Comments on: Mindful Mouthfuls – Helping Our Babies Learn Healthy Eating

By: Ember

Ember — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 21:22:39 +0000

In reply to Jessica. Exactly! This is the one part of the article cle I can't agree with. Breastfeeding is way more than calorie transference or a drink. It also has sleepy hormones for helping them settle to sleep etc and antibodies from us to them if we are suck or they are beginning to catch something. Nursing is security at night. I bed share and sometimes my son only has a lil top up just to settle him to sleep again and give comfort knowing im there. This is one of those things where my instinct and the call of my ancestors overrides the advice from articles.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 06:00:00 +0000

In reply to janet.

Having nursed all four of my kids into toddlerhood I know how wonderful it is to be able to know that your child will come and nurse if they need comfort from either an emotional hurt or a physical one. It is a fantastic space for them to find unhindered. As they learn to be able to express their feelings they will often do it after nursing. Withholding nursing just prolongs the pain and the expression of that discomfort. The nursing actually calms the child to the point
Of being able
To easily express themselves. Nursing is not a substitute but a facilitator

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:48:13 +0000

In reply to Melody. You are right! Breastfeeding is way more than food and drink. Nurse whenever your child needs you! It will also ensure a strong milk supply

By: Jessica Isles

Jessica Isles — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:45:59 +0000

Hi Janet just writing to correct an error in your info about breastfeeding which could result in a Mother’s milk supply not being sufficient or keeping up with baby’s growth. You suggest we should only feed our babies when they are hungry or thirsty but breastfeeding is FAR FAR more than just feeding. It is a mechanism which comforts and satisfies many senses for the baby AND it tells the mothers body to make more milk. Babies need to suckle and longer periods at the breast will stimulate more milk which the baby needs if they are still suckling. We must not limit a baby’s time at the breast if we want to have a plentiful supply. If they have fallen asleep that’s one thing but to decide ourselves when they need to suckle is wrong. Mothers say to me ‘well I’m not a pacifier’ but in fact we are! That’s what milk and nursing and sucking does – it pacifies, it calms, it ensures a plentiful milk supply.

By: Donna Uzoigwe

Donna Uzoigwe — Sat, 29 Dec 2018 02:37:58 +0000

As a pediatric feeding therapist with 20+ years of experience, there are some interesting points here. But this is someone’s opinion and how they raised their children. It is not based on scientific research.

Feeding involves all 7 body systems to work at once, it is a very complex process. Every child is different. There is significant variability in a child’s oral motor and oral sensory skills , gross motor, fine motor, gastro-intestinal, muscular, respiratory, cardiac, social-emotional and cognitive systems – all impacting feeding. If you have concerns about your child’s feeding and swallowing skills, please talk to your pediatrician.

By: janet

janet — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 04:19:28 +0000

In reply to Blessed Mama. Perhaps you misread this as "only nurse when your baby cries"? It's obviously ideal to read more subtle cues in regard to hunger, tiredness, overstimulation, etc.

By: Blessed Mama

Blessed Mama — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 18:00:05 +0000

I had a moment of pause with the wording ‘nursing…when she cries for reasons other than hunger’ because cries for hunger mean that first cues for hunger were missed. So just like following cues for being done we need to follow cues for hunger (ie rooting, turning toward the breast, opening mouth & mouthing, etc.).

By: Doreen

Doreen — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 14:27:15 +0000

Hi Janet, my daughter is 2.5 years now and we are still spoonfeeding her. She’s a fussy eater and there’s a lot of food she does not like.. so I always try to feed her hoping she would eat more.

But it’s becoming a struggle every time we dine out now. She wants a phone to watch when she’s beginning fed, and once she’s bored she wants to get out of her chair and leaves.

I want to start and try to let her feed herself, even though it means that she might b eating too little…
More confident after reading your article.

Thank you!

By: Hannah

Hannah — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 04:53:07 +0000

Hi Janet,

Thank you for the many rich resources you provide for stressed out parents!
I came back to this article today after my tearful two and a half year old told me that “pancakes will make me happy”.. and I quietly freaked out.
Early on I read Elevating Childcare (amongst many others, but it was a stand-out!) and I always did my best to promote mindful eating. We are a family with a prominent food culture, and my daughter always seemed to embrace it: the rituals, the variation, new experiences, the socializing. We introduced her to food according to GAPS and baby-led methods, and she is also still breastfed. I have tried to model mindful eating practices and even before she was born I made a commitment to not using my phone, or even reading a book while breastfeeding. I also tried to always to acknowledge her feelings and not dismiss or shush them, and then comfort her with words and cuddles before she fed.
I guess I tried so hard, and now, before even three years of age, she associates food and comfort. What can I do? Am I overreacting?

By: Becca

Becca — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 23:29:25 +0000

Janet, my 3 year old nephew and his mother recently came to stay with us. When they arrived she would feed whatever he wanted at any time of the day even if he only took two bites which resulted in them going through all our food within a matter of a few days. First we tried limiting it to 3 “meals” a day in which he would at least have to sit at the table until everyone was done even if he didn’t want to eat and if he didn’t eat at least a little bit then we would limit his snacks. This worked for a few days until it seemed that he didn’t care whether or not he got to eat in between meals and just wanted to get up from the table immediately, spending the entire meal constantly asking everyone if they were “done yet”. He would also request certain items of food but then not eat them when we gave it to him so we started a new rule that if he asked for it then he needed to at least finish that. Again the first few times it worked but then he would take a bite and gag several times and keep food in his mouth while sitting at the table not wanting to eat but when we said “if you want to get up you have to swallow what’s in your mouth” he would do it without any issue and walk away smiling. Do you have any tips for this kind of situation? We had no idea how to handle it and it was clear that he didn’t have strong boundaries before visiting us.