Attachment Parenting And Introducing Your Baby To Solids

This post is a guest post by Kayris, a mom to two in Maryland. She writes about raising kids in the big city at The Great Walls of Baltimore. A proud AP mom, she especially uses the principles of Attachment Parenting in the kitchen.

Attachment Parenting is a style of parenting that focuses on creating strong and healthy emotional bonds between child and parent. AP parents believe that using love and respect to guide parenting decisions–from nutrition to discipline to how you teach your child to sleep–forges a strong and secure bond that lasts beyond childhood into adulthood. For more on the eight principles of Attachment Parenting, please visit Attachment Parenting International.

Among the many milestones a baby will reach in his first year, beginning the transition from breast milk or formula to solid food is one of the most fun. What parent doesn’t have a video of a young child sucking in spaghetti one noodle at a time, or a photo of a child wearing (rather than eating) the first birthday cake?

In the wake of the recent childhood obesity epidemic, it’s my opinion that introducing solids to your baby is one of the most important milestones as well. Starting in babyhood, you can stress the importance of respecting your body by practicing good nutrition, and by modeling healthy eating habits, you give your child tools to make healthy food choices as an older child and adult.

Think about all the people in your life and there is bound to be at least one, facing diabetes or another medical crisis, struggling to change a lifetime of bad food habits. It might seem difficult to imagine your baby as an adult, but the attitude you impart to your child NOW will last a lifetime.

As a mom to two, I’ve spent plenty of time wondering if my babies were eating enough, often enough, or a wide enough variety of foods. By making good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle a priority for our family, I now have two children that I consider to be good eaters. Each has their challenges, but here are some of the points that have worked for our AP family.

Introduce Solids When Your Baby Is Ready–Most doctors will say this happens between four and six months, but let your child lead the way. Don’t let others pressure you into starting solids before your child is ready. My son, now 5 years old, let us know he was ready at 4 months when he would reach for food on our plates. My daughter, now 2, was closer to six months.. She showed no interest before then and it wasn’t until her sleep patterns changed that she was ready.
Go Slow, And Keep Food Allergies In Mind–If your family has a history of food allergies, ask your pediatrician for specific instructions on when and how to introduce solids. Otherwise, try one new food at a time and wait several days in between new foods so you can be sure there isn’t a problem.
Make Breast Or Bottle Number One–For the first year, breast milk or formula should supply most of your baby’s calories. Solids are extra. If you are breastfeeding, keep an eye on your supply, as introducing solids can decrease your supply. Read more about maintaining and increasing your supply at Kellymom.com. Personally, I always ended each solid feeding meal with my two children with a short five minute pumping session to keep my milk supply up.
Never Force A Child To Eat–A baby that is not hungry won’t eat. Try to avoid forcing food on your child, and let his or her natural ability to gauge hunger and satiety develop. This is key to raising an older child that knows when to stop eating! If your baby isn’t interested, put away the food and try again later.
Have Reasonable Expectations–Some children are better eaters than others. Food preferences are also partially genetic, so don’t be surprised if your baby strongly dislikes something. While some kids need to be offered a food ten times or more before they will accept it, some foods may never be accepted! Think about your own food preferences and you’ll likely find some strong favorites and some strong un-favorites. Neither of my children will eat carrots in any form, no matter how I prepare them; I’ve had to conclude that, for now, it’s a food they don’t like. In addition, pickiness is a natural stage that many children go through. Likes and dislikes will change over the years. Don’t be surprised if your baby happily accepts every food you give him, only to refuse to eat them as a strong willed toddler.
Respect Your Child’s Individuality–This is especially important if your baby is your second child. Don’t expect or pressure your baby to do things like their older sibling did, or like the child next door. Each child develops at their own pace and in their own way. That goes for eating habits as well.
Eat As A Family–Get your child used to sitting down with the family to eat at an early age. A study at Columbia University showed that teens who eat dinner with their families six to seven times a week are almost 50 percent more likely to remain substance-free than teens who eat dinner with their families twice a week or less. Teens who eat dinner often with their families are more likely to have better grades, lower stress levels and healthier diets. Family dinners three or more nights per week reduce a child’s likelihood to engage in risky behavior. Start your baby eating with the family now, so it’s an ingrained habit when they are older. In addition, eating as a family is a great way to bond with your children.
Model Healthy Habits–Long before your baby becomes aware of advertising and is susceptible to tricky marketing aimed at kids, the person with the most influence is YOU. Make sure when your baby sees you eat, it’s wholesome and healthy food. If your diet could use some improvement, this is a great time to do it.

Finally, always remember the AP principle to feed with love and respect. The healthiest food in the world doesn’t mean as much if the bond between parent and child isn’t there.

Find more information on Attachment Parenting and toddler nutrition here.

Photo source: marekf on Flickr
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