Please tell me I'm not the only mom who has done this...
So, Kathrynne and I were eating homemade popsicles (er, icicles as she calls them!) earlier today and, without much thought at all, I took mine and let Kaitlynn have a lick of it.
Jesse saw me and just about flipped out in disbelief.
You see, I was the mama who didn't want anything that remotely even resembled table food near the lips of Kathrynne until she was over six months old. And I was the big advocate of "exclusive-breastfeeding-until-she-has-teeth" sort of person. And I'm the mama who happily nursed Kathrynne until she was 18 months old.
And yep, this same mama is feeding popsicles to her next daughter when she's exactly two months old. Okay, so it was only a lick or two of it, but still...
What has gotten into me, people? Is this the normal way a mother goes downhill? I mean, will I be feeding my next baby off my plate when they are two days old without even so much as thinking about it?
I guess at least it's good it was a homemade fruit popsicle.
I have to say, though, that this story isn't half as bad as what I did last week - namely, licking what I thought was white frosting off my hand. I'd just finished frosting the cinnamon rolls so didn't think anything of the supposed "white frosting" until I swallowed it. Um, come to find out, it tasted nothing like frosting but much more like baby spit-up. Not that I knew before what baby spit-up tasted like! Ahem, I do now, though.
Moral of the story: Never lick anything off your hands when you have a baby in the house. My only consolation is that it wasn't what appeared to be chocolate frosting! :)
posted by Crystal Paine at 6:37 PM
38 Comments:
My husband LOVED feeding our babies and tried out anything he could think of!
So did Kaitlynn LIKE the pop? he he
Ha! That is so funny. I think in this day and age where everyone is so bent on following procedure to the letter (no solids til 6 months, rice cereal then vegetables, then fruit and so on according to the "experts") that we forget how moms have been feeding their babies for ages (maybe even homemade popsicles) and surprisingly enough- they survived! :) You're doing a great job.
Courtney
www.homeschoolblogger.com/courtney
I am not yet a mama, but I think this is perfectly normal. I remember reading somewhere that parents act much differently with first children than they do with their second, third and so forth. For example, new parents might say something like, "See, look, you're okay. *Gives child a kiss* all better" when their child falls down at the playground or something. But when your second child scrapes his knee, the parents are more likely to respond with something like, "Oh, you're fine."
That, of course, does not make you a worse parent. It just means that you're more comfortable with doing different things, and a little more confident, because you've already been through that stage with your first child already. Don't worry! :-)
I think all parents (well many anyway) get to the point they aren't afraid to break away from the books.
My hubby gave out now 2 year old son ice cream licks at 6 weeks of age. I about freaked at the thought but it didn't hurt him one bit.
With my first, I followed the "rules". My second grabbed french fries off a plate at 4 months and never again would take anything remotely 'baby'. #3 was a challenge because he puked 24/7. Now he's older and he prefers big guy food but he will take baby stuff. However, at this stage in the game, I saw his brothers give him Doritos... My first-time mom self would have said "NO". Now I just said... break them smaller so he can suck off more flavor.
Ah well...it's a mom thing
Katie in Ohio
LOL, I am the same way! I was so hyper about the no regular food thing with my daughter, and practically had a panic attack when my father in law tried to feed her a taste of mashed potatoes when she was 7 months old, but I let the current baby taste ice cream when he was about a month old. For the record, he LOVED it. He hasn't had it since, I'm not THAT bad, but still, it's funny. I'm much more relaxed about a lot of things this time around!
No licking mustard drips either . . . I was way more lax with my second also, but she ended up developing a serious sweet tooth and I have been really picky with the rest of them. So, you never know how you will parent down the line.
Little lick never hurt anyone. I am the rebel of this group. I fed my first born cereal at 4 weeks. He was born 10 101/2 and never stopped growing. The boy was hungry.
This is turning out to be a great informal survey! It seems that across the board, we moms have become a little more relaxed and reasonable as we realize our children will live even after a lick of something supposedly forbidden. My husband has given me the same surprised look as your husband after I have conceeded to something I was sure was the only way to go with our first child! Hey, good thing the white stuff wasn't Desitin or something like that!
Enjoy, Christy W.
Don't feel bad...When my lil one was about 3 months old, my husband was holding her and eating ice cream. He some had dripped down his hand and she licked it before he could stop her(Hello, milk allergy risk! Way too young for whole milk products or solids!)...We both laughed it off at the time and eedless to say at ONE she begs for ice cream on the weekly occasion we have it. (atleast its organic!)
That is HILLARIOUS!!!!!!!!! Can I say that I too am glad it wasn't "Chocolate" frosting???!!!! HA!!!!!!!!!!!! I have learned that you don't put anything into your mouth unless it has been thoroughly inspected. Even just to give one of the boys a drink out of my cup.....I check REALLY good before I drink out of it after them....no telling what is in there floating around. YUCK. :-)
Oh, and yes, it has become a down hill slide for me too with the addition of Isaac. That kid gets a whole lot more variety than Samuel ever did! :-) Of course I don't know if it is because I just am more lax, or that I don't want to hear him screaming at the top of his lungs because he didn't get what his brother did. ;-)
Crystal-
Don't think of it as a bad thing, just a normal thing! Just don't get lax on taking pictures of them whether you have 2 or 10!!
I did the same thing!! I never would let DD have any table food until she was 1 year old. I also made all of her food. With my son (11 months) he helps me eat a bowl of ice cream every night. He cries when its all gone. I made his baby food for all of 2 weeks.
I breastfed DD until she was 16 months old. I am hoping I make it to 1 year with my son. He is just wearing me out!!
Tricia
Ha-ha!! I love how you coined it, "moms going downhill". Its not as stressfull being a parent if we're not so uptight about everything being done just right. I sometimes say "Its amazing what you can ignore."
Hysterical! I remember one time in our fatigued state as new parents my husband all the sudden said during dinner, "Eeww! I don't think I washed after that last poopy diaper change and now I'm eating!" The whole second kid thing is so much more relaxed. I don't care if my 2nd kid (9 months) glances at the Bible songs video my daughter is watching and I let him flip through books and eats off the floor occasionally. I put him in the baby nursery at church at 3 months (though I checked on him often) and let my mom babysit the day after he was born. This was shocking considering what a paranoid, germ-freak, not-even-the-grandparents-can-be-trusted-with-my-baby, by-the-book parent I was with my first! Being more relaxed preserves one's sanity!
Mrs. Jo aka Lindsey
As you have more children you will be amazed what you let the baby eat... LOL.
Also my mom loved letting my little guy try anything she had. I mean coffee, soda, cotton candy anything he might not choke on. Drove me insane. When I told a friend of hers he laughed and asked how the baby liked BC powder, which she used to take all the time.
No, she never let him try that. :)
I'll have to give you the credit for the weight I'm about to lose, Crystal, I'll never eat frosting-white or brown- again!
My hubby gave our oldest daughter a taste of spaghetti sauce when she was about 3 or 4 months old- she loved it! She nearly dived into my bowl for seconds & thirds!
Claire
Hi crystal,
in africa women feed their babies practically from their plate.
Funny!!! Here's to the many, many, MANY more posts like this to come as your girls get older and God adds to your family. LoL
Love,
Becca
I was careful with what I fed our first, and he is now oh, so picky. I was feeding our second chicken gumbo at 6 months, and he'll eat almost anything. Our third...I don't really remember much except a baby and a 18 month old who didn't sleep. I'm sure our second was trying to feed her off his plate as soon as she came home.
Although I'm not a Mom, it seems quite normal to me! My Mom followed the rules with my older sis, but when she had me, we moved back to live near her family. My great grandmother watched me, and she fed me all kinds of things! (sips of coffee, bites of jelly, etc) I certainly didn't get hurt from it, and actually turned out to be the least picky out of the two of us. :-) (So Mom said, anyway)
Wait until you see what you do when you have five! Yes, you definitely get more lax with each baby. Now that I'm on #5, I've completely stopped buying baby food. I just mash up whatever I've made for our dinner, before I season it.
Also, you get better about injuries too. When our first son was born, dh and I would keep him up half the night if he banged his head and got a bump. My youngest dd (3) got hit in the head with a toy the other night, and came downstairs bleeding from the crown of his head. It was just a tiny cut, but it bled a lot. I just put a little Dermabond on it, and he went on his way.
I agree after three boys I am more lax, but I am careful if it is a potential allergen. When my second was 8 months or so (maybe more) I gave him a couple little licks of Blue Bunny Smore Ice Cream and we kept looking at him funny because his lips just started to swell and after a few minutes they were huge!! We had to take him to the emergency room. We never did figure out what exactly he was allergic to. But my doctor was like-"Well we don't recommend feeding ice cream to babies"--I was like well I don't either and I wasn't "feeding" him -just a couple of licks. haha Maybe the lesson learned is just plain ice cream. Although I won't allow them to have any milk products or eggs and some of the obvious stuff before they are a year atleast. (-:
Too funny, Crystal! I am so used to sharing with my other littles, that I have to constantly stop myself from almost sharing with my 6 week old. Blessings!
Crystal,
You are SO funny! One time I took my toddler out of the car and set her on the ground then I took my then about 8 month old baby who wasn't even standing yet and tried to put him on the ground. Of course I realized what I was doing when he wouldn't stand up. It was pretty funny. Yes, I think we new moms chill a bit as we have more and no, I don't think you'll be feeding your next one table food at two days :-) I'm sure Kaitlynn enjoyed the popcicle. Yes it was a good thing that it wasn't chocolate icing!
~Jennifer K.
Crystal,
I knew I might as well give up the struggle to keep the 2nd child on the same regimen when I walking into the kitchen and saw the 4 yr-old sharing her sucker with her little sister. Things really did get much easier and less stressful for everyone after I relaxed. Enjoy them and encourage them to enjoy each other--mine are now 24 and 28 and I treasure every memory! By the way, I wonder where the rest of the white "icing" ended up--not on the cupcakes, I hope!
I think one thing we forget is also babies managed to survive years ago without solid foos for over a year! I have to say I have taken more heat for not feeding my babies solid food than the other, but on the other question, I once picked upa cup which I thought was hot chocolate, but in reality realized after I took a gulp it was my sisters pumped breast milk. Ick!
I laughed out loud at the frosting bit.
LOL, There's a first time for everything!!
Our first used to let licks off ice cream cones starting when she was 3 months old.
I had a roommate who saw a spoon and thought it was marshmallow fluff-nope it was NOXEMA!!She gagged big time.
Wow 30 comments...haven't read any of them yet but thought I'd add my thoughts. I am the mother of 2 boys, one just turned one and the other will be 2 in one and a half months. ANyways, so you just sound like the mother of two now. I was totally the same way with my first very particular about what he ate and where it came from and that it was as pure as it could be and with the least amount of salt and no sugar at all until the first birthday. ANyways, I believe that having a second child does a lot to you. I am way more relaxed about things with baby #2 and still want to maintain a healthy way of eating, especially low salt and no sugar, but way more relaxed about things. ANyways, I think it's normal. You are becoming more comfortable with things as a mom. God bless you!
I only have one right now but I already know that I'll be much more lenient with the next one, whenever that is. It was much easier on me and everybody else when I relaxed a bit. I still try to keep as much sugar out of the 2 year-old's diet as possible but not for sweet tooth issues. More for Mom and Dad sanity! LOL
Disappointed-none of your pictures are showing up on my computer.
Other blogs pictures are showing up but for some reason not yours.
Oh Crystal,
I laughed so hard upon reading that! Thanks for the good humour!
Kathleen
I have a spit-up story...
When my first baby was about six months old I was laying with her on the floor playing and giggling together, a sweet mother/daughter moment. I picked her up and held her over my face and of course I was smiling, really big. Well, she had just had a jar of baby peas and the inevitable happened...peas have never tasted the same to me since ;). Even after three more children that is still the most disgusting motherhood experience I can remember, yuck.
As far as relaxing with each child, I was horrified when my hubby gave our first baby a taste of salsa at nine months (she loved it, by the way) but I hardly batted an eyelash when he gave our fourth born a sip of coffee at six months (he also loved it). I don't buy baby food anymore either. I occasionally make some specifically for our son but usually I just smash up some of whatever we're having. Here lately he's been eating whole pasta straight from my plate, he loves food! It also isn't unusual to see me sharing one piece of cake, or what have you, and the same fork with two other little mouths, my 11 month old and my 2 year old. It is so much easier and I got over sharing germs with my children a long time ago. That was probably facilitated by the spit up peas incident ;). In some ways my mothering skills have actually improved though. Regrettably I didn't breastfeed my first born for selfish reasons. With my next I nursed but supplemented with formula and juices, my third I only gave an occasional bottle of juice until she was about ten months and then my milk starting drying up with my fourth pregnancy and I started weaning her to a bottle. With my last baby I exclusively nursed until six months(aside from the snacks his daddy and sisters would sneak to him ;)). He is eleven months old and has never had a bottle, I'm hoping to wean him straight to a cup. So, I don't think you're going "downhill" ;). You're just doing what every mother does, finding your own mothering style and it will evolve over time. If I were to have ten children I doubt any one of them would be raised exactly like any of the others :).
My parents were babysitting a child once before I was born and my Dad, not used to children, asked all of a sudden...
"Where did Sammy get all that chocolate??"
Well...
LOL! Great story! (Yours I mean :D)
Keep posting!
LOL Crystal don't feel bad about the spit-up, I once unknowingly licked a booger (yes, a booger) off my toddler's finger thinking she was wanting me to play our little "I'm gonna eat your fingers" game. I didn't realize what it was until I had swallowed it. Ah the joys of motherhood!
Better then what my DH did! He gave my three month old a lick of his cookies and cream ice cream cone!! AGGGHH!!! She licked her lips and looked amazed.
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