Teaching Your Baby Good Eating Habits

With obesity being one of Americans’ major health concerns, it’s become increasingly important to get babies off to a good start in terms of eating healthfully. The questions around feeding your baby involve more than whether you are going to breast feed or not. In fact, before you have a baby, it would be useful to discuss you and your partner’s attitudes and philosophies about food. Have either of you had an eating disorder? Does obesity run in the family? Was food used as a reward or punishment in your house growing up? Did you have to clean your plate? Did you have lots of junk food in the house? Was food parceled out abstemiously?

These pre-delivery conversations are helpful so that you and your partner can recognize any baggage around eating that you may bring to your parenting. Many times parents say, “My parents did this or that, and I am going to do the opposite.” Or, alternately, they may want to carry on family traditions.

Healthy food choices for your baby

We now know how important it is to make healthy food choices. Whether you buy organic or not is not critical, and with today’s economy, many cannot afford to buy organic products. Restricting sugar, salt, food additives, trans fat, and highly processed foods is important, but as with most things in life, moderation and common sense should prevail.

Your baby’s first solid foods usually include rice, barley, or oatmeal cereals that have been fortified with iron. There is some debate about whether adding fruit next (as opposed to vegetables) teaches babies to prefer sweets. Since babies naturally like sweet foods, it probably does not make a difference. You can start with vegetables before fruits if you like. The important thing is to add one new food at a time in case your baby has a reaction. That way, you will know which food has caused the reaction and can avoid it. Meat or other protein comes next, at around eight months. Some parents puree their own foods and others buy jars of soft food.

By nine months or so, your baby will be getting three meals a day. Once your baby indicates she has had enough by closing her mouth, turning away, or throwing food on the ground, then end the feeding. Do not try to finish a certain measured amount of food.

Meal time should be family time

Once it seems practical, it is important to establish family meal times. There is evidence that families that sit down together for meals do better in the long term. For example, teenagers who have family meals are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.

Turn off the television, Blackberry, and mobile devices during meal times so your family can have a conversation. And don’t use meal times to hash out emotional or conflict-ridden topics. Meals should be pleasant and filled with interesting conversation. Your baby will learn to look forward to meals as quality time with her parents.

Healthy snacks

While your baby may need a healthy snack in between meals, try to avoid getting her into the habit of grazing. Babies need to rest their digestive systems and constant grazing leads to mindless, on-the-run eating later in life. Parents sometimes use snacks as a way to keep children quiet during travel in cars, airplanes, or long walks. In moderation, this habit is not harmful, but it may lead to the need for continuous oral stimulation, which can lead to weight issues later in life. Find other ways to keep your baby occupied.

With life as hectic and stressful as it is for most of us, it is easy to fall into suboptimal dining habits. But with a little planning and discussion about long-term goals around family dining, you can set the stage for good eating habits for your whole family.

What is the dining pattern in your household? Any tips about setting the stage for good family dining?

Dr. Victoria McEvoy graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1975 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at HMS. She is the Medical Director and Chief of Pediatrics at Mass General West Medical Group. She has practiced pediatrics for almost thirty years. She has been married to Earl for thirty six years and raised four children. She currently enjoys writing, traveling, reading, almost all sports, and spending time with her two grandsons.

Eat, Play, and Be Healthy
Parents are often bombarded with new information on children’s nutrition, and as a result, the most important dietary considerations often get lost in the mix. From Harvard Medical School, Eat, Play, and Be Healthy offers guidance on healthy eating through the various stages of children’s lives, from infants to eight-year-olds. From breastfeeding to school lunches, get the tools to put your child on the path to a healthy adulthood.

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