Feeding Your Child - The Brazelton Way

For parents who want to avoid food fights, pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton knows best. From hungry newborns to food-flinging toddlers, Brazelton and co-author Joshua Sparrow focus on how to get your child to eat. They warn: "When parents struggle with a child over food, the child's hunger—-a key to healthy eating--loses its importance." Their approach defines eating as an opportunity for independence and family intimacy. Parents must expect predictable "touchpoints" that signal development. Brazelton and Sparrow urge parents to declare a child's independence at the ripe age of one--when the child takes control over choice and quantity of food. A much-repeated value here is banishing distraction, be it television or nagging, so mealtime becomes time of pleasure and closeness. All of the usual questions (breastfeeding vs. bottle, food allergies, picky eaters) are expertly answered along with the more unusua! l queries (how separation anxiety affects eating, how to tell if a child is hungry). Reassuring and rich with details, Feedingwill increase every parent's confidence in building healthy habits. --Barbara Mackoff