Vacation reading

Hi everyone! I'm back from a wonderful week-long vacation in Virginia. We had beautiful weather the entire time, and I did not check e-mail, use my phone, or really look at a computer for almost the entire week! (Which is a huge accomplishment for a techno-geek like me.)

We did the usual vacation stuff, including getting sunburned, going in the ocean, sitting in the hot tub, and eating lots and lots of good food. Family breakfasts were a lot of fun - it's nice waking up to someone else making you eggs and bacon and strawberry pancakes (although I only ate one the entire week as a way to avoid the milk in the mixes). Joe and I also went on a date to a very nice restaurant with amazing food. My first course of a three-course tasting was pan-fried goat cheese (chevre) over sliced tomato, baby spinach, and golden balsamic vinaigrette - it was out of this world! I plan to try to recreate it at home very soon.

Before leaving on the trip, I had purchased some books on feeding and child nutrition that were recommended by the dietitian who taught a nutrition class I took at work. I've started the first one, Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense (by Ellyn Satter), and I have been enjoying it very much so far. I'll give a brief recap since I'm pretty far in to the book:

1. Division of responsibility in feeding. Parents are responsible for the what, when, and where of feeding, while children are responsible for the how much and whether of eating. Satter's overall point is that children are born with an innate sense of how much they need to eat, so trust your child to 'tell' you how much is enough. Instead, focus on providing nutritious meals in a warm, welcoming environment (can we say family meals anyone?) and enjoy the process of feeding.
2. Parents freaking out = kids getting eating problems. Satter doesn't constantly harp on the horror stories that she's experienced in her work, but she does provide a few examples that illustrate the principle of children knowing how much is enough. In cases where parents either try to force feed their children (because they're not eating 'enough') or where they try to limit calories or types of foods (because they don't want their child to 'get fat') the kids often develop problems that may get worse as they get older.
3. Relax and enjoy your child! Even though Satter is a dietitian, she doesn't give strict recommendations about types of foods to eat or avoid. Her focus is on what works best for your family.

Overall, I've been enjoying the book because it has helped me to calm down in regards to Joseph's solid feedings. I've been starting to stress about what to feed him and when and if he's getting enough or eating too much (since he seems to love eating!), so instead my plan is to chillax more and continue to follow his lead. Some changes I am going to implement from reading the book are the reintroduction of iron-fortified baby cereal and offering more finger foods. (I haven't been using cereal since it seems to be constipating, but I want to make sure Joseph is getting enough iron.) I started this morning with thick cereal (and a side of pureed spinach) and allowed Joseph to feed himself off his tray. It was messy but we had fun!