This self-feeding presentation sounds great.  Many of us Lactnetters have 
taken on the same approach.  In my 36 years of working with breastfeeding 
mothers and babies I have learned that those infants who feed themselves 1) 
don't over-eat, 2) continue to like eating food, 3) thrive on the variety 
that they choose, and 4) never have to make the transition from jarred, 
pureed foods to the family table food.

As to maturity, I think that there is another factor and I'm sure that Ms 
Rapley covers this.  Readiness or maturity is influenced by the baby's 
nutritional needs.  I'll give an example from one of my children.

My former Ped said that one sign of readiness for solid foods was sitting 
alone.  He said that the swallow action and enzymes in the mouth and gut 
are changed to be ready for solid foods.  When my second daughter was 
sitting alone I offered her what we were eating on her high chair 
tray.  She played with it and put it into her hair and had a grand old time 
with the new stuff.  Occasionally she would put it to her lips but never 
ate any.

When we went to the doctor at 9 months he asked what she was eating and I 
relayed the above scenario.  He said, "Let's check her hemoglobin."  The 
test came back and he said, "It is still very high. She won't need any 
solids for several more months."

Sure enough, at about a year she began to eat the things that she had been 
playing with.  She was a very healthy baby with normal development...and 
she did learn to eat with a spoon.  Also a knife and fork and chopsticks.

I don't know if this program would work for formula-fed infants given the 
static composition of nutrients.  But those babies would likely begin 
eating when they needed too also.
_______________________________

Rather off-topic but something that I share with my clients when we talk 
about starting solids:

I also learned that children have much keener taste buds than adults 
have.  I never forced my children to eat any one food as there are so many 
good foods to choose from. If there was a food that they didn't care for I 
told them, "Your taste buds are not read for ______ yet."  Note the "yet" 
which leaves the future open.  It worked very well since they hadn't 
declared to the world and themselves that they didn't like a given food.

Alison's taste buds weren't "ready" for green beans for quite a 
while.  Then in kindergarten she planted a bean in a paper cup.  It 
sprouted and she planted it in our garden. It produced 7 beans and her 
taste buds were READY for beans.

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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