Hey everyone! Today I wanted to share a little bit about the self-feeding process I use/used with my kids. We started this with Ro at 6 months, and decided to do the same with Ev because of how successful we found it to be. We do a mix of babyled weaning and purees. As an occupational therapist, I like to incorporate the babyled weaning because it encourages fine motor skills and allows them to explore a variety of textures that they otherwise wouldn't if we did straight purees. I know that this can be a scary route for most parents to take, especially for fear of choking. I want to reassure you that as long as you are giving your child foods that will dissolve, watching them VERY closely, and trust that they will use their gag reflex to learn what they can and cannot swallow, it really is not as scary as it sounds. Both of my kids got the hang of it pretty quickly, and I like to think that they are pretty well rounded eaters because of it! This early in life, every single thing your child eats should play a meaningful role in their overall nutrition and learning to self feed.
Now that Ev is pretty confident with her ability to bring foods to her mouth and mash them with her gums (she is now almost 8 months), we have moved her up to one of my favorite and easy brands to "snack" on. Gerber® offers nutritious snacks with good for you ingredients like whole grains, real fruit and yogurt, with no added bad stuff (no artificial flavors/no synthetic colors). Snacking smart with Gerber® encourages healthy eating patterns from a young age while the taste and variety keep her happy. Heck, even Ro still asks to snack on them from time to time!
Did you know:
- Little ones 8-24 months get about 25-30% of their daily calories from snacks.
- 1/3 of 8-24 month olds are not eating whole grains on a given day.
- 90% of 2 and 3 year olds fall short on MyPlate recommendations for whole grains.
If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to try or buy Gerber® Puffs, Yogurt Melts and Lil’ Crunchies. Andddd it's your lucky day because I have coupons for you! Just click HERE to get access to them.
with love,
kellie ♥
