Preamble
As many of you know, but some don’t, I am slowly working on a book tackling the misinformation and lies that we are told about how we “should” parent. In researching and writing my book, I’ll be sifting through academic articles and history books, conducting interview with experts and parents alike, and aiming to understand where this misinformation comes from.
I’ll also be identifying the parenting guidance that not only applies to parents now in our current societal context, but the guidance that also makes sense in terms of our evolutionary history, and that caters to our children’s biological, developmental, and psychological needs.
As I work on the book I’ll be occasionally sharing some of the things that I’ve researched (like I’m doing today). This content is accessible only to my paid subscribers. In short, pay for it now (and help support me to research and write this book more quickly), or pay for it when the book is done.
In saying that, there are two other ways to receive this content. The first is through Substack’s subscriber referral program. When you share Lessons Learned, whether through text, email, or social media, you’ll get credit for any new subscribers, resulting in free access to my paid content.
The second is by allowing me to interview you. I’ll be putting out calls every now and then as I look for people and parents with certain types of experience. If that’s you, and you put your hand up for an interview, you’ll get a year’s access to all content.
Now for today’s article.
The hidden ideology behind starting solids
When I first started looking into the history of starting solid food with your baby, I expected to find wild advice (baby can start on bacon and eggs by 9 weeks!1), dubious scientific claims (giving dried crusts for baby to munch on will prevent the development of the feeble European jaw2), and unusual baby food recommendations and restrictions (no raw cucumbers or celery for children under 7! And absolutely no bananas!3). What I did not expect to find was the way baby food is a political notion, and the way we feed babies heavily reflects our societal ideology at the time the advice was given. Here’s a snippet of the advice through the last 100 or so years:
Early 1900s
Trend: Feed baby at regular meal times - 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm.
Ideological undertone: This advice first surfaced at the end of the 19th century, with the rise of the scientific method, medical specialisation, and standardisation. Routines were everything, and caring for your child with “exactness” was valued. This was reflected in many of the parenting manuals of the time, which not only specified exact feeding times, but also precise ways for preparing the food.
1920-30s
Trend: Pre-prepared baby food
Ideological undertone: Consumerism and convenience (supporting women to have more time to look good for their husbands!). Before the 1920s, most baby food consisted of wheat gruel. But with the discovery of vitamins, fruits and vegetables were finally recognised as nutritionally valuable. These foods required more preparation than mixing cereal with water or milk, especially given the high standards of cleanliness and sterilisation that were being introduced at the time. Buying canned food was easier and much more convenient. Advertising also started to take off around this time, and baby food companies would take samples of their food to doctors offices for them to give to their patients, and also took out advertisements in health and women’s journals and magazines.
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