Responsive Feeding: The Baby-First Guide to Stress-Free Weaning, Healthy Eating, and Mealtime Bonding

Summary

The authoritative guide to feeding babies and toddlers “responsively”—the no-fuss method that follows your child’s cues and sets the stage for healthy eating!

Tired of struggling with your little one at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Enter responsive feeding! Recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Academy of American Pediatrics, this revolutionary approach takes the worry out of mealtimes.

Feeding therapist and speech-language pathologist Melanie Potock gives parents the tools—and the confidence—to read baby’s communication cues and follow baby’s lead. Gone is the pressure to cajole your baby to “open wide” for mouthful after mouthful when she’s fussy or disinterested. Your baby’s appetite knows best; when she’s hungry, she’ll tell you!

The guiding principle of responsive feeding—you provide, your child decides—applies equally to families who practice baby-led weaning, spoonfeeding, or a mix. Potock unpacks the evidence to turn daunting mealtimes into a joyful dance: By listening to your baby, anticipating her moves, and taking it in turns to “lead,” you’ll build trust and connection, help her gauge her own fullness, and encourage tactile learning about delicious, healthy food!