Fingers

by Bethany Harvey

Created on: September 30, 2009   Last Updated: October 01, 2009

Ahhh, the joys of feeding your baby. The first decisions of when, what and how are so important. Should you breastfeed or bottle? That is a decision you make long before your baby is born and is very personal. How you first feed your baby is up to you. For many, however, the bottle or breast is not decided by mom or dad but by the baby itself. I am really talking about my own babies. All three were going to be breast fed. All three let me know that they wanted nothing to do with that and just bring on the bottle, please. Of course, it was not so polite as that, and I learned with many tears.

Then the next question is when to introduce solid foods. First, you start out with soft, pureed, liquid foods and cereals. You discover any allergies in the process and what your baby likes to eat. Soon your baby is eating three times or more a day and is taking great interest in what you are eating. Babies are so curious. It is only natural that they find your food a delight. After your baby gets a couple of teeth and can chew or gum their food, the next step looms on the horizon. Should you let your baby eat finger foods or feed themselves with a spoon? This is a personal decision, of course. Some moms are very proper and want their baby to learn correct table manners right from the start. That is ok, but I believe that the next step in your baby's development is finger foods.

Your baby, in the beginning of self-feeding, doesn't have the fine motor skills to hold a spoon in his little hands. It takes a lot of skill to get that spoon to a mouth when it is full of food. A young baby doesn't have the dexterity to do that. If you push your baby too early, you are setting them up for failure and rebellion. Yes, even at this age a baby can rebel. You want to encourage your babies to feed themselves, yes. But giving them a task that they cannot do too early is going to be a step backward for all of you.

As your babies grow, they want to be independent. Encourage this by letting your babies try to feed themselves with small pieces of banana or cooked carrots. Soft cut-up food is a great start. Partially cooked apple pieces that are soft are great. Green beans or other soft-cooked veggies are great, too. Bake a potato and let it cool enough to handle and give pieces of that to your baby. Basically, anything that they can eat is ok. Small pieces of bread or a roll broken up for them or even toast to chew. Look around at what you are eating and share with them. As long as it is soft enough for you baby not to choke, it is ok to give them.

Put your child in a highchair to eat. If you haven't gotten one, now is the time. A highchair is the safest place for a baby to start eating on their own. Strap your baby in, and put a bib on them to protect their clothes. Let them do things their way and just stay close to monitor them. Let them mush, mash and feel their food. It will make it's way to their mouth. Keep wet cleaning clothes nearby and watch your baby learn.

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