Diet Culture and Feeding Babies — Registered Dietitian Columbia SC

Formula vs. Breastfeeding

The first decision parents make about feeding their baby is figuring out if breastfeeding or formula feeding works best for them. What should be a personal family decision is made under the shadow of intense public opinion on what’s superior. I had my baby amid the formula shortage and was astounded to see how many men suddenly became experts in breastfeeding! I read forums of moms ignoring their mental health and needs to try to breastfeed out of fear of formula, despite plenty of evidence that formula is a totally suitable option for a baby. The notion that “breast is best” is just not true for everyone and can be very harmful. Many things can make formula the better choice – like the need for life-saving medications, poor supply, latch issues, work schedules that don’t allow for regular pumping, lack of support, and personal preference. Neglecting to consider someone’s personal experience and assign morality to a feeding choice is a perfect example of diet culture at work.

Moving on to solids: 

Once it comes time to introduce solids, the opinions on how to feed a baby get even louder. The noise can make trying to feed your baby feel paralyzing, not knowing where or when to start!

Social media exacerbates perfectionism, including around feeding your baby. You can’t just feed your baby food, but you also need to feed your baby aesthetically pleasing food too. Even before I was a mom, I loved seeing the adorable plates of food influencer moms would put together for their babies and share on social media. Usually these plates displayed brightly colored foods, a wide variety of food, and food cut in adorable shapes.  When I learned I was having a baby, I felt excited about future meals I’d make. What I didn’t consider were the things that would complicate feeding my baby – like my own sleep deprivation and busy work schedule as well as a baby whose interest in food often waxed and waned. Trying to keep up with the idyllic pictures of baby food plates was more challenging than I anticipated! I caught myself getting down on myself at times when in reality I was doing just fine. 

Baby Led Weaning vs Purees 

You may be familiar with the most common debate around feeding babies: to start with purees or to start immediately with finger foods (a method called Baby Led Weaning). Being an avid “healthy lifestyle” blog reader of the early 2010s, I was well indoctrinated on the pros of baby led weaning. In fact, as a young adult never mothering a child, I was convinced baby led weaning was the superior way to feed a baby and of course I would feed any future children in that way. When I had my baby I was still convinced this is the method I’d take. 

As she started to eat more foods, I remember a moment I had where I felt guilty for a buying an applesauce pouch for convenience. I thought, would using a pouch stunt my baby’s ability to feed herself? This feeling of guilt quickly left my body as I called out the preposterous thought. Time has shown me, puree pouches are an excellent portable snack! 

Now I realize how silly it is to make it seem like an either / or scenario. My baby gets a combination of pureed and solids and seems to take well to both, but I have friends whose babies prefer the pureed foods and that’s okay too. 

When considering the debate of pureed vs Baby Led Weaning, science doesn’t really support one over the other. The science is evolving. If you lined up 5 pediatricians, they might have a different take on how to approach feeding a baby. If you search “baby led weaning” on PubMed, the first five articles tell you more research is needed. It’s good to be aware that often a proponent for one side will often only share the evidence for their side rather providing an unbiased take.