Each time we sit down with our baby and share food, we are building a feeding relationship – a nurturing relationship that goes very deep and secures attachment – the root of healthy emotional and psychological development. Through mindfulness with feeding, you have the opportunity to convey the following to your child at each meal and snack…
I love you enough to provide mostly healthy foods
I love you enough to create boundaries around our meals together
I love you enough to take care of myself and model good eating
I love you enough to practice mindfulness so that I can parent most effectively
I trust you to know how much you need to eat
I trust you to learn to grow into a good eater
The result is a day by day deepening of a healthy nourishing and nurturing relationship. A child who becomes a competent eater: open to trying new foods, flexible about managing food in different situations, knows when they are hungry and full, knows that they can count on you for nourishment, knows that meal times are a safe and connected time of the day. Knows that you trust them to figure it out. Knows that you won’t control their eating. This feeding relationship is a blueprint for the parenting for years to come.
Mindfully feeding our babies offers the promise of more secure attachment in all areas of relationship. This is a place to practice the essence of healthy parenting. Knowing what is your job as parents and knowing what is your child’s job. Respecting that boundary. Figuring out how to manage your own triggers around that. Trusting. Relaxing. Letting go and staying present. All the work of healthy parenting.
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