Learning Through Baby Food

Likes and Dislikes
Through the introduction of baby food, you can learn the likes and dislikes of your baby. As I already talked about, every baby is an individual one. No two babies are the same! Therefore, the taste-buds are also severely different. For example, if a family member likes peas it doesn't have to mean that your baby will like them as well.
Be prepared for the incidence that your baby might be allergic to the particular food that someone else in your family might like, and respect that. You can't fight allergies!

Signs of Likes/Dislikes/Hunger
If your baby is hungry, the most common sound you will hear is "mam". "Mam" is the universal cry/sound for a hungry baby. Along with this sound, little fists may also be an indicator. Opening and closing hands, as well as closed fists.
If your baby doesn't like the food that you're feeding him/her, they will most likely spit it out and start crying. The may also call out in the "discomfort tone" (see previous post about it). That tone will most likely come with a pulling motion from your baby, away from the spoon or something else they may dislike.
If your baby likes the food that you're feeding him/her, they will most likely show their enjoyment through constant motion. That is, they will move their legs and arms around with excitement and won't take their little eyes off the spoon or whatever it is they like. If they are already able to grasp at things (usually at the age of 4 months), they might try to grasp the spoon as it's coming for them or if you're taking it way to fill it up again.

Introducing Your Baby To Family Pets

If you have a pet or plan on having one in the future, and you have a baby or plan on having one in the future, an introduction is always crucial, and especially the way you do it. I know, the way I wrote this is gibberish... Let's start from the beginning!

I don't own any pets (of any kind) at home, but here (in Greece, where I am for vacation) my mother owns 8 cats and 1 medium-sized dog. I was afraid at first as to the reaction of the animals to Victoria, but I didn't have to be after all. Some of the cats liked the baby right away, but didn't show it as much (don't forget that cats are independent creatures, and only trust people they know). 

The dog, however, showed great interest in Victoria! As he came to my mother from a previous household with 3 children, it was expected for the dog to show that kind of interest. He sat on Victoria, but not with his whole weight and not on her face or close to her head. He just wanted to show that he accepts the baby as part of the pack (the family for a dog is his/her pack [pets and people alike]). From then on, he stays close to her and protects her when we go on walks from strangers (keeps close to her) and keeps close to her when she's sitting on the floor, watching her like a hawk.

Introducing your baby to the family pets is an important step. Some people decide to do it using a piece of clothing first. Others show the baby to the pets right away (like I did with my daughter). It's up to you how you choose to do it, and either way you choose to do it the responsibility for your action is yours. As a parent, just follow your instinct, it's almost never wrong. You know your pets better than anyone, and you know how they act when nervous or aggressive. So follow your gut feeling and don't doubt it!

Tummy Time

Tummy time is an important exercise you should start with your baby as a newborn. It strengthens his/her muscles and prepares him/her for the time when he/she starts crawling. The arm and leg muscles get stronger every time you do this exercise with your baby.

This exercise also prepares your baby for when it's time to roll over, from tummy-to-back and back-to-tummy. Legs and arms get stronger every time, and when it's time to push themselves forward or backwards, all that exercise and all that strength will come in handy.

Tummy time can be done either on the floor or on your stomach. All you have to do is lay your baby on his/her tummy and his/her arms under his/her chest. His/Her back has to be straight when doing this exercise, otherwise you're just wasting your time and the exercise won't lead anywhere.

Starting on Baby Foods

Baby-food (other than milk), can be found in every supermarket or pharmacy around the world. And if not, in any store! Different flavors and different sizes are a huge plus. When it comes to the quantity of food your infant consumes, size is very important. Also, when it comes to allergies and likes/dislikes, the different flavors are of great importance as well (especially when it comes to allergies!).

You can start on the various baby-foods after 3 or 5 months of age. In some countries (like Greece), infants begin eating baby-food from the age of 4 months old, whereas in other countries (like Austria), infants begin eating baby-food from the age of 5-6 months old.

Almost all of the doctors will inform mothers that feeding your infant baby-food before the age of 6 months can be dangerous to your infant's health. However, Victoria is now 4 months old (as of the 7th of July) and she has already started on baby-food. She doesn't like some of it, but she consumes the fruity flavors like a maniac (especially the apple-banana-pear combination)!

(If you want to listen to doctors, do so kindly! It's every parent's decision, we can't all have the same opinions otherwise this world would be a boring place!)

So I ask of you: please don't judge me because I choose to feed my infant baby-food before the age of 6 months. I was also raised this way, and I was raised just fine. Thank you kindly!

Having People Over

One of the most exciting moments for a baby/infant is when you have people over, and he/she gets to improve his/her social skills. New words, new faces, new smells. All of these new experiences come with meeting new people, which can only be achieved with having people over.

They can be friends, family, neighbors, anyone you want. But (if you're a father/mother-in-law/grandparent), make sure you have the "okay" of the baby/infant's mother. She might be exhausted or not up to a visit, and that will make all the difference in the world.

A baby/infant's mood depends on how the mother is feeling. If the mother is upset, the baby/infant will be upset as well. If the mother is happy, the baby/infant will be happy and joyful. Lying to a baby/infant is impossible: they understand everything through the connection of "mother-baby".

Baby Language ("Meh", "Oah" & "Heh")

As grown-ups we have our own language, a language that no baby from the ages of 0 to 6 understands. Anything and everything we say seems funny to them. They laugh at every word we utter.

But the same thing goes for our little angels. They have their own vocabulary, which is difficult for us parents to understand at first. But later we catch on to their sounds and vowels, and our lives as parents get just a little bit simpler.

This is why this post was written today. 'Cause my little princess has decided to grace me with her vocabulary and their meanings from the age of 2 months on (she's 3 months old right now):

"Meh" - It's the sound of hunger. Along with fisted little hands and grumbling tummies, this sounds let's you know that it's officially time to feed your loved one.

"Oah" - It's the sound of a sleepy and tired baby. It doesn't necessarily have to come with a scream before or after, but it's always the best choice for your baby to be heard. And the choice only gets made by your little sleeping beauty.

"Heh" - It's the sound of discomfort. Your baby is either too hot, too cold, too wet (sweat or a wet nappy), or the surrounding might be a bit strange/uncomfortable for your baby. This sound doesn't come in a scream or anything. It sometimes seems like they might be sighing out of boredom.

Below you will find a video which explains more about the sounds your little darling might be making (hope it helps!):