Hands off: why you can not feed children with a spoon

- The plane, the plane will fly right into your mouth!- A spoon for dad ... a spoon for mom. Familiar? Probably, like cartoons that fascinate a child so much that he opens his mouth on autopilot when a spoonful of food rushes to him. But Amy Brown, a professor at Swansea University (UK), is sure that such “dancing with tambourines” only harms kids. Is the child half a year old? Give him a spoon in your hand and stand back!Photo:GettyImages “Spoon-fed babies are more likely to become overweight or obese than self-fed babies,” insists Professor Brown in his book on the importance of solid foods. - Those who are forced to eat themselves, firstly, will form healthier eating habits, and secondly, they will be more adventurous in life. To repeat: Amy Brown believes that in fact, from the very first feeding, the baby is able to eat on its own. Moreover, she believes that at six months, the baby is quite capable of eating solid food. The impression is that the professor has no children. Or she has never washed the kitchen, the child and herself from this very complementary food. However, the professor's conclusions are based on research, the results of which are published in the authoritative journal Pediatric Obesity. She studied the eating habits and behavior of 300 babies aged 6 to 12 months and their own in the age of one and a half to two years. It turned out that children who were given the opportunity at the table to independently choose what and how much to eat, quickly learned to stop when they feel full. That is, they retained this innate skill. While spoon-fed babies often overeat and gain weight. “Let them eat as much as they want, even if it seems to you that this is not enough,” the professor begs the parents. - Even a small jar of baby food is too big for the real needs of the baby. If you still can't help but spoon feed, then at least follow this rule voiced by Amy Brown. When you put a spoon in his mouth with the "airplane", and he turns away and purses his lips, stop! He is no longer hungry, he has enough According to the recommendations of the UK National Health Service, a baby is ready for food other than breast milk if: - he can sit and hold his head well; - his movements are well coordinated, he can take a spoon and send her in his mouth; - he can swallow food. Otherwise, he will push the pieces out of his mouth with his tongue and smear food on his face. It is also good to know: