Juliet had her 9 month appointment day. She is still quite small, less than 3rd percentile in weight. Because of this, the pediatrician told me to add butter to her food. Instead of going on a long rant about why I think that is a bad idea (which I originally planned and had typed out), I'm instead going to talk about why I feed my baby the way I do.
Juliet is small, but she is in no way underfed, she eats a lot of food (Three meals a day, consisting of two or three good sized bowls of food, plus 4-5 breast feedings, and occasional cheerio snacks). She eats all kinds of foods, fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, meat. There are, however, a lot of foods that I won't let her have (butter being one of them). I have taken several nutrition classes in college (a post is coming later about my new choice of major), one of them being prenatal and infant nutrition (conveniently taken when I was pregnant). I have learned about foods we should feed babies, and foods we should not. I fairly strictly adhere to the principles I have learned. At times, I even feel like a bad mother because of my rules. People offer things to Juliet, and I respectfully decline, only to have them give me appalled faces and choruses of "Why not!?". I have a more in depth knowledge of nutrition than most people have, and that definitely contributes, but there are deeper reasons for my food Nazi ways.
I have a history of eating disorders, and that will affect my children, specifically my girls. Not because I am a bad example (I work hard everyday to make sure I'm not a bad example), but because it is a disease that tends to run in families. Simply having me as mother, puts my children at a greater risk. I want to do everything in my power to prevent my children from developing eating disorders, and I believe the first step is building good nutrition stepping stones. From a young age I want my children to enjoy eating nutritious foods. I want them to learn to enjoy things without added salt, sugar, and butter. I want them to gain the knowledge they need to be healthy. I believe that I can start building that knowledge now, when my child is only 9 months old.
Don't get me wrong, I am not against cookies or crackers. I eat them, and Juliet will eat them...when she gets older. I want to teach her to like other kinds of foods, before I introduce her to more unhealthful options. I want her learn that eating healthy can be just as fun and enjoyable as eating cake and candy, so that when the time comes, she may very well pick an apple instead. I want her to not feel guilty about what she eats, not constantly worrying about calories and nit picking over her pants size. If I want that to happen, I have to teach her. I have to teach her to like nutritious foods. I have to teach her that eating right makes you feel good. That if you enjoy eating nutritious foods throughout the day, you don't feel guilty when you eat a brownie at the end of the night. I have to teach her, and I believe that I need to start now.
Juliet will have butter(and cake, candy, etc.), when the time comes. As for now, she is going to learn to enjoy other foods, as her first stepping stone towards good nutrition.
Disclaimer: This is what is right for me, and my family. You may choose differently for yours. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty or tell them they are wrong. I just wanted to share why I feed my baby the way I do.
UPDATE: In case some of you are worried that Juliet isn't getting enough fat, fear not, I'm giving her fat, just in much healthier forms than butter, such as avocados and olives.
2 comments:
We were told to add avocados and olives to Raina's diet. We also still have her on whole milk, even though most kids switch to 2% at 2 years. Although I rarely did this, we were told to add nuts to things, as well as olive oil to things like soup. (I was wondering your take on the olive oil, not at 9mo, but a bit older)
I have actually had people tell me that I need to "fatten her up". I hate it. Raina is small and that is fine (although she doesn't eat like Juliet does). She isn't a picky eater, she just doesn't eat very much at once.
I had a friend who was constantly worried about her daughter and kept using the term "underweight". It drove me crazy. I told her that small and small percentile does NOT mean underweight. Raina's doctor often said that Raina looked healthy, so she wasn't too worried - especially since Raina maintained the same percentile and wasn't going down.
Juliet has dropped percentile a little, but not a lot. The doctor seemed a little concerned, but I honestly wonder if she would be if she saw how Juliet ate.
I'm willing to put Olive oil in some things when Juliet gets older, since they are mostly unsaturated fats. For the most part though, I don't think that is necessary either.
Juliet is small, and like you said, it's not a bad thing. She looks healthy and she is developing well. I think people focus too much on percentiles instead of the overall health of the child.
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