How do you handle the holidays

Maybe I am being too overprotective, I don't know! We went to my SILs on Sunday for a pre-turkey day dinner, and everyone wanted to feed the babies - mostly junk! cool whip, pie, etc...my niece said, "why can't they have mashed potatoes?" Well, because they have butter and spices and milk in them! I was afraid the babies would get a belly ache with all of that stuff! The babies are still on pretty simple food - they can eat some finger foods - bananas, pears, cheerios, puffs etc. They just tried shredded cheese the other day...

How do I handle the family on Thursday? I know they will want to feed them everything and then make comments all along...."do they just get baby food?" I don't want them to have the turkey because my SIL marinates the thing in alcohol and butter and it is SO greasy! I know I will have to deal with this in the future....and I know special occasions and things I will just have to let it go a little bit - but they are only 8 months old! Am I being too protective? How do you handle other people wanting trying to give them food that you do not eat?

 

How do your babies react if someone tries to give them food? At 8 months old mine would have gagged and spit it out and that totally prevented people from trying to give them table food.

Now at 2 years old I let the girls eat whatever they want to but at 8 months old no way!

 

I was much more apprehensive telling people what to do with my first baby. Now I just don't care I would just tell them that the babies can't have any of that. Blame it on your ped if you want to

 

I agree, blame it on the pediatrician! Just say no table foods until they're older, especially ones that aren't plain because you don't know what they can handle and what they can't. I'm pretty particular about what my lo's get. My DH's grandmother would have given each baby a thick steak cut fry two months ago while we were at dinner had I let her. Really? My mom is totally paranoid about not giving the babies anything she doesn't know for a fact they've had which is great, I can always count on her to back me up or say something if she sees others trying to feed them. Is there going to be someone else around who can help you keep an eye out of speak up too? In the end, you will be the one getting up with them in the night if they get sick or have a tummy ache so who cares what others think or say.

 

Just tell them "you can go ahead and feed them but I won't pay for cleaning your clothing when they throw up on you."

Or blame it on the pediatrician.

I think I am thankful we spend thanksgiving at home, without family.

 

I'm another one who would blame it on the ped. "Oh, our pediatrician says their digestive systems aren't quite ready for that yet."

 

Yeah blaming it on your ped is probably the easiest!

Although I do let my kids eat anything really so I'm probably not the right person to ask. They had pizza with us the other night at the pizza place, and thanksgiving dinner #1 with us on sunday

 

I let mine eat a lot of table food. If it's something I don't want them to eat, I usually say, "they can't have refined sugars or white flour." I make it sound like a health reason. If it's a healthy, non allergenic food then I'm all for them trying it.

 

With my first I was really overprotective in what she could/couldn't eat but with the twins they were pretty much eating the same thing as us by 9 months without the added seasonings of course. You are the parent though so it's whatever you feel comfortable with and if they don't like it that is their problem. I really hate it when people try to make the parent feel bad for not doing things they are uncomfortable with. It is hard to stand your ground when you know you are going to get a lot of crap for it. My MIL and BIL are horrible about arguing with me about every little thing having to do with baby/child care so I can understand why your worried. I agree with the others though, blame it on your pedi.

 

Yeah, my SIL just asked me yesterday if the boys could have mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. Uh...no they are only 4 1/2 months old!!

 

ugh! stick to your gut and just say no!! I did the 4 day wait rule and inevitably someone would mess it up for me... giving them something they hadn't had before... and then when they got diahrea I didn't know if it was what I'd given them, or the new item... ugh, it would set us back a week...

anyway, yes, just blame it on the pedi... or just say that they haven't tried that food yet.

good luck - family can be fun!

 

I don't think that your being over protective at all. I am a control freak when it comes to others feeding my children. It makes me very mad when people ask and then feed them anyway even when you say no. Better yet it makes me even mader when people feed them without asking. My boys are very sensitive to food and I want to be the one to introduce certain things to them. What I tell people is no unless they have already had that food and are fine with it. Usually it is in the evening when we are out with the boys and I always tell people that when the boys try new food we do it in the morning so that if they have a belly ache from it then we aren't up with them crying all night! stand your ground its hard but eventually people will respect your decisions. Best of luck

 

Thanks! It is difficult because all of the family we are around is inlaws for me. My MIL has 7 kids and her youngest (my DH) is almost 40....so she raised her kids a bit differently...and our niece has a baby boy who is 3 weeks older and they all like to compare our babies to him....oh well!

I like the idea about the pedi, and the idea about "refined sugars" and "white flour" - they already know I am a health nut, so I guess WHO CARES what they all think! They love our babies so I know they will respect our opinion on things, even though they make think I am weird! hee hee

 

Stick to your guns. Say well...this has milk/dairy and until they are one, they shouldn't have that...this has refined sugar, this has..., etc, etc. With the boys, everyone still asks if they can have something. They are almost 3 and I pretty much allow most everything at this point with them...but "training" early helps...ha!

Nobody feeds my baby girl but DH and I. They already now the rules from the boys!

 

I saw this thread, and just kinda browsed over it thinking nothing of it.... and lo and behold I caught my FIL trying to feed my 7.5 mo old baby a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie! We started solids late, and are still only doing single ingredient purees, no texture things. No chocolate, dairy, wheat, etc... I just about died. I didn't even think someone would try that with one of my guys this year, and they did. :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: