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

Many parents seek guidance on infant feeding, particularly knowing when a baby is ready for solids and to what extent. Here speech-language pathologist and feeding therapist Potock (Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater) tackles “first eaters.” She argues that following an infant’s direction is the key to responsive feeding, the method recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Potock helps readers understand babies’ reflexes, know the difference between gagging and choking, and pay attention to eight senses that influence a baby’s eating, including proprioception (awareness of where body parts are resting or moving in space), vestibular sense (controlling balance and movement, such as picking up a pea between thumb and forefinger), and interoception (sensing internal cues and recognizing hunger). During a six- to nine-month window, Potock focuses on communication skills during the mealtime experience and continuing growth in self-feeding (she gives examples for turning family recipes into purees or finger food, and self-feeding options for varying stages of toddlerhood). She includes detailed instructions on how to help with skills such as pincer grasp, utensil usage, straw drinking, and more, and a final chapter discusses infusing flavors from parents’ culinary heritage into babies’ diets.