Anyway....here is the thing. Ezekiel was born Dec. 5th. That makes him 3 months and 1 week. He is a hungry bug (you've probably seen the pictures) and he happens to love to eat. We give him stage one vegetables and fruits. He has his favorites (squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and peaches). When I give him a mouthful and he finishes it, he sits there with his mouth open waiting for the next spoonful. I decided before he was even born that I was going to make his baby food but to try it out, we have just been buying Gerber already made. So, tonight, I look up to find out how to store homemade baby food and what not and I read this:
Babies don't need solids until 6 months of age. Breast milk has all the nutrients babies need. For babies who are not breast fed, iron-fortified infant formulas provide complete nutrition for babies.
Solid foods given too early can cause food allergies. The foods are not digested properly by young infants. Then the baby's body treats them as "foreign bodies" by producing an allergic reaction.
Giving solids too early might also cause choking. Babies aren't yet ready to swallow anything but liquids. Their tongue and cheek muscles are designed for sucking at this early age. They do not move solid food from their lips to their throats to swallow it. Instead, their tongues have a thrusting action that pushes solid food out of their mouths.
You'll know your baby is old enough for solid foods when he can sit well with support and has good head and neck control. He can turn his head away on purpose if he doesn't like the food or has had enough to eat. This usually happens around 6 months of age.
So, now I'm all freaked out thinking that E. isn't really swallowing, he is just letting the food fall down his throat. oh, and that I'm giving him life long food allergies to potentially his favorite foods on earth. And Marty wonders if we push him too much. Now that I'm a mom, I seem to be able to find guilt in the oddest places......he's growing quite nicely though
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