Hilary Kimes Bernstein - First Bites: How To Instill Healthy Eating Habits During Your Babys First Year

www.firstbitesbook.com

2012 Hilary Kimes Bernstein, Accidentally Green, llc.

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All scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

Cover photograph by Bridget Commisso. Cover design by Creative Kristi Designs.

ISBN: 9781623099503

1 Thessalonians 5:18 exhorts believers to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. For a project like First Bites, Im filled with thankfulness for many people first and foremost Christ Jesus, who fills my heart with hope, joy, and peace. Im forever grateful that Hes my Lord and Savior.

I sincerely thank Kristi at Creative Kristi Designs for her cover design and Bridget Commisso for the First Bites cover photo and my headshot.

And I am so thankful for the editing skills of Denise Koeth, Judy Totts, Kristy Kish, Sandra Fahning, and Stacie Collins. Ladies, thank you for sharing your professional abilities, time, and encouragement.

I know for a fact that Accidentally Green and First Bites never would exist without the creativity and encouragement from my husband. Aaron, I truly appreciate how you believe in me, spur me on, and never even hint that you might get tired of hearing about my blog or eBook. Thank you for brainstorming and dreaming with me.

My whole Accidentally Green journey began with the births of my two adored children. I am so thankful for them each and every day. Its such a joy to attempt to make the world a healthier place not only for them, but also for other boys and girls.

Before my husband and I became parents of Big Brother and Little Sister, I read about how a chef fed his own toddlers. Not sparing them from any kind of food, he cooked normal, adult-friendly meals, his children happily ate what was on their plates, and they were far from picky eaters.

I knew that if and when I became a mother, I needed to follow the same example.

When I was pregnant with Big Brother, I learned how babies develop a taste for what their mothers eat by tasting the flavors through the amniotic fluid, and later through breast milk. (Yes, moms what you eat does make a difference.) Because I wanted my children to become healthy eaters, I tried to eat a lot of vegetables and a variety of foods during both pregnancies to expose my children to as many different flavors as possible.

I continued to eat a lot of vegetables while breastfeeding (out of trial and error, I had to limit broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage for a while since they gave both of my children terrible gas pains). Once Big Brother and Little Sister were old enough to try solids, we started them on rice cereal, then oatmeal and then vegetables. Any vegetable I could cook and puree, they tried.

Do you know what? Today they love vegetables. It doesnt matter whats on his plate, Big Brother will choose to scarf down broccoli or green beans first, then ask for seconds, thirds, and fourths. Once he spies a tray of fresh vegetables, he happily eats helping after helping of pepper slices, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and snap peas. The boy loves his veggies. Little Sister has a much bigger sweet tooth and prefers fruit, but she definitely doesnt complain about vegetables.

Many parents and grandparents we know have been very surprised by watching my children eat because they clearly prefer vegetables and rarely make a fuss about whats on their plate. They just eat whats in front of them. Of course, theyre not always great eaters; weve dealt with our share of food battles.

I know not all children are willing to eat whats on their plates, though. Some run from the sight of healthy food. But giving your child an early, healthy start is a lot easier than you probably think. Remember it starts before your child is even born.

The focus of First Bites

Setting all picky eating issues aside, there are so many significant and preventable dangers that come from not choosing healthy foods. And the dangers start from birth.

During my first pregnancy I didnt know the health advantages or disadvantages of breast milk, formula, or baby food. I only knew I wanted the cheapest option that was fairly simple. Once I started using my journalistic experience and researched the choices, I discovered obvious health benefits found in certain foods that are given to children in the first year of life.

If youre like me and never contemplated the nutritional and health aspects of a babys food, youll be surprised by a lot of the information in this book. First Bites is the book I wished I had when I became a new parent. (In my first year of motherhood, I would have loved to access the research and simple solutions all in one place.) Its divided into three sections: for parents of newborns, infants, and toddlers. Read what stage applies to your family. Of course, the earlier the healthy start the better, but its never too late to make a difference.

Parents, give yourselves grace. You wont feed your child the best food all the time. However, dont give yourselves too much freedom to feed your child the equivalent of garbage. Remember that God has entrusted you with your little person. Fill your babe with plenty of nourishing foods. In our house, we call it growing food because the healthy choices really do help our children thrive; Big Brother and Little Sister love this, because they long to become a big boy and a big girl.

I truly believe any child can be raised to become a healthy eater. Start early, make consistent, nutritious choices, and you, too, can help nourish your baby while helping to instill healthy eating habits.

Breastfeeding vs. formula feeding is a huge issue for parents and babies today. Huge.

As a mother of young children, I know just how passionate advocates of each side can get. Most moms think their way is best for their families, for whatever personal reasons. And every parent has spent time weighing the decision.

Im not trying to stoke another epic battle in the Mommy Wars. In fact, I hate to even broach the topic because its such a touchy issue. But Im taking this subject on because theres so much to glean from health and biblical perspectives. Research is readily available, yet so many well-intentioned moms are unaware. I certainly had no idea of the health implications when I became a mother. Im going to attempt to present the information with grace, tact, and a whole lot of love. Please bear with me. Im completely satisfied with the choice I made for my family, yet I promise Im not passing judgment on what works for other families.

In this section, my goal is to give you enough information so you can make a decision that is best for you and your family. Listen to every side of every argument. Keep an open, objective mind. Mull over the research. Keep in mind that what is proven in a study isnt assured to happen in every single situation. Take comfort in the stories from other mothers. Pray about it. Then come to your own conclusions.

As a disclaimer, I realize that not every mother chooses to breastfeed. Some mothers try to breastfeed, but find it virtually impossible. For others, the thought of heading back to work and pumping breast milk in a cramped restroom stall is unbearable. Or postpartum depression medications are desperately needed, but will pass through breast milk. Other moms have adopted their children and never have the option. And some watch their newborns spend the first few months of life in the intensive care unit. For all of these mothers, formula is exactly how their children are nourished in the first year.