Food, Glorious Food

Go to any parenting section of any bookstore and you will find rows and rows of books written to “help” new parents feed their babies. Experts advise impressionable, emotional new moms to exclusively breastfeed and never offer a bottle or pacifier as to avoid “confusion.” Doctors say babies should start solid foods between four and eight months old – that is quite a range.

“Offer vegetables before fruit, or your baby will never want vegetables.”
“Offer fruit before vegetables, or your baby will never enjoy his/her food.”
“Juice provides extra nutrition. Babies need more vitamins.”
“Juice causes cavities and should never be offered to a baby.”

I worried about Sam never learning how to breastfeed, never learning how to drink out of a bottle, never learning how to drink out of a sippy cup, never learning how to feed himself…I never thought about the fact that this was MY kid I was worrying about.

To put it simply, Sam accepts without question anything near his mouth. He was breastfeeding at 10 minutes old. He happily took a pacifier. He was thrilled to take a bottle. I think I could put mud in a bottle and he’d drink it like he was starving.

At four months old, I carefully measured out his cereal and nervously fed him with a spoon. He didn’t even bat an eye. It didn’t matter if it was oatmeal, rice, vegetables, fruit, if it was hot, cold, thick, runny…he just wanted it.

I’m beginning to wonder if he doesn’t have taste buds. Last Thanksgiving, my mom, stepdad, and I excitedly gave him a pickle and waited, cameras poised, for what would certainly be a face of shock at the new taste. I put the pickle in his mouth, and…nothing. He chewed and swallowed and opened his mouth for more.

I’ve given up worrying, measuring, and listening to the “experts.” Today Eric and I had soft-shell tacos for lunch. So did my 11-month old son.

Bon appetit!