In this month’s Munchkin Meals I want to talk a bit about the food differences between Hailey (3 1/2 months) and Kaitlyn (11) months. Both girls were weaned using the baby-led method. You can read about BLW in my ebook.
Hailey ate solid food like a pro. She ate many different foods, and I don’t think there was anything she didn’t like around the age of one. She didn’t go through a lot of a picky stage, but she did have some power struggles. I ended them with the phrase, “You don’t have to eat that.” I believe in the parent-child method, where I choose what to serve when and give my child the option to decide how much and if to eat. We’ve found it to be a great method.
Over the years, I have received many questions and emails from parents whose children didn’t like solids. I tried to give my best advice but it was difficult for me. Up until now.
Kaitlyn’s food preferences are more refined. She will sort her food, choosing only the portions she enjoys (usually fruits) or intentionally tossing the foods that are not to her liking down for Koda’s enjoyment. Despite these tendencies, she is not picky.
Labeling someone as anything puts them in a box. Labeling a person is not only putting them in a box, but it also makes others believe that label.
If Kaitlyn hears me calling her picky as she grows up, she will assume she is one and eat like she is. If I say she is picky, I will also act accordingly by changing the food I serve her in order to accommodate her tastes. This is because I have caught myself doing this occasionally in the last few months. I have used this label as a crutch in my mind and am now making an effort to change the behavior.