REAL FOOD KNOWLEDGE

Nurturing Healthy Relationships with Food

 

Establishing a positive feeding relationship during infancy can have lifetime benefits. According to registered dietitian and child feeding expert Ellyn Satter, the key to a healthy feeding relationship is the appropriate division of responsibility.

 

Adult Responsibilities

• Adults are responsible for what food is present and how it is presented.

• Choose foods that are the right texture so your baby's tongue and mouth can control it and swallow easily.

• Hold your baby on your lap when you first introduce solid foods. Then move your baby to a safe high chair.

• Support your baby well in an upright position so he or she can easily explore the food as much as desired.

• Have your baby sit up straight and face forward. This makes swallowing easier and choking less likely.

• Talk in a quiet, encouraging voice while you feed. There’s no need to be entertaining. Babies are easily overwhelmed and distracted with games.

 

Child Responsibilities

• Children are responsible for how much and whether they eat.

• Wait for your baby to pay attention to each spoonful before you feed it.

• Let your baby touch the food in the dish and on the spoon. You wouldn't want to eat something if you didn't know anything about it, would you?

• Feed at your baby's tempo. Don't make your baby eat faster or slower than he or she wants.

• Allow your baby to self-feed with finger foods as soon as he or she shows an interest in touching or holding them.

• Stop feeding when your baby shows you cues that he or she is done. Often, your baby will do this by turning his or her head away from you.