snuggling while feeding, even if it is solids.
- Recognize that weaning is a process, both for you and for your child. How well you cope matters too.
- Remember, weaning will change from day-to-day because it is an interaction that is always in flux as you and your infant adjust your behavior in reaction to each other.
- Don't get hung up on how much your child eats. Sustenance from solids isn't the name-of-the-game right now. Exposure to lots of different foods is.
- Also, don't get hung up on how much your child eats because, it turns out, parents aren't very good judges of that anyway. Click for more on this topic.
- Hang in there. Over time, change settles down and feeding improves. Studies show a vast improvement in feeding within 6 weeks, but that before this time, anything goes.
~ Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits. ~
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Source:
van Dijk M, Hunnius S, & van Geert P (2009). Variability in eating behavior throughout the weaning period. Appetite, 52 (3), 766-70 PMID: 19501778
Reader Comments (2)
I like your blog, but I am disappointed with this entry. Unless you are talking about 100% formula-fed babies, #1 is factually incorrect. Breastmilk changes smell and taste, and consistency to a point, depending on what Mom has eaten or drank, time of day, beginning or end of the meal, etc. Breastmilk is NOT constantly the same - only formula is. Please correct this entry to be factually correct, especially since human beings' biological default first nutrition is breastmilk, not artificial formula.
K,
You are correct that breastfed babies experience different flavors according to what Mom has eaten. In fact, research shows that this kind of flavor variation helps breastfed babies be receptive to a variety of new flavors when they are weaned. I should have been more specific. However, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater (or breast milk) here. The main point is still valid: there's a lot going on for weaning babies to adjust to. Parents should not assume that a baby who rejects a food is doing that because he doesn't like it.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
Dina