How to Feed a Baby

Well folks, we are entering a new phase here in the Bowyer household: my sweet baby Piper Joy has begun eating solid foods! And by eating I of course mean pulverizing with her feet as she sits in her baby seat and then rolling between her fingers before stuffing in her mouth her entire hand plus mashed food and then promptly spitting it all out to see what it feels like dribbling down her chin. Luckily, messes don't bother me much.

Let me share with you some of my newly discovered motherly knowledge - not because it will necessarily aid you in any way, but because it is worthwhile for busy people to stop once in a while and think about babies. They are hilarious and fantastic.

First off, when feeding a baby, think of it as an experiment in natural tie dye. Baby clothes are oh so cute, but when your baby, or at least my baby, starts eating, the clothes are not nearly as important as the work of art created by the baby in between bites. Tiny hands can make giant swatches of food in moments.

Next, while the color in food matters deeply to me and greatly contributes to my overall enjoyment of a meal, babies don't care. Puke green is fine with them. So are all nasty shades of brown. They also, apparently, don't mind the worst food combinations you could ever think of - such as spinach, mango, and rutabaga. Yum.

Thirdly, babies may decide that mid bite is a good time to blow air through their lips. Just be ready for this. They can generate a lot of force and the food will very likely end up on an upholstered surface.

Fourth, your baby can teach you a lot about eating because she gets the concept that the whole thing is not about nutrition and efficiency but about texture and play. After feeding Piper Joy for a few weeks, I am convinced that the next dinner party I throw will be baby style - we will enjoy the food to the fullest by touching it, moving it around, hollering in joy while we eat, and telling each other all about the textures, colors, flavors, and smells we are discovering. The food will not be blended. Don't worry. Grown-ups have teeth and they should use them.

Feeding Piper Joy has taught me a few things beyond the realm of baby feeding. It has taught me, first and foremost, a new level of patience. Piper's mouth is small so she has to eat about a million bites during a feeding. That means I have to scoop a million spoonfuls into her mouth and then wipe off what doesn't make it in and wait for her to get distracted by any possible thing and then refocus before the next bite. This, needless to say, takes time. And it's not a particularly gratifying experience for me. I have had to quickly learn to be patient and observe all that my baby is observing about the wonders of food. And it truly is wonderful. You may think this sounds silly, but as I said at the beginning, the purpose of this post is to help you stop and think about little, baby stuff. It is a wonder that our bodies are sustained by a process we love! Piper thoroughly enjoys her meal times and her very life is sustained by them. I like that humans are created this way. It is evidence of the quote I chose to inspire this blog; it is a common bush afire with God.

And now for some pictures of the joys you are all missing out on:

This is the munchkin who is learning how to eat solids.

She eats out of her great grandmother and namesake's bowl - Granjoy.

Highly unusual fully opened mouth. Very helpful. Good job, Piper!

The more common unimpressed  closed mouth.

They say she has her mamma's ears.

I just love this picture. Don't you?

In closing, enjoy your next meal! And please share your experiences by posting below!