For the record, even though I am a working mom who wears stilettos, I am a bit of a hippie. While I was pregnant, I became sold on all things natural. I had a natural, drug-free childbirth, I
breast fed, and then I practiced extended
breast feeding. If you ask my mother I went overboard. However, I just did what felt right to me.
I believe profoundly in giving children the best possible start in life. And I believe that natural living is the best way to do that. If I were a celebrity, I'd have a company like "
The Honest Company" started by
Jessica Alba. Instead, I share what I learn about child nutrition,
organic foods and
green cleaning products with my blog readers.
Introducing Your Baby to Solid Foods
One issue that has gotten media attention lately is when to introduce
solid foods to infants. I know that there is great debate among moms about when to introduce solid foods. My hairdresser said that her mother gave her scrambled eggs with cheese the day she arrived home from the hospital. A friend from high school was on
Facebook bragging that she started her baby on solid food at six weeks to get him to "sleep through the night". And another friend started her son on
solids at three months because he seemed hungry.
I am not a
pediatrician. However, at the advice of our pediatrician, I delayed introducing my daughter to solid foods and it worked.
My daughter's doctor is on an international board to encourage breastfeeding among new mothers. She encouraged me to breastfeed for at least six months. She insisted that delaying solid foods was a good way to provide my daughter with adequate nutrients, promote a good immune system, and minimize
food allergies. She also believes that breast feeding promotes bonding. Hearing those benefits I was sold.
As a working mom, the last thing I need is to have my schedule interrupted by my daughter contracting an avoidable illness. And as a mom who loves her daughter dearly, I could not bear it if I thought that I was responsible for her getting sick. (I can be a bit of a spaz in that regard...) Fortunately, my daughter has been incredibly healthy, has lots of energy and has no food allergies that we know of. I owe our good fortune to the
grace of God and good choices.
Today,
NBC News ran a story supporting my pediatrician's point of view. If you were unable to breastfeed and chose formula, you'll be encouraged to know that the story does not distinguish between breast milk and formula. Rather, the story I encourage you to delay introducing solid foods until six months. There's a lot of support for doing so. As with all health related advice, do your own research, talk to your doctor and pay attention to your child.
Comments
It all turned out OK though :)