My Husband Feeds Our 5 Month Year Old Twins Table Food When Iask Him Not To.

I would just tell him that the pedi said no. My experience is that when people hear the the pedi said to do one thing or another that they will comply. If he won't then I would sit down and have a very serious discussion with him about why they shouldn't have things like steak at this age. They aren't able to chew it, choking hazard, aren't able to digest complex foods at this age yet. If he persists, then request that he go to the pedi with you and have a talk there.

Call my nutritionist and she can give you some good ammo to tell your husband about how REALLY bad that is for your babies!! He could be setting them up for a lifetime of trouble. Dr. Donna Smith, Advanced Clinical Nutrition, ###-###-#### or email ____@____.com. I'm just guessing based on what I've learned from her so far but if those babies can't fully digest that food then it will stay in their colon and start causing all kinds of health problems. That's what happens to adults so can you imagine what it will do to a little baby? Good luck and call her!!

For the most part, I really see no harm in it. If they are tiny pieces, they're not likely to choke. If you are already putting cereal in their bottles (like you said in your bio) they are actually more likely to choke on that honestly b/c bottles are not meant to have "chunks" in them. Since you are putting cereal in their bottles, perhaps they becoming ready to eat.

If your dh wants to feed them, then buy some baby food. There is a general rule of them as to when it's "acceptable" to start baby food - BUT every baby is different and has different nutritional needs. Ideally you should start w/ cereal (about the thickness of instant mashed potatoes/baby food).

Mostly, I want to say, you've mentioned your husband works a lot. I understand that what you are seeing is him "defying your rules" by feeding the twins, but I also see that perhaps thats one of the ways he is trying to be involved and bond with his children. Perhaps it's not the "best" thing for him to do, but at least he's doing something. It sounds like he does not have as much time with the kids as you, so of course he may not know them as well, but it's important that he be allowed to make decisions concerning the twins as well. Afterall, they are his kids too. If he wants to feed them tiny pieces of food on occasion, they'll live. If you are concerned about food allergies (is there a history in your family?) - then let him know that he should not feed them egg, seafood, or peanut products (like peanut butter).

If it really concerns you that much, then the two of you should sit down and talk about what is and isn't acceptable for the twins. It shoudl be a conversation w/ mutual input, he should be allowed to make decisions concerning the kids also.

I'm certainly no expert, but I am a mom of 4 - whose kids all lived despite daddy AND I making a ton of mistakes :)

Good luck to you all :)

Steak, I dont' know about, but I really see no harm in it. My baby started table food when she was 6 months old and besides her breastmilk, is on table food exclusively. I think a little bit here and there is not going to hurt them. Just my opinion.

I can't remember the schedule for visiting the pediatrician, but if it's at 6 months, maybe you could ask your husband to come along with you (if he doesn't already) and suggest that you ask the pediatrician about it when you are there? Tell him ahead of time -- don't spring it on him when you get there. :) It sounds like you've already expressed your concern about it, so he should know how you feel. You could say "let's ask the doctor and then depending on the answer, we can agree to follow the pediatrician's recommendation." Then if the pediatrician says it's okay to feed steak to a 5 month old, you can feel better about it, and if he/she says it's not okay, then hopefully your husband will wait until the pediatrician says it's age appropriate.

My daughter's pediatrician stressed to us about the importance of when to time foods. He said he had one patient who is now mentally retarded because the parents fed the child a hot dog when he was two and the child choked. They were able to remove the hot dog, but too late to avoid permanent brain damage. I don't know how large the bites are that your husband is giving your children, but that could be a possible concern -- especially as they get bigger.

Having a specialist provide information might be the best way to settle a difference of opinions. I agree with the other responses that you're both the parents and can have different styles, etc. but you also don't want one parent doing something that could potentially harm one or both children. Getting a professional opinion is probably the best route.

Good luck!

Maybe you could get your babies' doctor to give him a call about the dangers of giving babies steak and other hard to chew foods. I don't know what kind of person your husband is, but maybe you could enlist some help from a family member that he might listen to or let him read the replies on this website. Maybe that will open his eyes!!

I agree with giving him some printed material from experts. Also my son-in-law did this with sweets and my grandaughter had alot of problems with really bad diaper rash. Her bowels were 'burning' her skin so bad it bled. The pedi said 'NO MORE SUGAR' as it feeds yeast. WHen my daughter came home & said "the pediatrician said no more sugar" then he stopped doing it. None of us are baby experts and only do what has been taught to us. We can only hope that parents can be smart enough to research & listen to the experts and similar experiences of others who have been there. Thank goodness for Mamasource. This is a wonderful informative site.

have the La Leche league, or your pediatrician give you a brochure,(print one off the internet, babies are ontended to be perfectly fine on just breast milk or formula the full first year, .At 9 months, maybe introduce soft foods that can be gummed, like well cooked rice or broccoli,even steamed fish,or apple sauce. Babies can choke. Their swallowing muscles are not quite ready for chunky foods.

Please excuse my bluntness... but it sounds like the issue is with your husband in general and not what he is feeding your babys (just based on you bio and your question).

As far as the table food, kids will typically throw something up before they will choke (just my expierience). Maybe that will teach him :-)

Good Luck!
E.

I am so lucky my husband asks me before feeding our DD lunch or dinner. Also he knows what I feed her so he knows what is okay to feed her and what isnt. She is 2 now and I am even more strict with her diet (organic and fresh) and I cook and cut/prepare things in certain ways.

I pretty much raise our child since he works nights and sleeps all day. So he does what I say. Thank God.

My advice is take him to the Ped. and have her talk to him re proper food and possible allergies and risks with what he is trying to feed them.

Good luck!

Get your pediatrician to read him the riot act. It's very, very dangerous. A family at our church here in town lost their 1 year old like that. The dad was feeding the baby popcorn, & the baby choked & died with the dad right there.

I know he's probably just excited to do this because I remember it being hard to wait to feed my son table food, but it's just not worth the risk to your babies life.

J.,

Let me start by saying that I understand your concerns about food allergies. It's one of the first things that mothers worry about when introducing table foods to our babies. Now let me say that you will have to let the hold on your babies go a bit and let them explore table foods. Now I believe that steak is a bit much, but cookies, potatoes, veggies, you need to go ahead and let them get into them early so that if they do indeed have food allergies, you know what they are. If your husband is monitoring them when feeding them then they will be alright if something happen to them. The important thing is you and your husband should come to an agreement like he can feed table foods, but you want to introduce things slowly. Ask him to cut back on the STEAK and you will cut back on being over protective about the table foods. Remember the babies are the children not the husband and he is a parient too. You need to trust him to know what's good for the kids as well as you. The rebillion is not because his doesn't care for the kids, it's because he doesn't care for being treated like one.

Have him visit the pediatrician with you on the babies' next check up and let the Doctor explain why this is a very bad idea.

Also, if he is so intent on feeding them, then hand him a jar of baby food, or make something that they can eat at the table.

They are your husband's babies too... and you can't tell him what to do with his babies. You can suggest, you can show concern, you can share (please don't throw a broucher at him) information.

But just imagine if he told you how to swaddle the babies? Or if he told you that you weren't mixing the cereal in the bottle correctly?

Moms always think the babies are theirs... I did (and still struggle with it, though mine are teens now) but they belong to both of you.

Women want the husbands to share in child raising, so you have to let them. And that means let him learn. As long as there's no danger, and it doesn't sound like he's endangering them, then let it go.

HI J.! Just do like me and next time he does something after you have warned him not to, bop him on the head with the paper towel roll. Just kidding! How about this? Next time for dinner, cook oatmeal or mashed potatoes without chunks. Serve it to him in a nice big bowl then say matter of factly, "if you insist on feeding our babies from the table, then you will just have to eat baby safe food". Then take a big bite of your oatmeal and act like its the most delicious meal in the World. Mmmmmmmm. :)

By the way, its ok for them to eat things that are pureed and mashed but DO NOT let him feed them chewables when they don't even have teeth! Steak???? This calls for the papertowel roll bopping.

Babies this age are not ready for table food. Some of the moms said they see no harm, but you are setting them up for all sorts of trouble. All they really need right now is breast milk/formula and cereal. If he wants to take part and start giving them table food, then try mashed avacado or banana.

In no way should the babies be having processed sugar or anything that requires chewing! And Steak! That is problably one of the worse things you could give to a baby. They have not yet developed the enzymes to break down and digest complex proteins.

What you feed your babies now will impact their health for the rest of their lives.