The book, Fussy Baby, can help you with feeding problems or babies crying
Having a fussy baby is very distressing. Many parents with babies crying wonder what is happening. Being a fussy baby can be baby’s way of showing there is some problem. Thinking about just why the baby is fussy is the first step to solving the problem. The book Fussy Baby can show you how.
Something about the food
Do you think there is something about the food that the baby is not coping with? This happens in many babies. The food may be too thick, too scratchy, too hot or too cold, or have too strong a taste or smell. If a food is just a bit too different from what can be managed it will affect the baby accepting it. Each child is different in how fast they progress and we call this “eating development”. When you understand all the ways the baby may be having trouble accepting food [See chapter 2 in Fussy Baby], you can use the ideas to change the food in ways that mean the baby can eat foods and then the food can be gradually changed and more foods introduced.
Something about liking or not liking food
Liking or not liking a food is different from a baby who is showing you a problem with the food. This is where the child may hesitate when given meat and veges and you think the only way to provide food is to give the usually accepted sweet food, or when the child likes and wants biscuits and makes a fuss when these are not given. As the parent you are the one who decides what is important for good nutrition and limiting sweet foods as necessary. See Chap 1 in Fussy Baby for ideas.
Crying babies – Some discomfort in the baby – is the baby food intolerant?
Here we are wondering if the baby is getting some symptoms from a new food so is fussy because of food intolerance. You may wonder if the baby has some colic, irritability, sleep, or other problems. [See Chapter 3 in Fussy Baby about all the symptoms that can occur with food intolerance and what you can do about it. And you can also read Are you Food Sensitive? for all the detail.]
Something called Supersensitivity in the baby
Some babies are supersensitive to their whole environment in their own particular way. They may become distressed if the environment is too hot, too cold, too noisy or with particular upsetting sounds, too bright, or if they have contact with a texture which feels to scratchy to them, or with particular smells. See Chap 4 of Fussy Baby for the detail and how awareness of this can help with solving the fussiness.
Something about the special bond between mother and baby
Muddles can happen here. All of the eating development and other ideas in Fussy Baby can help mothers realise that it is fairly normal to have a fussy baby. The book gives ways to solve the problems so that the special bond between mother and baby is able to continue.
Something about the management of swallowing
Do you think the fussiness is because the baby cannot manage eating? This is when you think the baby cannot manage to move food around its mouth so it can swallow solids. If this is so you can discuss this with your doctor and get help. Because doctors are concerned about these problems they may reassure you that nothing else is wrong medically if these problems are not present. Then you look in Fussy Baby to solve the other types of feeding problems.
Each baby is different
Many babies would rather eat nothing than have something that is distressing in some of the ways mentioned here. There is no one solution to a fussy baby. When parents are aware of all the possible ways of being fussy each baby can be understood and parents can take action that makes the difference between eating nothing and some of the food you have worked out can be managed.
The ideas in Fussy Baby were found in research
All the types of fussiness in babies were learned from working with parents who had real problems and who were able to be helped. They were able to work out just what was necessary to consider in their own baby so they did not need to feel overwhelmed.
Fussiness often runs in families
Often eating development, food intolerance and sensitivity, and supersensitivity run in families. After taking a Family Sensitivity History [ See Chapter 3 of Fussy Baby] much can be learnt that can be used to help baby accept food better. Also see there the other problems that can show in babies, such as restlessness, poor sleep, and babies crying that can run in food intolerant families.
A mother’s comment
“When I understood all the things that my baby could be fussy about I felt much better, not a failure, and could get on with changing how I was managing feeding.”
Using the ideas in Fussy Baby parents can solve problems before worrying habits are formed and much more therapy is needed.
Fussiness does not usually last for years
With understanding and changing the way feeding is happening each baby can progress in eating development at his own pace and so after months or a couple of years can accept food as the family provide it.
With parent aware, child will get there!
You can look in Fussy Baby to understand what is happening for your baby and take steps to prevent babies crying so your baby will progress along within the range of the ways normal children eat, which, when we think about it is quite a wide range.
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