Anna,

I ca'nt respond to *all* of your questions, but here are two I felt
compelled to answer:

"3. Are those "difficult to breastfeed" babies often the same babies
who
are later picky eaters?"

In my experience, no.  My kids are both very easy to nurse, and we've
nursed with absolutely NO problems for a total of 3.5 years now.
However, my older child is an extremely picky eater (all she eats is
yogurt and fruit)  and my youngest (19 months) will eat anything
including salad, tofu, fish, and stir-fried vegetables.

Which brings me to the next question:

"4. Do you believe the use of processed and jarred babyfoods has a
negative effect on children accepting solids and later, accepting
tablefoods?"

With all my heart.  My older daughter, the picky one, got jarred food
from about 4.5 months on until she was nearly 18 months.  We hand-fed
her most of the time, being squeamish and uniformed first-time
parents.  She refuses anything and everything that isn't bland and
tasteless.

My younger daughter has never had *any* jarred food or boxed cereal.
And she eats everything, by herself, willingly.

I think, and this is totally unscientific, that the jarred food & the
act of feeding the child by the parent make the child turn off to the
"real" taste and experience of eating.  I often wonder if, as we
stuffed our older daughter full of yucky Gerber crap, we were creating
this problem-- and I think the answer is yes.

Teresa G. in NC

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