Baby's Feeding Brilliance

What a concept! What an idea! Brilliance at its best. As 'Edward', my then 10 month-old grandson, waits to eat, mom is preparing his food: egg yolk. He has been placing his fingers into his mouth so often he has progressed to a new eating category called feeding himself. One day that life-altering step will determine the course of his health journey.

A modern feeding philosophy has arrived. If baby can sit, without assistance, while longing for the foods you are eating, - his tongue moving back and forth, in synchronized fashion - baby might be ready for the next step: feeding himself. And so it began. Egg yolk became Edward's first food, along with applesauce, easily digestible and full of vitamins and minerals. But as time passed, small amounts of finely 'processed' meat, with squash, were added, to his delight. The food, placed on his clean high chair tray, made practice an easy and fun exercise for him and mom, too. It was akin to delicious finger 'painting' as his hands moved slowly into his food. 

 

Mom uses the spoon to expedite the process of eating, for him, thus shortening his meal time sessions. Play time beckons, too! Being nursed, still, gives Edward a sense of well being, begun within minutes of him being born. He is nearing the one year anniversary of his birth and will be enrolled, later this year, in a music program for 18 months olds. In the months to come, he will be fed more and more by spoon. What an invention he thinks. Apple sauce and other pureed foods are slowly gaining momentum as they are introduced. He is training his taste buds to savour and appreciate the real foods mom gives him. Water is included, too.

Lucy, my daughter and Momsey editor, is guiding her baby towards health, in the choices she makes for him, now, and in the experience he has of feeding himself. The foods sustains him as he slowly becomes aware of flavour, taste, texture and the role of food in his life. Food is medicine, after all! (So is music) ... With a newly installed digestive system, my one year old grandson is beginning to understand the world of food, thanks to mom's persistence and personal enjoyment of all things, homemade. Sugar will not interfere. It is the enemy. No soda pop for him. The time will arrive when he will learn of its existence and other 'drinks', too, at parties, he will attend. Choices will be made. ... 

 

If sugar had been invented today it might be considered a poison, according to one pediatric specialist. Sugar is greatly reduced in the desserts I make as these sweet creations can muddle health, so easily.

Training her one-year-old son to be the author of his own health is Lucy's mission. Junk food and sugar will not monopolize his food journey. Their significance in her son's life now has no standing. Real food takes precedence for this smallest and most vulnerable member of the human race. He wins with every meal. 

 

Today, there is cooked millet mixed with squash. Sometimes it is mashed peas and brown rice, another newly established combo. He savours every morsel as it enters his tiny happy mouth. Mom keeps a detailed chart recording Edward's meals, alerting her to any possible allergic reactions he might experience.

Moms have the uncanny ability to influence their children's daily food preferences. She can be the arbiter of smart eating and good habits. Buying food is fraught with misgivings today as we wonder, is it NON-GMO or not. Organic is in the pantry. Lucy and Edward's dad buy from a local farmer. Any overabundance is cooked then frozen for later use. They choose wisely. We all must. Things like parsnips are cooked then frozen for that 'sneaky' look to foods, later. Mixed into mashed potatoes or rice, then put into soups as a thickener or combined with cauliflower all adds up to health and wellness. My grandson only knows what mom gives him. She definitely knows best. He is a meal time sensation, much like his food.

Edward is observant of those around him and the foods they eat. I want some of that, he seems to say. He loves his water, too. Let's be the first to influence our babies. 'Outside forces' will dominate, later. Let us stockpile, now, for future battles, with enjoyable foods for everyday feasts. A few missteps will occur but the more we fuss the more our children will rebel.

Experience is baby's first teacher. Mom guides that journey. She knows the best building blocks for baby were already put in place before he was born. Now, she wants him to experience the wonders of Mother Nature's bounty, first hand, within the loving, extended family structure. Fast food will have its turn, one day, for sure. But for now, mommy will imprint on his one-year-old plastic brain. 'Cause mommy knows best.