Food For Thought

July: Weaning and Nutrition

La Leche League Concept:Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible.

What do you expect a meal to provide for your family? Or what does a "successful" mealtime mean to you?

Ritual
Rainbow
Togetherness
Variety
Nutrition
Sustenance
An ability to adapt to your child's food needs at various stages

I think many of us assume a meal will provide energy and hopefully nutrition for ourselves and our little people, but some of these answers really add dimension to what "mealtime" provides. Just like breastfeeding, for the first year, and sometimes longer, provides the nutrition and sustenance our babies need to survive, the nursing relationship also provides SO much more, closeness, togetherness, reset, and has immeasurable emotional value for our children and ourselves. Breastfeeding your baby creates a cornerstone for family mealtime, for expectations on what mealtimes provide and understanding how to adapt to our family's needs as time passes.

Though one LLL concept, of the 10, stands out more than the rest when we discuss food, consider how almost ALL of the concepts have something to do with "mealtime," whatever stage or phase of your life you might be in.

*Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying relationship and an adequate milk supply.

*In the early years the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food.

*Breast milk is the superior infant food.

*For the healthy full-term baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until baby shows signs of needing solids, about the middle of the first year after birth.

*Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the baby outgrows the need.

*From infancy on, children need loving guidance which reflects acceptance of their capabilities and sensitivity to their feelings. (even and especially surrounding food)

What do YOU expect a meal to provide your family?