You see, they left us with a handout on one-year-olds (per usual). The first section was on feeding, and to paraphrase it said something like this (with my thoughts in italics)...
"you can now give your child citrus fruits such as oranges and pineapples (oops...Levi has been eating both of those for months...he had eaten them in the baby food stage 1 jars...if they were a problem, why would they be in there?!?). Baby can also each chicken, but make sure you shred it well (crap he eats diced chicken...do I really have to shred it). Ground beef can also be eaten but cut into small pieces (ok we pretty much do that). If your child has molars, he can begin eating hot dogs but make sure you cut them in halves and then quarters (well shit, he has no molars, but has been eating hot dogs for awhile...in fact, just this weekend he sat gnawing on a whole one at the freaking basketball game).
Luckily, the rest of the pamphlet went a lot better...he still sits in a rear-facing car seat, we read to him nightly, etc. But that feeding stuff really made me feel like a moron. Obviously, a lot of it is done in the interest of baby not choking. And even though as I type this I am pretty sure I am jinxing us, I must say that our tot has an uncanny ability not to choke! Seriously, this child eats like a grown man. I worry much more about Colton choking than I do Levi. I really think Levi could even eat steak with no problem (not that we're going to try). I think you get the idea.
And while I'm sure you all know I would never intentionally put my children in danger, I feel like I should offer more of a defense. I'm sure there is an element of being much more relaxed with the second child But I think the larger issue is Levi's "big boy" complex. I doubt my child is the only second child to do this, but Levi seems to always be striving to be like his older brother. At just 7 months, the child flat out refused baby foods and began eating table food (presumably to be like his older brother). From that day forward, he has insisted (through squeals, arm shakes, screams, etc) on trying anything Colton has. Obviously, this isn't always possible, but for the most part, we have let him try things much faster than Colton ever did.
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| yep that's Oreo on his face...another special something he got because he saw his brother eating one...and after finishing it, he walked over to the pantry and banged on it asking for another (no we didn't give in) |
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You're not the only one to do things differently with the second child. My second (and last) was fed things way too early according to pediatrician recommendations. I didn't give him any eggs or peanut butter due to allergy concerns, but I did feed him table foods at 7 months. He wants to eat or drink anything that someone else has. When he was 6 months he would lunge toward anyone who had food. You would have thought he was starving, but he just enjoys eating. I knew that he was not supposed to eat table food that early but I let him anyway. There are many other mothers like us out there, they just might not admit it. I'm glad you keep it real.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be fine. I only have one, but we did a thing called "baby-led solids" where we've been giving her table food since 6 months. my baby has been eating diced chicken, pineapple, kidney beans, etc. all before her first birthday. Her favorites have been whole peas, prunes/raisins, and banana pieces. Oh, and pizza crust. She has been eating all of those since 7 months I think. She has never choked.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do know people who do this method who have given their baby a steak to chew on with success (don't cut it up into bite-sized pieces, instead leave it "fry length"). If you're feeling brave, I say try it!