I am convinced that if Paul and I had decided to have children a few years ago, my parenting style would be totally different. I have no doubt I would have been high-strung, stressed, and reading every parenting book I could get my hands on and attempting to follow every command and suggestion without a doubt or question. Instead, we decided to wait until we were a little older, more settled, and I had started my career. This has resulted in me skimming parenting books and judging a lot of the authors. I mean, do you seriously think I'm going to set an alarm at midnight (because what new parent doesn't crash around 8:00 p.m.), wake my sleeping child up, and try and force feed him so he skips his 2:00 a.m. feeding?!?!? I found my 28-year-old cynical self mumbling, "Obviously this book was written by a man who never actually had to feed a newborn child himself."
This same cynical self (who is now embracing her last year in her 20s!) has taken the same semi-lax approach with the rule that you're not supposed to feed your child anything but breast milk in the first 6 months. As a self-described food-a-holic, I can't imagine how boring that menu must be for infants! Now before I get any lectures from fellow mom friends, I very rarely sneak Henry a little treat. But when I'm making homemade icing for cupcakes, could it really be all that harmful?
That gigantic grin is telling me Mr. Henry Louis Meredith himself approves of my decision! I am counting down the days to his 6 month birthday - I can't wait to bust out my Baby Bullet and start whipping up some real food for this growing boy!!!
Not being judgemental, just asking. Who said 6 months? We all start rice cereal at 4 months around here. And chocolate at about 4 days old! Not really, but you have to start them early. :-) So go for it! I have a picture of Emma sucking on watermelon at 4 months and I know my daddy gave her a mashed baked bean around that same time. Have fun!
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