My two-year-old granddaughter, Maddie, loves Sriracha, the incendiary chilli sauce that is de rigueur in many Southeast Asian dishes and more common than catsup on home and restaurant tables alike.
On a recent visit to Brooklyn, my almost-four-year-old grandson, Robbie, kept dipping his finger into the condiment cup of malt vinegar I’d gotten for my fries at the wildly popular Shake Shack. By the time his mom brought our orders to the table, my vinegar was long gone.
Both grandchildren demolish sour pickles with enthusiasm. Maddie threw her first – hopefully last – grocery store tantrum when she had to be forcibly removed from Schnucks’ olive bar. Anything with lots of lemon juice makes Robbie happy. Both are blue cheese fanatics; they’ll turn their noses up at bland processed cheeses in favor of some even a bit too stinky for my taste.
“Well,” sighed an acquaintance. “It’s probably genetic.”
Hardly. Robbie is adopted, and African-American to boot. His parents and he are vegetarians. Maddie’s flaming-red curls are inherited from both her father and my daughter; she relishes flesh of all sorts.
It may seem like it, but my grandchildren don’t have extraordinarily exceptional palates. And their parents haven’t exerted mystical mind control over their food choices. Quite the opposite. Both exercise a lot of control over what, how much, and to some extent when, they eat. And both like eating a variety of foods that comprise a nutritious and balanced diet.
A major factor in Maddie’s and Robbie’s ability to eat and enjoy lots of different tastes has been Baby-Led Weaning, a book written by two British mothers – one a health professional, the other a journalist
I wasn’t initially intrigued by the book’s title. When my children were born, breastfeeding was making a comeback, and the advantages of on-demand feeding and long-term nursing were being rediscovered.
The book’s title, while not misleading, doesn’t inform as much as its subtitle: Introducing Solid Foods and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up as a Happy and Confident Eater.
I’d done a good job of introducing solid foods to my babies. Back then, most babies’ first solid food was cereal (usually rice) that had few nutrients and was primarily given to infants after just a couple of months – not for their benefit, but to fill their tummies so that they’d sleep through the night. Mine were started on mashed very ripe bananas, far more nutritious and milky-tasting. I made all their “baby” food. They teethed on scallions or whatever else was in season fresh from their great-grandfather’s organic farm.
BLW is based on some of that rediscovered wisdom, augmented with lots of newer scientific knowledge about the whys and wherefores of optimal nutrition for babies moving from a milk-based diet (whether breast milk or formula) to “regular” foods. Its methods come with big bonuses for both parents and child: less worry and stress for parents, and a baby who enjoys eating a wide range of nutritious foods.
Some of Baby-Led Weaning’s core principles:
There is NO medical or sociological reason to begin replacing a baby’s milk-based diet (breast or formula) with solids before six months. Even then, for another few months, solid foods should be thought of as augmenting rather than replacing bottles or breast. Children begin their exploration of the world with their mouth. As soon as babies can grasp an object, they don’t bring it to their eyes, nose or ears, but to their mouth. Initially, solid foods are just another thing to explore.
By six months, babies don’t need purées; in fact, their reflexes run counter to spoon-feeding. Whether or not their first teeth have appeared, letting them discover appropriately prepared foods by gnawing, sucking and gum-chomping helps develop muscles needed to properly masticate.
Offer your new eater a wide variety of the foods that appear on your table. Your baby should become familiar with and like what’s served to the entire family. (Presupposing, of course, that family meals overall are nutritionally balanced and that treats are treated as treats: occasional/special indulgences, not dietary staples.) And don’t stop offering foods that are initially rejected. It may be preoccupation with another food or something else rather than distaste.
Don’t worry when a new eater’s appetite fluctuates – can’t get enough or isn’t interested in eating. Growth spurts, minor illnesses, even the weather, can influence their appetites much more than older childrens’ or adults’. There’s even evidence that new eaters instinctively choose foods that meet whatever their bodies need for growth, brain development, etc. They’ll let you know when they’re full, oftentimes by throwing leftovers overboard.
Let them choose what and how much to eat. Food and eating are some of the first things babies can control; they quickly learn that this is a battle they can win.
There’s lots more useful information in Baby-Led Weaning, including practical details, tips, and anecdotes. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
This article appears in Capital City Parent October 2014.
