We started yesterday the interview with the psychologist Mónica Serrano with which we are addressing the issue of emotional benefits of self-regulated complementary feeding or "baby-lead weaning." Today we will continue talking with her about this issue, but focusing on the aspects that most directly affect parents: their fears and feelings.
And do parents also experience benefits by feeding their babies in this way?
Sure. Parents also benefit emotionally when they introduce food in a self-regulated manner. In many families, feeding babies is a constant source of conflict and concern. However, when parents rely on their child's natural ability to self-regulate their diet, conflicts and worries disappear. Thus, parents' confidence in their children's innate abilities is increased and this translates to many other aspects of parenting.
Therefore, do you consider trust in children as an essential aspect?
Absolutely. In general, we tend to believe that babies and children are tremendously incapable beings, who need adult guidance and determination for all aspects related to their development. The obvious that the immaturity of the babies makes necessary the care and protection of the adult to guarantee the survival of the child. However, this does not mean that babies are born completely devoid of abilities. On the contrary, they have natural strategies oriented to their survival, to demand the protection and care they need. So much so, that as soon as it is born, the baby knows how to orient itself towards the mother's nipple and demand the breast whenever he needs it. Thus, the baby, already newborn, is able to identify when he is hungry, claim food and regulate the amount of milk he needs to drink in each shot.
So why do you think there are so many parents worried about whether their children don't eat enough?
When the baby turns 6 months approximately and complementary foods are introduced in his diet, the social recommendations on schedules, quantity and variety of food exert a very strong pressure on the parents.
And that is a problem?
It can be. Many parents feel insecure and lose confidence in the ability to self-regulate their own feeding of their baby. Here conflicts begin over the amount the baby should eat, concerns about whether he is well fed or not, etc. However, if the baby was able to self-regulate during exclusive breastfeeding, it is deductible that this ability is still present when the introduction of complementary foods into their diet begins.
But it's not always the parents' fault, right?
Let's not talk about guilt, let's talk about lack of information. And the lack of information plays bad passes. Many parents would feel much calmer if they knew that milk, by itself, covers the baby's nutritional needs until approximately the year of life. It would only be necessary an extra contribution of iron, which is extracted with the intake of meat.
Therefore, it is essential that parents understand that between 6 and 12 months of age of their baby, the approach to complementary foods is more aimed at exploration, knowledge and habituation to new textures and flavors than to The nutrition.
Finally, what do you think is the most frequent obstacle that parents encounter when they start introducing their children's complementary foods?
Unquestionably, fear. Many parents want to dispense with crushing when they introduce complementary foods in their children's diet but the fear that the child will be attracted is so intense that it forces them to establish crushing as the basis of their babies' feeding. In addition, many times the pressure of family and friends is so strong that parents who were not afraid begin to feel very insecure. In these cases, adult fear management is essential. And that is solved with information to feel more secure and empowered.
We thank the psychologist Mónica Serrano for the interview she has given to Babies and more and we hope she has helped you to better understand the benefits of self-regulated complementary feeding for you and your little ones.
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