teaching a child to feed itself (again)

STEP 1 - Breast feeding - total dependence

Breastmilk is all your baby needs until at least four months of age. Most babies will do fine with exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age or longer.

 Q: Why start solid foods?
A: There comes a time when breastmilk no longer supplies all your baby's nutritional needs.

Q: When is the right time to start solid foods?
A: The best time to start solids is when the baby is showing interest in starting. Some babies will become very interested in the food in their parents' plates as early as 4 months of age. By 5 or 6 months of age, most babies will be reaching and trying to grab food that parents have on their plates. When the baby is starting to reach for food, this seems a reasonable time to start giving him some.

Q: How should solids be introduced?
A: When the baby is starting to take solids at about 5 or 6 months of age, there is little difference what he starts with or in what order foods are introduced. It is prudent to avoid highly spiced or highly allergenic foods at first (e.g. egg white, strawberries), but if the baby reaches for the potato on your plate, make sure it is not too hot, and let him have the potato. At about 8 months of age, babies become somewhat assertive in displaying their individuality. Your baby may not want you to put a spoon into his mouth. He very likely will take it out of your hand and put it into his mouth himself, often upside down, so that the food falls on his lap. Respect his attempts at self sufficiency and encourage his learning..... From Starting Solid Foods


STEP 2 - Self feeding - partial control

Self-feeding is a developmental step in your child's life that occurs after breastfeeding.  In feeding, like other developmental areas, your infant is moving from total dependence to independence. The drive to make this transition is hard-wired into the childs brain, but the parent also plays a critical role.When your infant is feeding, she’s actually doing a lot more than just feeding. She’s also learning about the development of social relationships (love and power relationships), thinking, exploring and increasing her sense of herself and general approach to the world. In other words, feeding and eating are rich topics, above and beyond their role in providing nutrition.

In infancy, babies learn from being fed when they are hungry to trust that the world (and their mothers) will meet their needs. Having a sensitive feeder helps babies develop a general sense of optimism. Infant feeding is really a partnership, with each person playing a part to make it a success. By nine months or so, the feeding relationship becomes more complicated. Now the baby wants to grab the spoon. She turns her head away, as if to say, ‘No, it's my mouth, and I want to be in charge of it!’.... From Feeding development: the path to independence

STEP 3 -  you are what you eat - unsupervised eating

Understanding how food choices have an impact on the consumer and planet.

Learn how to find, grow and produce your own food.

TBC