Okay...I have been bursting at the seems to say something about the 1-2 year
old children of this world who seem to prefer the breast to
solids...SOOOOO??  That comment isn't to the list as much as to all hcps who
have these preconceived notion of when, where and what a toddler should
consume.  My professional experience has shown me that most children who
show little interest in solids come from families with major food allergies.
It is almost as though these little guys know that they should wait to
prevent sensitization of these proteins.   I wonder whether the evolutionary
biologists out there who have come up with interesting theories about
menstruation, things like cravings in pregnancy, and foods high in toxins
causing pregnancy nausea would have anything to say about this?

Just as we tell moms who are jumping to give their little 4 month olds
cereal, we should keep repeating..."watch your baby for developmental signs,
trust your heart and use common sense."   If a baby (and a 15 mo old is a
baby in my book) is thriving on mom's milk and is following the family line
of lean body (can I trade?), why buck this?  I should also say that I am
someone who can tell if someone is anemic before a blood test...how?  the
color of their skin and nail beds.   I'm serious.  It reminds me of the
story about the village medicine man who would test people's urine by going
out and dumping it on an ant hill.  If the ants swarmed to the urine, it had
too much sugar; if they died, too ....  Anyway, the moral of the story isn't
about whether I can remember what they ants did, but that we often need to
use our human abilities and not always rely on technology or black and white
"guidelines" that have become more like rules.  Just my 80mls.
Warmly,
Chris
--
--Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC    [log in to unmask]
INFANT CUISINE AND MOTHER CARE: Lactation Consulting, Perinatal Health
Education and Attachment Parenting Classes for parents and practitioners

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