First Bite

What is a mum to do at 3am when feeding a new baby? Why, read about feeding of course...! This was one of my favorite books in the child-rearing genre when I was going down all those stressed out nightime rabbit holes, hoping I was doing "the right thing" for my wee one. I found the cited studies very enlightening, and it helped me to feel more confident that as long as everything we fed our baby was healthy, they would be just fine. The author is not a scientist, more of a journalist, so her own opinions are to be taken with a little grain of salt, but overall the book was well, researched, put together in a logical way, and contained a wealth of information that we appreciated very much. I would- and have- recommended this book to other parents, and I think it's helpful for anyone who wants to understand the psychology and biology of eating and eating habits. If you're interested in baby-led weaning, the pairing of First Bite and Simple & Safe Baby-Led Weaning by Malina Malkani was a great combo for us.

Great book. Lots in here for both adults and kids. I listened to this as an audiobook years ago and am revisiting it to prepare for our first child. I was inspired to try chocolate and have actually learned to like it as a result of the advice in this book!Caveat — The book is definitely not brand new. Under the dust jacket, there is clear fading and the pages have aged yellow. It was also packed into the Amazon box without any individual box or padding.Not worth returning since it’s still fine to read, but I wouldn’t recommend this seller if you are buying this as a gift.

As a former parent coach, I realize that most parents read their "how to" books about their computer versus parenting. They raise children who are confused, entitled, and digital addicts from TV to telephones. I see little children under age 5 playing with telephone apps. I see babes in highchairs being entertained by telephone apps. Shame.This book is brilliant and gives so much information that goes beyond the pediatricians lack of knowledge about nutrition. It is a step by step process with lists of foods and reasons for the recommendations. What I most like is that Bee Wilson talks about the pleasure and enjoyment of eating...and having parents chose the nutrition AND allowing the child to determine what s/he puts in her mouth...so that controlling is reduced significantly.Since I was forced to eat everything on my plate, and not allowed to have milk with my meal but after, I learned to eat almost everything except "liver" which still elicits a gag reflex. My brother hated "peas" so the meal included liver and peas so this meal was hellish and need not be repeated for a time. Argh! What a philosophy eh?So read this delicious book and give your baby the gift of your knowledge of nutrition...and the biggest gift, "allowing" your baby to chose what s/he puts into his/her mouth. Awwww. A phenomenal parenting gift...the pleasure of eating as well as the enjoyment of eating. More awwww!Blessing on all of our food.

As a pediatric feeding therapist who specializes in helping all children learn to try new foods and develop a wide repertoire of healthy foods that they enjoy, I was fascinated with this book. First Bite takes us through the history of why we chose certain foods for our children over the years and what influenced those choices. Bee Wilson's consideration of today's food marketing machine and busy lifestyles of parents in our society is something we have to take into account, even for the most hesitant eaters. While I work with children who have significant delays in the developmental process of feeding, I cannot focus just on a motor delay, sensory challenge or other medical issues that can stall a child's development. I have to focus on the environment too and help the entire family raise healthy, happy eaters. First Bite looks deep into society's influence on feeding children over the years, while offering a respectful glimpse into what it's like to have a child with a feeding disorder.

I was excited to read & to glean some info on why I personally have such a complicated relationship with food-- why I obsess over food, over what I'm actually eating (or not), and ultimately learn what I can do. It was cool to realize how choosing what to eat (and how I eat what I choose) is a learned behavior, and like all learned things, my learning has been reinforced both negatively and positively. The book gave me insight into just how deeply my eating habits are deeply entrenched due to my upbringing and by my on-my-own experiences. However, I was also hoping to learn how to make changes to the aspects of eating that I wasn't all too stoked about, e.g. I stuff myself so I can finish EVERYTHING on my plate when the plate was served to feed at least three people (looking at you Olive Garden :D). That last hope was dashed, sadly. I got the gist about four chapters in and skimmed the last ones, hoping to get to this and was disappointed. To be fair: this book didn't advertise itself as a self-help manual, but wanted to share my expectations in case it resonated with anyone else. Interesting read that experienced diminishing returns as it kept going and going...

This book gave me a lot to think about regarding food and how I will introduce my children to food. I learned a ton and thought it was a good read. There were a few parts where it got a little long and monotonous, but overall, I would highly recommend it. I loved the author's stories and it was clear she had a vast amount of research backing her.

Changed the way I think of what I "like" and "don't like" and definitely gave me some great ideas for how to develop a great palate in my children. I'm actually excited to get vegetables in front of them and I have a more reasoned perspective on what makes them like something or not like something. Definitely recommend for anyone with young kids or those who think there are large categories of foods (e.g., "i don't like fish", "i don't eat vegetables") that aren't for them.

A very informative book. Shed lights on many factors that contribute to our preference in food in an easy to read and easily digestible method.Would highly recommend for parents (expecting or otherwise) as well as to anyone looking to learn more about this fascinating topic that affects our every day lives.

Loved this book. So much good information here. I have taken to making vegetables more interesting and I now have a 6 year old boy who loves garlicky green beans and roasted cauliflower, it’s only been a few days. I am going to serve sprouts next and he’s actually excited by this. I no longer pressure him to eat, and I do try and make things as delicious and relaxed as I can. No tricks, hidden veggies or cajoling any more, I am reformed.

Bought to discover more about how to deal with personal unhealthy eating habits, it's now also of use as I'm pregnant and it contains very insightful notions on nutrition during pregnancy, breast feeding and for children.

Comer bien es una habilidad que se aprende. Muy interesantes consejos para aprender y enseñar a comer. Además menciona otros muchos libros con muy buena pinta.

La nutrición es clave en nuestras vidas, nos condiciona la salud y también la autoestima, en un contexto donde no siempre controlamos lo que comemos. El libro apunta ideas muy importantes acerca de como comer es un acto que muchas veces hacemos por contexto social y también demuestra que podemos cambiar hábitos. Tal vez se deje en el tintero cosas relevantes (la importancia de las posibilidades económicas a la hora de acceder a mejor nutrición) pero tiene otros temas super importantes como la alimentación de nuestros hijos y su enfoque adecuado. Me ha gustado mucho.