Upsetting experience at baby care center

[Aspencreek]

I'm still fuming because the baby-center CMs wouldn't let me use the microwave for my PopSecret popcorn bags, my Hot Pockets, or my bowl of spicy curry. Nor would they let me use the bottle warmers to make a Caffe Mocha. After being told no for all that I didn't even dare ask if I could use the tiny toddler toilets to recreate the scene from Elf.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

Holy smokes, who knew that feeding babies chicken legs is actually encouraged?!?! I went down the rabbit hole of google images, sure that I'd be able to find something humourous but discovered that the new-fangled "baby-led weaning" suggests handing babies whole chicken legs to chomp on You mean to tell me that I could have skipped the steps of cooking the chicken, creating mush and freezing ice-cube sized goo when my kids were starting solids?!? Mind you this was far too many years ago and I just assumed that the lack of teeth in their mouths would make eating an entire chicken leg a tad difficult

This thread has grown legs of it's own and is running away ...

Baby-led weaning isn’t that new. I have a 15 year old and a 1 year old and did BLW with both. My daughter’s pediatrician was skeptical of it when we did it with her 15 years ago, but now she encourages BLW with our 1 year old. She said it’s about a 50/50 split of her patients that do BLW vs traditional solid feeding. Giving a younger baby without teeth a chicken leg is meant to help them “map” their mouth (figure out how to bring something to their face and fit it in their mouth, learn how far back they can put something in their mouth to initiate the gag reflex, find where the gums and later teeth are in their mouth, etc) and better develop their chewing mechanism. They aren’t normally capable of actually getting any substantial amount of meat in their mouths.

Honestly, BLW makes Disneyland trips so much easier. We just get our baby a bunch of fresh fruit from the stands and ask for sides of steamed veggies at restaurants for him to munch on. I get trying to save money by bring your own food in the park for your kids, but the Baby Center isn’t the place to heat up that food.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Baby-led weaning isn’t that new. I have a 15 year old and a 1 year old and did BLW with both. My daughter’s pediatrician was skeptical of it when we did it with her 15 years ago, but now she encourages BLW with our 1 year old. She said it’s about a 50/50 split of her patients that do BLW vs traditional solid feeding. Giving a younger baby without teeth a chicken leg is meant to help them “map” their mouth (figure out how to bring something to their face and fit it in their mouth, learn how far back they can put something in their mouth to initiate the gag reflex, find where the gums and later teeth are in their mouth, etc) and better develop their chewing mechanism. They aren’t normally capable of actually getting any substantial amount of meat in their mouths.

Honestly, BLW makes Disneyland trips so much easier. We just get our baby a bunch of fresh fruit from the stands and ask for sides of steamed veggies at restaurants for him to munch on. I get trying to save money by bring your own food in the park for your kids, but the Baby Center isn’t the place to heat up that food.

Oh the problem with social media, I keep forgetting to use the sarcasm font! I was only commenting on the fact that what was considered the "proper" way to feed a baby 3 decades ago certainly didn't encourage anything other than jarred food (still have odd nails and screws in several on the workbench) - heck, I was considered "out there" because I made my own baby food, continued nursing our eldest after teeth appeared and weaning was definitely on his schedule. I think it's up to babe & caregivers to decide what works best for their specific needs. I was just amused by the fact that what my child and I decided was best for us has a name?!

 

[Lumpy1106]

I'm still fuming because the baby-center CMs wouldn't let me use the microwave for my PopSecret popcorn bags, my Hot Pockets, or my bowl of spicy curry. Nor would they let me use the bottle warmers to make a Caffe Mocha. After being told no for all that I didn't even dare ask if I could use the tiny toddler toilets to recreate the scene from Elf.

WARRANTED!