I was reading Julie at A Little Pregnant this morning and an ad in the sidebar caught my eye. It was a public service announcement reminding new parents that babies need to eat and that, sometimes, they will even let you know when they desire to do so.
“Pay attention when your baby’s telling you she’s hungry!
When she’s hungry, she may:
•Move her mouth
•Rapidly move her eyes in her sleep
•Try to suck on anything she can
•Bob her head & search around
•Be fussy, squirm, clench her fists or toes”
I used to just roll my eyes at things like this, because, hey, no shit, infants need food sometimes, but I get it now. I have encountered some families lately that actually need these little reminders. I was feeding a child a few weeks ago (because I had to ask a parent of the fussy and obviously hungry child to prepare a bottle) and noticed that the bottle that the child’s step-father had just put together didn’t seem to be giving the child much satisfaction. I took off the cap and noticed at least one previous bottle’s worth of formula goo stuck to the inside of the nipple. I (politely!) asked if there was another bottle available. There wasn’t. They were having trouble finding any more. Let me stress that they were not on a trip or packed for a day away from home. They were one door down from a store that sold such things and less than a quarter of a mile from their house.
As a non-breeder, I really do try to keep my nose out of the business of raising children, but this wasn’t just a choice that I disagreed with. It was unsanitary and lazy. Also, this is a couple that I know well, so I am not judging what boils down to one random event. They are young, inexperienced and allowed to remain so by family members who pick up the slack.
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