UGG! Grandma! Really

mamayo26

Ok, so I feel bad enough already about this, so please only post helpful comments.

We went to visit my parents yesterday and on the way to dinner I forgot DS's purees in the fridge. We went to a Mexican place so we tried some mashed up avocados and some rice, but he wouldn't have any of it. he did eat his puffs though.

So I tried explaining to my mom that the purees are just for fun/practice and not for nutritional value although DS does love them. DS has also become conditioned to getting fed once he is in his/a highchair...he knows that chair means I am going to get food.

Anyway my mother (Grandma) thought that it was acceptable to give my 8 month old ice cream for dinner. In order to avoid a scene with both her and DS I gave him a little (very little). He really was mostly over tired and then not getting his purees just added fuel to the fire for his fussiness.

So here is where I need help. Grandma will usually listen to me about most things when it comes to DS's development and realizes that times have changed since my brother (who is now 22) was a baby. However, when it comes to feeding DS she just doesn't seem to hear me. She wasn't very supportive of me BF (she didn't), and she thinks every time he screams he is hungry, etc, etc, and that we had to give him something at dinner because he was starving when he had had a 7 oz bottle 90 minutes before.

I'm not sure what her fixation is on his feeding. Anyone else have this issue?

stanfordt04

My mom is the same way... when LO was six months, i decided he is good to go on any food (but not peanut butter, honey, etc.)... i know she has given him tastes of icing at a birthday party. or a taste of her ice cream after dinner. i figure she is only giving him tastes of food to explore. i am done stressing or getting myself upset... i did that to myself during the first six months.

fryrat

The thinking for the longest time has always been to "fatten up" a baby. If they don't have chubby legs and chipmunk cheeks, then you have to feed them more! Fast forward to today, where Grandma thinks she's trying to help by giving him anything and everything that he will eat. They are conditioned to see the healthy baby as too skinny. It's oftentimes not a conscious thing that they are choosing to shove junk in his mouth, they are just trying to help!

freezorburn

I have the opposite problem. When MIL visits she gets annoyed at how often I feed DS, because it cuts into her bonding time with him. She only BF'd for 3 months and thinks she knows everything about it. I think she thinks I am making up extra feedings to make an excuse to take DS from her, but I'm not. He really does need to eat, he is small for his age.

Starbear06

It's definitely just a generational gap and mindset especially when it comes to feeding. It seems like whenever babies cry they automatically think they are hungry and need to resolve it without thinking it could be a whole slew of other things like boredom, overtired, etc. especially if its in the evening then game on for general fussiness. Haha. And to top it off if he just had his big bottle not too long ago!
My MIL always hints that my BM is not enough for DS because I will nurse him and then shortly after he gets fussy. But not because he is hungry but MIL constantly holds him and not let him put any of his toys in his mouth but he's at the stage where he likes to sit on his own and play with toys! Rarely do I get to hold him for an extended period of time without distracting him with something! So you know your baby best and do what you think is right.

mamayo26

Thanks Ladies!

I appreciate it!

And all your LOs are so freaking adorable! 

Meery82

I know my mother would like to give my son tastes of things like pudding or ice cream. She would never do it without my consent though. I know she probably thinks I'm a little strict with the food ( he currently only gets baby oatmeal and pur?ed fruits and veggies), but I figure he is growing rapidly at this point in his life and needs all the nutrition he can get. He's never had junk food, so he doesn't know what he's missing. He has his whole life to eat stuff like that, so I figure he might as well skip it for now. Also, I don't want to set him up for poor eating habits when he's older. If he develops a taste for healthier foods now, he won't be as inclined to eat as much junk later in life. My dad was always a health nut and growing up with that, I definitely think some of it rubbed off on me!