Is there a sight more delicious than the rolls of fat on a baby? Those plump arms making it look like they’ve got rubber bands around their wrists? Those legs whose only job is to kick in the air with joy? We recently learned of one dad and grandma expressing concern rather than cooing over those lovely rolls, in what basically amounts to body-shaming of babies. This is why the human race can’t have nice things.
“My husband mentioned that we’re giving my daughters (9 month old twins) a lot of ‘carbs,’ ” wrote FemaleChuckBass in the JustNoMIL (mother-in-law) subreddit. “I told him that babies need carbs for brain development and energy. Plus, I’m not giving them McDonald’s, just pasta or rice with meals that also include egg or chicken. Normal baby food (fruit and veggie purees).”
These foods sound pretty much in line with pediatricians’ recommendations for feeding 9-month-old babies. After having only breastmilk and/or formula for the first 6 months, they should be getting gradual introductions to new foods, including fruits, vegetables, and proteins. The only “carb” that the American Academy of Pediatrics warns against is juice.
“A bit more digging with my husband reveals that his mother is concerned that one of our daughters is ‘chubby,’ ” FemaleChuckBass continued. “I saw red but remained calm. I explained to my husband that neither baby is overweight and to make sure he tells his mother so.”
Hooo, boy, we’re kind of amazed that this mother could remain calm in the face of this kind of talk about her babies. The commenters on her post had her back, though.
“My baby is the Michelin man,” oscar_the_grouch14 wrote. “Literally have to move his rolls in the bath to make sure he’s clean. And guess what?? Our pediatrician loves it. He met his birth weight before we left the hospital. And he is chubby as heck. If someone said something negative about [it], I’d slap them. He isn’t overweight by any means, but chubby babies are good. Tell DH that MIL can mind her own damn business and stay 6 hours away. And the only pictures she gets are feet.”
Though we don’t know what these babies actually look like, we found this discussion of chubby babies from Stanford Children’s Health. (And by the way, we’re going to keep using the term “chubby” here because it’s not a bad thing.)
“Experts say parents should ask their child’s healthcare provider to keep track of their child’s weight from birth on up,” the site states. “But they shouldn’t worry about the weight of a child younger than age 2. Experts say there is no information to support the belief that children in this age group who are chubby are more likely to be heavier later.”
Shall we recap that one more time? Just like with older kids and adults, it’s the child’s healthcare provider — not the child’s grandmother or any other random person on the street — who is supposed to keep track of their healthy weight.
Did you know what great finger foods and other baby essentials are available at Aldi stores?
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