Don’t share with the baby

By Published On: January 19th, 2015

So this is a funny thing. We’re big on sharing […]

So this is a funny thing. We’re big on sharing around here, and now we have to regularly remind our three oldest kids that it’s not OK to share with the baby. I already told you how our 6-month old (gulp) let us know in no uncertain terms that she’ll have whaIMG_1676t we’re having, thanks a bunch, so we’re in kind of a pickle.
From our 7-year-old: “Mom, can I share my [honey-sweetened round cereal]? It’s really small!”
From our 5-year-old: “Mom, she wants some of my toast! I’m just giving her the corner, OK?”
The 7-year-old again: “Mom, look! She really loves pizza!”
“Mama, it OK if she haff my bitamin wif me.” This from my 3-year-old as he tries to shove a choking hazard disguised as a chewable probiotic into the baby’s mouth.
Gah. I know their intentions are good, and let’s be honest, she’s hard to resist. She’s so stinking cute, and she’s reaching for their spoons or their crusts or their cups and kicking her legs and pulling everything to her mouth. She’s doing every single thing she can to make it clear that SHE WANTS SOME. It’s why I’ve shared some of the soft inside of my sweet potato fries—she loved them—and her daddy let her suck the seasoning off a rice cracker—she loved that too. But we also watch her like hawks. Her 3-year-old brother, on the other hand, is a little terrifying when it comes to sharing. So we’re watching him like hawks, too.
The older two got a little lecture about how new foods can upset the baby’s tummy, and we have to be very careful because she has no idea how to chew (not to mention, no teeth) and she’ll choke on things very easily. It’s tough, I know, because we’re pretty selective about what we’ll let her sample, and she gets super bummed when I won’t let her have some of my wine. But I’m really putting my foot down about that one.