Recently, I shared parts one and two of my interview about natural pregnancy and childbirth with my friend Fatim. Here is her take on raising her son Adam as a superhero baby!
How do you feed Adam? What’s a typical meal for him?
Warren and I often get a question like “does Adam eat macrobiotic food?” Of course, he does! He eats what we eat. Some adjustments need to be made for babies and little ones, but overall, he eats grains, beans, vegetables, seaweed, fruits, nut butters.
A typical meal would be : rice patties, wrapped in nori, pan-fried tofu, sautéed broccoli. It usually includes a type of grain (pasta, rice, brown or white, quinoa, couscous …), a vegetable dish, and a protein dish, most of the time.
What are his favorite foods?
Nori is a favorite, he calls it “nama" - so cute!! He loves tofu, and mochi!!! He loves broccoli too, and baby bok choy.
When he is around other little ones, how do you deal with food? You said it’s not an issue yet..like you made cupcakes and he wasn’t really interested?
Adam goes to daycare for a few days a week, and I cook for him in the morning so he has some nice quality food. Right now, there isn’t any issue; he eats what I make all the time. He just loves the food - he finds it delicious!! For his birthday, I made your Favorite Cupcake recipe from your book (it is my favorite now too!), and he was the only one not eating it. The thing is, he doesn’t see cupcakes on a regular basis, so he was fine without them. I am sure it will change soon …. But Warren and I will make some nice, good quality treats, naturally sweetened and homemade. I have made him some cookies, or muffins, but he’s just not into them, so I end up eating them and sharing them with my friends, and their little ones too.
Ok, cloth diapers versus eco diapers?
So, this is the funny thing: while 8 months pregnant, I went to a class on cloth diapers, and was so determined to use them. And then, I just felt it was too much for me to handle, with taking care of our baby and myself too, so we did and still do chlorine free diapers.
Did he sleep with you? And if so, for how long? If not why? What were your thoughts on that?
He did for the first 3 months, and after that, we put him in his crib, in his own bedroom. I think it is very important to have the baby with you at the beginning, I believe that babies are not meant to sleep alone for the first few months. In all the traditional societies, babies were sleeping with their parents. For how long? I think it is a personal choice. But I believe parents know better for their babies, so whatever you choose to do is fine, as long as you feel confident about it, and have no after-thoughts or guilt.
Fatim has these final thoughts to share…
Pregnancy is the most important time in a woman's life to eat well. It is very important to eat a wide variety of foods. The baby needs a broad selection of ingredients and nutrients to choose from. Eating in a balanced manner will improve your health and the health of your baby.
No doubt cravings come up during pregnancy and the best way to satisfy them is to choose the best quality of what you are craving. If you crave a food like ice cream, try to satisfy it first with a healthy alternative. If you cannot satisfy it there, have a small amount and really enjoy it.
Please, no guilt around food choices. Simply try to choose the best options and make yourself satisfied. Your baby's taste for food comes from your taste during this time.
Thank you, Fatim! Are any of you kind lifers raising a superhero baby or young child? How is it going?
