What is responsive feeding and why should you feed your kids this way?
The newest Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants encourages “Responsive Feeding.” This is based on baby’s hunger and fullness cues.
Even if you decide to start your baby on solids using purees, you need to watch for their signs of hunger and fullness. And respect these. No “here comes the airplane!” games with the spoon, to get your baby to eat more than they want to.
Babies appetites go up and down a lot. And that’s normal and healthy. Maybe they’re teething, going through a growth spurt or getting sick. They are the only ones who can know if they are hungry – that’s a great skill to have, so let your baby keep it!
The guidelines also encourages offering some finger foods from age 6 months, and offering fluids using only an open cup.
As the author of “The Parents’ Guide to Baby-led Weaning” I love to see the finger food guidance from the start! So even if you decide to offer purees, you can offer finger foods for practice too. And yes – you CAN mix purees and finger foods without danger!
If you want to learn more about Baby-led Weaning, check out my blog “The Do’s and Dont’s of Baby-led Weaning.”
What does responsive feeding look like? My 7 month old son will demonstrate in this video:
Jennifer House is a Registered Dietitian, author & mom of 3. From Baby-led weaning to picky eating and meal planning, she helps you to make feeding your family easier
Founder of First Step Nutrition | Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Jen believes raising happy, well-nourished eaters who have a healthy relationship with food doesn't have to be a battle! She is an author and speaker with 18 years of experience specializing in family nutrition and helps parents teach their kids to try new foods without yelling, tricking, or bribing.
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