No More Spoon Feeding! It Can Make Baby Grow Up Obese
A friend told me that her husband volunteered in a Junior Kindgergarten class and some of the kids didn't know how to feed themselves.
Isn't that sad? For the kids and their caregivers, who have spent hours spooning food into their mouths? It isn't just sad, but it is bad for the kids - it is even bad for babies.
A recent study says that babies are better off feeding themselves. The researchers compared two groups: one who was weaned through baby-fed feeding, while the other group was spoon-fed. They found that there was a greater rate of obesity later on in the toddlers that were spoon fed which makes sense.
Babies are born with an innate sense of when they are hungry and when they are full, and we adults mess that up. When we tell them "just one more bite", we are taking away the chance for our little ones to know what it feels like to be hungry and what it feels like to be satisfied.
In my book, Whining and Dining: Melatime Survival for Picky Eaters and Families Who Love Them; we quote Ellyn Satter who says that it is the adults job to set a schedule and to serve healthy food; but it is the kids' job to decide how much to eat (if at all).
It is so tempting to spoon feed our little toddlers. It is so much cleaner and efficient. Pureed food is easy to make and easy to buy. Unfortunately, this is one of the times when what is best for us isn't best for our kids.
I wish I could run into every house that has a one-year-old and take away the food mill. At the age of one, most kids should be eating what you are eating - just cup up very small. Just keep a stack of paper towels right beside you and deep breathe at the mess!
I wish I stopped eating when I was full, then I could stock bags of Miss Vickie's chips in the house.
Did you spoon feed or let baby make a mess?
Want more chaos? Last year, I was optimistic that teens and social media could be a force for good.
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