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Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Food for Thought: Baby-Led Introduction of Solids

A few months ago, a friend of mine told me about this new study by Gill Rapley and Stefan Kleintjes. Their research suggests that babies do not need to have their food cut into tiny pieces; in fact, babies tend to only be capable of picking up food that they are capable of eating safely. Their research suggests that it is better to give a baby food that is either cut up to around the size of the baby's hand or not cut up at all (a pear is an example they used).

When my older son OS) was starting on solids almost three years ago, I was always skeptical about the need to cut food up into little pieces. Not only did it feel to me like I was being overcautious, but worse it seemed like the little pieces were choking hazards in and of themselves. I was therefore pretty impressed as I watched my friend's daughter eat ham sticks (which is how I would characterize what looks like a cheese stick except that it is made out of ham steak) and long strips of fruit.

With hope and trepidation, I took the plunge a few nights ago by giving my younger son (YS), the seven-month-old One Tooth Wonder, a whole cooked green bean. He held it in his hand longways and then successfully took little bites out of it. Tonight I gave him an apple slice. (Then I realized it would work better if I had thought to peel the slice first.) After remedying the situation, I gave the slice back to YS. He loved it so much that he grabbed for a second piece. I think he liked it because it was a new taste, new texture, and a new shape. Since he's teething, I'm also sure that the fact that the apple had come straight out the fridge helped. Either way, it was a hit.

I do want to share three caveats. First, while I consider it basically impossible to argue with the researchers when they state that babies cannot choke on food that they cannot get into their mouths (without a parent or other person placing it into their mouth for them), I am skeptical about the belief that babies are not likely to put something into their mouths that they cannot eat. I appreciate the researchers' recommendation that parents employ common sense to avoid putting food that logically constitutes a choking hazard within a baby's reach. I also agree that under no circumstances, regardless of whether this feeding method is being used, should a baby eat without supervision.

Second, the research was conducted only on breastfed babies. While the researchers believe that similar recommendations may be appropriate for formula-fed babies, they make it very clear that no study has been done to be sure either way. They suggest that if you give your baby formula, you should consult your pediatrician before trying this method of feeding. I would take that a step further and encourage any parent who is considering use of an innovative feeding technique to check with a pediatrician first.

Finally, if you are sensitive about your choice to give your baby formula, I would urge you to prepare yourself before reading the study. There is nothing that I saw in the study that intended to criticize the use of formula, but academic language that impersonally describes a feeding mechanism as part of a natural progression that extends from breastfeeding may be uncomfortable reading for those already struggling with parenting decisions about food.

A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: Do your own research before deciding you need to cut baby's first solid foods into tiny pieces.

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Name:Alex Elliot
Home:MA, United States
About Me:Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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For those of us who didn't get an instruction manual with our babies and for whom parenting hasn't always gone as planned. On a more serious note this blog is about supporting a woman's ability to make her own choices about parenting including the choice, for whatever reason, to bottle feed her babies formula.

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