English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

I am trying to decide whether or not to continue to let my sister in law watch my son for me. Even though she has her own job and family, she changed her schedual some in order to watch him 4 days a week. This, I am thankful for. The thing is, he is almost 18 months old and I am very strict about what I will let him eat because he has no teeth yet, so I am keeping him on #2 baby food jars. My sister inlaw seems to think that he is not getting enough nutrients and that he at least needs to be eating #3's. She says he acts hungry and whiney a lot, and I found out that she allowed my mother in law to come to her house and she (my mother in law) fed him two #3 jars of food. Two jars of it!! Can youbelieve that! I think he can't handle these even though they insist that he ate them with no problems. I kind of got mad and told her that having no teeth at 18 months means he is healthy, unlike her kids who got teeth at 3 months and 6 months old - that is unhealthy!

2007-01-19 09:15:41 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting Parenting

They care for him just fine, no soggy diapers, etc and he is well loved there, but I am insistant on keeping him at #2 foods because I do not have time to mash up regular food for him.

2007-01-19 09:31:30 · update #1

19 answers

We didn't start feeding our daughter rice cereal until she was 6 months old. It's not considered unhealthy to have teeth at 3-6 months....it just means that they are early teethers. Also - stage 2 food vs stage 3 food does not mean healthier or unhealthier - if you realistically think about it, jar food is very high in sodium content which is not healthy for them. I personally made all my daughters food just because the jar food tasted disgusting to me. Food wise, they can handle more than you think they can. I was quite suprised myself at what my daughter was able to eat and such. Your son's digestive system should be able to handle all foods at this point. In addition, chewing wise, they can gum more than you think that they can.

Your sister in law is doing a LARGE favor for you by watching your son 4 days out of the week....She's with him just as long as you are....and if she has her own family - she's been through "feeding solids" to a baby before.

Also - if your baby is acting whiney or hungry or wants to eat all the time, he probably isn't getting the nutrients that he needs. He should be eating regular table food by now, not jar food....

2007-01-20 05:55:05 · answer #1 · answered by kristina807 5 · 1 0

Gee I think if my child had no teeth at 18 months I would be concerned. I never heard of a child that old with no teeth. Did it ever occur to you that maybe because he is really active at her house that he may be more hungry there than at home. No your Mother in law should have given him 2 jars of baby food especially when you told her not to. Anyway 2 jars is too much in the first place. But maybe give the #3 jars a try - if he likes them then he is eating more closely what other kids his age are eating.

2007-01-19 09:22:11 · answer #2 · answered by elaeblue 7 · 0 0

First off, its not unhealthy for a baby to have teeth at 3 mths of age. Teeth come in between 1 month and 1 1/2 years of age. Anything within that time frame is considered normal. I'm sure your little one's teeth will come soon, and I'm sure you have already talked to your doctor about it.
As for the food, #3 food is still pureed but does have some additional texture in it. He should be able to eat them without a problem. If she decided to jump over 3 and go to Graduates I could see getting concerned. But even Graduates has small pieces and is quite "mushy". He really should be able to eat stage 3's.
I do agree however, that it wasn't your sister in laws place to make that decision. You are his mother and you need to make the decision. You need to decided if you can find and afford other daycare for him. If so, then at least you have a choice.

2007-01-19 09:42:29 · answer #3 · answered by Joanne D 3 · 0 0

You're going to hate my answer. I just know it!

1. Your sister has children? If so, then she probably has a good idea of what she is doing. I have a little boy (27 months) - he is my first - and I spent a lot of time worrying about his food. Well now, he doesn't eat fruit - actually he won't even physically touch it, he won't eat vegetables, and he'll only crackers, yoghurt, snacks and raisins. It is very problematic, because he is not getting the proper nutrition (with the exception of vita-drops) because of his eating. So let your sister feed him whatever she wants. As long as it is soft enough to mush with his tongue, and isn't loaded with sugar, it is ok. Even if it isn't - don't be too paranoid that he'll choke - if he hasn't got teeth to bite, he's not going to get small chunks! Don't underestimate her knowledge. The first kid is always the toughest, and it isn't until it's practically too late that we realize that - "Oh, yeah - I wish I realized that three weeks ago..." She is, and I know you probably don't want to hear this, probably right...(sorry!)
2. I think it's great that your sister has rescheduled her life to help you out. It is a noble and generous thing to do. BUT - for the sake of proper social development - get him into a daycare (either homecare or public) at least one day a week so he learns how to interact with others in an objective environment - where he is not KING.
3. Your baby is growing at an expoential rate right now - 2 jars is not too much. I've seen perfectly healthy kids eat even MORE!!!

Good luck, new momma, and don't be too hard on yourself - or your sister in law!

Take Care.

2007-01-19 09:31:40 · answer #4 · answered by neikochan 1 · 0 1

Um, you are quite mistaken. It is not normal at all for a healthy child to have no teeth at 18 months. When is the last time you took your child to the doctor? I can not imagine that a physician would not have looked into the cause yet. It is normal for infants to cut first teeth between 3-7 months. At 18 months, a normal, healthy child should be eating table foods like mashed potatoes, tiny pieces of fruit, rice, cheese, anything bite sized really. You need to have your child evaluated immediately.
As for your sister, I have no idea. That is a personal choice. TAKE YOUR SON TO THE DOCTOR NOW.

2007-01-19 09:24:56 · answer #5 · answered by medicpaige 3 · 2 0

My children ate 2 jars of food, usally it was a dinner jar and then a fruit or veggie jar, I also made homemade babyfood for them. It looks like your family loves your child which is a good thing, many people don't have the support of their family. I think that most of the baby food bought in the store is so soft anyway, but it is your child and they should follow your wishes, Babies have a gag reflex, they just bring it back up (for the most part) if they have something to big, or they are too full. I find that the baby oatmeal fills a child up nice, so when he is still hungry ask them to feed him that. He might be winey and fussy cause he is getting ready to cut some teeth, Just remember that YOU are his mother.

2007-01-19 09:26:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

Despite the fact that I disagree with you about sticking to no.2 baby food for an 18 month old baby, I do believe that it is important for your in-laws to respect you and your decisions as the mom. I think that if you speak to them rationally it probably won't be a big deal, and they'll respect your boundaries. However, you should probably speak to your child's doctor about the lack of teeth and his/her nutritional needs. As long as the doctor is OK with your child's eating habits, so be it. Keep in mind that baby food is very different from "real" food. It may be difficult to get your child to make the switch if you wait much longer. Maybe you can compromise with your in laws by introducing a multi vitamin to your child's diet so they don't feel the need to sneak in other foods.

2007-01-23 02:17:02 · answer #7 · answered by adondeesta1 2 · 0 0

I honestly feel the same way I took my 13 month old out of my mother in laws care bc my husbands family is hispanic and she fed her things like beans, rice, tortillas, hot cheetos, and carne'...etc instead of feeding her things a 13 month old should be eating she would try and hide everything she fed her from me but when she finally settled down i took her home and fed her dinner which I usually do Gerber Dinner meals for toddlers and she threw up all over the place things she didnt even digest ...you need to get your child out of their care quick bc if they dont listen to you about something as simple as food goes than they will not listen to how you feel about anything else such as disclipling and such so find someone new I know that you prob think that since they are part of the family your child will be safe with them but thats the same thing I thought until my duaghter came home with soggy diapers and poop stains and crying bc she was hungry (AND SHE EVEN LET HER OTHER GRANSON WHO IS OLDER BITE MY DAUGHTER),,,so take my advice for your childs sake an 18 month old can not tell you anything of which is taking place while your not there please get your child away from people that do not listen to things such as simple as food I mean its your choice what your child eats and mother knows best so just put your motherly instincts to work and find a better care giver for your child who will actually perform duties with your child that you do......Good Luck

2007-01-19 09:26:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

How is it unhealthy for a baby to get teeth at 3-6 months old? That is normal what isn't normal is a baby without teeth that is 18 months old. I would seriously be thinking about taking him to the doctor and asking why he hasn't cut teeth yet.
At 18 months he should be eating table foods. I wouldn't be mad at my sister for only trying to feed him if he was hungery.

2007-01-19 09:21:56 · answer #9 · answered by ஐ♥Julian'sMommy♥ஐ 7 · 1 0

When you get get your teeth is hereditary.Your child should at least have 2-3 so you need to talk to your ppediatrician immediately.Even without teeth he can have all sorts of foods But if you want to keep him on baby food I would make sure he has a variety there are all sorts of types you can give him but also he needs meat protein protein protein.My child is 15 months eats baked chicken pork hamburg etc .

2007-01-19 16:03:09 · answer #10 · answered by jelnel 3 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers