 Your baby's first eating habits
Food writer and mum Fran Warde writes about the joys of sharing a child's first eating experiences and shares her tips for ensuring that baby will be a lifelong food lover.
Eating is one of life's sociable pleasures - and good eating habits start in the mother's womb. If a mother-to-be eats a
varied and nutritious diet, her baby will grow and thrive during this very important stage
of life.
Although I know there is no proof that mums pass on a liking for certain foods to their babies, I endlessly ate fish when I was pregnant and my eldest
little boy adores it - and has done so from an early age. Cod, salmon, prawns,
mussels, calamari, smoked salmon and crab all have been readily accepted. (I must add babies
should not be given shellfish until six months old, and it must always be well
cooked.)
Once a baby is born and given his first feed he'll soon learn for himself that eating
is a great comfort and pleasure, as well as a necessity to life and well-being. Feeding your baby is a very tender and special time for both mother and child.
If
you are breastfeeding it is certainly worth considering expressing milk so that the baby's
father can share in this bonding – it's also a good idea to get your baby used to a
bottle as this will allow you a little freedom, if desired.
Both of my children were fed with a bottle of expressed
milk at about five days old. They accepted this without a problem and it just gave me
that odd bit of space when required. When they were older and I wanted to go out I could
leave the babysitter with confidence, knowing that my baby would take a bottle.
There are various expressing
machines on the market, hand or electric pump. I have used both successfully and
constantly stock up on bottles in the freezer which can be easily microwaved and given to
the baby by father, babysitter or a broody friend!
Do not keep frozen milk for too long, though, because the composition of your milk
changes through the months to accommodate your baby’s changing feeding demands.
Hopefully these early months of feeding your baby will be enjoyable and a great
pleasure. And good habits established at this early stage of life can help
when the time comes to introduce
solids into your baby’s diet.
When this time comes, it is important that you feel calm and confident. Make time,
gather all that is needed – bib, spoon, small bowl of food, warm milk – and sit
down to feed your baby. Give your baby your total concentration with no
distractions (not even the television on).
Babies like routine, so feed at the same time and always sitting around the table, with
everything to hand, so that you do not have to keep getting up and down and remain
unflustered – babies pick up on their parents' anxieties.
Make mealtimes special, and hopefully your baby will grow to enjoy
eating and learn to eat well. It is beautiful to see a healthy relaxed baby
enjoying eating his first treats of real food.
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